chips in clearcoat?

[kepani]

i just picked up a, let`s just say, throughly used 1996 nissan 240sx. i`m trying to get the paint to shimmer and shine. it`s black...so i guess i have my work cut out for me. :(



anyway, i`m wondering if my clear coat has chips or is it the paint? unfortunately, my camera does not work anymore so i can`t post any pictures. basically when i look very closely, there seems to be chips on the surface. it`s ALL OVER the car.



any suggestions on smoothing out the paint? perhaps a medium/fine cut compound?



i`ve done a full claybar job and several runs of Klasse AIO, but the spots are still there? do i need to really dig into the paint surface?



thanks guys/gals! :)



kepani

[jimmybuffit]

Impossible to really comment without pictures...



But, an 8 year old "used" car is going have issues that need some cutting, well beyond what AIO could accomplish. Which you have demonstrated.



Do you a machine/pads available?



Jim

[kepani]

as soon as i get access to a camera, i`ll hope to post them. yeah, it`s tough to describe the condition of the paint without photos.



no, i don`t have any machine polisher (read: porter cable). :( but i have heard only great things about them. you think that having a buffer may help?



would a medium cut compound be the next logical step?



thanks for the reply. :)



kepani

[Bill D]

I can tell you that black Nissan paint does seem to chip rather easily. My former `93 Maxima which is still floating around the family, has quite a few chips in the hood :( . So many it`s not worth it to try touch them all up and since it is basically a beater car, it makes little sense to repaint the hood.



However, the black is very shiny and it ought to clean up nicely when properly polished especially with a rotary first.



If you have chips only on the hood, perhaps you should consider reshooting it and polishing up the rest of the car.

[kepani]

unfortunately, the chips are everywhere. not only on the hood which is the largest target. they`re all over the hood and trunk lid as well. i know for a fact that the car was not well taken care of; especially the paint.



but as you say, it`s a beater. meaning minimal expense. :P is the nissan paint really that bad? if i can remove a small layer of clear to smooth out those chips, i`m all for it.



thank you for the advice. :)



kepani

[Bill D]

I`d be surprised if clear removal in general will make any noticeable improvement in chipped paint :(