[jslym777]

[SLOWER]

Can you share your products and technique? I am getting ready to do mine next weekend.

[jslym777]

NOTE: All suggestions and techniques are merely suggestions. I have had many years of experience perfecting my correction skills and the finesse involved cannot be learned overnight.

Degrease lower panels, wash/clean tires wheels, fender liners first, bug removal etc.
First make sure you wash the car, citrus or dawn car wash to remove all left of waxes residue. The more sudsy the better, you want the dirt to be lifted away from the paint. If you are claying the whole car, you can use your sudsy wash as a lubricant to clay with. Don't waste tons of money buying clay lube for your entire car.

A paint reading is always good. If you do not have the tools to do this, please proceed with caution!!! Burning through paint cannot be undone.

Here is what I used:
Makita Rotary, CCS orange pad, Menzerna SIP
Porter Cable, Flat white/grey pad, Menzerna SF

Please make sure you tape off edges/trim and if you are not comfortable with a rotary don't even think about picking it up. I did some wet sanding around the car with 3000 grit sand paper. Be sure to use quality microfiber towels because you could scratch the car when removing polish/residue. A final inspection or IPA can be used to remove the oils from polishing before you apply the wax or sealant.

Plan on 2 or 3 days if this is your first run at correcting paint. Just know what you are doing before attempting. These types of correction details are for the well informed and experienced. Always do test sections starting with the least aggressive process first.

If you would like me to elaborate on certain applications involving certain equipment and accessories please message me.

[psnt1ol]

Nice job. You listed some very valid points. Measuring the paint with a paint gauge prior is very important.

Menzerna SF4000 is one of my favorite finishing polish but I think you probably used SF4500 after SIP.

[PTek Will]

hey jslym77, had a question about wet sanding. I was practicing wet sanding on a panel with 3000 grit. After sanding just a small section, i went ahead with m105 on meguiars buff pad on a PC. It polishes it out quite nice however, you can see little faint lines of sanding only with the eyes, the camera doesn't pick it up. Any recommendations on how to make it perfect? glass smooth even to the eye?

[jslym777]

what pad are you using? and what size? describe the procedure you are doing to wet sand...

you really should be using PLENTY of lubrication when you are sanding, you do not need to push hard and use straight lines. circles or oval shaped scratches are harder to remove. The porter cable is a delicate machine and would definitely take some time to refine the paint. push hard enough with the porter cable so that the pad slows rotation but does not stop, this is important.

[jslym777]

[PTek Will]

i'm using 6" meguiars cutting pad (burgundy) color. while wet sanding i use basically the water from the sand paper, i guess i should use more. and i sand in straight lines. should i cross hatch the lines? or just go 1 direction? as for when im buffing out the sanding, i am applying a good amount of pressure so that it slows the pad down a little bit.

[tigermack]

Menzerna is amazing. I love that stuff.

[jslym777]

6 inch pads are too big for the porter cable, 5.5 inch max and you may want to even look into a 4 inch pad for spot compounding like a wet sanded area. you also have to be mindful of what type of panel you are correcting, aluminum, fiberglass, composite, plastic... they all need to be treated differently. there is so much to learn before attempting to wet sand. also have to know you have clear coat to work with, by using a paint measurement gauge.

[PTek Will]

im guessing smaller pads yield more torque? i tried out a 4" pad and still yielded the same result. i should really get a macro lens so i can take a picture of it. this is on the hood of car so im guessing it is aluminum which means it should dissipate heat fairly well, allowing me to work the spot with more pressure and heat.

[tigermack]

Wet sand sounds so dangerous. lol

[Otruba_843]

Originally Posted by Wangsta

hey jslym77, had a question about wet sanding. I was practicing wet sanding on a panel with 3000 grit. After sanding just a small section, i went ahead with m105 on meguiars buff pad on a PC. It polishes it out quite nice however, you can see little faint lines of sanding only with the eyes, the camera doesn't pick it up. Any recommendations on how to make it perfect? glass smooth even to the eye?

