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Full disclosure - I'm a total newbie to the auto detailing/painting world. Recently I purchase a used truck - a 2008 Nissan Frontier in dark pearl blue. On the rear wheel-wells near the bottom (both sides), there was some damage to the factory paint. Lots of small to medium chips and some larger scraped off areas due to rocks ( I think the previous owner took it off roading). I wanted to get it fixed but the quotes came in at $3000 which was cost prohibitive given the year and mileage of the truck. I decided to go it myself and ordered rattle can paint, clear coat and blending solvent. I must have watched 30 videos on DIY painting prior so I would know what to do and what to expect.
Overall, I'm super happy with the results - you basically can't tell except for the blend line between the old/new clear and the fact that the new area of paint and clear is a little bit less shiny than the factory. The fact that it's a dark blue definitely helps. Now I'm at a stage where I want to see if I can get a bit more shine to help with overall blending. I gotta admit, I'm nervous. I'm contemplating a wet-sand with either 2500 or 3000 grit followed by a rubbing compound and polish. Every time I watch videos of people wet-sanding, it looks easy, but that hazy/dull finish it leaves - that you then polish up - scares me. I've read a lot of horror stories of people being unable to polish the scratches/dull finish out of clear coat that's been wet-sanded. I'm really worried that I'm going to destroy all my hard work.
Here are my questions:
1.) Can I skip the wet-sand step and just use a more abrasive rubbing compound/polish and still get a decent shine out of the new clear coat?
2.) If I do go with the wet-sand on the clear coat, is 2500 or 3000 grit appropriate? ( I worry about too aggressive scratching should I go for 1500/200)
2.) Do I need a powerful rotary buffer to properly shine up the clear with the rubbing compound or can I do it by hand? I also have access to a 0.65 amp 3,800 rpm palm polisher if that's better.
3.) If I buff out these two lower wheel well areas on either side of the truck - should I apply rubbing compound to the entire truck and buff out as well for consistencies sake?
Thanks for your help!
Overall, I'm super happy with the results - you basically can't tell except for the blend line between the old/new clear and the fact that the new area of paint and clear is a little bit less shiny than the factory. The fact that it's a dark blue definitely helps. Now I'm at a stage where I want to see if I can get a bit more shine to help with overall blending. I gotta admit, I'm nervous. I'm contemplating a wet-sand with either 2500 or 3000 grit followed by a rubbing compound and polish. Every time I watch videos of people wet-sanding, it looks easy, but that hazy/dull finish it leaves - that you then polish up - scares me. I've read a lot of horror stories of people being unable to polish the scratches/dull finish out of clear coat that's been wet-sanded. I'm really worried that I'm going to destroy all my hard work.
Here are my questions:
1.) Can I skip the wet-sand step and just use a more abrasive rubbing compound/polish and still get a decent shine out of the new clear coat?
2.) If I do go with the wet-sand on the clear coat, is 2500 or 3000 grit appropriate? ( I worry about too aggressive scratching should I go for 1500/200)
2.) Do I need a powerful rotary buffer to properly shine up the clear with the rubbing compound or can I do it by hand? I also have access to a 0.65 amp 3,800 rpm palm polisher if that's better.
3.) If I buff out these two lower wheel well areas on either side of the truck - should I apply rubbing compound to the entire truck and buff out as well for consistencies sake?
Thanks for your help!
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