Wetsounds Pro 60's - Anyone see them do this before?

Long story short, I sold my boat and the new owner upgraded the stereo and I got the Pro 60's back off of my boat. I saw a little discoloration last year and used a little polishing compound and then waxed them and they looked fine. Fast forward to this year and I can't tell if this was a clear coat that degraded from UV or if it is some sort of hard water/calcium/lime deposit. It seems to scrape off with some serious effort.

I started out wetsanding them with a green scotchbrite but that wasn't aggressive enough to knock that down. I then used some 400 for wetsanding and that seemed to do the trick. I am just going to paint them with some plastidip and see how that looks.

Just some speculation on my part. I'm guessing that UV stability is better served by a paint coating over an ABS pod so Wetsounds added a protective paint coating for longevity. A polishing compound may have been a bit too aggressive, especially after years of exposure. UV protection likely breaks down eventually. And those are old speakers. Going forward, probably the best paint would be what automobiles use on flexible exterior plastic parts, like bumpers for example. You might find something in a can by SEM from an auto paint & body supply house. You might use a matching primer or adhesion promoter. Apply a non-cleaner wax twice a year. Use sox that breath and do not promote mold.

To be honest, unless you plan on doin a lot of coats of plastidip, it might be better to just paint them again yourself. I however haven't really liked the plastidip look, that faded matte look isn't too great to me. I'd just sand em down and paint

I got them sanded down smooth like I would prepare a car for paint. I painted one of the rings (took the entire speaker apart) with Plastidip and then used the Plastidip glosser on it and it looks ok, not factory new or anything but decent. I just want them to look decent for their next owner from CL when I sell them.

David, what you said makes total sense. The polishing compound probably was too aggressive but at the time, it made them look new again. I think I had them put on the boat back in '07 or '08, can't remember.

Plastidip had some great colors now that aren't matte. I would look at their metalizers and follow with some gloss. Then spray with the protective.
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My vintage 2006 Pro-485's were doing something similar a couple years ago but not quite as noticeable on the white. I popped out the grills filled all the holes and seams and painted them with car paint. They did crack on the top of the seam but they still look great.