Clear coat paint on 2000 S40?
 

I have been hearing that the 2000 S40 did not come with clearcoat? If this is true, what can I do to extend the life of the paint, it is red now, and I would like it to remain that color. I bought Metro Guardian Automotive paint protector and it just came today so I haven't put it on yet. What would be the cost to have a reliable shop paint on a clear coat? Is it even possible? What are your tips on keeping the paint looking good!?

Thanks!

Oh lord! I was looking for more info on that metro guardian stuff and just to let you know how obscure this stuff is, this thread is the 4th result on google!

LOL.

Wouldn't recommend this stuff anyway, not that great.

It should have clear coat on it. But Volvo has had a ton of clear coat problems for a long time.

The clear on my Yellow is peeling off.(Son of a *****) I hate it!!!!

Well every time I wax or buff red comes off. I'm assuming that is a sign of no clear.
It's 10 years old, I expected that.

Mine has clear and Yellow comes off with every wax.

Is there any way to tell whether there is clear coat left?

I'm planning a 2 day detail on Sunday and Monday in which I am going to wash, strip old wax, buff the whole car with ScratchX, apply Klasse Sealant and Wax on top of that.

My thread on autopia: http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-det...ml#post1318986

It should still have clear on it. Give it a good coat of wax and it should be fine for a while.

I was told on autopia that if color comes off while you wax/buff that means there is no clear coat left.
My detail starts as soon as the temp gets above 45. :D

Maybe but I do not think that is correct. I am not 100% sure though.

Day one is DONE!!
What I accomplished:
1. Wash
2. Claybar'd
3. ScratchX'd the hood, trunklid, and roof (see pics!)
4. Applied Back to Black (reapply tomorrow again)
5. Cleaned out drains (leaves, etc)
6. Installed new CF wiper blades
7. Silicon PIAA windshield treatment applied

You can clearly see the line on the hood where I have already done a pass with ScratchX and where I have not! AWESOME! I applied once more after this.

RESULT:
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Here's the question: So I have successfully removed the watersport that I believe were caused by the Klasse kit. Should I tempt fate and attempt to apply that again?

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FINAL. Could not be happier! It's supposed to rain tonight, we'll see what it looks like in the morning!

I recall some comment about this on Swedespeed some time ago. Some of the colors - the metallics - had a clear coat, but the solid colors did not. Perhaps you could cross reference the paint code to get better info. I have the black sapphire metallic, and I know it has a clear coat. No black residue comes off with cleaners.

It beads up really nice!
Took me 10 minutes with my absorbant cloth to dry it. EASY!

Awesome mate. http://www.sharepic101.com/img/X/t.gif

Your S40 looks great! Sorry for the stupid question... but I never heard of ScratchX... What is it & how do you use it? I never heard of it....

Looks great! Yeah, clearcoats allow cars to be dried in a few minutes, rather then an hour :P. Don't forget to claybar it every so often.

It's basically a really light polish that has a tiny bit of grit in it that dissipates while you polish. It basically takes off the top layer of paint revealing the shiny new bottom layer. You can get it at Target, Walmart, etc. It's like $10.00.