Could I have damaged my paint?

[8k_RPM]

Re: Could I have damaged my paint?

What I find strange is a lot of people seem to use TW B&T, and no one complains about the etching/clouding that I got.

[8k_RPM]

Re: Could I have damaged my paint?

I just looked up the reviews on m105 and it definitely sounds like what I'm looking for. What kind of prep has to go into using it. Just a wash or do I need to clay the area. Also what the difference between this and using a clay bar.

They both seem to be used for removing surface contaminants. Does the clay just scrape everything off whereas this is more of a polish which cleans the surface.

Last question, should the m105/205 just be used on problem areas or should it be used to polish the entire car.

I never knew car paint could be so interesting. I'd be outside tomorrow evening, but I don't want to do anything this week to bother my back or hips.

Thanks so much.

Jeff

[8k_RPM]

Re: Could I have damaged my paint?

I'm thinking about take it into a body shop for the bumper and then asking them to look at the other things too. Anyone know a good one in Northern Virginia? If I could do over, I'd have left them, but I was afraid they'd have to come off eventually and I thought sooner was better than later.

[8k_RPM]

Re: Could I have damaged my paint?

Hmm...I just looked up some pictures of etched paint, and maybe that is the problem. You say with m105/205 this problem will clear up? Can I just do the areas affected or do I have to do the whole panel?

[8k_RPM]

Re: Could I have damaged my paint?

As for the bumper, they say they can do it in a day, told me to drop it off 10:00 Wednesday and pick it up Wednesday night. To me that seemed quick, I thought it needed to dry before I took it on the highway. The only reason I keep dealing with them is they redo it for free, but I think I should possibly just go through the expense of having a real shop do it. The bumper itself is puttied since it had a dent, I don't know if this affects the way the paint says on over time or the shrinkage. I tried to get a new bumper out of them and they wouldn't go for it.

There is a washed out look where I used the solvent. I'll try 105/205 if you think it will help, but its not really etched. In non-direct light, I don't even notice a difference, except for one spot. In direct light you can see where it dripped a bit. The best way to describe it is that its less glossy and a bit foggy.

Normally I'd want to do something right away, but I don't want to be sore right before my surgery, so if this is just the waxes in the product and they'll wear down over time...I'll just leave it until I'm well enough to work. If you think its more than that, I can have a body shop look at it (since I don't want to do the work right now). While I'm upset with the uneven look, if its temporary and the paint is protected, I'll leave it for now.

I also had a professional tar remover product that my dad had bought a while back, but being a beginner I was afraid of burning through the paint, and thought a consumer product would be safer.

If it helps to know, water beaded over the surface before and after using the product, so it doesn't seem to have stripped the wax (and its says it won't on the bottle, but that's marketing).

I'll post a picture of the car with the sun shining on it tomorrow night. During the day if I took a picture, you really wouldn't notice it (which leads me to think its a wax problem, but you would know more).

Thanks,
Jeff

[David Fermani]

Re: Could I have damaged my paint?

That brings me to an off topic question, though. How long should it take for a dealer/body shop to pain a bumper? Can it be done in a single day? They messed up the bumper before I every took possession of the car and it didn't' show till later. Now they keep sanding and spraying it and I" border="0" alt="" />

Is there really no way to put paint on a bumper and make it stay? Or are they cutting corners with this repair?

Yes, it definitely sounds like the dealer dropped the ball painting your bumper for a couple reasons (i.e. excessive rock chips/shrinkage). A normal repaint for a bumper cover is 2 days. Day 1 will consist of removing the bumper, detriming all the attached pieces, sanding the entire bumper, spot repairing the damaged areas, prime, paint. They'll then let the bumper dry overnight and reinstall it the next day, sanding/polishing any required defects.

Keep in mind that some dealers are very capable and do high quality work. Whether they do business with Insurance companies has zero effect on the outcome.

As far the original problem you're having with your paint looking streaking/spotty, that’s most likely etching created by letting the product dwell incorrectly on the surface. The strong solvents/cleaners in the product eat into the contaminants on top of paint resulting in a washed out look. M105/205 via DA will easily even this problem out. The same thing happens when people spray APC direclty on dirty light colored leather seats and is allowed to run down the panel. The cleaners intensely clean everything it comes in contact with (especially with extra dwell time) and doesn't clean the remaining surface as well.

[Junkman2008]

Re: Could I have damaged my paint?

Trust me, I don't mind the questions. I answer them all over the web on a bunch of different forums as I glean them for information.

As for painting the bumper, you are dealing with a dealership. Those are the absolute last people on earth who I want laying paint on my car. For a dealership and companies that do insurance work, it's about getting your car in and out of the shop as quick as possible. If they are having issues getting the car done, that's scary. It doesn't take that long to do a bumper so it they can't get it done in a few days, there's no telling what the experience level is of the body shop personnel.

You normally get what you pay for. With dealerships today, that is far from the truth in a lot of cases. Not all are this way, but this is definitely the case with a majority of them.

[8k_RPM]

Re: Could I have damaged my paint?

I think I under stand now (the concepts, at least). When it comes to the actual application, I will definitely be back here checking whether each compound is correct for my purpose.

The dealer is actually finishing taking the stripes off while they have the car for the bumper (only because it was going to them anyway, and I'm in too much pain now to be working on the car).

That brings me to an off topic question, though. How long should it take for a dealer/body shop to pain a bumper? Can it be done in a single day? They messed up the bumper before I every took possession of the car and it didn't' show till later. Now they keep sanding and spraying it and I"m having problems like dozens of rock chips and 'shrinking primer.'

