# Full body refinish on a Class A after global clear coat failure

The clear coat had died back across the roof, both upper side panels and the front cap after years parked uncovered in the San Gabriel Valley. Cut and buff recovered nothing because the failure was through the clear rather than in it. Spot repair was not an option: blending into dead finish produces a repair that looks newer than the coach.

## Vehicle

37 foot Class A gas, Ford F53 chassis, full body paint from the builder

## Operations performed

- Full panel map produced, existing film thickness read at 40 points with a gauge
- Coach stripped of all removable trim, graphics, lights, mirrors and awning hardware
- Failed clear sanded off, isolated bare areas etch primed, then high build primer and block
- Guide coat applied and blocked twice to correct waviness in the original substrate
- Base coat sprayed in the downdraft booth to a spray out card matched to the original code
- Three stage clear applied with controlled flash times and a full bake cycle
- Cut, buff and polish after the cure window, then graphics reapplied to the original layout

## Outcome

Color reads even across every panel including both caps, which is the part that fails on cheaper refinish work because caps are a different substrate and take color differently. The owner was given photographs at primer, at base and after buff rather than a phone call at the end.

## Numbers

- Price band: $5,000 to $35,000 plus
- Calendar time: 4 to 10 weeks

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Source: https://ocrv.club/case-studies/full-refinish-on-a-class-a-with-dead-clear-coat
OCRV Center, 23281 La Palma Ave, Yorba Linda, CA 92887
Phone (949) 799-3387. Email info@ocrvcenter.com.
Serving Hacienda Heights and the surrounding area. 18.4 miles, 24 to 38 minutes via SR-60 west to Fullerton Rd, then south to La Palma Ave.
In shop work only. All estimates are priced and credited against an authorized repair.