Dots in paint?

[DKenn08]

Dots in paint?


These are only located on the front bumper and slightly on the side mirrors. The front bumper has them this dense eveywhere. It's only been hit with an orange LC pad and m205 right now and that did absolutely nothing. I have m105 here now and WG TSR 3.0 and a yellow 4" LC pad arriving tomorrow. The camera doesn't show them that well but this is what they look like.

 

[Andr3wilson]

Looks a lot like pitting.

Basically it is what it sounds like, often mistaken for stone chips.

Honestly there is no fix for this (to my knowledge) without ruining the paint, aka sanding it right down.

 

[DKenn08]

Looks a lot like pitting.

Basically it is what it sounds like, often mistaken for stone chips.

Honestly there is no fix for this (to my knowledge) without ruining the paint, aka sanding it right down.

Figured that's what they were, but I wasn't sure as this is my first at polishing. What exactly was the cause of this?

 

[rmagnus]

Not sure of the cause but use a magnifying glass to determine how deep the marks are (pitting). 3000 grit sand paper will make the clean up quicker. Megs makes a 3" disc inexpensive and great for spot sanding. You will not have to use much pressure. M205 should clean it up. If the paint is harder hit it with M105 then M205 and wax.

 

[AutowerxDetailing]

It's hard to say without seeing a closer picture but it kind of looks like solvent pop. The hood of my wife's car has it all over and I only noticed it after correcting the paint. Has the car been resprayed?

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

If it's just on the front of the car and the car has not been re-painted then it's probably pitting from impact of debris hitting the front of the car.

I've seen this a lot when I lived in SoCal on cars people drove from SoCal across the Mojave Desert to Las Vegas. Basically they were sandblasting the front of their car as it's very windy and sandy/dusty in the desert.

If you see a problem that's happening only on the hood it can often times be heat related from engine heat combined with heat from direct exposure to the sun over time.

If you see tiny dots or holes in the paint anywhere on the car that's been repainted then it could be solvent pop.


I've seen a LOT of this in my life in paint jobs and one thing for sure, more and more buffing just uncovers more and more of the hole or pit in the paint. Does it look like the paint on the black Porsche in this thread?


Proof You Can Do It! - Joe The Detailer - Black Porsche Turned into Black Pearl!

 

[DKenn08]

Mike, it looks just like what is on the black porsche but worse.. I've had the car since 2003 and the front bumper has never been repainted. So I assume this is something that can't be fixed unless it is repainted?

 

[rmagnus]

Repaint will fix it but detailing should do the same or at least make it look better. Worse case fill with paint, level with sandpaper then polish out the scratches and wax it.

 

[AZsmoothie]

If it's just on the front of the car and the car has not been re-painted then it's probably pitting from impact of debris hitting the front of the car.

I've seen this a lot when I lived in SoCal on cars people drove from SoCal across the Mojave Desert to Las Vegas. Basically they were sandblasting the front of their car as it's very windy and sandy/dusty in the desert.

If you see a problem that's happening only on the hood it can often times be heat related from engine heat combined with heat from direct exposure to the sun over time.

If you see tiny dots or holes in the paint anywhere on the car that's been repainted then it could be solvent pop.


I've seen a LOT of this in my life in paint jobs and one thing for sure, more and more buffing just uncovers more and more of the hole or pit in the paint. Does it look like the paint on the black Porsche in this thread?


Proof You Can Do It! - Joe The Detailer - Black Porsche Turned into Black Pearl!

Sorry to revive and old topic, but I have this exact phenomenon on my black porsche boxster. It really became visible after cleaning up the rest of the paint. Does anyone have a recommendation on how to minimize the appearance of these dots or prevent them from worsening? I am planning a correction with the Wolfgang twins followed by a Pinnacle Black Label Coating in the not-too-distant future.

Thanks!

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Sorry to revive and old topic,

It's 100% okay to revive ANY thread on this forum. Just want to point that out. Quality information stays relevant into the future.

but I have this exact phenomenon on my black Porsche boxster.

It really became visible after cleaning up the rest of the paint.

Kind of like RIDS show up like a sore thumb after machine polishing.

Does anyone have a recommendation on how to minimize the appearance of these dots or prevent them from worsening?

