GEN 2 What happened to my fender flare?

[Caleb Sousley]

I can’t get these streaks off my fender flare. This is the only one that looks like this and my vehicle is ceramic coated and I went through auto car wash yesterday and didn’t select any waxes or anything on the wash. I tried APC, and vinegar to remove it but no luck

 

[XSTNKT]

Common problem. I'm starting to think Ford picked a bad process to paint/coat these. At least, they used a process that doesn't hold up to the elements. Probably either a single stage paint with a flattener added, or a matte clearcoat. Not sure which.

You can use a VERY light polish to get some of that spotting out. I use Meguiars Mirror Glaze #205. It's pretty mild. Just be aware that whenever you use polish on a matte finish, you run the risk of making the finish shiny. If that happens, you'll need to make the other three fender flares shiny as well to match.

 

[Caleb Sousley]

I tried my chemical guys scratch remover on a small area but it didn’t seem to help. Not sure what it is, my guess is dried chemicals from the touch less car wash presoak when I went through yesterday

 

[XSTNKT]

I tried my chemical guys scratch remover on a small area but it didn’t seem to help. Not sure what it is, my guess is dried chemicals from the touch less car wash presoak when I went through yesterday

From what I've gathered from other instances, it's chemical staining of the outer coating. I'm pretty sure mechanical removal (polishing) is the only thing that's going to take it out. But, my warning above applies.

Or you could just have them repainted.

 

[Caleb Sousley]

From what I've gathered from other instances, it's chemical staining of the outer coating. I'm pretty sure mechanical removal (polishing) is the only thing that's going to take it out. But, my warning above applies.

Or you could just have them repainted.

These flares have always been a pain they don’t dry right after a wash as it is lol there always spotty. They look good that’s about it. I thought about having them satin PPF’d but that’s quite expensive I think

 

[petrolhead]

This happened to my flares as well. I’ve tried a few things suggested on the forum like rubbing alcohol and washing with a pH neutral soap - with no luck. Looks like I’ll be polishing to see if it helps. One of those little things that isn’t a huge deal but drives me crazy when I see it.

 

[Caleb Sousley]

This happened to my flares as well. I’ve tried a few things suggested on the forum like rubbing alcohol and washing with a pH neutral soap - with no luck. Looks like I’ll be polishing to see if it helps. One of those little things that isn’t a huge deal but drives me crazy when I see it.

It’s more annoying to me because it should come off since my truck is ceramic coated I’d assume.

 

[daytona1783]

Common problem. I'm starting to think Ford picked a bad process to paint/coat these. At least, they used a process that doesn't hold up to the elements. Probably either a single stage paint with a flattener added, or a matte clearcoat. Not sure which.

You can use a VERY light polish to get some of that spotting out. I use Meguiars Mirror Glaze #205. It's pretty mild. Just be aware that whenever you use polish on a matte finish, you run the risk of making the finish shiny. If that happens, you'll need to make the other three fender flares shiny as well to match.

View attachment 424983

This is exactly what I did to even out my flares that had inconsistencies from the factory. Just two passes on a low speed with my polisher using Megs 205 and they look great. Almost no gloss and no comparable difference to the ones that I didn't polish. Don't get scared when you see a little gray on the pad during polishing.

 

[MEski4x4]

Only true option is to paint them. My detailer has done a ton of these and seen this many times. They stain like an SOB. Road chemicals can stain them as easily as a bad detailing spray. I left them alone for now and still had the truck ceramic coated and PPF'd a bunch of it. I'll get the flairs done down the road.

 

[sofloraptor]

This is exactly what I did to even out my flares that had inconsistencies from the factory. Just two passes on a low speed with my polisher using Megs 205 and they look great. Almost no gloss and no comparable difference to the ones that I didn't polish. Don't get scared when you see a little gray on the pad during polishing.

Do you happen to have pictures of the finished product?