My new-to-me 94 Dakota has a terrible case of clear coat peels. Hood, roof, rails - pretty sad. I called a body shop before I bought the truck just to ask what a worst-case job would cost and they quoted me about $1000 more than I was paying for the truck. So how much worse could I make this if I were to do some serious buffing, then wax the stuffing out of it? Are there any good first aid procedures that could keep me from having to get the paint job?

Texas is not good on paint but I was also wondering if it's a Dodge problem from those years because I see lots of sunburned cars and trucks in the same 90s range around here. Or are we all just that careless?

Thanks for your advice!

Kathy

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I think we've all arrived at a very special place. Spiritually, ecumenically, grammatically. - Capt. Jack Sparrow

Well when you buff a vehicle, you're actually taking a layer of the clear coat off, to get down to the fresh clear coat which is what makes the car look good....so buffing wouldnt take care of it...you're best bet would be to take it to the body shop.

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2002 dakota sport, 4.7 ltr
1988 dakota 3.9 ltr

Aw bummer. But thank you for your thoughts! It's good to learn new stuff even if it's a pain in the wallet.

Kathy

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I think we've all arrived at a very special place. Spiritually, ecumenically, grammatically. - Capt. Jack Sparrow

Yes, any buffing will just make it worse. If the clear is gone and you are the color, it will get worse quicker. I got my 97 Dakota repainted but that was because a detailer buffed off the clear coat in spots. I got a few quotes but you can get cheaper depending how much they skip. For example, to get all the emblems, decals, side rubber, etc replaced was $400 alone !!!

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1997 Dodge Dakota 4x4 Club Cab, 5.2L, 2.92 rear axle, Black, Dual Magnaflow exhaust with chrome tips.

It is down to paint almost everywhere horizontal. And bubbling up peeling spots, too.

I wonder how much it would cost just to powdercoat the dang thing? Or Rhino Lining. Some days I wonder why we all just don't do that!

Kathy

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I think we've all arrived at a very special place. Spiritually, ecumenically, grammatically. - Capt. Jack Sparrow

i have considered using line-x on my whole cab. the lack of aerodynamics scared me away from it. my dakota does bad enough on its own

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got a boxer and a 1997 dakota, what more could a guy want

Yeah it seems like you have clearcoat failure...once that happens all you can do is get a new paintjob or just leave it as it is....

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I decided to check into the powdercoat/Line-X idea. What the heck, I say! I don't drive it much - weekends around town just to give it something to do. Since I don't go very far, I don't have to worry about gas for it much. I just have a really hard time paying way more for a coating/paint job than I did for the truck. Thanks for helping me learn a valuable lesson. I know a lot more than I did!

Kath

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I think we've all arrived at a very special place. Spiritually, ecumenically, grammatically. - Capt. Jack Sparrow