Details for Clear Coat Repair

Clear coat has to be comparable with the paint system used.
Example if it is lacquer it has t be lacquer.
If it is a Polyurethane his has to be polyurethane.
Most today are a polyurethane.

The lifting is usually caused by improper bonding in the
paint process. This can happen for many reasons.

In the "old days" the clear coat was on top for protection.
Today it is a part of the paint system. The color coats have
no gloss until re-coated with the clear. You need good spray
equipment and experience in preparing the surface for re coating.
The surface prep will determine both how it looks and how long
the resurfacing lasts.

This is not a casual DIY job.

It is pretty easy to get the repair to look good and last for a few years, but the problem may stem from a deeper problem. If the clear coat is put over gel coat, or fiberglass, It will not stay for very long due to exposure to the environment, mainly the sun. Sometimes the paint is applied too thick and will fail. if the substrate is not prepared correctly, primer, sealer, etc, it will fail. Other things that causes failure on MHs is the color difference/design. As mention earlier, some colors heat-up more that others and cause stress in the surrounding areas. Giving advice on how to repair clear coat on this forum is next to impossible. Look at car/truck paint, and how some fail, and others do not. If you have any experience painting, give it a try, you will not be out that much money and it will probably look better than it does now. If not, it will give you some appreciation for having a pro do it.

I suggest those that have done this repair themselves post some pics of the results so the OP can see the results and whether or not he could live with them.

Just to add a little gas to the fire -- if you are going to pay you need to find someone who is REALLY GOOD -- you, like many of us, have a professional job, that has turned to crap! So what I'm hearing here is to pay to have it done right, but.......just don't pay the same guy again who did it wrong.

BOL,

X2 with Bird Freak. Im a pro too. Pay th
the money

I repaired a small area mainly to stop it from spreading. First I used a plastic scraper to remove loose clearcote. Then 2000 grit sand paper. Alcohol to clean. Masked off and used clear cotespray can from Walmart. Barely notice able and has lasted 2 years. Less than $10. Good luck.
Jack h.

I am a professional painter. PAY the MONEY! You don't just sand and spray clearcoat. you will have to respray color also for it to look right.

I am very happy with my repair. If the area is the top cap that is hard to see go for it. Wet sandpaper of 600-1000 grit will remove the clear coat. Dupli color rattle can paint can be found to match or come close enough in those areas. Or you can get your paint codes and have some exact colors installed in cans. Once you sand and clean use light coats. Experiment on a piece of cardboard to get some practice. Then use the same product in clear coat. If you want an eye popping shine you need to use some 3m products designed for the job.

My favorite paint is PPG. A two part paint and an inexpensive gun works well but you need a compressor that is up to the task. It needs a lot of air.

I painted an airplane in my driveway and garage. It took 4.5 months of sanding, filling, masking, and polishing.

Yeah, it can be done but it takes a lot of elbow work. I'm a rabid do it yourselfer and hate to pay others for things I can learn to do. Or is that just cheap?

ncrowley wrote:
I have read that others have done this with varying degrees of success.

You sort of answered your own question with this sentence. Have you heard of ANYONE that had complete success? I assume that is what you want instead of something that looks terrible.
A peeling clear coat CANNOT be repaired. The only solution is to remove the bad area and repaint it with a matching base coat and clear coat. Spraying on just another clear coat will look terrible.

All of the above posts are mostly spot on. Ignore it for a few years or do the whole part that is peeling. Both ends of the coach will probably need it eventually so it isn't worth messing with without doing the complete job. I sanded & sprayed the front cap above the windshield, 64 square feet. Very labor intensive and couldn't be done without scaffolding. Supplies cost around $200-$250, I didn't have to buy any tools. Now the rear cap needs to be done & I'll have it done by a real painter I know in Mexico. There are too many angles & recessed areas which make it more labor intensive.