The Leading Cause of Faded Paint

Nowadays, cars are mass-produced on a large scale and thus the quality of materials such as the paint used is often not the highest quality possible. Back in the mid-20th century, car manufacturers focused on quality, ensuring that the cars would protect against damage both functional and aesthetic.
During this same time, car owners were more invested in taking care of their cars as well. Due to the materials available on the market, car owners placed an emphasis on spending time waxing and protecting their car’s surface more often, which they often did during down-time on weekends. This was also the era of the DIYer – simply because cars were easier to work on, less technically advanced, and most American males and many ladies too were mechanically inclined.

Nowadays, however, most vehicles (about 95%) come with single-stage paint and a clear coat finish. Despite most manufacturers following a detailed process of applying 7 to 10 coats of paint, treating it with heat, and scanning it with C.A.T. technology and equipment to find imperfections, the quality of the paint itself is poor.
If you live near the coast of an ocean, then corrosion is another potential cause of the paint fading on your car. If the salt from the water stays on the surface of your car, then oxidation will occur and thus it will eat away at the clear coat. Most often, this oxidation causes the paint of your car to chip and peel easily. If this occurs, your only option would be to remove the old layer of paint entirely and repaint the vehicle.

Contaminants and Pollution

In addition to the obvious damage that can be caused by acid rain, there are other contaminants and sources of pollution that can cause your car’s paint to fade such as bird droppings, smog, industrial fallout, bug splatter, tree sap, pollen, and other chemical or acidic contaminants.

One that is often overlooked is industrial fallout – which is basically a fancy term for iron or ferrous based particles. Over a period of time, the iron particles like those found in brake dust will begin to penetrate the clear coating, and eventually bond in the coating. This can accelerate paint damage. To combat this, detailing your exterior with a industrial fallout remover spray – which is comprised of aggressive chemical compounds – or clay bar treatment is recommended, especially if you don’t have a good paint protection product.

Options for Fixing Fading Car Paint

Before you engage in fixing faded car paint, the first thing you need to know is the type of paint job you have. It’s simple – you either have a single-stage paint (which is a combined clear and pigment) or a dual-stage (pigment with clear coating applied on top). It’s also important to determine the type of paint used. Newer vehicles produced today use paints that are urethane-based, while custom paint jobs use lacquers and enamels.

Prior to restoring the faded paint on your car, you must find out which type of paint your car has, or if it has a clear coat. If your car has a clear coat, then you have some options for improving the depth and shine of your car’s paint manually. We discuss this further below. If, on the other hand, your car does not have a clear coat, your only options would be to either have the car professionally repainted or trade.

Here is how to tell if your car has a clear coat:

Look at the paint code on the VIN plate
Ask the dealership that you purchased the car from
Test the surface with sandpaper or paint thinner
So, after you determine the type of paint, and whether or not you feel comfortable fixing your faded clear coat, there are a few ways of accomplishing this yourself. Now – to be clear, we’re not going to give you step-by-step instructions for each type of repair – as all faded paint issues are unique and there isn’t an all-size-fits-all solution. If you review the info below, and don’t feel 100% confident, defer to a professional detailer or auto body expert.