Can this be removed via wet-sanding?

[Quick_R2]

Hello and thanks in advance for your help! I have an Electric Green 1999 Mustang Cobra that I'm preparing to sell, and have hit a brick wall with trying to improve the look of the front fascia. The rest of the body has come out pretty good with the use of M105 and a Porter Cable DA, especially considering the car was a driver for most of its life. However it appears that most likely due to bug residue, there's some considerable etching of the front bumper cover. It looks to be just in the clearcoat, however due to the mass quantity of these etchings, my gut tells me that wet sanding might be the best option without going through a 55 gallon drum of M105 to remove the defects. I'd like to know if wet sanding will do the trick, or if it's a waste of my time and I should leave it as it is. Pics are below - your comments are greatly appreciated.

Disclaimer: I picked up this car to fix some mechanical problems, get it looking good, and sell; I would not have let this damage happen to the paint if it were my car!








Thanks again for your help...
Scott

[Markus Kleis]

Re: Can this be removed via wet-sanding?

Hi Scott,

It is hard to tell, but it appears that some of that is above the surface, some below, and some is just missing paint from normal debris hitting the front of the car.

Have you tried using a clay bar on this yet by chance?

[Quick_R2]

Re: Can this be removed via wet-sanding?

Hello Mark and thanks for your quick reply! I've used the claybar on it, however it wouldn't hurt to go over it again I suppose... The majority appears to be below surface defects, while I can confirm that it has a few chips from road debris. I do realize that there are things that I can and can't improve on (within reason) - I would like to target those that I can easily tackle. I have already hit the front bumper with a couple of passes of 105 on the Porter Cable, and the current results are why I am considering wet sanding if it is deemed to really make a difference on the etchings. Your thoughts?

Thanks again,
Scott

[the_invisible]

Re: Can this be removed via wet-sanding?

Scott, the above etchings are most likely cost by the chemical composition of bird droppings and the chemical reaction from heat. From the looks of it, wetsanding will not remove those defects. In fact, putting pressure on them may ultimately chip off the paint that is clinging on to the primer.

To determine whether a defect can be evened out by wetsanding, simply run your finger nails through the defects. If the defect catches your finger nail, then the defect will most likely be unrepairable by wetsanding.