Clear coat issue on '09

[Th17kit]

I just bought a used '09 and it came with a clear coat problem on the hood. I did a bunch of research, but want to see what others think. It seems like the paint everywhere else on the car is pristine, but sadly right here, where I notice it, it's messed up. Also some dufus (probably the previous owner's kid lol) thought it would be a good idea to use a brush and mostly-color-matched paint to "patch" it. There's also a couple cracks in the same area, making me think that perhaps something heavy dropped and caused all the damage.

My conundrum is this - I'd like to have a beautiful paint job on the car - but I also don't have much more money left over after purchasing the car. So I could go full money and get the clear coat taken off and resprayed for ~$200, but do I have any other options? I was thinking about just cleaning it really well and spraying the 3M paint defender http://www.amazon.com/3M-90000-Paint-De ... PDKIKX0DER on it to put off the problem til it becomes unbearable or I can afford a clear coat. Will this work?

Any ideas?

Paint issues:
http://imgur.com/a/PKsdC

[tpollauf]

The front ends & hood on MOST Vibe's suffer from a "not so good" paint job from the factory. There have been several complaints posted here about the paint finish being just so so, If you haven't yet, submit your concerns to one of the many paint care specialists who make products to protect the finish. I've used Meguiar's products and have been on their forums regarding certain issues. They will be able to better steer you in the right direction as to what to do. Their link: http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/content.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; My son's Blue 09 Gt is outdoors all the time and we bought it used over two years ago and it was NOT taken well care of all. Lots of chips on the hood and I still have to get a paint pen or touch-up paint and fill in all the chipped areas. Good luck

[Th17kit]

Thank you! I'll start searching on there. I registered with that forum to see if I can find anything out.
It seems like I might have a somewhat unique issue because the problem is isolated to one spot on a newish car with no other paint issues... I haven't found anyone in a similar situation yet.

** edit: They told me at Maguier's that I have a "regular old" clear coat issue and the only way to fix is to repaint (from the primer coat). People didn't really have good suggestions in terms of how to slow the spread of an isolated clear coat failure, besides waxing it. I'm going to clean it and put that 3M paint defender on there. If any one is interested I can update after next winter, which is when I think it will see the worst conditions.