Tried ceramic coating a customer's 2008 Civic and it actually made the clear coat worse somehow.

I prepped it right, clay bar and all, but the coating left hazy streaks that wouldn't buff out. Did I mess up the prep or is old Honda paint just too far gone for ceramic to bond right?

3 comments

3 Comments

knight.felix1h ago

Old Honda clear coat is notoriously soft and thin. I did a detail on a 2004 Accord a few years back where the clear coat basically gave up mid-polish, started peeling in sheets. Probably the coating chemistry just attacked whatever was left of that clear coat. Might have needed a milder prep or a different coating designed for softer paint.

avery2191h ago

I remember reading on some detailing forum that Honda used a single-stage clear on a lot of early 2000s models that was basically just extra-thin. It supposedly reacts badly with some ceramic coatings because it can't handle the heat or the chemicals.

the_wesley1h ago

Are we sure this isn't just people being too aggressive with their pads and compounds? Seems like every time I see a story about clear coat peeling on a Honda it's someone who went crazy with a rotary buffer on a sunny day.