There are a couple of spots where 'milky' marks appear on the paintwork of my XK8 when I wash it. They disappear as soon as I begin to dry the car. There are a couple in from to and on the inside of the door well on the driver's side. There's another small patch along the outside, bottom edge of the passenger door and a couple of dots on the rear of the car below the trunk.

I ran a bunch of reports on the car, which has low mileage, before I bought it last year. There was no reported damage.

The spots don't seem to be large enough for repairs and literally look someone has splashed milk on the car. I'm wondering if there it's something to do with the original paint application.

Has anyone encountered anything like this?

 

I would suggest a complete detail of the paint surface. This can be completed as a DIY project, with a cost of about $125-$150.00 USD.

That is strip down to the clear coat using Dawn soap, polymer glove surface prep, prep polish with DA buffer speed of about 5, hand buff with microfiber towels, prep with 70/30% isopropyl/water alcohol, and apply a paint sealant or ceramic paint coating.

You will know what the outcome will be once the paint surface is stripped down, cleaned of any contaminants with the polymer glove, and prep polished with a DA buffer using a product like Meguiars M205, or Meguiars M201.

http://www.detailedimage.com/Meguiar...-P389/8-oz-S3/

Washing the Jaguar currently will most likely NOT resolve your issue. You will need to complete the above steps to find some success.

While some members may doubt this advice, I suggest you take the advice seriously and complete the project.

..

 

I'd like to see a pic...but you better be quick, before it dries

 

I suspect a pinhole leak in the clear coat and separation from the base coat.

 

The clear coat is either failing or extremely thin in those areas; the moisture is literally entering the porosity of the finish and 'blushing' until it dries out. I would not follow richzak's advice in that any further removal of the clear code will hasten your need for a repaint. I would rather suggest you wax those areas with a nonabrasive material, hoping to seal the finish a bit.
Sorry but you have a repaint around the corner.
wj

 

It is possible that some moisture is prone to get under the clear coat causing a milky appearance. This can be a common place issue on vehicles located in geographical areas of high moisture levels. I would assume British Columbia is an area of high moisture levels.

Is a new paint job required, perhaps not.

I would contact Meguairs Customer Service and explain what you see and advise that after the area is thoroughly dry the milky appearance can not be seen. Describe the size of the milky area and the geographical location of the vehicle before buying it.

Meguairs has a vast amount of professional experience in this area and can suggest products that will help your issue.

Meguiars has a Meguiars Solution Hub open 6 days a week for issues like yours. I would seek their professional advice.

1-800-347-5700
Hours: M-F 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Pacific)
Saturday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Pacific)
Read more at http://www.meguiars.com/en/contact-u...QmbTeOJYlgI.99

 

OK I'll get some photos the next time I was the car

 

If it is a coating issue, I wonder if a cQuartz treatment would help.

 

I agree.

I suggested in post #2 either a paint sealant or a ceramic paint coating. These sealants and ceramic coatings have great hydrophobic qualities to resist water.

 

You might be able to get away with spot repairs with blending much like what is done for collision repair. In addition when you have a thin clear coat issue, it is possible to prep the car and just respray the clear coat. There are tools that auto detailers and painters can use to measure your clear coat thickness. If this is limited to a few areas, do spot repairs. If not, clear coat the car, which is not a difficult job given the overall lack of trim pieces and chrome. You could even get away with a masking only job since you are not applying color. A good taper will make sure that you will not even see the line.

 

Thank you all for the replies so far. They've taken me from close to frustration back to hope! The spots are quite small and localized, at least for now, so I think I'm going to investigate the wax (thank you wymjym), cQuartz treatment (thank you dsd), spot repairs/respraying the clear coat (thank you WhiteHat) alternatives. I will contact Meguairs Customer Service (thank you richzak for this and your other posts, I appreciate your interest) over the next few days.

Please keep the suggestions coming!