My 190e was an abused kid in its time and it was neglected and left in the sun. My roof has like 3 spots of hard oxidation.

Am I screwed?

Nothing can fix this?

 

Any chance you can take a picture of the damage to get a better idea of what we are up against. Once I see what we're looking at I can give you a better assessment.

George @ Detailed Image

 

Could be clear coat failure. Youre not screwed, but most likely a repaint is in order.

 

An oxidizer is any compound that spontaneously emits oxygen either at room temperature or under slight heating. Many chemical compounds react vigorously at ambient temperatures as the oxidizing process takes place. Oxidation is caused by environmental pollutants (acid rain, ozone, industrial pollutants, hydrocarbons, etc) the suns heat, which also causes paint colour fading from ultraviolet radiation (UVR) inclement weather or the use of harsh detergents, all of which attack the paints binder system(resin)

It starts as a chemical reaction that causes the resin binder system to overheat and dry out, leaving microscopic surface imperfections and micro fissures in the paint film surface that are vulnerable to deterioration. Once the air borne contaminates and pollution compromises the paint surface they accelerate the oxidation (reduction) or paint failure process.

Two stage paint system- (base, colour and clear coat) - a clear-coat finish does not oxidize in the true sense of the word (meaning that the pigments and resins mix together and the pigments are exposed to the sun's ultra-violet rays, which causes them to dry out or oxidize.

The clear coat is applied to protect against this but the finish will become ‘dull’ by using harsh (abrasive) or if acidic car washing solutions as used in ‘touch less’ car washing systems, or from industrial airborne pollutants compromising the clear coat allowing the suns heat to dry out (oxidize) the paint, the clear coat layer is extremely thin (1.5 – 2.0 Mils) it is not a solid coating and is to some extent porous, oxygen interacts with substances in the paint layer (i.e. mica flakes as in metallic paints) and trigger the oxidation reaction. It's just that the amount of oxidation taking place is minimal in comparison to single stage paint.

Oxidation can usually be removed by using detailers clay to remove any surface contaminants, and/or a solvent type chemical cleaner/polish (Zaino ZPC Fusion or Klasse All-In-One) and then a suitable abrasive polish (dependant upon how severe the problem) to remove the oxidized paint (Optimum Compound or Optimum Polish) with a cutting foam pad (LC orange or yellow, PC speed #4, or 1100RPM Rotary) and then apply a sealant and / or wax protection