Ok so I just received my 7424xp my wolfgang swirl remover / glaze and paint sealer.. No i was going to get started this weekend but now my friend just told me that nissan paint is to thing to compount specially altimas .. So i looked online and it does seem true how thin it is. I am doing this for personal use so i dont want to but a paint thickness tester. I have a 08 red altima should i be worried? live wiht the swirls?? or am i over reacting ??
Altima thin paint???
- Thread starter nissansp
- Start date
QuantumX
New member
- Aug 11, 2007
- 40
- 0
Heavy compounding will probably tear it up, but I've polished swirls out of my '06 Altima a couple of times and have had no problems with breaking through. I would suggest a "ceramic" resin type seal after tho. The clear coat is soft and subject to swirls/light scratches.
Pretty much all new paint is fairly thin. My brand new cube has some spots that measure under 80. That said, I have compounded it a couple times and polished it as well. I would get a PTG just to be safe, and just know that if you want perfection you need to work on your washing techniques to keep from getting too many swirls to begin with.
- Thread starter
- #5
Agreed with the maintanance when i bought the car I didnt pay attention to the swirls of course after a few car washes and reading about swirls i had a great idea to use hand wash lil did i know they made even more swirls lol. now i hand wash spend 5 hours on detailing clay the whole 9 yards.. From a few feet away it looks show room walk up to it and it looks like edward scisor hands detailed it!!! Im the MAN
So know I want to correct and maintain it myself.. So i tried to order what i thought was the best product from questions and research thats why I bought the wolfgang 3.0 triple combo .. but you saying a resin sealer is better? IM thinking maybee starting with the polish see if that cuts enough and if I have to go to the swirl remover will stick with a white pad. hmm so many choices..
So know I want to correct and maintain it myself.. So i tried to order what i thought was the best product from questions and research thats why I bought the wolfgang 3.0 triple combo .. but you saying a resin sealer is better? IM thinking maybee starting with the polish see if that cuts enough and if I have to go to the swirl remover will stick with a white pad. hmm so many choices..
Mike Phillips
Active member
- Dec 5, 2022
- 51,004
- 6
Unless something has changed, I've been told by a good friend and consultant to OEM's that 1.5 mils of clear are necessary to prevent premature clear coat failure.
Supposedly, car manufacture spray an average of 2 mils of clear, this means there's the 1.5 mils necessary and a little extra for good measure and so the car's finish can theoretically be worked on at some point in it's service life.
Treat your Altima like everyone should treat every car and that's using the least aggressive product to get the job done and/or learning to live with the deeper defects especially if the car in a daily driver and not a show car on display.
If you do compound the paint, do it once and then afterwards... take care of the finish. By this I mean afterwards, anything that touches the paint should be of the highest quality you can obtain. From washing to drying to polishing and waxing.
Also, try to park your car under cover, I posted some tips in the article below on maintaining a freshly waxed finish, this would apply to paint sealants and coatings too...
All about Pinnacle Souveran Paste Wax
Park your vehicle inside a garage
You can dramatically increase the length of time an application of Pinnacle Souveran Paste Wax will last on your vehicles paint by parking your vehicle inside of your garage. By parking your vehicle inside your garage you will protect the paint from the environment and anything in the environment that would attack your vehicles waxed paint if left outside. Things like,
While not as full enclosed as a garage, a carport will still help to protect your vehicles finish from the environment, especially the horizontal panels which are the most prone to attack and degradation.
Carports help extend wax protection
Use a high quality car cover
If you don’t have a garage you can extend the life of Pinnacle Souveran Paste Wax by covering your vehicle with a high quality car cover when you’re not driving it. Like a garage, the car cover will protect the waxed body panels from anything in the environment around the car by preventing it from coming into contact with the paint.
Supposedly, car manufacture spray an average of 2 mils of clear, this means there's the 1.5 mils necessary and a little extra for good measure and so the car's finish can theoretically be worked on at some point in it's service life.
Treat your Altima like everyone should treat every car and that's using the least aggressive product to get the job done and/or learning to live with the deeper defects especially if the car in a daily driver and not a show car on display.
If you do compound the paint, do it once and then afterwards... take care of the finish. By this I mean afterwards, anything that touches the paint should be of the highest quality you can obtain. From washing to drying to polishing and waxing.
Also, try to park your car under cover, I posted some tips in the article below on maintaining a freshly waxed finish, this would apply to paint sealants and coatings too...
All about Pinnacle Souveran Paste Wax
Park your vehicle inside a garage
You can dramatically increase the length of time an application of Pinnacle Souveran Paste Wax will last on your vehicles paint by parking your vehicle inside of your garage. By parking your vehicle inside your garage you will protect the paint from the environment and anything in the environment that would attack your vehicles waxed paint if left outside. Things like,
- Harsh, salty marine air
- Industrial pollution in industrial areas
- Jet exhaust fallout near busy, major airports
- Auto emissions and pollution from areas of dense population and congested traffic
- Naturally occurring contaminants like air-borne dust and dirt, pollen
- Polluted Rain - Either Acid Rain or Alkaline Rain
While not as full enclosed as a garage, a carport will still help to protect your vehicles finish from the environment, especially the horizontal panels which are the most prone to attack and degradation.
Carports help extend wax protection
Use a high quality car cover
If you don’t have a garage you can extend the life of Pinnacle Souveran Paste Wax by covering your vehicle with a high quality car cover when you’re not driving it. Like a garage, the car cover will protect the waxed body panels from anything in the environment around the car by preventing it from coming into contact with the paint.
- Thread starter
- #7
Thanks Mike! that makes me feel alot better.. I will from now on old buy the best. So this will be the 1 and only time i will compound.. im thinking of using the white pads with the wolfgang swirl remover and the same pad for the polish not to cut so much and then just living with the results im sure its going to be 100% better then before. do you agree???
And I vow to never bring a car i or my wife owns to a car wash again!!!
And I vow to never bring a car i or my wife owns to a car wash again!!!
Mike Phillips
Active member
- Dec 5, 2022
- 51,004
- 6
Yes I agree.
While it's nice to have a perfect finish on a car you really like, car manufactures just skimp too much on the top coat that we the consumers have to be educated and more proactive on taking care of our cars.
I never willingly want to dis any business but because the top coat of paint on new cars is thin care must be taken when washing a car and the only person that's really going to put the "care" into your car wash session is you or a Professional Detailer that takes pride in their work and charges a fair price for "their care" that they put into "your" car.
Detailers that think like I describe in this article,
The Mindset of a Professional Detailer