Orange Peel removal on 09 JeeP SRT8

[4u2nvinmtl]

Looks great, do you have a paint gauge. Orange peel removal look great, just be sure you have enough clear to work with in the future.

Unfortunately I dont have a paint gauge. It was my first time using the PC, and I bought it with the intent of trying to remove the orange peel and maintaining the finished look. I was advised my every pro i spoke to, that I should use a paint gauge, but I also dont plan to do this process more than once and from what i`ve read on the Jeep SRT8 forms the clear coat is very thick (in some places it the factory clear has runs and you can feel its very thick like a varnish). With that in mind and looking at the cost of a paint gauge i omitted it.

Down the road i`d like to have the Jeep SRT8 repainted.

[Accumulator]

Down the road i`d like to have the Jeep SRT8 repainted.

Oh man would that be a job (to do right). And I don`t mean just $8-9K either.

[4u2nvinmtl]

Update: Well I got a lot of positive feedback and great advice, and I wanted to update my post with new pictures and details as requested.



FAQ’s:

How long does it take? If anyone else plans to do this with a PC-7424, M101 and 4x Denim pads (two 5.25 inch two 4inch pads), please keep in mind it takes about 2-3 hours a panel done section by section (for me on my Jeep`s paint), plus the time it takes to wash and clay (takes me 2-3 hours), so I typically spend around 6 hours start to finish just to do one panel, not including polishing that I will do last once the orange peel is removed.

Why am I waiting to polish? Because I had zero skill and zero technique when I started just weeks ago. I also knew I would get better at it, as I progresses and might have to redo some panels as my skill and technique improved. Sure enough it’s the case, my latest panel looks the best and took the least amount of time. So rather than having all my panels with a different quality finish (more or less orange peel) I will hone my skill with M101 and the denim pads until most if not all the orange peel is gone from all the panels before moving on to M205 polishing.

How am I protecting/sealing the compounded panels before I polish? I’m using Klasse AIO applied by PC-7424 followed up by 4 layers of Klasse SG applied by hand (24 hour cure time, WOWO application of each layer) as winter protection until I polish.

What’s your LSP going to be? I’m still not 100% sure but I’m leaning towards Klasse AIO, and 4 layers of Klasse SG (24 hour cure time, WOWO application of each layer), but I’m open to suggestions!

Who taught me? I`m getting a few people asking where I learned my technique and I’ve got to say I learned it from Junkman2000 on YouTube (thanks to forum member MTLian for advising me to watch these videos). Junkman breaks it down in such a way that I totally understood how to buff my paint before I had even purchased my PC-7424 (never had buffed a car before)


Other details:

This Jeep SRT8 is daily driven and sees about 20,000 miles of city driving a year. I live in Montreal, Canada were there are 5 months of relentless winter weather, where the streets a riddled with pot holes, roads are layered with salt, and cars are caked with rust preventing grease (including my Jeep SRT8) that eventually that leaks out all over the paint/finish and onto other cars by way of road spray.


Updated results:

Before


After


Before


After



Note: I`ll keep updating this thread regularly until the entire process is completed.

P.S. Can`t wait to be posting photos of the Jeep fully polished and orange peel free!

[4u2nvinmtl]

I`m almost done with the OP removal and will be doing a photoshoot soon. For now here`s a sneak peak at how it shines in the dark, can`t wait to get some daylight shots (no time yet I work from dawn till dusk).

09 Jeep SRT8 Cold Start (kooks headers and mids, with stock CAT-back) - YouTube

[Accumulator]

Gee, even in that not-exactly-swell lighting you can see how smooth it is, the lack of op really does show.

[4u2nvinmtl]

***Update

I`m down to three panels (front fenders and hood). I figured I better start with the middle of the hood and work outwards because if I do the fenders first I might lean on them and mar the paint...

I did my typical 3 sets of 3 passes (9 passes total) and inspected after every set (cleaned pad and applied 1-2 drops of m101). Unlike the other panels, the hood showed no significant improvement!!

