MrMike
09-08-2011, 05:56 PM
Hi all,
Long time lurker, first time poster.
I`ve got an annoying problem with my car that I just can`t seem to find a thread on here that has the same situation.
The car is a 2006 Subaru Impreza with the delightful awful Subaru paint. The color is Obsidian Black Pearl (OBP for short).
The paint has an even distribution of miniature white speckles in it that almost look like a metallic flake, except I know that it isn`t this. It`s much more prevalent on the horizontal surfaces on the car, but I also see it on the vertical surfaces as well. I notice it on the trunk lid as well as the parts of the fenders that flare out. The car basically always looks dusty.
I also notice these same white speckles on the trim and glass, although to a much lesser extent.
To date I have given the car a full wash (2 bucket, spray gun that mixes in soap...not necessarily a foaming gun) and a quick clay. The clay I used comes from the generic Mother`s clay/quick detailer kit.
The clay didn`t seem to do ANYTHING for these spots. I also pulled out my PC7424 and hit it with some Menzerna Micropolish and a LC gray pad, which did absolutely nothing for me. I didn`t really have a lot of time to play with so I ended up going over it with S100 just to seal the paint for the time being.
I went over a test spot on the car today with some IPA to see if I could remove the spots, as I had seen some people have great luck with this for tree sap, which I had suspected might be the cause, however, this didn`t seem to do anything for me. On the glass/trim I tried to remove the speckles with my fingernail and they didn`t budge. I`m hoping someone here has had a similar problem and can lead me in a direction.
A little back history on the car to date:
For the past two winters I`ve used Collinate 845. I will admit I have only waxed it twice this season due to a broken ankle I`m recovering from and a generally busy summer.
The whole car has only been buffed 1-2 times, but I worry I may have taken a too aggressive approach as the paint wasn`t in great shape (swirls). I used Menzerna Intensive Polish with a LC Yellow then did a step down method using LC Blues and Grays. The spoiler and hood have also been buffed more times using other products such as 3M Ultrafina.
This paint is VERY susceptible to anything leaving marks. Bird droppings left more than 10-20 minutes can etch and leaving the car wet causes awful water spots.
The car is parked outside daily and I really have no access to keeping it garaged. There are pine trees that are maybe 10 feet away from the car, but they are small pines that do not come close to overhanging the car. I typically never park under trees. The ONLY thing I can think is that it may be overspray from when I painted the fenders on my pickup, but for that to happen would be rather ridiculous. I painted them in my friend`s yard in a makeshift booth with a tarp on all corners and my car was 50 feet away.
I`m just baffled since these speckles are all over the car, but are especially noticeable on the paint.
I apologize for the long post, but I figure in this case more detail is better, right?
Long time lurker, first time poster.
I`ve got an annoying problem with my car that I just can`t seem to find a thread on here that has the same situation.
The car is a 2006 Subaru Impreza with the delightful awful Subaru paint. The color is Obsidian Black Pearl (OBP for short).
The paint has an even distribution of miniature white speckles in it that almost look like a metallic flake, except I know that it isn`t this. It`s much more prevalent on the horizontal surfaces on the car, but I also see it on the vertical surfaces as well. I notice it on the trunk lid as well as the parts of the fenders that flare out. The car basically always looks dusty.
I also notice these same white speckles on the trim and glass, although to a much lesser extent.
To date I have given the car a full wash (2 bucket, spray gun that mixes in soap...not necessarily a foaming gun) and a quick clay. The clay I used comes from the generic Mother`s clay/quick detailer kit.
The clay didn`t seem to do ANYTHING for these spots. I also pulled out my PC7424 and hit it with some Menzerna Micropolish and a LC gray pad, which did absolutely nothing for me. I didn`t really have a lot of time to play with so I ended up going over it with S100 just to seal the paint for the time being.
I went over a test spot on the car today with some IPA to see if I could remove the spots, as I had seen some people have great luck with this for tree sap, which I had suspected might be the cause, however, this didn`t seem to do anything for me. On the glass/trim I tried to remove the speckles with my fingernail and they didn`t budge. I`m hoping someone here has had a similar problem and can lead me in a direction.
A little back history on the car to date:
For the past two winters I`ve used Collinate 845. I will admit I have only waxed it twice this season due to a broken ankle I`m recovering from and a generally busy summer.
The whole car has only been buffed 1-2 times, but I worry I may have taken a too aggressive approach as the paint wasn`t in great shape (swirls). I used Menzerna Intensive Polish with a LC Yellow then did a step down method using LC Blues and Grays. The spoiler and hood have also been buffed more times using other products such as 3M Ultrafina.
This paint is VERY susceptible to anything leaving marks. Bird droppings left more than 10-20 minutes can etch and leaving the car wet causes awful water spots.
The car is parked outside daily and I really have no access to keeping it garaged. There are pine trees that are maybe 10 feet away from the car, but they are small pines that do not come close to overhanging the car. I typically never park under trees. The ONLY thing I can think is that it may be overspray from when I painted the fenders on my pickup, but for that to happen would be rather ridiculous. I painted them in my friend`s yard in a makeshift booth with a tarp on all corners and my car was 50 feet away.
I`m just baffled since these speckles are all over the car, but are especially noticeable on the paint.
I apologize for the long post, but I figure in this case more detail is better, right?