I hate my paint (with pics)

Ruddell · 06-19-08, 02:09

I own a 04 Black Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V. Blackout. Yea in looks like crap. I tried working Merenze IP on the 4in orange cutting pad, then the 6in orange, and then the 6 inch yellow pad. I was able to remove most of the swirls but my car is kept outside and has severe acid etch marks? Any clue how to clean up my paint any better? I washed and clayed before polishing.

Befores(tried to get flash and no flash)

Here are the afters

I am upset because it looks really bad still. I don't want to wetsand my paint.

cushdrive · 06-20-08, 08:26

Those look like rock chips to me. Dr. Colorchip works okay if you're not looking for perfection. It definitely helps A LOT. As for paint clarity....I believe I can still see traces of swirling in your pics. Do an IPA wipe-down....I'd be willing to bet there are some left. Start your process over and make sure you're getting sufficient correction before moving to a finer polish.

SuperBee364 · 06-20-08, 09:35

Alot of the marring you're seeing in the after pics is due to using the yellow pad on the PC. In spite of what the etailers say, yellow foam pads should not be used with a PC. They produce way too much marring. Often times, the marring they cause cannot be removed with a PC; you have to get them out with a rotary.

There's a bunch of things you might want to consider....

Get four inch pads. Orange, white, and grey. You might want to get some Purple Foamed Wool pads in 3.5" size for heavy correcting (you'll also need a smaller backing plate than the one used for the four inch pads).

You need to get out the marks caused by the yellow pad. Try using the IP and an orange foam pad. You'll need to do several applications to get the marks out.

Follow up with a true finishing polish. IP isn't made to put a real gloss on the paint, it's a medium weight polish meant to correct paint defects. Get a good finishing polish, and use it with the white LC foam for at least two applications. Then switch to the grey/black pad, and do another two applications for maximum gloss.

You have a good start going on your paint correction, it just needs to be finished, and finished correctly using the right pads and polishes.

VroomVroom · 06-20-08, 12:23

^ Yeah, what he said.

I'm a HUGE fan of the 4" pads with the PC. So much so, that I'm still leaning on the PC instead of learning how to use my new rotary. Good luck with everything - I'm anxious to see your results after following SuperBee364's tips. FWIW, I just detailed my own vehicle (finally!). I used 4" orange w/ SIP followed by 4" white with PO85RD. A family vet emergency kept me from finishing with FPII, but you know what...I'm more than happy with the results. Of course, if it was black instead of red that might be different, but basically I'm just trying to reinforce the suggestion for a good finishing polish.

LouisanaJeeper · 06-20-08, 04:28

my friend has a 05 Black Nissan, and also has some horrible paint on it. Partially due to the lack of care and black color, but hers also has bad etching and gets deep scratches very easily. Must be pretty soft paint

Ruddell · 06-20-08, 05:18

I wansn't done polishing. I should have been more clear. I stepped up to the yellow pad and IP to try to get the etching "water marks" out of my paint. I have FP and tons of pads to correct down to a nice smooth surface. I didn't want to do my whole car until I had a regiment in place. I guess I just have to live with the etch marks. Thanks for the tips though.

I have the orange and white 4inch pads. I also have the black and blue but larger. I will probably just IP a couple passes 2-3 with the 4in foam pad and 2 with white and 2 with the black and just have to love it.

What do you think about covering with Megs#7 and then NXT 2.0?

07e90 · 06-20-08, 05:31

The pictures aren't really clear enough to see the etching, however if you do want to get rid of it it may be too much for the PC, and a rotary and wool will probably be required to make it perfect. Can't really do much about the chips, I noticed a lot of them on a Murano we had after just a year, Nissan paint seems kinda thin to me.

themightytimmah · 06-20-08, 05:57

Black Nissan paint is generally one of the worst out there, particularly on the trucks. My buddy kept his frontier waxed, but he still got 3 bird burns through the paint.

SuperBee364 · 06-20-08, 06:18

For maximum correction power, you could try M105 or M95 with the 3.5" PFW pads. That's about the most powerful you can get on the PC.

If I were doing that car with a PC, I'd do:

3.5" PFW with M95
4" LC white with IP
4" LC blue or grey/black with FPII

RMG, then Collinite 476S. RMG is so easy to use. I've stayed away from Megs #7 just cause of all the horror stories about it. I've never tried NXT 2.0, either, but alot of people really like it, although you typically don't want to use a sealant over a glaze like #7. You should use a carnauba based LSP over most glazes, unless the glaze is specifically made for use with sealants, like Danase Wet Glaze. You'll get better hiding of the remaining defects if you stick with a traditional glaze and nuba LSP.