Paint too thin?

Stone150

Stone150

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I recently purchased a rupees 21 to replace my old PC and I love it, so much more powerful, but I want to "polish all the things" now.
Anyways, on my 2001 Silverado I have 3 panels that are repaints and the rest are OEM paint. I have no problem polishing the repaints, but I am starting to worry about the amount of paint left on the OEM parts. Over the years I have polished the vehicle and what not, so I am a bit worried there is not allot left, although I was using the PC, so I don't think I was being that aggressive, it is just the number of times that worries me.

I wanted to polish my roof, as it looks particularly bad. I was able to get my hands on a PTG and most parts were about 4 mils, but the were points that ranged from 4.5 to 3.0. I wanted to do a very light polish, with the rupes, LC CCS white pad (maybe a black for less aggression) and the least aggressive polish I own - Menzerna micro polish. Is this something I can safely accomplish? I don't want to be defect free, just get the minor swirls out.

I've had the truck almost 10 years, it has 170k miles, it is currently on partial daily driver use, but I would like to retire it in the future to storage, until I can get a chance to rebuild it with my son.

It was actually stolen back in February and recovered, luckily the only paint work it needed was a new tailgate. but anyways. here it is. Glamour shots (has different headlights now)



 
PTG readings of overall coating thickness are really just hints at the history of the paint and what level of polishing has been done to it in the past. It sounds like you have owned the vehicle for a while so you are very familiar with how it has been cared for over the years.

Because of your knowledge of the paint system (which panels have been resprayed, the aggressiveness of previous paint correction efforts, frequency of polishing, etc.) you are well equipped to decipher the PTG readings into something that gives you a "go/no-go" boundary for each panel.

Every vehicle's paint system is a different thickness. Even those that are from the same factory on the same day will vary +/- a few microns. It's hard to say "If you get a reading of X you should do Y" since there are so many variables.

In your situation, and with the information you provided, I would personally tread lightly on the areas with the lowest readings. A few section passes with a finishing polish will only remove 0.5 - 1.0 microns (pad dependent, possibly more on softer paint systems, etc. etc...). If you strike through the clear with a finishing polish the paint would have likely failed soon anyway due to a lack of UV inhibitors in the non-existent clear coat.
 
If you still have access to the PTG, take some readings on the inside of the door jambs. Subtract this from the readings on the rest of the OEM paint and it should give you a good indication of how much additional clear is on the OEM sections, as the door jambs are usually sprayed 'thinner' than the outside of the car.
 
Stone150 said:
I recently purchased a rupees 21 to replace my old PC and I love it, so much more powerful, but I want to "polish all the things" now.
Click to expand...

That's funny.... :laughing:



Stone150 said:
Over the years I have polished the vehicle and what not, so I am a bit worried there is not allot left, although I was using the PC, so I don't think I was being that aggressive, it is just the number of times that worries me.

I wanted to polish my roof, as it looks particularly bad.
Click to expand...


A lot of people bring up situations like you describe and here's the big picture....

First a PTG is a big picture indicator, it basically helps you make the "Go" or "No Go" decision and if it's a "go" then how careful to be.

Sine the roof is not one of the gloss panels like I describe in page 26 of The Complete Guide to a Show Car Shine then I would simply use a one-step cleaner/wax as that way you'll clean, polish and protect the paint while removing very little if any good paint.

For a list of the various cleaner/waxes and what category they fall into, include all this information in my newest how-to book,

How to use the Flex XC 3401 VRG Dual Action Orbital Polisher


This info is on pages 47, 48 and 49


But yeah, just get a light cleaning cleaner/wax also called an AIO and go for it.


:)
 
Nicholas@Autowerx said:
PTG readings of overall coating thickness are really just hints at the history of the paint and what level of polishing has been done to it in the past. It sounds like you have owned the vehicle for a while so you are very familiar with how it has been cared for over the years.

Because of your knowledge of the paint system (which panels have been resprayed, the aggressiveness of previous paint correction efforts, frequency of polishing, etc.) you are well equipped to decipher the PTG readings into something that gives you a "go/no-go" boundary for each panel.

Every vehicle's paint system is a different thickness. Even those that are from the same factory on the same day will vary +/- a few microns. It's hard to say "If you get a reading of X you should do Y" since there are so many variables.

In your situation, and with the information you provided, I would personally tread lightly on the areas with the lowest readings. A few section passes with a finishing polish will only remove 0.5 - 1.0 microns (pad dependent, possibly more on softer paint systems, etc. etc...). If you strike through the clear with a finishing polish the paint would have likely failed soon anyway due to a lack of UV inhibitors in the non-existent clear coat.
Click to expand...
I've had the truck since 05, bought it with 67K on the clock. I can tell the guy never detailed it, probably let alone cleaned it. Heck it took me 3 days to get all the stink/shells from when he spit his sunflower seeds in the center console, yeah, it was gross.

