My TJ has begun to suffer from the ruining effects of skin cancer (clear coat failure.)
I have been told that waxing the vehicle will increase the speed of deterioration.
I am sceptical of this ! :nuts:

Does anyone out there have any info on how to at least slow down the skin cancer?

The ultimate fix I believe is to either respray or change the affected panels...

Mal....if you were to trip over a sapphire blue bonnet in good nic....what $$ would I be looking at?

I would do what I just did a few days ago - Scholl s20 correction and then apply a coating like Cquartz. I posted a thread in the 380 section. The s20 blended some areas that were noticeably failing with the rest of the paint - and the Cquartz has added a hard layer that will last 12+ months.

Here is some tests of Opticoat on failed clear coat:

http://optimumforums.org/index.php?showtopic=1175

I have the same colour. It was hard to find a bonnet as the TJ bonnet is different to all the others. In the end I got one that came up in a self serve wreckers for $66. My front guard is also pealing but I just scrapped the loose clear coat off with an old credit card then sparyed some new clear on. Looks ok from a distance.

Thanks for this RPRODRIVE.

The opticoat looks good, however I could never get permission (she who must be obeyed) for the $695 the guy here in Tas wants to charge for it.
The Cquartz however looks like the go...($30 for 10ml)

Is it that imperitive to use the s20...or could I get away with good old prepsol?

Re can of clear JIMBO...if this Cquartz works, for 2x the price of a can of clear, it may be the go I feel, but thanks for your input...

JDI Snow, the S20 is used to cut and polish the paint to remove defects prior to using the coating which in this case is Opticoat of Cquartz, after using something like the S20 to remove defects from the paint then you would clean any polishing oils off by using Isoprop alcohol or Wax & Grease remover, then you will use the coating, this will ensure that the coating bonds to the paint and nothing else.

As for waxing, it's not really the best means anymore, waxes are traditionally made of natural ingrediants that whilst they give a nice deep gloss at times they only last a matter of weeks, you have the option to use synthetic sealant's like HD Poxy, these will last longer than waxes and are better suited to hobbyists as opposed to coatings. Most coatings are glass based, require a bit of knowledge and a nice clean work space with plenty of light to get it right, screw it up and it's a pain to remove/redo and take to long at the coating crystallizes on your applicator potentially causing more harm to the paint.

With a spray can of clear, the spray can will be acrylic, the car will have clear over a basecoat that isn't acrylic, the best way to touch a small area with aerosols is to sand back the affected area until the edge of the bad paint and good paint is smooth and the flaking has stopped. Then mask up an area of the panel larger than the area you want to paint, but not so large that overspray covers to panel. Prime up patch that should be down to basecolour or primer at this point after the sand, once the primer is dry sand it with 400 grit paper, then spray down some of your basecolour (this is your colour) then spray down the clear, with the base and the clear you will want to create a blend that covers some of the factory paint. About a week later you will want to polish it up so it has a similar gloss to the factory 2 pack paint.

I was under the impression that waxes prevented clear coat, acted as sun screen for the paint.

Well it works for my black TW at least...

Oxidation is a natural curing process of the paint it, essentially all paint will dry up and oxidise. Sun exposure ie uv rays speed up the process. Waxes or sealants do not protect againt uv, at least in any measurable ways (there is a video on youtube where uv resistance of waxes/sealants is tested, they virtualy provide 0 uv protection. Paint has build in uv filters, waxes sealants slow down the oxidation by creating sacrificial barrier which oxidises first and then paint. Thus regular application will prolong lifespan of the paInt.