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Old 08-03-2019, 05:33 PM
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Default Smudges in clear coat

Need some advice. Have a nice paint job from PO, silvermist grey, with clear. With that said I have these smudges in the hood that u can see at an angle with correct reflection. Two kinds- one that kind of looks like fingerprint smudges, and another that sort of looks like hard water stain(seems deeply embedded).

I just tried a light meguiars polishing cream applied with a polisher at 2.5k. The hood is extremely reflective now, but these smudges have not really budged. It’s hard to see, but if u look just beyond the light bulb in the reflection on the hood bulge, u can see some of the smudges. any thoughts on how to remove?
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  #2  
Old 08-03-2019, 05:37 PM
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Any chance of wet sanding with 2000 and compounding??

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Old 08-03-2019, 06:03 PM
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Thanks for feedback. I’m not really a pro here, and sand paper and finished paint make me a little nervous. I’ll try and read up on wet sanding. Any other novice-options?

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Old 08-04-2019, 07:34 PM
tjs72lemans tjs72lemans is offline
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The smudges would definitely come out with wet sanding. The other blemish may, but it could also be from bleed through from previous work. In that case, it's there to stay.

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Old 08-04-2019, 08:59 PM
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Bet you can’t see it outside.........in the day light ...or at night undah street lamps...

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Old 08-04-2019, 10:44 PM
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I believe you are correct. In daylight u can’t see it. But night time with a light on it brings it out. And since I know it’s there, kind of want to fix it

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Old 08-05-2019, 09:01 AM
TAKerry TAKerry is offline
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First time I wet sanded a fresh paint job I thought , what have I gotten myself into! But everything polished out pretty nice. That solution would probably fix what youre seeing, however you have no idea how thick the clear was put on, and it may be a bit thin in that area which is what you are seeing. Sanding it out may do way more harm than good. If it were me, I would live with it the way it is. IF, you get to the point that you cant stand it anymore, then be prepared to have the entire hood repainted (just in case) and do the wet sand and polish and hope for the best. If it works out, Great!, if not and you burn though the clear, then you are prepared to repaint at that point.

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Old 08-05-2019, 08:00 PM
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How fresh is the paint job ? ...... how long did the paint cure ,before sanding and buffing ?....You could have some gassing out ,going on..which is common. Has the car been out in the blistering sun.....or kept inside all the time.

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Old 08-05-2019, 08:49 PM
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i Don’t know date of paint job,, probably between 5-10 years old. I’ve had the car 1 year and keep inside. Believe it was kept inside with PO too...

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Old 08-05-2019, 09:04 PM
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I’d sand it wet...with some 2000....and buff it out...usually 3 passes of compound. It’s pleny cured...lol

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Old 08-09-2019, 03:56 PM
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I had bubbles in my clear coat on the top of my left front fender, and they were very noticeable. Took a piece of 2000 and wet sanded it finally getting them out without hurting the paint. I buff the area with rubbing and polishing compound 4 times and could not get the sine to come back. I was P!ssed to no end. Finally I grabbed the can of Fast Wax I've been using and spray some on the area. Oh, it was the with of the fender on to and about 10 inches long from the back edge by door and windshield forward.

You probably won't believe but the Fast Wax brought the shine back with the second application. It now looks like I never touched it with any sandpaper. TAKeery has seen it.

This is it on the opening page. www.FastWax.com If it doesn't work I'll buy it from you. It's the only wax I use on my GTO and it has taken some minor but noticeable scratches out of the paint.... especially swirl marks and those marks when you use a duster on it.

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  #12  
Old 08-09-2019, 07:38 PM
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Thanks, I will check that stuff out...

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Old 08-10-2019, 01:04 PM
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An update. So I tried some wet sanding with 2k and water with a tiny bit of soap on a less conspicuous part of car. Honestly the sanding was not exactly smooth/uniform. Instead of a fully sanded surface, it was kind of like lines of scratches. It’s like there was a need to sand harder to make finish uniform, but I did not have the courage to apply more pressure. So I stopped sanding. I then used 3m rubbing compound and a wool buffing pad on the sanded area. I did get the shine to come back, but there is remnants of the lines/scratches that will not polish out. It’s kind of like swirl mark scratches ( I have those too). So I’d love to hear how folks are getting rid of swirl mark scratches. I’ve tried to different compounds that claim to do this and neither has worked.

On a related note, the original smudge problem had been resolved. Initially I was using meguiars compound and a foam buffing pad, that was not working. I switched to the 3m compound and the wool buffing pad and the smudges came right out. Beautiful.

So the new question- best way to get swirl marks and scratches out?

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Old 08-10-2019, 04:07 PM
SR-71 SR-71 is offline
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Now 3000 is minimum grit for buffing. If the car is nice enough contact a local detail shop that does paint correction.

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Old 08-10-2019, 05:02 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SR-71 View Post
Now 3000 is minimum grit for buffing. If the car is nice enough contact a local detail shop that does paint correction.
Seen the new 8000...? .....it shines as you sand..lol

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Old 08-10-2019, 10:26 PM
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We've found 3000 Hook-it on a DA works well for a final cut over 2000 or 2500. We've also used 5000, but haven't seen any advantage over 3000.
This one turned out so slick that we only cut down some nibs (a.k.a. "trash") and spot buffed. This is before any sanding or buffing.
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Old 08-10-2019, 11:52 PM
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That vetted looks awesome. Maybe I’ll try 3k....

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Old 08-11-2019, 09:42 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MidnightAuto View Post
That vetted looks awesome. Maybe I’ll try 3k....
And still use the Fast Wax. It's amazing what it will do. If you don't like it I WILL buy it from you. I need more anyways.

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  #19  
Old 08-11-2019, 09:51 PM
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Use this stuff for buffing or rubbing by hand. Buff or rub until scratches are gone

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Old 08-11-2019, 11:47 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 400 4spd. View Post
We've found 3000 Hook-it on a DA works well for a final cut over 2000 or 2500. We've also used 5000, but haven't seen any advantage over 3000.
This one turned out so slick that we only cut down some nibs (a.k.a. "trash") and spot buffed. This is before any sanding or buffing.
Steve...did you talk the customer into Single Stage ?

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