Is there really no way to put paint on a bumper and make it stay? Or are they cutting corners with this repair?

Thanks for answering all the beginner questions (I promise this is the last one for now).

-Jeff

[Junkman2008]

Re: Could I have damaged my paint?

Yes, I think so. Applying what you said to my problem...the spray I used was a wax with a petroleum cleaner in it for the tar and stuff. It bonded to the clear coat and stands out from the other wax I coated the whole car with.

I'm not sure exactly how what you used works but let's go with your description, as it sounds plausible.

To make everything look the same, I need to use a polisher to remove all the different waxes and compounds that are on the clear coat. Then I could go about shining the paint and replacing the waxes.

Here's where I will correct you by using and changing your own words to make it correct.

To make everything look the same, I need to use a polisher and a polishing compound to remove everything that is on the clear coat. The process of polishing will create the shine that I am looking for. At that point, I can then reapply my wax.

That statement would be more correct.

Basically nothings damaged it just looks different because I introduced a new compound in a small area. Am I catching on?

That part is correct. Remember, the act of polishing is what makes the paint shine. Also, professional polishes and compounds DO NOT remain on the paint, they are used to repair the paint so you won't be removing any compounds as you previously stated.

A key thing here is the difference between some of the consumer products that Meguiar's sells and the professional stuff. My statements can be incorrect when you're talking about a product that calls itself a polishing wax. That's why I stress the professional grade product part. It would actually be better if we named the exact products that you will be using to do this. It can be a little confusing but hopefully I am getting through to you.

It's funny. This is exactly why I started making videos. It's a whole lot easier to see what I'm talking about than it is to read it!

[8k_RPM]

Re: Could I have damaged my paint?

Yes, I think so. Applying what you said to my problem...the spray I used was a wax with a petroleum cleaner in it for the tar and stuff. It bonded to the clear coat and stands out from the other wax I coated the whole car with.

To make everything look the same, I need to use a polisher to remove all the different waxes and compounds that are on the clear coat. Then I could go about shining the paint and replacing the waxes.

Basically nothings damaged it just looks different because I introduced a new compound in a small area. Am I catching on?

[Junkman2008]

Re: Could I have damaged my paint?

So basically I stripped off all the polish and I need to replace it? Can it be done in those small areas as a quick fix? I can't redo the whole car before my surgery. I'll wait if I have to.

First off, keep in mind that I am talking about the professional products (Mirror Glaze line or similar) that are sold today. With those products, polishes (which are sometimes referred to as compounds) are usually used to repair paint. For the most part, they are not used to cover up or mask damage in any way. View them as the soap that you shower your body with. Although you apply the soap all over your body, you rinse all of the soap off. The soap was merely used to remove the dirt from your body and ideally, none of the soap will remain behind.

Polishes are very much the same. Polishes are used to remove imperfections on or in the clear coat or paint by working them (either by hand or machine). Once that polish or compound has been worked sufficiently, you wipe the polish or compound off and inspect the finish. If the results are to your satisfaction, you will move to the next step in the process. If not, you will repeat that polishing scenario. Again, you wipe the polish OFF the paint. It does NOT remain behind. A wax or glaze is a product that will remain on the paint as it is a protectant or filler. You can look at wax or glaze as sun screen or lotion that you would use on your body after a shower.

Compounds and polishes are worked and then removed. Waxes or glazes remain on the car, even though you wipe them off too. The difference is that waxes and glazes are allowed to dry and bond with the surface of the car in order to protect as they do. Oh, and yes, you can do just a small area at a time. You don't have to do the entire car at once.

Does that clear it up a little better?

[8k_RPM]

Re: Could I have damaged my paint?

Jeff, I said it once and I'll say it again. Polishing is what makes paint shine. If you want the area to shine, polish it. I personally would use a PC and something like the combination or M105 followed by M205, but others may chime in with some more readily available products.

So basically I stripped off all the polish and I need to replace it? Can it be done in those small areas as a quick fix? I can't redo the whole car before my surgery. I'll wait if I have to.

[Junkman2008]

Re: Could I have damaged my paint?

Jeff, I said it once and I'll say it again. Polishing is what makes paint shine. If you want the area to shine, polish it. I personally would use a PC and something like the combination or M105 followed by M205, but others may chime in with some more readily available products.

[8k_RPM]

Re: Could I have damaged my paint?

HI all,

There actually are some hazy areas where I sprayed the remover and let it sit for a minute (I was mistaken when I said it was shinier, you can see it if you look closely at the picture I took).

A. Could the marks be the waxes sitting on top of the coat of wax?

B. If not, can I use Swirl-X to make these areas normal again.

I've tried buffing it and using the quick detailer, but its still there.

You would think this product would work on Civics since Turtle just demoed an updated formula using a Civic.

Sorry to reopen the issue, but I'm just wondering if I should wait and see if these get better or try putting something on them. Just to be clear, I'm not talking about the strip itself, but some haze where I sprayed around the strip.

Thanks a lot,

Jeff

[8k_RPM]

Re: Could I have damaged my paint?

I was worried about those three hazy spots in the picture that look like something dripped. There is more of that on the door than is visible in the picture. At the time I thought it was the TW. But its only on the front half of the door, so the more I look at it, I'm thinking its regular wax that didn't get removed properly and melted in the sun.

Since there is another coat of wax on top of it, it'll probably have to wear off.

Anyway. Thanks for all your help and when I'm able to work on my car, I know where I can find some help.