Acid Rain

[milgrad]

Does anybody with a dark colored MO have ACID Rain Damage on it yet? I have pretty bad damage on my hood and roof...Vehicle is washed and waxed on a regular basis...I got several estimates to have the vehicle wet sanded and buffed to have the damage removed...prices ranged from $350.00 to $900.00. What do you guys think?? I bought Auto Armor when I purchased my vehicle so they will pay the fees to have it repaired...Is there a downside to get it done? Any advice would be appreciated...

[Jim C]

Funny you should ask now. I had my car detailed yesterday (just a wash and tire dressing) and the technician told me that I had some mild acid rain damage on the hood. He took care of it gratis. Typically, he charges $50/hour to remove acid rain damage using specific polishes and an orbital pad. I've had my black Murano since April of this year - only 6K miles.

[milgrad]

Interesting...I am so surprised that I have so much damage already...Vehicle is only a year old...garage kept and has been waxed 4 times...I have to file a claim with Auto Armor....I guess if they are going to foot the bill I might as well get it taken care of...Is there any downside to getting the MO wet sanded?

[milgrad]

Anybody see any downside to getting my MO wet-sanded to have the acid rain damage removed??

[Jim C]

Wet sanding the finish is going to take layers off the paint. I think the Nissan paint is pretty thin to begin with (i.e., not well layered compared to other manufacturers' paint). So you'll lose some color. Unless the more paint is applied, your leaving a pretty thin barrier. Is the acid rain damage really that bad that its eaten through the clear coat? Might be worth a second opinion before doing something irreversible like wet sanding.

[milgrad]

Thanks...I just don't know what to do...It is pretty bad...I had two body shops look at it and they both recommend wet sanding it...If the wet sanding does not work the Auto Armor protection I have will pay to refinish the vehicle....Not sure if I want to get into that...

[mgthe3]

If your protection plan offers to repaint your Mo, I would have that done at a dealership that has a paint shop. It also might pay to have a shop toss on a couple of coats of clear to the hood and roof so if the damage ocurrs again, you CAN have it taken down a bit.

I am wondering about the paint's original chemistry and compatability with clear coats. I thought I saw somewhere that the coating we have has the clear coat in it....I was going, "huh?" My definition of a clear coat is something that is applied over the paint....butcha neva know these days...especially since it is not really a "paint".

[Jim C]

Given the opinion of TWO body shops, sounds like you don't really have much choice. Take comfort in the fact that you have the Auto Armor protection. If the wet sanding doesn't work (I have my doubts about appearance post-wet sanding, especially given the dark color of your Murano), then by all means, let them refinish. I also like mgthe3's suggestion that if you end up with a repaint, to have them apply a couple of extra coats of clear to provide a thicker layer.

My understanding of clear coat is that it is a glossy transparent paint that goes over the paint with color to provide shine. I also understand that paint colors can have varying amounts of clear coat premixed into allow the color coat to have a better shine. But that it is more common to place a coat or two of clear coat over the paint.

[GripperDon]

Personally I would also get advice from NNA a call might be informative. I would suspect that any body shop is business biased and would want to get the sanding job. "IF" the paint is thin why not get the "Free" repain under the warranty then it is their responsibility to make you happy, if they want you to pay for the wet sanding first have them specify the shop to do it, again to have them responsible and not be able to say your pain shop scrwed it up doing the wet sanding. Get names and dates of calles etc. Good Luck. Let us all know how it goes. GRIP

[hfelknor]

Grip almost touched on my question.....

Before you bring in NNA.............
what does your dealer say?


BTW, did you know that fully half the scientists involved believe that "acid rain" is a hoax?

Homer

[milgrad]

To be honest I haven't had the dealer even look at it yet....They don't have a good body shop and to be honest I don't think they would care at all....I do have a pending lemon law claim on my vehicle so I just sent my attorney an e-mail to see what she thinks about it...I will get her feedback before I do anything...The damage is pretty bad, but can really only been seen under artificial lighting so I can live with it for now...It is just the point that I am sure it is causing some severe damage and I have a feeling I will have the MO for a few more years, so I want to get it taken care of...I am just glad I have the x-pel bra on part of the hood. It is night and day difference on the upper half of the hood that is not protected at all...

[Gonzo]

I'm here in the nortweast and I suspect that we have our share of acid rain, I don't have any signs on my black MO. I also wax about 4 times per year. She is still shiney on all sides.

[milgrad]

I have had my MO for one year...She has been waxed 4 times as well...I wonder why I have so much damage....

[Edward98]

milgrad,

Could you describe the "damage." Are you seeing a discoloration of the paint or any cracking? Or are you seeing water spot etching? If it's just water spot etching, I would take it to a reputable detailer and have the vehicle polished. Wet sanding seems extreme if it's just etching. Another possibility is that the damage is in the wax layer itself. You could take some 3M Adhesive & Wax Remover, available at Wal-Mart, and clean a small area of the roof with it. If, after cleaning, the area shows less "damage," you know that the wax did its job. The next step would be to polish and seal/wax. BTW, these vehicles utilize a 2-stage basecoat/clearcoat finish. Polishing will remove some of the clearcoat layer; so it's important to use the least abrasive polish possible. If your already using a cleaner/wax four times a year you've already started thinning the clearcoat.

-Edward

[milgrad]

It is etching in the clear coat...I already had the vehicle detailed to no avail...I use ZYMOL wax on my MO...The detailer tried to remove the acid rain, by buffing with a very mild compound and it did not work...Like I said it is not horrible under natural light, but under artificial light it is very noticible....That is why I am torn...I don't know if I should take it to another detail shop and have them give it a try? I just don't want to cause more damage trying to remove the spots....or let Auto Armor take care of...I have to send them as estimate from a body shop and put it into there hands..!?!