Help! I USED TO MUCH?

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CAMMIN HEMI

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I have a new 2013 hemi orange pearl coat Dodge Challenger. After I used Meguiar's clay to prep for polish I found a small, smaller than a pencil eraser, irregular shaped damage spot with a jagged edge in the finish that looked white and not very deep. I suspect maybe the clay pulled some type of contamination out of the paint or it was caused by a glancing blow by some type of road debris during transport ( I've only driven it straight home less than 25 miles and 3 hours after it was delivered to the dealership ). I leveled the spot out with Meguiar's UC. Then using a small tipped artist brush I put on three thin coats of correct color factory touch up paint. I let it dry for three days before lightly buffing with a microfiber and Meguiar's UC. The color was good, but the spot was now "dish" shaped. I filled in this dish to a height I thought was level with the finish. Again I used a small tipped artist brush and factory clear coat touch up paint. After letting it dry for another three days I found it looks like a small pimple above the level of the finish. I tried to smooth it flat with the factory finish with a microfiber and Meguiar's UC doing my best to concentrate on the little "bump". No luck, it is still raised up and I'm afraid to get to aggressive with the compound and scour the good finish around this paint pimple. Of course to me it looks more like a hemorrhoid!!! I admit I'm very anal about the appearance of this car! I'm terrified of trying 3,000 grit wet sandpaper on the tip of my finger in this area that is not perfectly flat ( above fuel cap in the "dip" between the left rear roof pillar and quarter panel ). Should I try a heavier compound like 3M rubbing compound? I didn't realize the touch up clear coat was this tough/hard. My significant other says I need to convince myself it looks ok! I would have had the car dealership fix this, but their body shop has a horrible reputation.

Thanks for any and all opinions suggestions!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Sweet car. Pictures would be helpful. From your description you could try 3000 grit sand paper on a pencil eraser. A few twists should level the spot. I'd user a CC pen and put 2 coats over the spot. After a week or so go and polish the area to blend it and polish up the area. Next wax and go drive that bad boy.
 
CAMMIN HEMI said:
Should I try a heavier compound like 3M rubbing compound?
Click to expand...

I'd say no. Whatever can be done can be done with the compound you already have.


#3000 grit paper like Nikken Finishing Papers feel like printer paper, it's pretty fine and removing the sanding marks using the UC should be fairly easy.

Just sand a little then rub with UC a little, then inspect. Keep in mind sanding will remove a little paint and so will the UC so take baby steps. Repeat till you're happy.

One word of caution though... while you might think the touch-up clear is hard, my guess is the factory clear surrounding the touch-up clear is harder.

Both types of paint will sand the same, that is, you can put scratches into the factory paint just as easy as you can put scratches into the touch-up paint.

The tricky part is removing all the sanding marks out of the harder paint, the factory clear.

Every time I've done work like this the sanding marks come out of the touch-up paint fairly quickly and easily, it's the sanding marks in the paint surrounding the touch-up paint you'll find to be stubborn.

So try to only sand on the touch up paint.

Also, if you rub real hard you can heat-up the touch-up paint and this can make it rubbery and possibly rub the entire glob right out of the defect.


Baby steps...



:)
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
I'd say no. Whatever can be done can be done with the compound you already have.


Baby steps...



:)
Click to expand...

:iagree:

Take your time, have patience, and attack the spot step by step - don't rush the sanding step just to get the polisher and compound out, don't rush the compounding step just so that you can go to the polishing step to the LSP step..

you may have to re-touch up the chip, which is common as some of the softer touch-up paint will be 'pulled' out of the chip as you sand and compound, so check your work often.

A good tip when checking your sanding progress is to after you are done, spray water onto the sanding marks and the water will 'level' the sanding for a minute to let you see a glimpse of how the paint will look in the end.

Also, check out

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...olfgang-twins.html?highlight=phillips+sanding

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...ues-mike-phillips.html?highlight=damp+sanding

for some great advice when sanding.

Good luck and post pics of the before, during, and afters so that we may learn from your experience! :props:
 
Thank you for your tips and advice. Mike I'll have a friend take a pic of the before and after. His camera will show much greater detail. Would any auto parts store have the sand paper Mike recommended? Is there a tool I could use other than to glue a piece from a paper punch to a pencil eraser? I want to give it the best shot I can do without involving a body shop. When I applied the touch up I even used a magnifying glass to be as precise as possible. The spot is about the size of a pea. This forum is great for car fanatics like me. I'm working a lot of hours right now, but I will be posting a follow up as soon as I can dedicate some more serious time to correcting this flaw. Thanks again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Automotive sand paper can be ordered online or get it at an automotive paint store. 3000 grit should be fine. If a pencil eraser size doesn't cover it then use a wood dowel. Try to avoid sanding with your finger. You can also get finer grit to follow up after the 3000 if you want.

Be careful compounding too long in just one spot. Mike suggested trying to sand just the repair, this is why I suggested using a pencil eraser to confine e area. You do want it to cover the complete circumference. Go slow to avoid building too much heat. Having a paint thickness guage really helps when doing this kind of work. Factory clear coat is thin.
 
