Holy crap.........

taking sandpaper to your brand new RX8......

You sure got some big ones.

Great job. You should really send this printed DIY to mazda corporate. There is no reason why we should need to worry about this stuff. Mazda should paint them better to begin with.

With that said.....I realize that most all factory paint jobs have some degree of orange peel. It actually pretty rare to see a totally flat layer of clear coat on a factory paint job. It is definately something that a good body shop strives for.....and wet sanding is how they get it. It also is great at removing dust particles from a newly painted panel.


BTW........this D.I.Y. should have a huge disclaimer at the top. I would be willing to assume very few people could do it to acheive the same results as you, the rest will ruin thier paint

 

There's quite a bit of clearcoat on the 8..

I attempted to wet sand out a deep scratch a while back..unfortunatelty I didnt tape off a wide enough area so now there is a mild, yet noticeable indentation under certain light conditions.. it's not normally noticeable, however. It still looks better than it did with the scratch.. and there is still some clear coat on it!.

remember, it's just a car!!

 

I would be EXTREMELY interested to see how this holds up over time. Can you get back to me in about 3 years, please? =)

Seriously though, what causes that effect? My current car (a lowly camry) has that on all lower surfaces below the side midpoint trim. It bugs the hell out of me.

If my entire car was covered with that, I'd definately warrenty it.

As for the posts about you removing too much clear coat, can you not simply apply more, but this time do it yourself so you are sure there are no problems like this? I know many places sell clear coat.

 

Many cars have extra layers of clearcoat along the rocker panels to help protect the paint from flying road debris. They lay it on thick without regard to it's apperance since it is more of a functional aspect of the paint. I left this area of my ride untouched for exactly that reason. I think if you are seeing it from the midpoint trim down then it is just a characteristic of your camry's paint.

As far as simply adding more clearcoat, I don't have the equipment or know how (sadly) to apply paint. To do it properly requires hundreds of dollars of air compressors, paint, catalyst, a paint gun etc, etc. I have never applied paint to a car either. I hate to say it but I just don't have the skills in that area yet. I only know what to do to it once it's on. I also don't think my apartment complex would take too kindly to me clearcoating my car in the garage.

 

Those are some dramatic results; almost optical quality. I'm sure every RX-8 owner would be envious.

There goes my theory about the orange-peel effect originating in the color layer. Looks like you nailed it by evening up the clearcoat. I guess I can go prove it to myself with some shaving cream and a squeegee but I've no reason to doubt you.

You mention a rotary buffer. What do you think about using an orbital buffer - would this be less likely to get me into trouble? I was thinking maybe skip the wetsanding altogether and just keep at it with an orbital buffer and a mild compound until it got smooth....?

 

Nubo,
Unfortunately, an orbital just doesn't have the gusto to remove sanding scratches. They are great for applying wax if you are in a hurry but aside from that, they would be all but ineffective in this application. Orbital buffers never travel in the same direction for more than .5 cm or so. This doesn't effectively carry the abrasive across the paint in a manner that is productive. The best way to remove sanding scratches is to buff perpendicular to them which is not possible with a "random" orbit.

As for skipping the sanding, the idea is good but it won't work. The only way to flatten the surface of the paint is to use a flat surface on it i.e. the sanding block. If you attempt to skip the sanding and go straight to the buffing you will end up with really shiny orange peel. Don't be too afraid of the sanding, it would take a pretty good effort to go throught all of the clearcoat with 2500 grit wet sandpaper. The most vulnerable areas are corners, edges and creases in the bodywork. Leave 'em alone, just sand up to it and be careful when you buff.

I burned that spot on my hood because I was using my old method with a much heavier abrasive (and I wasn't paying attention). The new revised method is a good bit safer as I have found out that the heavy abrasives aren't needed on this paint. This project isn't impossible, just have a little respect for what you are doing and pay attention!

