Paint - Particles

[jbcrzn]

Originally Posted by cdynaco

Maybe its not heat, but its acidic. I've read some of the the 'Paint Protection' warranties that cover acid rain or industrial pollution, so it must be an issue.

Clay bar and one of the polymer treatments sounds like a correction to the finish, then maybe have a car cover for work for prevention...

btw, the pic makes it look Stone White like mine rather than Cool Vanilla. Maybe its the lighting.

It actually was listed as Stone White on the sales slip from Carmax, however, I have matched the VIN to Cool Vanilla. It is the strangest factory finish I have seen, as during the day, in direct sunlight (when it is clean), it does indeed appear as Stone White, but it is a lot creamier when the sun is not hitting it.

Thank you everyone for your comments. I will certainly try the clay and lubricant this week (as soon as we have another dry day).

Thanks!

[jbcrzn]

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to use the clay on the PT. It make the majority of the panels as smooth as glass. I was only able to remove about 80% of the aforementioned particles. The only way that I found to remove them from the paint was to use an impregnated cotton metal polish/rust remover (the name escapes me at the moment) for auto use. It is a product that I had used in the past for my Wrangler when paint had been stripped from a rock and surface rust began to appear. In this instance, I used it only two spots on the bumper, so if there were any ill effects, they would be minimal. I then removed any chemicals left behind.

When I cleaned the PT before using the clay, I noticed another two new nicks in the paint on the front fascia. I understand that rocks will hit the front, but I have had more nicks and areas that had paint stripped to varying degrees than any other vehicle I have owned, including the virtual box on wheels, the Wrangler. In our family, we also had a 1994 Cherokee and a 1991 Caravan that had paint problems later on in their lives, but I had chalked that up to the age, and being exposed to elements (mainly pine trees), but now that I have a vehicle is less than two years old and I am having these paint concerns. What do you think, have I just been unlucky in the last few months or is the PT's paint more susceptible to damage and maybe even just weaker than other paints?

Thanks again!