A way to stick sandpaper to a pencil, dowel or whatever...use a dab of rubber cement on both the pencil and sandpaper, let dry, then stick 'em together.

Using a pencil (eraser end) gives you a tiny bit of give (softer interface) whereas a chunk of doweling has a hard surface. Make sense?

Mind you this will NOT work if you chuck said pencil, dowel or whatever in a drill motor. Hand work only.

Bill
 
Thanks a lot guys! I'm guessing you spin the dowel/pencil to keep off the factory clear? I have wet sanded other cars with a sanding block on a flat surface going only side to side. But in this case as Monte Python used to say; "and now for something completely different"!Im the MAN
 
Love the idea of using a pencil and a small piece of sandpaper, less sanding marks to deal with plus you focus only on the area you're dealing with.
Great tip
 
CAMMIN HEMI said:
Thanks a lot guys! I'm guessing you spin the dowel/pencil to keep off the factory clear? I have wet sanded other cars with a sanding block on a flat surface going only side to side. But in this case as Monte Python used to say; "and now for something completely different"!Im the MAN
Click to expand...

Yup, just 'twirl' it between you fingers. Just keep in mind, that this is really a TINY piece of sandpaper, it wouldn't last all that long. But in a way, that is a good thing, the grit become less and less...kinda like a diminishing compound.

Bill
 
Just to note, the sand paper I recommended isn't sanding paper, it's technically "finishing paper", it's much higher quality than automotive wet/dry.

The Nikken finishing papers are electronics grade papers, they use Unigrit particle technology with uniform placement over the paper, this way you get a sanding mark pattern that is even and consistent and it buffs out faster and easier while leaving more paint on the car.

Not sure if you can find it in your local auto stores.

The below is for anyone reading this into the future not so much the OP as by the time he reads this he'll have already bought some sand papers. AG sells Nikken Finishing Papers by the sheet so you don't have to order an entire sleeve.

Meguiars Unigrit Sand Papers 6 Pack Kit


Here's the difference...

sandpaperdiagram1.jpg


See the point?


When I'm hand sanding, I only use Nikken, or I'm using a sanding disc by hand, that would be Trizact or Abralon, which are also very high quality sanding discs.


:)
 
Mike,

What is the 'backing' on these papers? Plastic, paper, cloth, or?

Thinking, if the backing is/are plastic, my 'rubber glue method' ain't gonna work (I think).

Bill
 
BillE said:
Mike,

What is the 'backing' on these papers? Plastic, paper, cloth, or?

Thinking, if the backing is/are plastic, my 'rubber glue method' ain't gonna work (I think).

Bill
Click to expand...


THe paper is impregnated with latex rubber so they don't dissolve in water like normal wet/dry automotive papers.

I had some soaking in a Tupperware container that I used to take with me on the road when I made shop call. Misplaced it in my garage. Found it 2 years later, papers were perfect and ready to use.

The Nikken papers still have a "paper" look to them, see here,

Basic Hand Sanding Techniques


Try to place your papers in water and soak them at least 15 minutes before sanding. I usually soak my papers overnight and sometimes a few days before sanding.
WetSandingExperiment1003.jpg




:)
 
....and this is the reason Dr Color Chip works so much better then painting.
Sorry to hear this story again.
This is a common problem with chip repair.
I've done it too and after that I never touched another "paint blob" again.

Then I found DCC and now I can fix chips and "road rash" in a few hours.
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
To the OP...

Check this article out, lots of pictures too...

How to use Meguiar's Unigrit Sanding Blocks to remove runs and dirt nibs in paint



:)
Click to expand...
Thanks Mike! I haven't started working on it yet! I appreciate your help and the very interesting links. I'm thinking about trying a rounded corner of a 2,000 unigrit sanding block with a small flat spot ( I'll form it ) very slowly and lightly left and right. All the while checking the spot often with my magnifying glass ( as you said taking baby steps ). Maybe this would be easier to hold and use with greater pinpoint accuracy ( the spot is smaller than a pencil eraser ). I'm also kicking around the idea of using a paper punch to make a hole in 3M automotive masking tape and put it right over the spot. It looks like it will be the weekend before I'll have some uninterrupted time on this.
 
CAMMIN HEMI said:
Thanks Mike! I haven't started working on it yet! I appreciate your help and the very interesting links. I'm thinking about trying a rounded corner of a 2,000 unigrit sanding block with a small flat spot ( I'll form it ) very slowly and lightly left and right. All the while checking the spot often with my magnifying glass ( as you said taking baby steps ). Maybe this would be easier to hold and use with greater pinpoint accuracy ( the spot is smaller than a pencil eraser ). I'm also kicking around the idea of using a paper punch to make a hole in 3M automotive masking tape and put it right over the spot. It looks like it will be the weekend before I'll have some uninterrupted time on this.
Click to expand...


That would work as long as it is a double sided tape.

Bill
 
BillE said:
That would work as long as it is a double sided tape.

Bill
Click to expand...

I'll let you now how it worked out. I'm a little confused though. Why would the tape need adhesive on both sides? Thanks!
 
Where are you from? I'm in Springfield, Mo and a guy down my street just bought that same car haha!
 
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