Can You Spray Clear Coat Over Your Old Faded & Peeling Clear?

In this post, we will talk about Spraying Automotive Clear Coat Over Old Paint.

Many auto enthusiasts who want to learn about auto body repair seem to think that …just because the clear coat on their paint job is peeling or faded, they could just sand the old clear off and re-clear the panel with new clear.

Let’s get into the MEAT of prepping this thing… Here’s what it looks like. 

Faded Clear Coat on Roof of Car

First, you need to sand the faded, chipping clear coat and feather it into the panel. This means you need to use an orbital sander. Another word for that is a “DA” a Dual Action sander. Usually pretty affordable and a must-have in an auto body mans garage.

Then you need to use a pretty fine paper like 320-360 grit or so and sand it all down. Next I would wet sand it even smoother with 400-600 grit paper.

By the time you finish the prepping process, you’ll have gone through the paint in some areas GUARANTEED! or even into the metal. There is NO way you can successfully take (just the clear off evenly) to spray clear on it. You’ll have gone into the base coat and eaten away through layers of paint.

You’re going through all of the prep work like a professional anyway. You might as well spend a few bucks more and buy a pint or a quart of base coat and shoot some new base on it, then apply your 2 coats of clear on it.

This is the “Right Way” and is the way YOU should repair your faded paint. Sometimes we do touch-ups on the Hood, Top’s of Fenders, Roof, and Trunk (the most common areas for fading on cars) if the customer wants or YOU want, to save money.

Cracking & Peeling Car Paint!

Most times this is a sign that you just need a complete paint job.

To learn more step-by-step auto body and paint repair… And to master this cool and exciting skill you may want to check out VIP Membership Club where Thousands of VIP members across the world gather to learn, share and interact talking about their own unique projects and how to get the job done.

Thanks for reading this post and we hope this cleared things up a little.

Don’t waste your time thinking you can just clear your faded and peeling clear coat on your car, truck, or bike.

Please share this post if you thought it was helpful and also comment below,

Thank you!

Tony

 

 

12 thoughts on “Can You Spray Clear Coat Over Your Old Faded & Peeling Clear?”

  1. Hi! Tony
    I know your membership is a great deal mostly for guys who want`s to this for a living,even as a part time hobby.
    But for a guy like me who just want to try this out its seem more expensive to buy the old package.I wouldn`t mind let say
    pay $50 for a smaller package like(Everything you need to know about painting a body kit)
    Did you ever consider selling your membership or cd`s in smaller packages,thanks…Robert

    Reply
    • hey Robert,

      Thank you for your input. We always value the opinions of our readers. We are actually working on basic level and premium levels for VIP members and have a smaller package or monthly option coming for members too. Would you be interested in a monthly plan to become VIP? or just a smaller package for the basic know how materials? Just stay tuned, we will be releasing new options within the next few weeks.

      Thanks Robert,

      Tony

      Reply
  2. What do women in swimsuits have to do with car paint? This does not really inspire confidence.
    Also, if your free manual was any good, why would I have to spend another $120 for information.
    Sorry, just an honest observation. I just want to put paint on my car to protect it and make it look good.
    I don’t need all that other stuff.

    Reply
  3. The price is 100 percent perfect, the course is great I’ve learned a lot even tho when I bought it I knew a lot but just wanted tips. I’ve been on here for 3 years and never wished I didn’t spend the money. Tony I love this site very thankful for you putting your time into it.
    And p.s I love the girls and cars keep doing your thing tony it’s your site!

    Reply
  4. Hey Tony, I bought a car that had some body work done on it and the sanding marks are visible. This is on 3 panels and the rest of the car is great, stock. My question is “can these three panels be addressed without painting them?” It’s good paint but I think it could be sprayed kinda heavy, wet sanded and then buffed. body shops said that they need to be painted. It’s a 3 stage paint and costs 1800 bucks for only those panels. What do you think?

    Reply
    • Hi Brian! Pretty difficult to reply with my recommendation here under comments. Email me at tony@learnautobodyandpaint with your question and pictures of your project so I can give you an accurate suggestion on how to proceed with your project.

      Reply
  5. If I want to clear a bumper and I base coat the peeling part and paint base on it after sanding, can I just scuff up the part of the bumper that the clear is good, and clear the whole bumper?

    Reply

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