Is this degree of orange peel typical for a new car?

M

movingforward

New member
Joined
Dec 27, 2013
Messages
41
Reaction score
0
My girlfriend just bought a new car, a white 2014 Honda Accord. I am learning how to detail for the first time and would like to help her protect the finish with a paint sealant, topped with a wax. But I notice that the clear coat does not quite have a mirror-like finish. Instead, it is rather bumpy as you can see in the photos I posted in the link. I am wondering if this is a standard finish on most new cars these days and if there is anything I can do to minimize the orange peel look with low risk of damaging the clear coat.

imgur: the simple image sharer
 
I don't have any close up pictures on hand but my black 2013 Accord has some pretty bad orange peel, especially on the door panels. I just learned to live with it - it's a bit too much work and too much CC to remove for me to try and get rid of the orange peel.
:dunno:

And yes, if you look around, you'll notice most cars these days come with a healthy dose of orange peel.
 
From the images, it appears the orange peel is a bit more than I'm used to seeing on a new car. That doesn't mean it is excessive. The only way to level orange peel is to abrade the surface. You could do it with an aggressive compound and pad, but it will take a lot to see a significant change. The normal way to level orange peel is to wet sand it. Either way you are removing layers of clear that are better left on the car for a daily driver. Unless your girlfriend plans to enter her new Honda Accord into a car show for some reason, leave it alone.
 
bsmith0404 said:
Unless your girlfriend plans to enter her new Honda Accord into a car show for some reason, leave it alone.
Click to expand...

LOL, I doubt she has even noticed it. I am certainly not going to bring it up to her! But yeah, I just wanted to help her car look its best. I haven't done anything with it...yet. ;) I'm a newbie, but I'm guessing sealants and coatings don't mask orange peel.
 
How's it look from about an arm's length?

Those (anybody) looking at my vehicles closer than that,
are asked (politely?) to go on about their own €@&$%@¥* business!!

:)

Bob
 
Normal.

But you can find out if any monkey business has been done with a paint thickness gauge.

y9a6uzy3.jpg


They may have started working in clear coat.
 
FUNX725 said:
How's it look from about an arm's length?

Those (anybody) looking at my vehicles closer than that,
are asked (politely?) to go on about their own €@&$%@¥* business!!

:)

Bob
Click to expand...

Haha Bob. It is readily visible standing next to the car, but it's not a deal breaker as the white paint doesn't show reflections very well anyway.
 
I wonder if the carpro denim and velvet pads would level it safely. I have orange peel on the doors of my 2014 Kia Forte.
 
My focus has a good chunk of orange peel. Combine that with thin modern paint and it's a recipe for having to just live with it!
 
From someone who looks at new cars everyday, yes this is normal..
 
I think it is excessive. The only way to fix that is wet sanding or Carpro denim/velvet skins. Don't even think about either one unless you really know what you're doing and have a LOT of time to do it. If it were me I would let a body shop remove it and finish it out myself.
 
^^^^Nnahhh, at least not on the roof. It's not a highly visible area and u need maximum protection up there, as well as the hood. Being female owned u have alot more to worry about than the slight orange peel.
 
i've seen worst. not much you can do about it. unless you want to really get into it.
 
Since the car is new I am sure you have a "healthy" amount of CC, but I could be wrong. However, IMO I would just live with it and be more concerned about keeping that amount of CC "healthy"

I heard one Meguiar's guy say they removed the orange peel of a another Meguiar's employee's car because he wanted the car without any orange peel, but they also warned him before and after doing the job that he will now have a low amount of CC. From what I remember the guy said he didn't mind and they did the job anyway.

I don't like to name names. so that why I say Meguiar's guys, but they are very well know Meguiar's Professionals btw.

You could and I would look into coating the car. I would go with the longest lasting coating that I could get my hands on. (just my opinion)
 
That amount of orange peal isn't bad when you consider the opposite end of the spectrum. My BMW is wet sanded and looks amazing when clean BUT trust me when I tell you that every little mar, hairline scratch, and smear shows up on it.
My body shop guy tells me that the orange peal does a great job of masking minor scratches. You might want to go over it with a light compound or polish to help give you some clarity and then top it with a sealant and wax.
 
Alansr said:
That amount of orange peal isn't bad when you consider the opposite end of the spectrum. My BMW is wet sanded and looks amazing when clean BUT trust me when I tell you that every little mar, hairline scratch, and smear shows up on it.
My body shop guy tells me that the orange peal does a great job of masking minor scratches. You might want to go over it with a light compound or polish to help give you some clarity and then top it with a sealant and wax.
Click to expand...

Does your "body shop guy" also think that swirl marks effectively mask RIDS?
 
I would agree with comments that if it is a DD, then don't worry about it too much. Better to have more clear on there even if is a little orange peely. My 2013 Accord also has a pretty healthy dose (to echo a previous post) but I just live with it and polish it to the best reflection I can get and it looks pretty damn good. If anyone gives you any beef, just show them their swirled up mess and ask them what they would prefer! :xyxthumbs:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top