the paint on the hood of my 99 tl is "checking". no amount of rubbing compound will remove it. i'm sure there are others out there with the same problem. what's a good solution?

 

wetsand with 2000 grit sandpaper, then cut then buff will get it out...

 

what should i "cut" it with, rubbing compound? any specific brand?

 

baking powder, or baking soda

 

hit the wash and wax section before u go sanding and listening to previous posts

 

your gonna want to get some 3m rubbing compund or megs m105 but i would use the 3m cause its lighter. Its best to have a good buffer or else you gonna be buffing for ever getting those scratches out. If you use 2000 grit sand paper its pretty hard to break through the clear coat unless you sand to long or too hard, just get some water in a dish put a drop of soap in the water, wrap the sand paper over a sanding block and sand in one direction a scetion at a time.

 

thanks for the advice. i'll get a good buffer before starting to sand.

 

Agree with phee, do your research before sanding your hood. Try to post some pics.

Is "checking" what usually happens to older car's roofs? Those blotches of dull paint? Because that's through the clear coat and you may be SOL and have to re-paint.

 

i have no idea how to post a picture

 

The "checking" looks like tiny cracks all over the paint surface; that is, in fact, what they are.
I don't think any amount of buffing will take that out; it's not like its just on the surface of the clear coat.
Last time I checked at a shop, the only thing to do was strip it and repaint.

If your car is like mine, its the front of the hood and two fenders; both areas which get blasted to hell by sand and stones.

Reference:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...3194108AAaYnZm

Also:
CHECKING: Patterns of short, narrow breaks in the top layer of paint. Checking occurs when the paint loses its elasticity.

 

i posted a picture of the paint in the photo gallery, under "my 99 tl"

 

i have the same problem on the hood of my 2000 tl, but i don't think it can be fixed without a repaint. there are little cracks that go all the way through the paint. sadly, my clear coat is also failing on the roof and trunk so i have no choice other than repaint the whole car or sell it as is. i could just ignore it, but i'm too ocd for that.

 

did you see the picture i posted?

 

yup, it looks just like mine. there's not much you can do about it. i even had my car detailed but it wont help

 

Yea, looks like that's down to the paint level. Re-paint is pretty much your only option.

 

Here's a little help with the pic.

 

I work in a paint and bodyshop and yeah that is paint checking aka crows feet the only sure way to fix would be to strip the hood all the way down to the metal,prime ,sealer,base coat and clear coat!!! Here in Houston,Tx that would cost you about 300.00!!! Dont let anyone tell you that would buff out aint gonna happen

 

thanks for the imput everyone. guess i'll have to bite the bullet

 

on a side note, does anyone know what causes this to happen and what can be done to prevent it?

 

Not sure what causes it, but keeping a good coat of wax, preferably the synthetic ones, should prevent things like this.

 

i detail my car every weekend, so waxing the hood didn't work for me

 

this usually happens when there are too many coats of paint built up on the panel which is why the hood would need to be striped down to the metal and repainted!