Five Types of Car Paint Damage and How To Fix Them

Written by Formula 1 Collision on February 28, 2025. Posted in Tips and Advice.

Noticing paint damage on your vehicle can feel like the end of the world. Thankfully, you can easily repair many types of car paint damage, and you’ll rarely ever need a completely new paint job. Before you start searching for paint and body shops in Tucson, AZ, take a second to read and learn about each type of damage and how to fix the one your car has.

If you notice any signs of damage starting on your vehicle, call Formula 1 Collision Center. We have over 40 years of experience with collision repair and can make your vehicle shine like it’s brand-new.

How To Identify Paint Damage on Your Car

Identifying and addressing any damage to your car early is the best way to avoid spending thousands on repairs later. Here are the most common signs and causes of car paint damage to watch out for.

1. Swirls

Swirl marks usually happen during cleaning. Automatic car washes use rough brushes that can scratch your vehicle. They can also occur if you use dirty towels or tarps on your car.

Steaming your vehicle is a good way to clean it without damaging it. If you need to cover your car, use a protective vehicle cover instead of one covered in dirt and debris.

2. Paint Oxidation

You might hear people refer to this as sun damage. Oxidation is a chemical process that occurs when the sun’s UV rays react with heat and oxygen to break down paint. You can identify oxidation by looking for its characteristic white blotches.

3. Clear Coat Peeling

It can be challenging to distinguish between oxidation and peeling clear coat. Here’s how you can tell the difference.

Run your finger around the edge of the damage. Your clear coat is peeling if you see a clear bump or hardline around it. If it’s smooth but you don’t get the distinct separation, it’s oxidation.

4. Bird Dropping Damage

Bird poop can ruin your car’s paint because it contains high levels of a corrosive substance called uric acid that eats away at the protective clear coat. If you see bird poop on your car, clean it immediately because the longer you let it sit there, the more damage it’s doing.

5. Tree Sap Stains

Tree sap is another corrosive substance that can stain your vehicle. It’s not as corrosive as bird droppings, but if you leave it too long, it can do just as much damage.

Don’t Wait for That Paint Damage To Get Worse

Ugly and peeling paint can completely ruin your vehicle’s resale value. If you want to get the most money for your vehicle when you’re ready to sell it, you need a professional who can restore it using eco-friendly car paint.

If you’re still not sure about the different types of car paint damage and how to fix them, call the best paint and body shop in Tucson, AZ: Formula 1 Collision Center.

Don’t let rust and corrosion ruin your car any longer! Call 520-369-4291 today!

How to Polish Clear Coat Paint

Written by Formula 1 Collision on October 30, 2024. Posted in Tips and Advice.

Learning how to polish a clear coat on your vehicle’s bodywork requires some special techniques. If you’d like to keep your car in top condition, it’s easiest to rely on paint shops in Tucson, AZ, like Formula 1 Collision Center, to perform this task.

In the meantime, let’s review the proper techniques for polishing clear coat paint on your car.

What Is Clear Coat Paint on a Car?

If your car has clear coat paint, this means it has an extra layer. That clear coat is transparent and sits above the layer of color. This layer’s purpose is often two-fold:

Enhance the primary color of the car.
Protect the car paint from the elements.

So, having this extra coating helps your car’s aesthetics and mitigates weather damage, but clear coats do require special care to keep them intact and looking great.

Types of Possible Damage With Clear Coat Paint

As it’s protecting the primary paint layer on your vehicle, the clear coat can suffer in several ways, including:

Scratching
Peeling or bubbling
Fading or yellowing
Looking raised or bumpy

Are car paint damages showing up inside the clear coat? That can be a challenge to repair without special maintenance keeping the clear coat in the best possible condition. Learn how to polish a clear coat below, and you might just help your vehicle resist damage over time.

Steps to Care for Clear Coat Paint

Do you know how to polish a clear coat? There are two main steps to follow.

Use Wet Sanding

If you notice bumpiness or scratches on your clear coat finish, wet sanding can remove this unwanted texture. You have to soak the sandpaper for at least an hour before using it.

Only use an ultra-fine sandpaper grit of 1,200 or higher. It’s also important to keep the car and the sandpaper wet for this technique to work.

Perform a Buffing Technique

After sanding comes buff work. Buffing the clear coat of paint starts by gently washing away any of the grit from the sanding. Dry the vehicle with a lint-free cloth or microfiber cloth to prepare it for buffing, which uses an electric buffer tool with a soft wool pad.

Remember, improper use of a power tool could cause damage. The experts will add a polish compound to the clear coat and use swirling motions to apply it. Any fine scratches in the coat should disappear, and you should see only slight swirl marks (a finishing polish removes those swirls).

Trust Formula 1 Collision Center for Professional Paint Work on Your Vehicle

That’s how to polish a clear coat safely, but consider relying on professionals to do this paint care work, as they’ll do it with the utmost care and practiced techniques. Experts know how to keep a paint job looking good on your vehicle.

At Formula 1 Collision Center, we never cut corners on your vehicle’s paint job, so we’ll always deliver a result that you’ll be proud to show off to friends and family. To set up a service appointment or to learn more about how we can help you, call us today at (520) 369-4291!

Tag: Swirl marks