Hi there!

I am now the lucky owner of a 1991 Volvo 240 GL Estate, in a beautiful Blue Green color. However, the roof of the car has seen better days, the clearcoat is almost completely peeled off, and while the paint underneath seems to be in good shape (see picture), there are a couple of surface-rust spots that will require some attention with a sander . I will also try to fix bubbling along the wheel arches, and in doing that, I will have to sand and therefore remove both paint and clearcoat. I am a complete novice in auto detailing and painting, but I do have a paint booth available for booking at a local garage, and ideally I would like to do everything myself as I am on an extremely tight budget. What would be the best way to go about getting my precious wagon looking tip top once again? What kind of paint should i use and purchase, how do I go about applying a clear coat etc. Any help is greatly appreciated!


Peeled off clearcoat

 

I had the same issue with a same color, same car. Not easy to get a good paint job especially for an amateur under these circumstances. The paint has to be stripped, at least the clear coat, which takes skill to do well and not leave ugly sanding marks, then repair the rust, then prime and paint, then clear coat. I don't see this as a good first paint job candidate--the roof is a big, flat very visible surface and it has to look good. You can go to the internet and get lots of tutorials on painting cars but don't count on fast, cheap, easy job with good end result. In my case I went to a professional who ended up doing it twice and I never like the result.

 

Yes, just go to you tube and search under "repair clear coat", and you will find dozens of videos. But if that was my car, I would probably allow the finish to age naturally. I would buff the paint a little and then apply (and re apply twice per year) a nice wax like Klasse all-in-one polish. I'll be doing that to my roof as soon as the weather warms this spring. The faded-paint-patina look is appropriate to the Volvo in my humble opinion. Then spend your money keeping the car running it's best.