Repainted panel- what in the world.

[rmagnus]

One question , when the car has been repainted , some paints have a curing time of 3 months , as my ride required .

Good point but the OP said the paint work was done six years ago. He just wasn't into detailing back then so didn't really notice the imperfections.

 

[StuDLei]

Is it possible the defects you're seeing are cracks in the paint?

I've seen this before, kind of looks like scratches but it's "in" the paint and you can't buff it out.

Here's what I would do, it's called troubleshooting.

Place a tape-line on an affected panel and then buff on just one side of it. Wipe off the residue and inspect the surface to see if you "changed it".

You should see a difference, either better, worse or the same. If it's the same, then the problem is under the surface or throughout the entire matrix of the clearcoat.

I did the whole tape line thing this last time Mike. I'll do it again later tonight.

Nah, it's not cracks. My bumper has cracks in it in one spot, so I think I know what you're talking about.

I always appreciate you chiming in though.

 

[StuDLei]

Good point but the OP said the paint work was done six years ago. He just wasn't into detailing back then so didn't really notice the imperfections.

Not that it matters, but I thought you could polish and compound fresh paint anyways, you just couldn't wax/seal, right?

 

[rmagnus]

Not that it matters, but I thought you could polish and compound fresh paint anyways, you just couldn't wax/seal, right?

No you have to use fresh paint safe products. No crystalline silica or silcone based products which will prevent the paint from gassing out. And yes you can not seal the paint usually for 30-60 days.

The biggest danger of not using body shop safe materials is migration of materials that can cuse paint adhession problems or fish eyes in spraying new paint.

Once the paint is down it just needs to cure and evaporate any solvents or now days water.

Laying down a nice custom paint job and shooting clear as perfect as possible is a rush similar to completing a perfect paint correction detail for a client and seeing their huge smile of appreciation in what you accomplished for them.

 

[StuDLei]

rmangnus--

I think I may have figured it out. Now, I'm not 100% sure, but I think the paint on those repainted panels is just extremely soft. I did a test spot as you suggested, white/4500. I wiped it clean, then hit it with Eraser two different times. I tried to keep my wiping in the same direction. Even after this, it still looked pretty good. Not perfect, but pretty good.

A little while later I took a clean purple super plush cobra towel and wiped the paint hard in one direction. Sure enough, I could easily create a haze/scratches in that direction. I tried the same on a factory painted panel and could not get any scratches.

At this point my Brinkmann was starting to die, but I tried rubbing an area in the same manner on a repainted panel, only on a section that I had not polished today. I could seem to get quite the effect. However, it could have been a lack of light. I also wonder if that whole panel was repainted or not. Do they typically repaint a whole panel? The area where I had damage was up near the top of the door, which was the area I polished today (same area I could easily create the scratches/marring with the towel.

I even went as far to polish the factory painted panel by hand in just a little spot and purposely didn't try to break it down, in an effort to see if 4500 is even capable of leaving tiny scratches. My thought process was maybe even after a wipedown and 2 coats of Eraser I somehow still had left over polish on the panel, or maybe accidentally had some on my towel, whatever. I couldn't get the haze on the factory painted panel.

So, I think it's just buttery soft clear coat on these panels and I'm going to have to polish them out and then just be super careful. Actually, I'm wondering if there's a very easy to use glaze that I can apply by hand out there? Maybe apply it every month or two to those panels to keep them as nice as the others?

Another thing here. The swirls I get on these repainted panels are really tightly bound, which to me, serves as more evidence of the clear coat being buttery soft. It makes sense to me, what do you think?

While my Brinkmann is recharging I'm going to leave things alone for a bit. Later tonight I'm going to ONR two panels again, one repainted, one not, and see if I can repeat this marring with just a clean super plush towel.

 

[StuDLei]

Another thing, when I dry my car, the repainted parts I think seem more grabby. Would that be an effect of super soft clear or am I just going bonkers?

 

[rmagnus]

Another thing, when I dry my car, the repainted parts I think seem more grabby. Would that be an effect of super soft clear or am I just going bonkers?

Bonkers....too funny. Actually I think it's becasue there is no wax or sealant on the painted surface. Your towel will drag more as a result. Above surface contaminents will also make it feel this way. Sometimes there is more orange peel as well. The list goes on and on I'm afraid.

