Hey guys/gals,

I picked up my XF about a year ago and was only told about an hour before buying it that the car had suffered what appeared to be acid rain damage. I've heard about acid rain but in all my years of driving had never actually seen it; I'd actually come to believe it was sort of an urban legend.

Unfortunately for me, it was real. I rounded up my best-cutting polishes and went to work, hoping to eliminate or at least greatly reduce the appearance. While the clear coat is vastly better afterward, the damage is still visible to a degree (photo below). I also noticed during this project that the clear coat on [my] this car is extremely soft. I never touch the paint with cloths of any sort, touchless only, and I'm already seeing hairline scratches re-appearing.

Anyway, I'm curious if anyone else here has experienced this sort of thing and if it would be cost-effective to call my insurance company for the repair. Any experience/tips offered are greatly appreciated.

 

Would the insurance company even consider a claim on something you basically bought that way?

Sorry - I don't have any advice on how to remedy the condition - but I am interested in what the "detailers" on the forum will have to say.

Good luck - RL

 

Mike-in-Orange to the rescue!!!!

 

You can try wet sanding and compounding it.
Make sure you understand what is involved before you start. It would probably take someone who knows what they are doing 2-3 days to do it properly.

 

Thanks for the tip. I've been through a fairly rigourous DA polish with some heavy cutting agents. Once the paint cleaned up I found that the depth on a lot of these pits was well into the meat of the clear.

Still looking for any experience with calling the insurance folks, if anyone has it to offer.

 

I do auto restoration work now but I use to work for a new car dealer.
The only times I ever reprinted cars for acid rain it was covered under the three year warrantee from the manufacture.
I have never ever been paid by an insurance company to repair acid rain.
Good luck. If you get them to pay for it I would be surprised.

 

Well (fingers crossed) we'll see what they say. Hopefully it's not "Take a hike."