So I tried new pads, smaller pads, more product, less product, etc. all unsuccessful! I`ve done over 20 passes per section (4 sections for half the hood) and it`s only a mild improvement over the untouched half.

Why? Why is the hood so much harder? Does Jeep use a different clear coat for the hoods (feels much harder and thinner)? I currently assume that the clear coat is different and that the flex in the hood is preventing me from pushing as hard as before, and the curves in the hood are causing the PC`s clutch to kick in, stopping rotation.

At this point I`m thinking of wet sanding the hood (never tried wet sanding) and if I mess up I can just have the hood repainted or buy a nice carbon fiber one (Jeep SRT Viper style). How dicey is wet sanding with 0 experience and no paint thickness gage?

[YuhDunBenShrunk]

wow
what a great job man
that paint is pristine!
TIL that my car is covered in Orange Peel
I noticed my paint wasn`t having the true reflectiveness of others` I had seen pictures
but I chalked it up to the quality of the pictures/angles/length away from car in those pictures

I have a white 2000 Subaru Outback Limited
Do you attribute the removal to the pads, the product or the "Technique" (as junkman says) or all
I ask because I just ordered some Megs MF cutting pads (recommended by Larry at AMMONYC)
and I was wondering if I could expect the same results, or if I should order these pads/products specifically

Any help out there for someone in a similar situation would be greatly appreciated

Once again OP
What an amazing job
you inspired me to correct mine as well

[4u2nvinmtl]

wow
what a great job man
that paint is pristine!
TIL that my car is covered in Orange Peel
I noticed my paint wasn`t having the true reflectiveness of others` I had seen pictures
but I chalked it up to the quality of the pictures/angles/length away from car in those pictures

I have a white 2000 Subaru Outback Limited
Do you attribute the removal to the pads, the product or the "Technique" (as junkman says) or all
I ask because I just ordered some Megs MF cutting pads (recommended by Larry at AMMONYC)
and I was wondering if I could expect the same results, or if I should order these pads/products specifically

Any help out there for someone in a similar situation would be greatly appreciated

Once again OP
What an amazing job
you inspired me to correct mine as well

Thanks, YuhDunBenShrunk. Once you see that Orange Peel it will start to bug you (nice car BTW, love Subs). For over a year, I detailed my SRT (weekly) and the orange peel took away from the finish so much that it ate me up. I started called local detailers and get quotes to wet sand (most said DONT DO IT and others said 1200-2500) I asked around online everyone said DONT DO IT (because it`s a daily driver), and finally I found videos of a technique I tough I could replicate with results that could be attainable... Long story short it was a long road to get to this point and endless hours of polishing with a PC (over 60hrs at this point), and I still have to do a follow up polish (m205).

Honestly. I think its pads>technique>product in my case. There`s no way the foam pads will do what the Orange Peel removal pads will do (these pads are specifically intended to remove OP). White and sliver don’t have the deep reflections that black, blue and red have (IMHO). I also herd that sealant>wax for sliver/white cars. That’s why I`m only going with Klasse AIO/SG as my LSP (going with recommended 4-6 lays of SG once I M205, and only 2 lays on top of the M101 to protect)

Without any technique, you won’t remove anything that’s for sure. Mark that backing plate and keep an eye on it! After about 20 hours of buffing, you`ll notice the sound change when the pad is spinning faster/slower (Clutch) so you don’t always have to keep any eye on the mark...

I don’t have any MF cutting pads yet but was thinking of trying them out too (IDK if they can remove enough clear to fix OP and they have to be flat/thin). I really don’t think you can expect to remove the OP with that pad, but the panel will defiantly look better! What compound/polish are you planning to use?

