Topcoat Peeling

[Ken and Faye]

I have a 1994 Scenic Cruiser. The clear topcoat is peeling on one side. The basecoat is a teal color and appears to be in very good condition. Is there anything I can use to remove the balance of the clear topcoat without damaging the teal basecoat. Ken

[Ken and Faye]

I have a 1994 Scenic Cruiser. The clear topcoat is peeling on one side. The basecoat is a teal color and appears to be in very good condition. Is there anything I can use to remove the balance of the clear topcoat without damaging the teal basecoat. Ken

[Gary RVRoamer]

Tough problem. As far as I know, the clear coat is an enamel just like the paint underneath, so anything that removes one will also remove the other. Perhaps one could judiciously remove the top (clear layer) with asolvent without damaging the teal base coat very much, but it sounds risky.

Assuming you get the clearcoat off, what do you do next? You can't spray a new clear coat until you fix whatever caused the old one to peel, and that sounds like a sanding job to me, or at the very least a thorough cleaning with more solvent.

Have you obtained any professional opinions? From an RV (or boat) body repair shop and/or from the factory? That might give you some clues, even if the cost of professional repair is out of your reach.

[Ken and Faye]

Gary, Thanks for the response. I talked with a body shop today and they said the same thing you did. Anything that will remove the topcoat will remove the basecoat. I'm going to have to get it painted by a professional or learn to live with it. Ken

[Gary RVRoamer]

Ouch! I was afraid of that. A re-paint of the coach is a very expensive proposition, so maybe "learn to live with it" is the only viable option.

If there is an area that is not too obtrusive where you can "test", you could try wiping the peeling edge with some thinner to see if you can remove the flaky edge and maybe smooth it out a bit. Probably a lacquer thinner will be required and thus is risky becasue lacquer thinner can even dissolve the fiberglass. If you think you want to gamble and see if you can improve it a little, ask at an auto parts place like a NAPA, one that supplies paint to body shops, what thinner is used with basecoat/clearcoat paint systems and see if you can buy a small quantity to play with. Just be very, very careful.

Even if you are successful, I don't know if it will peel some more a few days or weeks later. It depends on what is causing the peeling in the first place. But if it keeps on peeling, look on the bright side: it will all be gone after awhile!