evolpe

Ok, after spending a lot of time detailing my '06 RRP TL I have noticed the metallic in the paint looks incredible but the reflection is sub par. After some research I found my car has what is called "Orange Peel". It's when the clear coat doesn't level and when it dries the surface of the clear coat resemble the surface of an orange peel. This past weekend I Zaino'd the entire car so I have a nice gloss on the outside of my car, so glossy that I observed something very interesting today. I pulled into the parking lot next to another car. When my car reflected light onto the car next to me there was a "spotty" reflection. I could see brighter spots of light caused by tiny "craters" in the clearcoat.

Is there any way short of wet sanding to level the clearcoat? Trust me, I'd rather leave it the way it is than wet sand. I know doing so will greatly reduce the lifespan of my paint leaving it practically unpolishable in the future.

Also, is it possible to wet sand the car and then have another coat of clear put on top? This is probably much too expensive to actually do (for practical people) but I was wondering if it was possible.

TOGWT

Orange Peel is paint film surface that has a dimpled appearance that paint takes on due to an equipment/operator caused defect. Like wrong paint-gun pressure and/or distance from panel, an operator not knowing how to set-up the equipment for that particular type of paint, or even a partly blocked paint-gun nozzle, improper pre-paint preparation and /or paint application, or uneven drying of the clear coat.

It should be eliminated after the final shooting of clear coat by wet sanding the paint film surface, and polishing with an abrasive polish and a high-speed rotary polisher by the mfg. It can be removed by wet-sanding (colour sanding) by an experienced detailer

Before wet-sanding paint show vehicle owners often have an extra 2.5 mils to 3.0 mils of clear applied).

This kind of work should only be undertaken by a very experienced enthusiast or a professional detailer, the paint sections / panels that are difficult and involve risk are usually those that are close to the edges of a panel (as this is were paint is usually thinnest) or highly contoured areas. Flat areas like the trunk, hood or roof involve minimal risk.

evolpe

I read up on this on autopia and most of the people on there say wet sanding is non existent during the manufacturing of cars. I don't blame them. That would be way too much man power. I just wonder why some car manufacturers don't have it and some have it bad. People on autopia have noticed how bad Hhummer and BMW are with this respect. I think mine's horrible, I can only imagine what the hummers look like.

Do any of you think the a visible orange peel would be a good negotiating tool to get the price of a vehicle down? I personally don't think they sale people will know what you're talking about and then will deny it's there.

stogie1020

I remember reading somewhere on the Net (must be true then) that OP got worse after the VOC compliance issues, in that with a reduced level of VOCs in the paint, it applies thicker and or does not have sufficient time to level itself before drying. Not sure what the validity of this is, but I thought I would throw it out there.

evolpe

I think you might be right. On Autopia they were talking about the regulations car manufacturers had to meet causing the paint finish to suffer. They were comparing it to your custom paint jobs done by professionals where they can violate those regulations more easily resulting in a superior finish.

Some people on there threw out the idea that they do it on purpose to mask any paint defects that might exist. I don't think that's the case though.

TOGWT

I think it has as much to do with - lack of quality assurance (QA) + car makers time is money syndrom + general acceptance from car dealerships / general car buying public lack of knowledge / apathy (orange peel, ' all vehicles have it' so what)

evolpe

I agree with you TOGWT. I think they choose to cut the costs on the paint finish to increase their profit margins. Since most people probably think it's normal (which it is since most cars have it) they accept it. We really have no other choice but to accept it.

I'll have to try to take a picture of the reflection my car is projectiing onto a silver car I park next to. This morning I saw it again and I wanted to throw up! Ok, maybe not throw up but seeing the reflection really shows how bad the paint surface is.

Macruz19

I agree as well. I had my door panel repainted. I had OP and I went back to them a month later. They wet sanded and used a rotary to buff out the excess trash and OP. Now I have to go back again next Friday because there's still some trash near the door handle. Once that's taken care of with me right there watching them, I will have to go back home and bust out my PC to get rid of the rotary swirls.

evolpe

You aren't worried about the possibility that they might take too much clear off your car? Does anyone know if clear can be applied over the factory clearcoat?

TOGWT

Clear coat is just like any other polyurethane paint (without colour)

If you 'scuff' i.e. abrade the surface to provide the paint with something to 'key' onto you can add more coats of paint

Macruz19

Not at all. They have a lifetime warranty plus I used to bring my RSX-S there all the time when there would be a problem with my paint. I just wish they did it right the first time.

evilone

I paint cars for a living and i can tell you for certine that ALOT of new cars have major orange peel issuses. Like you said the proper prep and color sanding should resolve the issue. I would never recomend color sanding with less that 2000 becuase of the issue of die back. Dont attempt to wet sand and buff your car unless you have proper exp.