If you want to correct it, I recommend a few things:
- Don’t use a PC use a Flex or something with more rotational power (faster cut/fewer passes)
- Get a lot of pads (12 large and small CarPro Denim Orange Peel Removal Pads) *not the felt ones
- Use M101 (not M100 or M105)
- Choose your finishing polish (I went with M205)
- LSP Nano-coat or layer sealant

[YuhDunBenShrunk]

Thanks for such an informative reply
Since I read your post Ive been researching it (~1hr or so)
but Im getting the same vibe from all posts I see
Dont Do IT or This is what grit you should use but don`t attempt it unless you`re a professional
I was expecting to do a lot of work maybe a make a whole weekend or three day weekend out of it
but 60 hours without even touching polish seems a bit much for me
Im not afraid of the work, I just promised myself when I started I wouldn`t go into that level of detail over a 15 year old car
Not ragging on anyone, and I very much respect the work you`ve done and the obvious difference you`ve made
Just to me, its not worth it for such an old car and I get enough guff from the wife about how little time I already HAVE spent on my car
Let alone 60hrs+ lol
Knowing myself though, this thread is gonna stick in the back of my head EVERY time I look at my car now
If I ever get the bug bad enough (I probably will) Ill definitely refer back to this thread and hit you up with any questions
You did a kick ass job on that SRT8 man
Congrats Keep it up

...and because it`ll eat me up if i don`t answer/ask

- I just ordered a Griots 6" (does that have the power to complete something like this?)
- I was going to use the M105/205 combo, thx for the heads up about M101 Ill buy a bottle
- Nano Coating is going to be my next purchase, in the side by sides I`ve seen Im leaning towards Opti Gloss Coat>Quartz UK

again thx for all the knowledge 4u2inv!!!

[4u2nvinmtl]

***Hood (PITA)

Left side not done, middle panel 21 passes, right side 18 passes 2 sections... still not good enough.

Note: Used 1 pad for the middle and 3 pads for the right (1 of them new).

[Accumulator]

YuhDunBenShrunk- Add my voice to the "don`t do it" chorus. 15-year old Subaru? I`d be all about maintaining its current clearcoat thickness.

Heh heh, orangepeel only matters as much as you let it matter The S8 and A8 have it *bad* for what they cost, but I honestly *never* considered leveling it, it was just something to comment on when they were new.

[Swanicyouth]

I`m with Accumulator. While I applaud the OPs efforts and admire his work, I can`t help to think how this could compromise the long term durability of the finish.

As we know, newer cars have thinner paint. This is a new car. Couple that with not taking any PTG readings as a baseline, and it`s really a crapshoot IMHO regarding how much clear coat is left.

Things like bird bombs, UV exposure, swirls, fallout contamination, and baked on minerals can all etch what is already a thin clear coat from the factory.

Maybe the OP doesn`t care... But he is much braver than I.

[4u2nvinmtl]

Accumulator and Swanicyouth are totally right, it`s hardly worth the risk, but I`m already prepared for the possibility of clear coat failure (plan to get a new paint job eventually, going black).

Note: I only drive in the city so I don`t get many rock chips, winter for 6 months so there`s not many birds to poo on my car, garaged year round, washed weekly, and luckily my factory clear coat is thick enough to visually see the thickness (due to some runs in the clear coat). It looks like they poured it on (exception the HOOD).

*I also plan to go to local car shows and that`s what drove me to do it. I`ll be buying a daily driver this summer as well.

FYI: I have a feeling the only panels that might fail are the hood, bumpers, and rear hatch. As they are hit the most.

[Accumulator]

Both my Subarus had very thin paint, almost as thin as the Mazdas. I wouldn`t even compound those very often (and IMO "very often" is maybe every decade).

4u2nvinmtl- Heh heh...I dunno...repainting that in black would cost many thousands more than just replacing it with a black one.

[MooreImpressive]

now that`s Moore Impressive. I had never used these for this purpose, we always used 3,000 grit unigrit 3 inch discs, but I bought some of these on my last order just to have around the shop, still haven`t tried them yet, but very excited each time I see people with results like this. also picked up the velvet pads as well.