Thread: Car paint clearcoat eco repair options

The trusty family Corolla has been afflicted with a rather unsightly feature over the last 12 months or so. True to form, I've procrastinated about the cheapest and best repair option as it's got progressively worse.

A local painter said he could sort it for $3k, which is probably reasonable, however that would be the definition of overcapitalising. The car is a cheap and reliable run around so don't really want to sell it - I'm not looking for a showroom finish, just some way to make it more presentable.

Would love to hear some options on a cheap DIY repair that might last a few years at least?

there are no cheap options, that clear coat has delaminated.
its a full repaint job and 3k is very reasonable.
dont know what the cost of wrapping it would be. might be worth pursuing

I'm having the same argument with my son currently, same car, same color have told him it's not worth doing anything about it as it would cost more than the car is worth....great car though mechanically

I went through a similar debate recently. My Toyota runabout has fractured paint (not just the clearcoat) & it's flaking off in several places, after looking closer it came down to repaint vs live with it as the age & mileage didn't make it worthwhile. I used a wire brush in a 4" grinder and a can of spray paint, then another can of clearcoat.

Maybe you could waterblast the loose stuff off, lightly sand & spray with a can of clearcoat. $50 and an afternoon in the sun.

Have a go yourself I reckon. Supercheap sell everything you need (including spray guns and compressors etc if you wanted to get carried away). But I’d just sand it smooth being careful to try not go thru the paint then give it a clear coat from an aerosol can and call it good. Worse case is you’re in the same place and only $100 down.

just keep driving it.

Either peel off everything that's loose, and spraycan clearcoat it - or ignore it and run it into the ground. As noted, it's not worth paying someone to do the job properly although $3K isn't actually a bad price for the work.

Your other option is camo green/brown it and claim it's a hunting hack - what this will achieve is slow down the rust from developing once the colour under the clearcoat starts to fail and you will likely get more of a run out of the thing before the WoF man takes a hate to it.

Some good thoughts!

I hadn't considered using the water blaster to prep - got a shiny new one sitting around which could be worth a test. Maybe a spray can is worth a hoon too.
I do have a compressor and basic spray gear, but don't have any experience painting car panels.

I'd read somewhere about people using a roller as a paint applicator for vehicles - I'd imagine it wouldn't be the best finish, but would presumably offer some protection?

The 'keep driving it' perspective has definitely been the motto so far, however the 'other driver' has been making some noise about the current cosmetic state of the vehicle.

Before waterblasting, try a plastic scraper to just flick the loose edges up and pull off anything that's really loose. A waterblaster might make a mess of it if there is any adhesion issues with the colour layer underneath and that comes away with the clear...

Originally Posted by No.3

Your other option is camo green/brown it and claim it's a hunting hack - what this will achieve is slow down the rust from developing once the colour under the clearcoat starts to fail and you will likely get more of a run out of the thing before the WoF man takes a hate to it.

Imagining the most humble suburban family wagon as a crudely camo'd hunting hack gave me a lol.

A backyard job risks getting dust, fly legs, grit and any other airborne crap sticking to it. It will be economical, but not pretty. Worth considering when weighing up the cost against that $3k quote.

same problem with my Rav 4 was quoted $4000 - well it will be a home job - spray can - after a water blast and cut was told they were painted for Japanese home market and should have had more coats for our climate but irrelevant just look crap my little mechanic down the road still gives it a warrant for now- only worth likely $2-3 k so not spending on it despite the fact the motor is great - now camo thats got me thinking hand painted

Stickers, lots and lots of stickers..
Not at all helpful I know.
As you were.

Originally Posted by earplay

Imagining the most humble suburban family wagon as a crudely camo'd hunting hack gave me a lol.

Pointing out it doesn't need to be a crude paint job. Just don't paint it Nissan deep forest metallic green - that's a terrifying colour for a car to be painted if you are sitting in it. It seems that that particular shade of metallic green is right at the spectrum where colour blind people can't see it. My wife used to have a Pulsar in that colour, after the third time she got driven into I started to take her seriously when she told me she was afraid everyone was trying to kill her on the roads... I swapped the Safari with her for a few days, fark me - never again!!! I only lasted three days and it got sold...

The flaking clear coat will come off using an air gun and compressor

apply the clear coat with a spray can

Then keep on driving