I think I ate through the paint!!

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82Gman

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I was restoring a badly neglected 2006 Acura RSX, NHB. While trying to remove a bird poop stain I switch to a Meguiar's Foam cutting pad and M105 on a PC. I went too far. See the attached pic. It's never been polished before, so I thought I was safe.
Am I going to have to have it repainted?
 
I'm afraid your diagnosis is correct, you went a wee bit too far....

Clears and each layer of paint in general is only about 0.001 think....
 
I feel like throwing up. Good thing I own this car. Time for a paint thickness gauge!
M105 is a real b---- to work with. Seems to have a big learning curve. I had a couple of other spots that came out great. I was actually just trying to get the leftover M105 off and BAM. It came off ok, with the paint! It went quick, 3 passes and one short pause.
 
That pic doesn't make any sense to me. Once again I am stunned at the ability of a PC to burn through paint...especially with a foam pad. That paint must have seriously been damaged before compounding. It's very difficult to burn through with a PC, and that meg's cutting pad is pretty soft. I just don't get it.

I wish somebody would make a video of purposefully trying to burn through a junkyard panel with a PC and m105. I bet it would be extremely difficult to do.
 
statusdetailing said:
That pic doesn't make any sense to me. Once again I am stunned at the ability of a PC to burn through paint...especially with a foam pad. That paint must have seriously been damaged before compounding. It's very difficult to burn through with a PC, and that meg's cutting pad is pretty soft. I just don't get it.

I wish somebody would make a video of purposefully trying to burn through a junkyard panel with a PC and m105. I bet it would be extremely difficult to do.
Click to expand...


It is relatively difficult via PC to burn through good condition paint, especially hard ones, but these Honda/Acuras are notorious for having clear coat failure. Plenty of lawsuits out from owners. Have you noticed just how many Acura/Honda on the road that have clear coat failure on the rear roof area?

Top that off with some seriously thin clear and you really need to access the paint carefully before going to town on it.
Otherwise, you're asking for trouble.

Too much of good thing and all of sudden a "strike-through" and your day is completely ruined.
 
statusdetailing said:
That pic doesn't make any sense to me. Once again I am stunned at the ability of a PC to burn through paint...especially with a foam pad. That paint must have seriously been damaged before compounding. It's very difficult to burn through with a PC, and that meg's cutting pad is pretty soft. I just don't get it.

I wish somebody would make a video of purposefully trying to burn through a junkyard panel with a PC and m105. I bet it would be extremely difficult to do.
Click to expand...

Junkman made one a while back with I think an LC yellow cutting pad, M105, and PCXP on speed 6. He just sat there in the same spot, really leaning on the machine, for about 30 seconds. Didn't burn through.

I've seen incredibly thin factory Acura paint (under 3 mils). Add in a few cheapo rotary hack jobs, and a dealership detail, then by the time you set your polisher on it the clear is basically already gone. Even if you don't do this for a living a PTG is a pretty cheap insurance policy.

Sent from my LG-VM701 using AG Online
 
I had a similar result on a subaru wrx. I was trying to remove bird poop etching. I think the bird poop weakened the clear. I dont think your technique is to blame. Eventually it would of happen due to the bird poop. That is my theory
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
 
Your process didnt burn through the paint. A PC, 105 and whatever pad you fancy WILL not burn through paint. Push hard enough and the pad stops rotating and just jiggles around. At that point you are not getting any cutting action.

I think the paint was already starting to thin out in the pic and your process of washing claying and getting it ready for the machine removed the dirt that was hiding the spot and when you tried to buff it out thats when you noticed the discoloration in the paint.

Now if you were on a rotory, 105, and the 7207 pad with a good bit of speed then I can see you burning through the paint.

In your case with the PC im highly skeptical your method burned through.
 
statusdetailing said:
That pic doesn't make any sense to me. Once again I am stunned at the ability of a PC to burn through paint...especially with a foam pad. That paint must have seriously been damaged before compounding. It's very difficult to burn through with a PC, and that meg's cutting pad is pretty soft. I just don't get it.

I wish somebody would make a video of purposefully trying to burn through a junkyard panel with a PC and m105. I bet it would be extremely difficult to do.
Click to expand...
My bad. It was a meguiar's microfiber cutting pad! It wasn't hot, so not burned, I think it actually just cut through.
 
smack said:
Your process didnt burn through the paint. A PC, 105 and whatever pad you fancy WILL not burn through paint. Push hard enough and the pad stops rotating and just jiggles around. At that point you are not getting any cutting action.

I think the paint was already starting to thin out in the pic and your process of washing claying and getting it ready for the machine removed the dirt that was hiding the spot and when you tried to buff it out thats when you noticed the discoloration in the paint.

Now if you were on a rotory, 105, and the 7207 pad with a good bit of speed then I can see you burning through the paint.

In your case with the PC im highly skeptical your method burned through.
Click to expand...
Hey, I'm willing to accept that! This thing made me a little gun shy.
 
david11g35 said:
I had a similar result on a subaru wrx. I was trying to remove bird poop etching. I think the bird poop weakened the clear. I dont think your technique is to blame. Eventually it would of happen due to the bird poop. That is my theory
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...


I agree, I don't think technique can be blamed. On good paint it is very difficult to burn through. Although I will say, I've come across some very soft Honda paints, that I swear could probably be totally corrected with m205
 
:iagree:100%

smack said:
Your process didnt burn through the paint. A PC, 105 and whatever pad you fancy WILL not burn through paint. Push hard enough and the pad stops rotating and just jiggles around. At that point you are not getting any cutting action.

I think the paint was already starting to thin out in the pic and your process of washing claying and getting it ready for the machine removed the dirt that was hiding the spot and when you tried to buff it out thats when you noticed the discoloration in the paint.

Now if you were on a rotory, 105, and the 7207 pad with a good bit of speed then I can see you burning through the paint.

In your case with the PC im highly skeptical your method burned through.
Click to expand...
 
Looks like damage to a quickie respray that dealers use on used vehicles.
Have you owned it since new?

If the stain was not affected by the polishing, it was probably painted over and was between the oem and respray.
 
rwright said:
Did the pad change color?
Click to expand...


my thoughts,too. if ya went through the CC the pad would be the color of the car.
if there isnt any color on the pad and lookin at the picture, id say that the Cc failed before and more clear was shot on top.
 
statusdetailing said:
I wish somebody would make a video of purposefully trying to burn through a junkyard panel with a PC and m105. I bet it would be extremely difficult to do.
Click to expand...

Already been done:

START at 4:35

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XAqpOe9Zt4]How Safe is the PC-7424XP? - Part 1 - YouTube[/video]
 
Looks like you buffed through the clear.

The outer perimeter line you see in your picture I've inserted for you is the edge of the clear layer and the center portion is basecoat.


burnthroughagain.jpg





The more you buff the larger the perimeter line will grow.


As mentioned by others, if you truly have burned through the clear coat you can easily verify by rubbing a white polish on a white cloth to the middle of the suspected burn through patch and if you see the color on the cloth this means the clear layer is missing.

If you only see the color of the polish and cloth then you have some wacky paint issues going on.


:)
 
82Gman said:
My bad. It was a meguiar's microfiber cutting pad! It wasn't hot, so not burned, I think it actually just cut through.
Click to expand...

Props for knowing the difference between striking through the clear/paint and actually burning the clear/paint.

It's really hard to tell, but I'd say the clear was *possibly* already failing, which as others have mentioned, older Hondas/Acuras are known for. You don't have any before photos of that panel, do you? Don't feel bad. Live and learn.

Thanks for sharing your experience.
 
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