Lets see some pictures of the paint condition. If you cant remove the sanding marks, you should not have been wet sanding PERIOD. Your car can pretty much get wet sanding once and you will have minimal CC left. You desperately need to read on more detailing before you seriously mess up your car to a point where it can't be fixed.

[PTek Will]

i actually went to a local pick n pull and found myself a decent hood to work on

[PTek Will]

the sanding marks get removed fine, the camera cannot pick up the micro defects i'm refering to... D: i have a friend with a macro lens for iphone, i'll see if i can borrow it to take the pics!

[tofu-]

Originally Posted by Wangsta

i'm using 6" meguiars cutting pad (burgundy) color. while wet sanding i use basically the water from the sand paper, i guess i should use more. and i sand in straight lines. should i cross hatch the lines? or just go 1 direction? as for when im buffing out the sanding, i am applying a good amount of pressure so that it slows the pad down a little bit.

not necessarily. the main purpose of cross hatch is so you can see what you missed.

i would suggest NOT wet sanding. after using carpro denim pads (2000 grit), i'd never consider wetsanding again.

[Otruba_843]

Originally Posted by Wangsta

the sanding marks get removed fine, the camera cannot pick up the micro defects i'm refering to... D: i have a friend with a macro lens for iphone, i'll see if i can borrow it to take the pics!

I don't understand why you would practice wet-sanding if you don't need to do it, especially on your own car.

[PTek Will]

Originally Posted by Otruba_843

I don't understand why you would practice wet-sanding if you don't need to do it, especially on your own car.

Not sure why you are being so critical about what i do, but since you are, i plan to sand down orange peel. Would you happen to have any advice? Or did you want to recommend i not try to sand away my orange peel? Are you a professional detailer? Or just a backseat driver

[Otruba_843]

Originally Posted by Wangsta

Not sure why you are being so critical about what i do, but since you are, i plan to sand down orange peel. Would you happen to have any advice? Or did you want to recommend i not try to sand away my orange peel? Are you a professional detailer? Or just a backseat driver

Sorry if I came off critical, but I just don't want you doing harm to your car. If you are going to sand away orange peel, I would leave it to a professional unless you are one. I am a hobbyist detailer, but I consider myself pretty educated on the subject. If you want to wet-sand away orange peel, you really should have a paint thickness gauge which costs upward of $2000. You have to measure the all over the car, and measure while you are doing it. If you don't have one of these, you can get your self into a whole world of trouble. Yes my orange peel drives me crazy, but almost every car has it and I have learned to live with it. If your car is a lease and you only have a year left on it, I say go for it since you have nothing to lose really unless you are going to keep it. I have already had clear coat failure on 3 spokes of one of my wheels and I just use soap and water to clean them weekly. Let me tell you, clear coat failure is not pretty. This is a great correction example.
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=764079

[PTek Will]

I am a hobbyist detailer myself, looking to simply level up my skills. Thanks for your concern. I am an active new member of autogeek. Im very aware of what im doing but still relatively a rookie. To answer your question, my car is not a lease. Ive read about cc failure on these rims. I just purchased some wheel guard from chemical guys. Going to see how it performs, it supposed to aid removal of contaminants = less scrubbing. Might take a leap into opticoat

[jslym777]

i wouldnt suggest wet sanding your daily driver for the purpose of orange peel... show car? yes, but a daily driver road car, no. your clear coat has additives that resist UV damage etc. once you wet sand, you take off a very good portion of clear. think about longevity and what you can do to prevent swirls, scratches, etc.

[Otruba_843]

Originally Posted by Wangsta

I am a hobbyist detailer myself, looking to simply level up my skills. Thanks for your concern. I am an active new member of autogeek. Im very aware of what im doing but still relatively a rookie. To answer your question, my car is not a lease. Ive read about cc failure on these rims. I just purchased some wheel guard from chemical guys. Going to see how it performs, it supposed to aid removal of contaminants = less scrubbing. Might take a leap into opticoat

I was going to say, just opti-coat them. I hate waxing my wheels. I too am an AG member. What is your user name?