 

amazing job. I wouldnt be afraid to wetsand with 2500 grit. Clear coat is a lot stronger than you would think.

I did notice a little orange peel on mine. Maybe ill do this next time i need a wax.

Thanks. Great write up

 

Looks great! Nice job!

 

Man, that just looks incredible. Makes me wish I had a new car that had decent paint to buff out - 2500 grit sandpaper isn't that hot for rust, flaking paint...

Speaking of, Nissan does one HELL of a paint job on their new cars. Keep an eye out for black Altimas - they're like a MIRROR. Dunno if they've figured out some tricks to eliminate orange peel, just got lucky, or they have some poor sap wet sanding cars on the production line.

Black is a helluva color to keep clean and looking good, but when it's clean and waxed up nice, there is NOTHING better looking.

Great work, and a great writeup!

Dale

 

I agree about the black nissan's, I caught myself looking at a black 350Z roadster the other day and I was very impressed with the quality of the paint. My fiancee just bought a pikes peak white 350Z roadster and it is quite a nice finish!

 

if you have orange peel in your factory paint job then it is covered under warranty. there are some flaws in my paint and i informed my dealer. they told me to drop it off.

 

BEWARE, orange peel is not considered a defect in factory paint. The Dealer will probably have some schmuck run a buffer over it which will likely do more harm than good and put a bunch of swirls in your paint. I highly doubt there is some guy working at a stealership with the means, motive and opportunity to remove the orange peel from your paint. Short of a new paint job or what I have outlined in this DIY, there is no way to remove it. I would be very surprised if some yay-hoo at the dealer could (or even would) do this properly.

 

Beautiful job man. My VR car has some peel, but Im forced to deal with it as the car is a lease. Once its detailed, the metallic takes over and shifts my attention. Unfortunately, the Zaino does not do a good job filling the mild swirls. However when the sun hits it, it pops quite nicely. I miss the finish I had on my Jetta...that was some durable clear.

Again, awesome job!

 

Just use some Z-5 to fill in the swirls. Of course, paying a professional detailer to actually remove the swirls will be better over the long run. Eventually the Z-5 will wear off and you will have swirls again.

 

mazda had been advertising their wet painting techniqu where they keep painting new layer while the other are still wet, i'd ventrue car with orangepeel had less time to dry betwen the coats as the ones whose orangepeel is less noticiable.

 

I don't think so...it smooths it out actually...but only minor

nothing beats wet sanding...see my Ipod mini


btw I fixed all the pics for yah

 

I need to update this, I found some great products from Menzerna that are way better than the Meguiars products.

 

Hi... thanks for the DYI very useful!

I finished wet sanding my trunk with acceptable results. I assume wet sanding a curved panel would be more difficult. In an area such as the frame over the door... where one direction is straight (lengthwise along the car) and the other curved (from door to roof)... in which direction should I sand?

 

Ok first off i'll let you guys in on a secret.
All factory paint jobs have a little peel because over the years you will buff and polish your car. Each time you polish and buff your car you are removing a layer of the clear coat.
Usually factory jobs are about 3 mills thick. Not much to work with.
By wetsanding and polishing you have removed half a mill off the clear coat.
Thats about 10 buff and polishing jobs.
I mean if you are looking for the mirror like finish I am all for it but if you want longevity then just let the buff and polish jobs do it over time that way your paint jobs lasts long.

If you want to properly do this and keep your clear coat lasting longer wetsanding comes first then 2 layers of premium clear coat added onto the stock clear.
Then wetsand because you have a few more layers of clear to work with and when finished with that polishing work you have about the same amount of clear left over on the car and that mirror like finish.

I did still see a few peely spots but you did a great job on the hood. Where are the people like you who know how to wetsand and polish properly??!!

I actually use a DynaB Dual action 1/32nd action with 1500-2000-2500-3000 then 3M rubbing - perfect it swirl mark remover - then Perfect it polish/ glaze.