New paint job

[rickssimpala]

I just got my car painted about a week now and they definitely do not know how to detail. Don`t want to rant just want to know how to start this detail. Should I start with wet sanding or just jump into compounding? After wash, clay, and decontamination of course

[Stokdgs]

rickssimpala -- Congrats on a new paint job!!
Did the Painter tell you it was dry and you could work on it??? What did he/they say ??
What year vehicle, color, what type of paint and the brand if possible?
When I painted, we did everything including compounding, etc., and gave it to the Client in perfect condition....
Can you still smell the paint when you get close to it ?
Dan F

[rickssimpala]

I would assume it`s completely dry. They "buffed" it before I picked it up. Left a bunch of scratches, swirls and even some compound or wax residue. The car is a 2012 Caprice but it was painted a toyota black and I`m not sure what brand paint was used. It`s not a very good quality paint job so I`m just trying to make it look as good as I can. I`m definitely not a pro or an amateur, more of a diy guy.

[Stokdgs]

Did you take it back to them and tell them to make it perfect???

Can you smell the paint if you put your nose close to it???

What is your experience with paint correction, in years ?

Do you have any machines for paint correction? What are they ?

How many cars have you paint corrected before?

None of this work is easy...There is no magic process and wow, it is all better now..

We need to have a little idea where you are, so we can offer our best advice...

Dan F

[Accumulator]

rickssimpala- The others have asked the right Q`s, I`ll just add that sometimes it pays to wait until the paint cures for a while as it can be *very* soft while it`s still fresh.

[wannafbody]

If you have never wetsanded a car, I would recommend against doing that. I`d compound and polish it.

[Lonnie]

At LEAST, call the paint shop and ask:
1) What manufacturer and trade-name/brand-name of paint did they use? If they ask WHY, tell them you are the customer who has a right to know. Some manufacturer`s clear-coats are "soft" and some are "hard", and you could ask them in their judgment if the final cured clear-coat would be considered "soft" or "hard". It WILL make a difference in how you approach correcting/fixing their "poor" pain job.
2) Let them know you are not happy with what they have done and why. If this vehicle painting was done on the side as a cash job or as a favor, well, that`s your business and I guess you cannot look a gift horse in the mouth. Poor workmanship, even if it is free, is still poor workmanship. (Another Captain Obvious cliche!)
3a) Ask them if the paint was cured in a booth, either by heat or infra-red lamps. Chances are it was not. If not, I am with Accumulator on this, and time outside in the late spring/early summer sun heat will aid in this curing process. Personally, I would wait three to four weeks (21-28 days), but that is me. MOST shops will tell you the newer, modern base-coat/clear-coat paint is fully cured in a few days (one week), but that is their "story". I still think an extended time period of heat cycles allows the paint to fully cure and gas-off (i.e., evaporate/dissipate) any solvents or water emulsifiers and suspension carriers, thus "hardening" the paint.
3b) I also would not wax, seal, or coat the paint until the full cure was done. You COULD use a breathable glaze Meg`s MG #7 Show Car Glaze, or better yet, #5 New car Glaze, BUT that suggestion is an old-school methodology based on single-stage lacquer paints that did require an extended time to fully cure, so you can take-it-or-leave it advice.

[JustJesus]

Interesting timing. I just dropped mine off at the paint shop this morning.

With me, and this budget paint job, I pretty much know what to expect. I had already put it in my head that once about 30 days is come and gone, I will wet sand it down, and compound/polish and top it all off with a coating.

Good luck on yours

[rickssimpala]

Thank you all for the guidance and sorry for the late response. I`m not on here a lot. I will call the shop and ask them these questions and report back. As for me, I haven`t done a lot of paint correcting and the ones that I`ve tried weren`t great. Not terrible just not great. But they were black cars and that is the worst color to work on.

[rickssimpala]

I wouldn`t take it back to them because I know they wouldn`t make it perfect.

[rickssimpala]

I can smell the paint and the painter said he used R-M paint

[Dan]

First off, congrats on the new paint job. I’ve often wanted to get a respray but prices have always put me off.

Wet sanding is an art. I’ve done it a few times and it really takes a lot of experience and/or a ton of patience. I would start with a medium compound once the paint is truly dry, on a small test spot and see how it goes. If you do have to break out the sandpaper, go on a small panel that can easily be removed and repainted if you strike through.

And last but not least, your car probably looks amazing to 99.99% of the world right now. Your eyes are probably very critical due to the money you just spent! Anyway, good luck and post up some pics of your progress.

[Accumulator]

rickssimpala- It`s a decent rule-of-thumb that as long as you can smell the paint, it`s still outgassing/curing.

A good LSP to use while that`s still going on is Optimum Car Wax, which was tested/approved by Ford for use on "post-production paintwork" (i.e., repaints). While I *really* like M05, IMO there`s no reason to use anything except the OCW for this...quick/easy/no problems. And it does last a little while whereas M05/etc. basically last until the first rain/wash.

Oh, and I`d take that advice about not wetsanding it. It`s *NOT* about "striking through" so much as thinning it just a micron too much and precipitating failure due to UV exposure. Yeah, you can usually get away with wetsanding a repaint if you`re good at it (and using a thickness gauge/etc.), but..and I don`t mean to sound insulting...it can be one of those "if you have to get any advice, just don`t do it; leave it to people who are already experts". The experts have already had their "oh [crap] " moments and know what *not* to do