Bad clear coat looks sorta crazed and flaky, like dry desert sand. My clear coat is so bad it has begun to peel. If your paint is thick enough, and I don't know enough about Volvo paint to see it is or isn't, there is a series of steps you can take to polish things up (again, assuming it's paint). The first step is a relativly harsh rubbing compound. This is going to remove the oxidation but scratch the hell out of the paint. Next a mild rubbing compund to clena up the deep scratches and leave ou fine scratches. If you aren't looking for a perfect finsh then skip this next step...3M makes some stuff that I forget the name of but is very strange to work with but fixes the fine scratches to perfection, use that. Next, wax. I like hard paste waxes best but there are at least as many opinions as there are waxes and most wax jobs come out looking great. In this case do not use a combination wax (cleaner/wax compound/wax etc.) just use plain wax with carnuba in it. I was a boat detailer in college and am still sold on the marine products although I would almost never take a buffer to a painted car (I'm about to take it to mine to rub out(off) the remaining clear coat), the paint is too thin and good buffers are too powerful. After saying all of this I once had a clear coated car with clear coat in great shape and oxidized paint under it, not a thing you can do with that. Since that experience, I have not bought a new car with clear coat on it. Waxing is not a difficult prospect when doing every 3 to 6 months, it takes me less then an hour on a Dodge Dakota with a canopy, waxing by hand. If you let it go and have to rub out the oxidation you tear up some paint and it takes awhile to do.

In the end, I agree with the previous post, take it to a reputable shop and let them give you a recommendation.
--
Portland, OR 1987 240 dl wagon 'rustbucket'