Hello. My car is 2002 Accord in black. It is 21 years old and the paint looks horrible on the hood, roof and trunk.My plan is to sand the surface very lightly and spray clear coat.
What I am debating is whether I remove the gasket/rubber seal or not before spray paint. You have one for the front and rear windshield, two on the roof, then around roof window and they show age.

My concern is even though they look old and cracked, no leakage yet, so removing them may create problems that I did not have. I will cry a lot of tears if it starts leaking after the project.
1) Since it does not leak, is it wise to put blue masking tape on the seal instead of removing it? That is the biggest thing! Will the clear coat start peeling sooner from the edges?
2) Is glue needed? Then what type?
3) Usually it is not a problem, removing the old and installing the new seals?
4) Maybe seals on the roof only and not for windshields to be safe?
5) Do I want to buy Honda OEM?
6) Anything to be careful of?
7) How many cans do I need?
I am not after perfection, and if it looks fine from 3 feet away, I am happy. I am planning to keep this car for another 10 years, so this would really improve my satisfaction level. I don't need to paint. Just clear coat. The door panels fenders look fine. I might have to do this every 5 years, but that is totally fine with me.

Please advise. Thanks!

 

I had the same clear coat peeling on my 1997 LX(Green), while I was debating on how to go about addressing the problem, my car got into a rear end collision. I did not want to let go my car so took the matter into my own hands after the other guys insurance totaled my car and paid $850. I visited junk yards and managed to find trunk lid and few trip pieces. Got trunk inner panel replaced($800) by a body shop. Bought over a dozen spray cans(AutomotiiveTouchup.com) and tried to tackle the project on my own. For most part I was able to get the paint look good but I could not get the same shine back. So, decided to go with a cheap professional shop. Since I wanted my car to look good, I pulled out all the trip pieces and windshield moldings and took the car to paint shop. After a week and $1500, I got my car back. They did a decent job(many online said that kind of paint job won't last for more than couple years), the paint is holding up, it has been 4 years now. I put back all the trim pieces but couldn't get the windshield molding to attach properly. Only way to get them to seat correctly is by removing the windshield and regluing, I guess. Since you are planning on painting yourself, I suggest you tape the moldings and do the painting rather than removing unless removal and installation is pretty easy job. Trim and moldings break/bend easily, so make sure you can find a replacement before you pull them out. Regarding painting, it is impossible to get the paint to match, so plan on painting the entire panel or entire side, else the job looks ugly. Make sure to use 2K clear coat, I would avoid the ones you find at local stores.

BTW, moldings ae only to cover the joints and make it look nice, I don't think they do anything to stop the leaks.

GOOD LUCK!

 

Hello, my97accord
Thank you for your comment and sharing your experience. I am not painting, so no color matching is needed.Only the clear coat.
Yes, the clips that hold the seals and trims look fragile. That is another reason for my hesitation.

For your case, you did the painting and clear coat on your own? On where? I am wondering if 6 cans are too many or not. I just want to do what you can see from the top view only. Not even fenders.

 

Without applying a base coat, it will look ugly. I did the painting and tried clear coat, I did not like the results, so got it repainted and clear coated from a cheap body shop.
When I painted, I think I order 12 or more cans but I painted entire roof, hood, trunk, rear quarter panels etc. So, just for roof 6 cans is more than enough. Painting base coat is easy but clear coat is not. Be careful to avoid drips since painting roof with spray cans is not easy.

 

Ive been in the process of dealing w/this myself.




I have since painted and clear coated the hood and deck lid . I will post tomorrow

 

Hmm... Really... I did not think about a base coat. I guess I need to look for a quality black paint for automotive. When you do this, do you need to sand the paint to the metal? Or just sand off the clear coat?

I was going to borrow a work platform for roof spraying. You said it is not easy. How can I make it easier?
Thank you!

 

Wow... This is a huge project, and you wanted to do it right. It would be way beyond my ability and determination...
Let us know how it went, and if there are tips that you don't mind sharing with me, I would really appreciate it.

 

No, no need to sand to bare metal else the job gets more complicated. Try to remove as much clear coat as you can, make sure the surface is silk smooth before painting(use grit low to high). Applying clear coat highlights even minute sanding imperfections, so prep work is the key. Since you can't hold a spray can horizontally, may be an air spray works better for roof.
I tried painting the roof without work platform or air spray, for most part it turned out good except there were couple of paint drips/blobs. The main issue with painting is ... it is the clear coat that protects the surface and is the difficult part to get it right. Watch few YouTube videos before you start, that helps.
Good luck.

 

Do I need to remove totally the clear coat? Or just scuff up by 1500 grit paper? The roof is the worst, but the hood and trunk are not so bad. Removing the clear coat completely sounds a big job.
Also, If I use a paint, it will on the roof, but I am a bit hesitant spraying painting in my two-car garage. Where did you paint yours in? I don't want black paint to get on garage door and walls.

Oh, one more thing. What about primer before the paint? Can you do it without it?

 

Base coat may not stick well on existing clear coat, so removing most of the clear coat is recommended. Also, you need to make sure the surface is even and smooth to touch, so sand it with increasing number starting with 1000. If the clear coat does not budge, use a lower number but always end with higher number paper. You could use an orbital sander, but make sure you don't expose the bare metal. If you do so, you need to use primer, base coat followed by clear.
I painted in my garage, as long as you are few feet away from the walls, you should be fine. I used those paint plastic sheeting to cover the walls, make sure you use a respirator and proper ventilation.

 

Thank you again, my97accord!
What about the area where clear coat is all gone already? I have 1000 and 1500 grid sand paper, but how much do I need to scuff / smooth the original paint?

By the way, I am too scared to remove even the two rubber seals (from front to back) on the roof. Did you remove them, and if you did, did you replace with new ones, or recycle? OEM or generic like this?

 

The issue is.... once clear coat start to peal, it spreads. So, as long as you get rid of faded clear coat and sand it smooth(again, clear coat enhances sanding imperfections), that is all needed. If you are applying base coat, on the entire roof, then I would scuff the entire roof so that base coat sticks on the old clear coat.

The rubber seals that run from front to back are held by clips and are very easy to remove. I think you just need to push or pull near the ends to release. I would not touch the seal around the windshields unless you are prepared to get new seals installed by a professional. One you pull the seals around the windshield, they deform and cannot be reused.

 

Don't use regular spray can clear. Use Spray Max 2K Clear. It's more than twice as expensive (about $25 a can) but it's way, WAY better. The finished product will look way better and last 20 times as long, since it's a catalyzed clear with a hardener, just like real automotive clear. It will also lay thicker and bury any sanding scratche or imperfections much better.

 

 

Wow... How nice. Job well done!

 

Looks good!
I've heard the paint fading/pealing is a common problem on these cars.
Wonder if it was some factory prep issue or just with the brand of paint?