Sorry to say... no.

I am planning a correction with the Wolfgang twins followed by a Pinnacle Black Label Coating in the not-too-distant future.

Thanks!

It's a phenomenon that I can only really remember seeing after using dual action polishers. I'm not saying it won't happen or you won't see these defects after using a rotary buffer but I've always wondered what the connection is?

For what it's worth I've seen a TON of these types of pitting or dots in the paint in my lifetime and it's almost always on the front of the hood.


When I lived in SoCal I seen this a lot and attributed it to the sand blasting effect that happens to your car when you drive at high speeds in the desert.

The desert is sandy and gets very windy and there has been times where I've been driving through a wind storm and the sound absolutely made me cringe as I could hear millions of sand particles pelting the paint on my car.


Don't know if that helps.... probably not... I drive a truck with hardly any paint in the front, vertical area so no paint that can be pelted by sand or other debris.

 

[asalesagent912]

i feel ur pain. i had it on my 03 corolla and now am getting it on my lexus 250. it gets sand blasted from the expressway i take to work. trucks dropping all kinds of crap,people driving to close to the edge and kicking up rocks and sand. it really sucks to take care of a car looking great but the bumper looks like crap. i have been looking into clear bra now. mabe for my next car. i really don't want to repaint it.

 

[Kaban]

I have seen this on several brand new Porsches... as well as other cars also, but for some reason Porsche stands out to me right now, they have these dots right out of the factory.

 

[lawrenceSA]

I too have come across this on many of the cars I have detailed and as Mike says, it is usually on the hood.

And perhaps with the heat coming from the engine bay, the paint warms up to the point where it is more susceptible to the blasting from airborne debris that pummels the front end as you drive.

:dunno:

 

[Hoytman]

I have a similar problem on my hood as well. I have no idea if this used vehicle was ever in a desert location or not, but I suppose it could still be from road debree. May be something called solvent pop in my case too, but I don't really know.

I used wool with a rotary, then a dual action polisher to finish out with.

Wasn't trying to create perfection anyway. Was simply trying to remove oxidation and create shine.

 

[desiz]

I have this on my hood as well, have taken my car to big bear a few times, but she's never been repainted. Also, my hood gets super hot thanks to the 6.3L V8 that's crammed in there and 100 degree cali weather.

I noticed it right after I used a DA last week.

Pic:

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

I noticed it right after I used a DA last week.

And my theory is that after polishing, you remove all the haze, oxidation, swirls and scratches to basically restore a more defect free finish that is clear and now your eyes can see these dots or tiny holes/craters in the paint.


:dunno:

 

[Hoytman]

And my theory is that after polishing, you remove all the haze, oxidation, swirls and scratches to basically restore a more defect free finish that is clear and now your eyes can see these dots or tiny holes/craters in the paint.


:dunno:

:iagree:

 

[desiz]

And my theory is that after polishing, you remove all the haze, oxidation, swirls and scratches to basically restore a more defect free finish that is clear and now your eyes can see these dots or tiny holes/craters in the paint.

:dunno:

You sir, are correct. If time permits I plan to do the rest of the car this weekend, I will report back with my findings on whether the dots are all over the car or only on the front facing parts.

 

[AZsmoothie]

When I lived in SoCal I seen this a lot and attributed it to the sand blasting effect that happens to your car when you drive at high speeds in the desert.

The desert is sandy and gets very windy and there has been times where I've been driving through a wind storm and the sound absolutely made me cringe as I could hear millions of sand particles pelting the paint on my car.

Thank you for the reply and good to know that it's not frowned upon to bring back old threads! rops:

I am sure you're right about the polishing making these blemishes more visible. And, yes, I've experienced mother nature's sand blasting before (not in this car, though). It's awful! The Boxster does have a lot of small chips on the front clip and hood, but the dots are everywhere. In fact, I first spotted them on the rear quarter panel, which you wouldn't expect to take a lot of hits from airborne debris.

I only did a light polishing with WG's finishing glaze on a black pad because I just wanted to get used to the polisher and clear up some light toweling marks. Next time, I'll give it a go with the TSR on a white pad (after a test spot) and see what I can do about some of the remaining defects.