MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

Hey guys,

Make a long story short, I need to wetsand the sides of my car and my trunklid. The bodyshop that I have previously used is going through a merger with another shop right now due to the economy, and my "go-to" guy cannot help because he is doing all of the buffing/sanding work on all of the cars for two different dealerships.

I am admittedly a perfectionist and my car is black so it shows imperfections better than anything else, but there is some very slight orange peel in my paint in certain areas and that is what I want to have taken care of. I have called a few different body shops and it seems that they want to start at around $500 to even touch the car, which I think is a ripoff because this shouldn't take any more than just a few hours to do- I really just need to lightly go over a few areas to smooth them out.

I have considered trying to do this myself but haven't had too much luck in finding a tutorial or anyone who can help me. Would I be insane to attempt this myself or am I really better off trying to find a professional to do it? I have seen some guys on here say they have done it themselves but I am not a professional. What tools are needed?

Any help or insight?

Thanks in advance

eyezack87

iTrader: (4)

Well, to be honest, wetsanding does take effort and some skill involved during the process. Don't forget that you can easily get through the clear if you aren't careful. Also, it does take time. I spend the better half of a day wetsanding and compounding my driver side panels after it was repainted. Needless to say, its not perfect but its much improved.

If you have a real buffer and are willing to do it, go for it man. I would suggest just sticking with 2000-3000 grit sandpaper though. Its slow but theres less of a chance in making a mistake

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

I am having someone come look at the car tomorrow, a friend of a member on here, so I am hoping he can help me out. I'll keep you guys posted.

Thanks Isaac!

exvelocity

if you have no experience,never done it before, do not have the supplies and proper tools,don't even try. I wouldn't take less than $1000 to do a medium size car, I own a shop do this all the time

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

Dude you have to be kidding...or maybe you would have to see the car in person. There is some very light orange peel that is hardly noticeable unless you're a) a perfectionist or b) right up close to it. $1,000 to correct that seems like overkill.

exvelocity

read closer, I mentionned a size of the car for a reason, meaning the majority of the whole car would be sanded,not just spots,also I remove trim,headlights,tailights,bumpers,mirrors,door handles,e.t.c.

Stokdgs

If I were going to do this, I would need to know how long ago the car was painted and if it is completely dry.
Also, ask the Painter how much paint they put on the panels - we used to use extra because we knew we were going to color sand it and buff it out, they should have done this too, if they are a good shop.
Then, I would secure a 3M rubber sanding block and if this is light orange peel, then the highest grit 3M or Norton, wet-or-dry paper.
Then, look over the panel very carefully, noting anything that needs to be taped off so you dont accidently hit it with the sand paper and put a few layers of tape on those areas.
Be very careful sanding close to any edges, as they will always have the least amount of paint on them, might be good to tape them off to be safe unless you are experienced at this, and after you are done, see how much difference there is on that edge and decide if you need to lightly hit it with the wet paper on the block and the water..
Get a bucket of clean water and put some of your least foaming car wash soap in there.
Get a big sponge, or if you dont want to use the bucket method, get a water hose with the metal end cut off, so you dont scratch the finish, put enough paper on the sanding block to cover it and go into the edges and get caught by the 2 nails at each end inside.
Soak the paper for a minute, wet the panel and carefully sand it flat with the block, making sure you keep your strokes even and short, dont dig into the panel and try to keep the same amount of pressure throughout the strokes.
Keep the panel really wet during this process as you want the water or water/soap mixture to keep cleaning the paint off the panel and the paper as you work.
It doesnt hurt to stop, dry it with a clean towel and look at it to see how you are doing and if you got the orange peel leveled off. If you have, move on to the next part of the panel and repeat.
Once you are all done, you will need a buffer and some compound to bring the gloss back to the now dull painted panel. Be glad that you used such a high grit paper, because it wont take as long to get the gloss back and have it sanding scratch free.
You dont need a really agressive compound, probably something like 3M Finesse-it II would be a good all around compound that would bring up the gloss quickly and polish down very clear.
You will need something on the order of a Lake Country Purple Wool Foam pad or a Schlegel wool pad and a spur to clean it out as you use it. This would also mean you would want ideally to use a rotary buffer.
I have not tried to do this with a PC 7424 or my Flex VRG3401, but they might work only take a long, long time.
If it were me in your scenario, I would go back to the shop and tell them you are making an appt to get this done by them, because you are dissatisfied that the paintwork they did, does not match the rest of the paint on the car in terms of gloss and lack of orange peel everywhere else but where they worked. I would never ever let a car leave my shop like this. We had to always make any paintwork color match, and then match the rest of the paint.
We did this by being good, and then, say we painted a door, we would compound out the entire side of the car, the door, and then bring up the gloss to match the rest of the car, so it would not look like there had been any work done on the car, except that it really looked nice and shiny.
I cannot believe the things I hear coming out of shops today, they are a disgrace to the industy if they cant get it right the first time.
What we consumers have to do now, is absolutely do not pay for anything that we are dissatisfied with, until it meets our satisfaction. Sure you want your car back, but dont pay for work that doesnt make you happy when you examine it closely at their shop under lights, or in the sun. I bet they would jump on the complaint right away just to get your car out of the shop and they could get their money. Plus they will have to wash it again because compounding sometimes slings material all over the car if you dont know what you are doing.
Hope this helps, please dont take offense, I am not trying to lecture or anything like that, I only want to share from my experiences in that trade.
Good luck
Dan F

One HoT

iTrader: (5)

You need someone who has a rotary buffer and has tackled a job like this before.

I remember I wetsanded a Prowler and it took a total of 4 days. Wetsanding is no easy task but, it can be done correctly if you find the right person.