 

[UglyBetty]

So I'm no expert, but stop using the eraser......

 

[StuDLei]

Bonkers....too funny. Actually I think it's becasue there is no wax or sealant on the painted surface. Your towel will drag more as a result. Above surface contaminents will also make it feel this way. Sometimes there is more orange peel as well. The list goes on and on I'm afraid.

I'm talking even on waxed panels. It's slick for a while, but wears out quick. I don't know, I'll try to pay more attention to this down the road.

 

[StuDLei]

So I'm no expert, but stop using the eraser......

Lol, thought the same myself. When this bottle's out I probably won't buy anymore, at least not for quite a while. I figure I wax my car often enough, even if the first time I do it doesn't bond as well because of polishing oils, who cares, I'll be waxing again soon enough.

 

[UglyBetty]

Lol, thought the same myself. When this bottle's out I probably won't buy anymore, at least not for quite a while. I figure I wax my car often enough, even if the first time I do it doesn't bond as well because of polishing oils, who cares, I'll be waxing again soon enough.

I'm as anal as the next guy, but I've found myself over complicating the process as well. Wouldn't a wash remove the oils?

 

[StuDLei]

I'm as anal as the next guy, but I've found myself over complicating the process as well. Wouldn't a wash remove the oils?

Probably a little bit at least, yeah. Probably depends on the soap.

 

[rmagnus]

Let's see if I remember al the questions.

Yes when reprinting panels most al will do the entire panel and even spray into adjoining panels for a blend. It trick the eyes in case there is some difference in the color.

Yea ditch the Eraser. Go with an IPA wipe and a very soft towel. Unless you're going to seal it you don't really need to do the wipe. CC Citrus wash will strip polishing oils also.

Glaze can help,you but it's not very durable you'll be lucky to get a week out of it. Try CC EZ Glaze. I'm not a fan of glazes but just ordered some. It can be applied by hand or polisher.

It's weird that the clear is that soft but it happens. You may have to settle for very good. Personally I don't think it's realistic to keep a daily driver. I guess you have to find a happy medium.

 

[StuDLei]

Let's see if I remember al the questions.

Yes when reprinting panels most al will do the entire panel and even spray into adjoining panels for a blend. It trick the eyes in case there is some difference in the color.

Yea ditch the Eraser. Go with an IPA wipe and a very soft towel. Unless you're going to seal it you don't really need to do the wipe. CC Citrus wash will strip polishing oils also.

Glaze can help,you but it's not very durable you'll be lucky to get a week out of it. Try CC EZ Glaze. I'm not a fan of glazes but just ordered some. It can be applied by hand or polisher.

It's weird that the clear is that soft but it happens. You may have to settle for very good. Personally I don't think it's realistic to keep a daily driver. I guess you have to find a happy medium.

Well, my conclusion is, it's just a SUPER soft clear coat. I just went out the garage and sprayed some quick detailer on two panels. The resprayed panel has a swirl haze on it, the other is fine. So odd that it's THAT freaking soft. If I ever have a car resprayed again, I'll ask for a harder clear if possible.

When I got my Brinkmann a week ago or whatever I was checking out my car. I notice that my driver's side door and passenger side rear qtr. panel were both swirled more than the rest of the car. It didn't even occur to me that they had both been resprayed. Unfortunately my bumper and two pillars have been resprayed as well. That's a lot of soft paint.

I'm glad I figured out what it was. The swirls are super fine so you really have to catch them in the right light. Car still looks phenomenal when it's all done up. I have people tell me it looks brand new quite a bit, and that's saying a lot for a car that's been on many cross country road trips and been daily driven for almost 10 years. Sat outside until last November when we got our house too.

I THINK I can rest easy now. Thanks for your help rmagnus.

 

[rmagnus]

You're welcome but I can't take credit as it's a collective effort from the forum. It won't hurt to try some glaze and form your own opinion if you like it or not.

 

[StuDLei]

For right now I think I'm just going to polish it out and be as gentle as I can when it comes to washing and waxing. I'm telling you, you wouldn't believe how easy these panels marr. It's interesting though. I took a second and looked and the one panel in the sun today, and it looks good. It looks nothing like your typical DD that's all swirled out. That Brinkmann is a real beast, let me tell you.