I've never focused too much on the roof, for the reasons Mike pointed out. Not to mention it sits outside and at my old office the birds liked to walk all over the roof.
What got me questioning the integrity/thickness was on one sunny day it appeared their were different shades of maroon on the roof. it could have been the way the paint was sprayed, and the shades were in wide lines or i thought it could have been the clear degrading.

Also, my thought is one day I will put a new motor/trans and what not in the truck with my young son. At that time it may be time for a total re-spray. but it would be nice to OEM paint, so I never know.

lawrenceSA said:
If you still have access to the PTG, take some readings on the inside of the door jambs. Subtract this from the readings on the rest of the OEM paint and it should give you a good indication of how much additional clear is on the OEM sections, as the door jambs are usually sprayed 'thinner' than the outside of the car.
Click to expand...

I do, so I will have to go borrow it again and check it out.

Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
A lot of people bring up situations like you describe and here's the big picture....

First a PTG is a big picture indicator, it basically helps you make the "Go" or "No Go" decision and if it's a "go" then how careful to be.

Sine the roof is not one of the gloss panels like I describe in page 26 of The Complete Guide to a Show Car Shine then I would simply use a one-step cleaner/wax as that way you'll clean, polish and protect the paint while removing very little if any good paint.

For a list of the various cleaner/waxes and what category they fall into, include all this information in my newest how-to book,

How to use the Flex XC 3401 VRG Dual Action Orbital Polisher


This info is on pages 47, 48 and 49


But yeah, just get a light cleaning cleaner/wax also called an AIO and go for it.
Click to expand...

Ok, Like I mentioned above I have never foucused too much on the roof, it usually has had the least # of polishes and the least aggression. It also has the most RDS. I also know I am the only one who generally ever sees it, but everytime I climb up there to wash it it has allot more swirls/love marks than the rest of the vehicle.

When I started paint correcting years ago, it was right after the PC came out, actually had a UDM at that time. there weren't allot of videos and forum advice was limited. the instructions i got I either misinterpreted and while i though the steps I was doing were aggeressive, what I know now, I probably wasn't doing enough. I would have to go over a section 5-10 times to get a light scratch out. While now I can achieve in 1 step, what I did back then in 3-4 steps with multiple passes, I also applied no pressure in those days, many times on lower speeds.

anyways, I'll take a look at the AIO, need to add it for this very reason.
 
In this type of situation, Would it be better to start with a LC Black or Green CCS pad?
 
checked the door seals and they ranged from 2 - 2.5
 
Thanks Mike, Got it all polished out. I was amazed how different the Green pad acted on the rupes vs. the white one and especially the HD orbital pads.
 
On a somewhat related mote, After I polish, seal, and wax an area I get what look like holograms in the sun, but it is the residue of the wax, sealant or polish. I know this is true because if I hit the area with IP, they disappear. Anyway to prevent this?
 
Stone150 said:
On a somewhat related mote, After I polish, seal, and wax an area I get what look like holograms in the sun, but it is the residue of the wax, sealant or polish. I know this is true because if I hit the area with IP, they disappear. Anyway to prevent this?
Click to expand...

This can happen if the paint is slightly oxidized. The polish seems to "soak in" to the paint and becomes extremely difficult to wipe off. Certain paint/polish combos are worse than others. I usually switch to a new polish or pad if this happens. Or try altering your technique (more or less product, more or less pad rotation, more or less pressure, etc.).
 
I have a 2001 S10 and the only areas I have clear coat issues is where I've done a good bit/too much sanding to try to remove deeper scratches. My paint thickness averages about 140microns on none sanded area, and on sanded areas that are too thin thickness readings are about 100-120microns. The areas I wouldn't recommend compounding anymore are near edges, especially on horizontal panels, and raised body lines like the center of the hood, along with door pillars around the window, etc. Pretty much I would chase any RIDS on the horizontal panels, edges, leading edges, corners(within 3" of corner edges), and raised body lines. If your thickness readings on the panels get down to the 130 or so I would only go the route of light AIO on light polishing/finishing pads, along the recommendation of Mike.
Are you removing your polishing oil/residue with an alcohol/panel wipe down? Also, what sealant and or wax are you using? Maybe your using too much/not spreading it thin enough and then not letting it dry/cure long enough before removing the "dry"-excess film. Are you topping wax onto a sealant? If so, what amount of time between sealant application to wax application?
 
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