i am looking at a car that is nearly perfect in every way EXCEPT. the hood and trunk have clear coat peel due to sun exposure, the sides are shiny and nice... this car has a lot going for it, namely 30+ years of owner history and maintenance receipts and repairs..

is there a way to fix the clear coat issue without painting the car?

 

By peel, do you mean it has the texture of an orange"peel", or is it actually peeling? If it is peeling, must be stripped and refinished. If it has texture, it may be wet sanded and polished.

 

If the clearcoat has peeled it will need to be repainted. A lot of places can match and blend paint, so you won't have to paint tehe whole car.

 

I mean like peeled away.......sun fade........ I guess I could always have a paint shop paint the hood and trunk and fade it in

 

No - the old clear must come off the whole panel, as the new clear will also delaminate if you try to paint over it!
Most shops won't guarantee it, as they don't know what brand paint is there, why it came off, or if their clear will be compatible!

 

You will have to most likely have to repaint the whole panels. Since you have areas that are peeling as you sand the areas that are not cleared you will sand into the paint and creat a very uneven and not so good looking paint job. To do it right you must sand all of it down ., not to metal but to an even uniform finish as long as the paint is not cracked etc.. Then prime / seal/ base then clear. There is no quick fix for this to do it right and make it last you must do it right.

 

If you bring it to a shop, let me know where...if it's one of my accounts, I can make sure it gets done properly.