1980's 123 series Clear Coat problems

Short of a re-paint, is there anything that can be done about peeling clear coat? I understand that older 123's had clear coat applied over the paint at the factory. I understand that current paint practice is to mix clear coat with the paint color which supposedly eliminates the peeling problem.

It would be nice if a ....rattle can...solution of clear coat could be applied. Does anyone have experience with this? Any other ideas as to how to fix this problem?

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Body and Interior Specific Aid

Chassis Model Number

W123

Clear Coat Problems 1990 300E

My 1990 is silver gray and was apparently clear-coated after painting, since it is peeling from the main color below. Appearance-wise, it is also highly oxidized, which began my inquiry for a solution, hoping there might be some solvent-type liquid application that could remove the C/C and leave me with at least a good looking paint job beneath. But every body shop I have asked only wants to do a total re-paint job and they say no solvent that they know of is available. Does anyone have a suggestion as to what could be done economically to solve this problem? Might wet sanding or some other form of hand-work be effective? If so, that sounds like a lot of work unless taking it someplace for this would be possible. Thanks!

I have a '84 MB 123 -

I have a '84 MB 123 - Anthracite Grey in color. I called MB in Seattle and talked paint - they referred me to the auto paint guy here. The guy here, (in Juneau, Alaska) is a good guy, so we talked paint. Here is the skinny:
It is a two part paint. The first is the color, the second is Clear Coat. The clear coat is Acrylic. I do not know if you can mix them, it probably would not work. Doesn't matter, you would still have to finish it off with Clear Coat anyway. Acrylic is very tough stuff, and I don't think any chemical will remove it. I had a guitar with that finish on it, and I tried everything, and I know my chemistry. The good news is you can get a polisher and it will buff off pretty well. You get a thick wet cream going with polishing compound and ivory soap and water and you can buff off the Acrylic and the paint. In fact, if you polish your car, you will have to be careful not to buff to much, as you can go right through the Clear Coat. The paint underneath is very fragile. You really cannot tell when you are through the Acrylic and into the paint. The polishing compound is sold at a auto paint or industrial paint supply place, as is the paint. Get the paint code from the Mercedes dealer, and give it to the paint place. The MB paint can be purchased in spray cans at the Auto Paint shop, and so can the Clear Coat. I had a big smash in on my front driver side, the door and all forward, and I got it done well first time. It is not perfect, but it looks good. I think I paid $14.00 per can of paint, $20.00 a can for the Clear Coat. I think it only took one can. The polishing compound was $37.00 - but that is enough to do 2 or 3 cars...
Most professional paint guys just want to do the whole job - they have a pro spray system, and it is not that hard if you have experience, to just do the whole thing. Patching can be kinda touchy...
Some more good news - If you take a polisher to your MB with the polish compound from your paint dealer, your car can look new again. Everyone will think you are rich! My car, with the thick Clear Coat, well polished, is more shiny than a new car. One thing to remember, however, your final fool around will have to end with a Clear Coat spray, the trick is to get it as thick as possible without runs. If you have polished a thin spot in the clear coat, and do not have a perfect air and watertight seal, the paint underneath will get iccky. It kinda sounds like you need to paint your whole car... Good luck...

Clear Coat Problems 1990 300E

Thanks for your detailed reply. Since I am not the mechanic or bodyrepair-type guy, (at least not much beyond polishing), my hope was to find a "selective solvent" that would soften or emulsify the clear coat and leave the paint unscathed below. But if you are saying chemically that is probabaly not possible, I should stop dreaming. However, the $800-1200 full paint job I am also NOT dreaming about. What I am beginnning to wonder now is, could a Detail-Shop do this by hand perhaps at maybe $150 or so....that could make sense and I would be hoping that some of what you describe above in terms of "compounding down" through the C/C by hand and stopping somewhere at the paint level sounds like the only other way to go. But then when all is done there, a full C/C professional job would still seem necessary unless the small spray cans were going to do the job. But how would one do that evenly? .......humm.