What is this Paint Defect (Porsche)

**frisbee91** · 10-03-2011, 11:04 AM

This paint defect has been on the rear of my `99 Porsche 996 since I got it two years ago. I finally picked up a Griots DA/RO polisher and did one pass over the whole car with a fine polish (Griots #3 with a Griots Orange pad), especially this spot.

The polishing had no effect on this defect. I have some more agressive polish and pads (Menzerna Super Intensive, LC CSS Yellow and Orange). The question is, should I attempt a more agressive polish, or is it hopeless? Any suggestions how to fix this, or at least make it less noticable? :think:

I know it`s hard to tell from pictures, but even up close, it is difficult to discern if the defect is just below the surface of the clearcoat, or in the underlying coats. I can *just* feel the edges of the defect with my fingernail.

Thanks for any suggestions...

Photo 1:

Photo 2 (closeup):

Photo 3 (overall shot):

**C. Charles Hahn** · 10-03-2011, 11:40 AM

Looks like probably a bird bomb to me; the clear coat is etched, may even be cracking, I can`t tell for sure from the pics.

You may at least be able to reduce its appearance, but eliminating it isn`t likely without having that boot cover panel refinished. I ran into something similar on a `99 I did correction work on a couple months back; in fact it was the same color as yours. You can see the "after" result in this pic (look at the extreme left and right):

In my case, I actually did a bit of very light wet sanding with 3000 grit and followed that up with two passes of SIP.

**Nth Degree** · 10-03-2011, 11:59 AM

Yep. Looks like bird bomb. Charles is right... not going away completely. More aggressive polishing can improve it a little, but it looks like the edges are cracking so it may not give much improvement. Proceed with caution. A glaze might be your best bet to hide it.

I know you said it was there when you got it, so it`s through no fault of your own, but for anyone who sees this; ALWAYS REMOVE BIRD BOMBS "WITH A QUICKNESS"!

**AudiOn19s** · 10-03-2011, 02:20 PM

Probably bird bombs like others have stated.

That panel looks to have been repainted though...which is a wierd one to have paint work done on. See the fish eyes (pits) near the 3rd brake litght. That panel is probably even softer than the already soft Porsche paint is to begin with leading to it being etched pretty easily by a bird bomb.

**Ron Ketcham** · 10-03-2011, 03:36 PM

Audi, good eye, yes it has been refinished.

The cracking is down to the ecoat.

And I would like to add that the painter probably was a little light on the catalist additive, which left the paint very porus.

The only true fix for this is to take the entire panel down and do a total refinish.

Grumpy

**Anthony O.** · 10-03-2011, 06:14 PM

I would check the rest of the car for evidence of it being refinished. Looks like it was not cleared well as it appears to be "dry" so coverage is an issue.

A quick repair is sand and touch up BUT it will look just like that.....a touch up. Best bet, as Grumpy stated, get it refinished by a competent paint shop.

Anthony

**frisbee91** · 10-04-2011, 08:15 AM

Originally Posted by AudiOn19s

...That panel looks to have been repainted though...which is a wierd one to have paint work done on...

I had suspected this panel was repainted. Also, one of the rear quarter panels. The color is perfect, but the texture of the paint is a little different.

Originally Posted by Nth Degree

...More aggressive polishing can improve it a little, but it looks like the edges are cracking so it may not give much improvement. Proceed with caution. A glaze might be your best bet to hide it...

Yes, it does appear that the edges are cracking. But I`m still a paint newbie. What`s a Glaze? Any specific product recommendations?

Originally Posted by Ron Ketcham

...The cracking is down to the ecoat.

...The only true fix for this is to take the entire panel down and do a total refinish.

Again, I`m a paint newbie. What`s "ecoat".

I`m not likely to have the entire panel repainted at this point. Just planning to do my best to minimize the visiblity of this thing.

Thanks much for the advice!

**pmnewton** · 10-04-2011, 10:57 AM

Originally Posted by frisbee91

Yes, it does appear that the edges are cracking. But I`m still a paint newbie. What`s a Glaze? Any specific product recommendations?

A Glaze differs from a wax/sealant in that it contains oils and fillers that are designed to hide the appearance of minor defects. The upside is that you can get some hiding effect without messing with removing any clearcoat but the downside is that it is temporary and will wash off fairly quickly. I don`t use glazes but these were recommended to me by the member Bence: DS Wet Glaze 2.0, PBBH, Finish Kare`s #1 New Car Glaze

Originally Posted by frisbee91

Again, I`m a paint newbie. What`s "ecoat".

I`m not likely to have the entire panel repainted at this point. Just planning to do my best to minimize the visiblity of this thing.

If he`s referring to what I think he`s referring to, ecoat is corrosion inhibitor which is the bottom-most layer of chemical film on the car. The body of the car is negatively charged while dipped in a tank full of positively charged coating. While the process is not magnetic (Gauss would roll over in his grave) you can kind of think of it that way. Whatever sticks gets to stay and the rest drips off leaving a perfectly uniform film that is ionically bonded to the surface. It`s called the ecoat because it is electrostatically applied. If the defect is down to the ecoat then it`s through the clear, color and primer. No amount of buffing will remove it. You could improve the appearance with some careful buffing by using the next most aggressive (Griots #2) polish and see if it helps a bit. If not you could try the number 1 but if that doesn`t work I`d leave it the hell alone. By now you will have buffed it 3 times and the clear doesn`t look real sturdy. Hope this helps!

**autoconcierge** · 10-10-2011, 08:01 PM

Originally Posted by Nth Degree

Yep. Looks like bird bomb. Charles is right... not going away completely. More aggressive polishing can improve it a little, but it looks like the edges are cracking so it may not give much improvement. Proceed with caution. A glaze might be your best bet to hide it.

I know you said it was there when you got it, so it`s through no fault of your own, but for anyone who sees this; ALWAYS REMOVE BIRD BOMBS "WITH A QUICKNESS"!

The use of "With the quickness" is used under permission of the copyright holder "Bing enterprises" or Paint correction and film by the BING!! :bat lol.