Thinking of wet sanding my whole car - advice wanted

Booki

Booki

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Thinking of wet sanding my whole car - advice wanted



Hey all,

Bit of a noobie to detailing so will give you a bit of background on what I am trying to do...

I have a DAS6 Pro DA Polisher, and have correct the paintwork on one of my car's by just using some polish to remove swirl marks and very minor paint defects. I was extremely happy with the results.

Now I have a second car, the paint work and body is very average, lots of swirls and scratches. Polishing alone seems to not remove all the swirls. I have in small patches began to wet sand scratches and defects by wet sanding with 2000 grit then polishing with my DA. It removes the defect and the scratches created by the 2000 grit.

I am thinking of wet sanding the whole car to get a decent looking finish on the paint work, is this a common thing to do?

From the results I have gotten in the small sections I have worked, If the whole car looked this way I would be satisfied :)

I am thinking of ordering some sanding discs to use with my DA to aid with the sanding, is this a viable option? Or should it all be done by hand?

Looking for some advice/tips on what I should do to correct the paint. Will post up some pics tomorrow!
 
Yeah, I don't know what your Australian paint is like, but don't sand the whole car, you're asking for trouble.
 
Wet sanding & polishing out an entire car is a lot of work. I'd get some 3000 discs if I were you. I wouldn't tackle that job without a rotary and wool pad. Is it factory paint? If so, be very careful. Some factory clear coats are extremely thin.

I'd suggest you try a small area first to see what you're getting into. If you do sand with a da, make sure you clean the disc A LOT. If you get a piece of dirt in there you will get pig tails and they can be a nightmare to deal with.

Some paints polish out like butter. Others are so hard its almost impossible to remove the sanding marks. I worked in a body shop and our paint was always extremely hard unless you caught it at just the right time. There are a lot of factors that go into what you are about to do. If you work smart and clean, the results can be stunning
 
Well, Its the factory paint off a 2001 holden VX Commodore.

I know its alot of work, but I will be on holiday's from work soon and looking for a small project.

I have started sanding out small scratches and the results have been good, gets most of them out as I am not going deep at all. Just enough to remove the defect.

I don't have a rotary unfortunately, is it worth to buy a cheap one? As budget is pretty tight.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Yeah, I don't know what your Australian paint is like, but don't sand the whole car, you're asking for trouble.
Click to expand...

Any particular reason why I would be asking for trouble?

The fact I might sand too far is the only cause for concern?

I am looking at getting more and more into panel beating/detailing/spraying ect and this car is my second car (daily). I am not super fussed about how it turns out, more wanting to learn then anything....that said I don't want to ruin it if i can avoid it Im the MAN
 
I've done it on plenty of cars with great results. If the car does not have orange peel I would go with 3000 and do it by hand using a block. It's time consuming, but if you did not apply the paint and don't have a feel for the thickness it's much safer.
 
Booki said:
Well, Its the factory paint off a 2001 holden VX Commodore.

I have started sanding out small scratches and the results have been good, gets most of them out
as I am not going deep at all. Just enough to remove the defect.
Click to expand...
IMO:
If you must wet-sand factory CC:
Now would be a good time to practice using an: Electronic Paint Thickness Gauge (EPTG)...
to more accurately measure how deep you are going...in order to remove defects.

:)

Bob
 
Isn't 3000 grit the same as just applying a polish? Same sort of abrasiveness?

Pretty sure there is orange peel, most factory paints I have seen have a small amount of orange peel and are rarely flat finish's.
 
And whats a cheap paint thickness gauge worth?
 
I've wet sanded only one car since detailing other than just a spot or two. I've done many working in a body shop. As jmfp said I strongly advise you get a rotary a wool pad and something like megs m100 I'm sure you can prolly find a cheap rotary cheaper than you think. And you may know some one that has one you can borrow.
You will be greatly surprised at how much a rotary m100 & a wool pad can clear up. Remember least most aggressive method first.
Your car only has one clear cost once it's gone its gone

Sent from my SCH-L710 using AG Online
 
Hmmm a rotary would probably get out all the swirls... Do cheap ones still do the job? Or should they be avoided?
I have some menzerna polishes and been.using.foam pads
 
Booki said:
And whats a cheap paint thickness gauge worth?
Click to expand...
Sometimes the difference between:
I was lucky!!!...and a re-spray.

^^^IMO...This pertains to^^^:
Your: "second car (daily)"; Or: Even the next vehicle(s) you attempt to wet-sand.
Booki said:
The fact I might sand too far is the only cause for concern?

...this car is my second car (daily).
I am not super fussed about how it turns out, more wanting to learn then anything....
that said I don't want to ruin it if i can avoid it
Click to expand...

:)

Bob
 
Wet sanding an entire car is a huge undertaking. I've sanded and polished out several vehicles including a black yukon denali and a C5 Z06. I've been polishing with a rotary for about 12 years and its still a very tedious and nerve racking experience. While the results are often stunning keep in mind sanding removes paint. Every compounding step removes paint and all polishing steps remove more paint plus any maintenance steps in the future will remove even more paint. It's your call proceed with caution. Use plenty of tape. Work surgically clean and take your time. Enjoy
 
I think you should go for it :dblthumb2:

You'll need to go deeper then 3000 grit discs though
 
Flash Gordon said:
I think you should go for it :dblthumb2:

You'll need to go deeper then 3000 grit discs though
Click to expand...

Do not advise the guy to do something so stupid. He is for sure way out of his league here. He does not even have a PTG!!! Let alone the years of experience needed to do this. He did not even think of going to grab a rotary with a wool pad... to me this seems like he is going way way way way way way too aggressive for a daily driver that is already 12 years old!! I would highly recommend that the OP go look what people can do with a DA when used properly.

Just dont do it. You are sticking your hands in a dark box with no clue what is inside.
 
Booki said:
And whats a cheap paint thickness gauge worth?
Click to expand...

Less than a respray...

They start at around $150 delivered from eBay for a reasonable unit. Although IMO even with this you are taking a risk.

My honest advice would be to only attempt this if you are willing, & can afford, to respray if necessary.
 
Didn't get a chance to take some pics of the paint today, I do have a DA, the DAS6 Pro, maybe a wool pad on my DA would do the trick?
 
IMO, there's no need to use a bazooka to kill a fly… in other words, your putting thousands of new scratches in your clear just to remove a few.

If polishing isn't taking out the scratches, then consider rethinking your pad / compound combination. One of the purposes of polishing/compounding is to remove the scratches that sanding put in. If it can remove those scratches, but not the original scratch, then it's either too deep or you aren't using the combination of pad, compound, and technique that's best suited for your particular paint.
 
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