What is paint oxidation on a car?
You have lost shine but kept your colour, and that tells you what this is. The top of the clear coat has broken down in the sun. It is still there, but it is rough at a tiny scale, so it scatters light. That is what dull is. Hot, sunny places cause it fastest.
What kind of repair does it need?
A cut and polish. The dead surface is cut back to good clear coat and the shine comes back. On most cars that is the whole job. It needs good clear coat left under the dull layer. Paint left in the sun long enough runs out, and then the panel is painted. A detailer can test a small spot first.
Almost always the polish. The exception is paint left in the sun so long that no good clear coat is left under the dull layer. A detailer can check that before anyone starts.
What to do next
Book a detailer. For how bad it looks, this is often a cheap fix, and the change is usually dramatic. Check the edges. Oxidation is even, with no edges. If any of it has hard edges you could pick at, that is clear coat failure, and polishing will not fix it. Protect it afterwards.
Sources
- PPG GBpaint maker
Flat, compound and polish the surface to restore the gloss
- DetailingWikiwiki
will start out with a rougher surface that slowly turns matte instead of glossy
- OCD Car Careproduct seller
These paint issues are caused by long term exposure the sun's UV rays and elemental exposure.
- Sherwin-Williams Automotivepaint maker
a minimum film thickness of the clearcoat (2 mils) is required to maintain adequate ultraviolet protection
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