my car has some weird film on it?! - Honda Prelude Forum

evan93si · 05-13-2006, 12:04 PM

So i'm not sure when it happened exactly, and i dunno if its just like dried soap on there because 1 time in washed it in the sun, I also just got my A/C fixed, im not sure if anything the mechanics did could have caused this. But, my car has this grainy film on it. it almost feels like there is no clear coat on it. Its over the entire car. I've washed it again, and tried waxing, and nothing will get it off. And its making me pretty angry because my cars paint used to be flawless. And it's weird because there are some sections where it does not look grainy and splotchy where it looks like u can see what the paint used to look like....any help?

KB798 · 05-13-2006, 02:06 PM

Try claybarring the car - it should fix or at least improve the problem.

evan93si · 05-13-2006, 02:43 PM

what could have caused this?

KB798 · 05-13-2006, 05:38 PM

Washing the car in the sun could leave some sort of soap scum film, but the grainy feeling doesn't really sound like that. If it was soap scum, it'd be more of a greasy/slimy type of feeling. A grainy feeling usually means there's microscopic sediments on the car, and it could be anything to be honest with you. From paint overspray, industrial fallout, tree sap, etc there are many explanations for that feeling.

Use the claybar, and how that feels. If I recall correctly, you had your car repainted a couple weeks/months ago, and over time these contaminants may have bonded to the car. I typically clay my car about twice a year for upkeep. It's really hard to keep the paint in pristine condition if it's a daily driver, and even if it's garaged. After claying, run your fingers along the paint and report back how it feels.

evan93si · 05-13-2006, 08:51 PM

thanks man, i got my front bumper and spoiler painted, and its really weird it happened out of no where, but the tree sap sounds like a legit reason why it might be feeling bad. I will clay bar, then let you know how it turns out. thanks for the help!

KB798 · 05-14-2006, 12:13 AM

I would guess the grainy feeling would be paint overspray rather than tree sap. With tree sap, you can definitely see it on the car, and I was just using that as an example as to how random and how there are so many contaminants in the air that bombard our cars every moment of the day.

Once you clay the car, and if you notice it turning black, then it's most likely paint overspray. I could be totally wrong though, since you did mention the paint was smooth beforehand...

PreludeChick89 · 05-15-2006, 11:47 AM

where do you live? there are some trees that produce a sticky clear spray polin of some kind that gets all over cars.. happened to paul and jeff.. they washed it and it seemed to have come off but if it happened and you let it sit for more than a day or 2, it would be harder to get off.. i found a section of my paint that had it on and it had obviously sat in the sun.. took me a bit but i got it off..
we've figured out what tree did it but not sure what it really is..