GM orange peel common?

[kelv2888]

I have just recently learned of the orange peel effect and after doing a close scrutiny of my car , I THINK ITS ALL OVER !!!
I will post some pics soon . The surface is definitely reflective but due to the light color of the paint its very hard to see the orange peel. One has to look at a certain angle at the light source to see a million little tiny dents everywhere. Also my reflection doesnt seem defined.features are blurry even though it has a wet looking sheet of gloss to it.
I was wondering if anybody with late GM cars has the same problem. And would you guys reccomend me getting it wet sanded to a mirror finnish at a body shop? The car is only 7 months old.
Should I live with it? I contacted the dealer and they sounded as if it would be impossible for GM to pay for it and claimed it was perfectly normal.

[Murr1525]

Re: GM orange peel common?

Its pretty normal on everything.... just think of it as adding texture....

[benhui86]

Re: GM orange peel common?

most factory paint jobs have orange peel.... if not all..... most people just live with it.... just make sure that the orange peel is uniform all over the car.... if one or two panels have more orange peel than the others.... that may indicate repaint and a bad sanding job....

if you are really annoyed by the orange peel than you can try to locate a very reputable detailer in your area who can do wetsanding.... but as you said yourself.... its very hard to even see it.... so might as well leave it alone because it really is normal even on porsches and mercedes.....

[kelv2888]

Re: GM orange peel common?

Whew...that makes me feel better..thanks. In any case, I still want to achieve a flat mirror like reflection on my car like the ones in some members avatar. I just dont see the defined lines in features in the reflection. Dont know if its the (gold mettalic mist )color of the truck...Ill post pics tommorow. Its 3 am now.hehe
I clayed then used megs cleaner polish then 2 coats of NXT 2.0 followed by a the uqd.
Should I use the deep crystal polish? Thanks

[PorscheGuy997]

Re: GM orange peel common?

Orange peel has become a standard feature on almost every new car. Yes, the higher end vehicles have less or no orange peel at all. But, the majority have it. Plus, it's become accepted.

I'm sure that there are many people, myself included, that would really like to remove the peel from our factory paint jobs. The 'factory' part is where the problems start.

Factory paint jobs are thin. There is no reason to apply extra paint because it will not be sanded flat.

When you go to wetsand a factory paint, you are removing UV protection. If you remove too much, you will have clear coat failure.

Can you wetsand a factory clear? Yes, but you can't remove much. It's important to obtain a gauge to measure the thickness.

Can you wetsand a factory clear perfectly flat? Maybe, but clear coat failure is in the near future. I wouldn't even try to flatten the paint.

My suggestion: Clean and polish it and make the best of it. GM will probably not do anything because the rest of the cars on the lot have the same orange peel.

[kelv2888]

Re: GM orange peel common?

thanks for the reply. I think Im gonna try some deep crystal polish next time before the 2.0 and see...