clear coat is commin off!

[bob318]

So when i bought my car there was a small spot on the roof where the clear coat was starting to come off. I washed my car the other day and when it dried i noticed that there were about 5 3inch patchs of clear coat missing. Why did this happen? Any ideas? Anyone by chance know a ball park price on how much this is gonna cost to fix. My poor car. Its really going down hill. Its a 95 318ti and i just hit 120k yesterday. The fan thats behind the radiator went out about 2000 miles ago. When i let my car warm up the temp just keeps climbing until i get driving and then it drops back down to normal. My 3rd gear sincro is pretty much gone too. Im pretty disapointed in the previous owner. If you buy a BMW treat it like one.: Take care of your car and it will last.: I guess thats what i get for buying a car with 114k. Its a beautiful car but i think its time to start the search again and just get a 325i. Well let me know if you guys know anything about the clear coat. Thanks alot guys,
Bob318

[catalyst.]

Originally Posted by bob318

So when i bought my car there was a small spot on the roof where the clear coat was starting to come off. I washed my car the other day and when it dried i noticed that there were about 5 3inch patchs of clear coat missing. Why did this happen? Any ideas? Anyone by chance know a ball park price on how much this is gonna cost to fix. My poor car. Its really going down hill. Its a 95 318ti and i just hit 120k yesterday. The fan thats behind the radiator went out about 2000 miles ago. When i let my car warm up the temp just keeps climbing until i get driving and then it drops back down to normal. My 3rd gear sincro is pretty much gone too. Im pretty disapointed in the previous owner. If you buy a BMW treat it like one.: Take care of your car and it will last.: I guess thats what i get for buying a car with 114k. Its a beautiful car but i think its time to start the search again and just get a 325i. Well let me know if you guys know anything about the clear coat. Thanks alot guys,
Bob318

Repaint the roof if you care that much, anything could have caused that.. an acorn, sun, you name it.

Sounds like your waterpump is on its last legs, replace that before you drive the car anymore.

As for the transmission, theyre cheap, but before replacing it, at least try new fluid, it can sometimes help tremendously.

114k is absolutely nothing for a bmw, but you cant expect a car to require 0 maintanence.

[thekid]

Sorry about the clear coat, mine has lost almost a good amount of it. Repainting is about the only option... or you could just reclearcoat but it will not be the same depending on how long the paint has been without the clear coat.

[rborak318iS]

I am not too sure about the clearcoat or any other such thing but I know what your problem is with keeping heat to the engine. All you need is a new thermostat and those need to be replaced somewhat often anyway. I have a '94 318iS and I had the same problem but when I replaced it the problem went away. And don't think your car is falling apart, 120,000 is nothing mine has almost 160,000 miles on it and its still highly admired and runs very well. You just have to be able to roll with the repairs. Shop around town, find a good shop that specializes in german cars. Many people start a business like that because they know there are people with bimmer's who don't want to spend all the money to go to the dealership. A good indicator of how affordable and good of work the shop does is how much business they have (sometimes you will have to wait a few days to get your car back). Anyway, all you have to do is replace the thermostat and your car will be fine. It wont lose its heat anymore. Happy Bimmering

[bacustoms420]

About the paint problem there are two types of paints, single stage or dual stage. Single stage is all in one clear coat and base coat. Dual stage is a basecoat clear coat set up. The single stage which is an enamel paint that usually peels off after about a year. Typically dual stage paints last longer due to the sticking properties of paint, surface and atmosphere. Point being that the single stage is the cheap most often used paint by many body shops for two reasons! Time saving and cheaper than dual stage but for a good finish you need to put out good paint. Like the saying goes, "you pay for what you get"

Bryant