850R Sedan with no clearcoat

Post by **sariano** » 22 Sep 2010, 15:43

I just bought this 96 850R and it has no clearcoat, our detailer thought that was odd...will post pics after it's detailed, and I bought it sight unseen and was expecting a tan interior too.

peacock · Post by **peacock** » 22 Sep 2010, 17:39

odd indeed. maybe there is some kind of build up on the surface or a very bad wax. Either way i looks beat im sure tlc will have it looking good.

Post by **sariano** » 23 Sep 2010, 04:05

we'll find out here shortly, this detailer is the best in the area, his clientele is high end, collector's etc, this job will be a challenge.

jbrown122 · Post by **jbrown122** » 23 Sep 2010, 04:59

Nice find!
It could just be heavily oxidized. I've seen tons of 850s with that same red and they look a bit dull in some places. Good luck

Post by **JRL** » 23 Sep 2010, 05:46

With most colors, 850s did not have clear coat.
I had the exact same car, no clearcoat with 609 red.
Red is the first color in the spectrum to fade, a proper detail, (cut w/compound, polish and wax) will help it a lot)

Post by **thecheat** » 23 Sep 2010, 07:53

The previous owner had the entire right side repainted. The color coat is now brick red, the clear coat is coming off in large sections and looks chalky and yellowish. You can see sand paper marks in the paint, like 60 grit scratches. The rest of the car seems ok aside from needing to be cut and polished.

Your car will look great after a compound, polish, and waxing.

xjflexer · Post by **xjflexer** » 23 Sep 2010, 08:07

That is correct. Your car does NOT have a clearcoat. You'd be surprised how many German/European car manufacturers did not put a clearcoat on their red and white paint jobs. I used to have a '96 850R sedan exactly like yours. Bought it from the original owner with 60k on it, and the original red paint would fade/oxydize if not kept polished. Even my white 850R wagon doesn't have a clearcoat. Fortunately, it does not oxydize nearly as quickly as the red.

The best, longest lasting fix for your car is a new, high quality paint job WITH clearcoat. Otherwise, you will detail your car will show signs of fading within a couple weeks of being detailed.

Post by **sariano** » 23 Sep 2010, 14:27

jbrown122 wrote:Nice find!
It could just be heavily oxidized. I've seen tons of 850s with that same red and they look a bit dull in some places. Good luck

Thanks, it actually looks orange parked next to my sons T-5 , it's a fun car to drive.

Post by **sariano** » 23 Sep 2010, 14:34

JRL wrote:With most colors, 850s did not have clear coat.
I had the exact same car, no clearcoat with 609 red.
Red is the first color in the spectrum to fade, a proper detail, (cut w/compound, polish and wax) will help it a lot)

Randy wet sands the cars.

Post by **JRL** » 23 Sep 2010, 15:12

609 (R) red has much more orange than classic 601 red which is a muddy red to me (IMO)
Closer to Passion Red