Anyone else have soft clearcoat?

[adamc]

Hey there folks,

Was curious if anyone else feels the clearcoat on their XC is particularly soft? Some of you may remember I had waterspots etched in my clear upon delivery. Volvo finally had body shop wetsand and polish car. Body shop Zaino'd the car. I washed 3 days later and re-zaino'd. It's now been a few months with never more than 2 weeks go by between washing and zaino.

I have waterspots that look just as bad as the originals etched into clear coat. I've never had the opportunity to garage any of my cars and a lot of people in the neighborhood don't. I've never had this much trouble with a paint job. I know acid rain + soft clear = etching, but no other cars on my street have this problem and they're getting the same rain/environmental conditions.

I'm really doubting the dealer will care one bit about this issue and just dismiss as me not taking care of the paint, but frankly I'm starting to get worried that my paint will fail early. It's horrible enough to have ugly spots all over my black XC70, but that's cosmetic. If in 5-6 years the paint starts bubbling from the car, I'm going to be a bit upset.

Just curious if anyone else has had these issues, I know generally Volvo paint is well thought of. My brother's '89 wagon looks great still with nothing but cheap soap.

Thanks to all

[PlaysWithCars]

Just curious if anyone else has had these issues, I know generally Volvo paint is well thought of. My brother's '89 wagon looks great still with nothing but cheap soap.


My experience with Volvo paint is varied. The dark blue paint on my '87 745 has held up fine, yet the dark blue on my '89 745 has the clearcoat turning to powder on the roof and a little bit on the hood. Both cars have received comparable attention in the wash-n-wax area, with name brand products (not turtle wax!), and have been parked outside virtually all their life. I have seen numerous 700 and 900 series cars with this same powdering clearcoat issue, along the entire west coast from Seattle to San Diego. It seems to be a sign of aging for this generation of Volvos, along with cracked dashes and drooping headliners.

Now on my '99 XC, there are two spots, one each on the roof and hood, that have a white pattern developing. This pattern is somewhat similar to the early patterns on the '89 745 just last year when the clearcoat started to deteriorate. I hope that this is not a sign of impending failure.

I would say that Volvos are well know for their resistance to corrosion (outside of areas with salted roads), however the paint doesn't seem to be any better or worse than other manufactures, except for early 90's chevys with the peeling paint jobs.

Of course, to answer your original question, I have yet to find any product that prevents waterspots. Waterspots and paint swirls are the the reason I have never owned a black car. Good luck!

[Rozinante]

I also have a black 2004. I also use Sal Zaino's products. I have not experienced water-spotting problems. I assume you're using his Z7 car wash and following it up with at least a Z6 rubdown if not additional coats of Z2. The more coats of Z2, the better the finish - in both appearance and level of protection from the elements. In Sal's literature he specifically mentions NOT applying his products over water spots. Are you insuring they're gone before applying the Z2? I've been using Zaino for several years now and am sold on it. I'm surprised that waterspots are developing on a properly Zaino'd finish.

But to your question - no, I don't feel the clearcoat on my XC is particularly soft. Good luck with the dealer. I'll be interested in his response.

[adamc]

Yep, I'm using the entire Zaino product line, and I've attempted to put at least three coats of z5 or z2 on at at time.

I realize Sal says not to apply over waterspots. However, my spots are not the mineral deposit kind that you can clay off. They are pits in the clear coat. There's no way to remove them except wetsanding. I had this done once, and immediately zaino'd the car.

I was surprised (actually pretty peeved) that water spots had not only developed, but eaten into my clear coat.

I feel perfectly able to deal with swirls and "dirty" or mineral waterspots on the black car. These; however, are a whole different story.

[birddog]

Like PWC two of my older Volvo's had lousy clearcoats on them. My "deep blue" '91 had spots on the hood and on the roof of the car where the clearcoat turned to powder and was just flaking away. My "ash gold" '92 was the same way along the top of the windshield only. The paint on our 850s is amazing! Looks good as the day we brought them home, like a mirror....... So, I'm hoping the finish on the XC wil also live up to the standard set from them.

[Rozinante]

Yep, I'm using the entire Zaino product line, and I've attempted to put at least three coats of z5 or z2 on at at time.

It seems to me that you're doing more than should be expected to protect the finish. I cannot imagine better care than you're affording your car. I would also wonder how many more color-sandings the clearcoat can take. I would ask the dealer to at least re-clearcoat the vehicle.

Sounds like you might also have some serious acid rain in the bay area. Does it dissolve your rain gear and burn exposed skin?