First Post! What is this and how can it be fixed? BWW 56k NO!

G

geekinc

New member
Hi all, been lurking for a couple of days now trying to figure out how I want to proceed with my car...k here are the deets.



05 G35 Sedan Black on Black, purchased used with 7k on the OD.



It should be called the black widow with all the spiderwebs it has, not sure what the previous owner did to it, but the paint is in pretty bad shape, of course it only got worse when the glaze from the dealer prep washed out.



Beyond the spider webs, the car has straight line scratches on the roof, like someone put a box on a dusty car and then <cringe> pushed it along. Add a weird ding on the rear quarter next to the trunk lid that I can't rationalize how it got there, a scratch in the rear bumper from the careless use of reverse. And of course on the drivers door there is something I have never seen, maybe one of you pros can fill me in.



I left the pics big for the detail.



Strange Thingy on the Drivers Door

DSCN3614.JPG




Typical Paint Condition of the Whole Vehicle

DSCN3628.JPG




And a wide shot for comparison...it was close to 3am and I wasn't going outside...maybe later I will get some good outdoors shots

DSCN3665.JPG






What is the best route? I am torn between fixing it myself with the investment in tools and time, or getting a pro to fix it, and then maintaining myself? Did a search and it doesn't seem like there is any pros here from Phoenix, only found some crazy flame war about a 95 Viper...



I tried some basic Megs Step 1 and it did nothing, and the Costco MF made things worse!



Thanks, I look forward to someday being able to contribute to this communitiy!
 
that looks just like the spot on my gf's door after it got hit with an egg. Is there still paint, or is it bare metal where the white is?
 
Yep, that looks like an egg impact to me. My car has one too :( I can't say for sure it was caused by an egg, because it happened before I got the car.
 
Because the force of the impact shatters the egg shell, which spreads out sharp pieces of the shell in all directions. Each sharp edge digs a bit into the paint upon impact.
 
White95Max said:
Each sharp edge digs a bit into the paint upon impact.
Click to expand...



Yup. Meaning, that if the paint is gone, polishing and detailing products will do zero for it, and if they do anything at all, it will be to just make it worse. It's going to take paint to repair that.



My advice is to take it to a qualified body shop for an estimate.
 
joyriiide1113 said:
egg damage. now if someone can give an explanation as to why it ends up looking like that, would be great.
Click to expand...



It's the progressive crushing of the shell, which is not constant diameter, that creates rings of damage as the egg effectively gets larger in diameter as it continues to crush after the initial impact. The mechanical properties of the shell allow it to flex momentarily before breaking, resulting in the sequential steps; the distance between the rings is the distance in shell length it deflected before breaking.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
It's the progressive crushing of the shell, which is not constant diameter, that creates rings of damage as the egg effectively gets larger in diameter as it continues to crush after the initial impact. The mechanical properties of the shell allow it to flex momentarily before breaking, resulting in the sequential steps; the distance between the rings is the distance in shell length it deflected before breaking.
Click to expand...



:think: ......... :idea Yeah, what he said! I was going to say the exact same thing :rofl
 
Setec Astronomy said:
It's the progressive crushing of the shell, which is not constant diameter, that creates rings of damage as the egg effectively gets larger in diameter as it continues to crush after the initial impact. The mechanical properties of the shell allow it to flex momentarily before breaking, resulting in the sequential steps; the distance between the rings is the distance in shell length it deflected before breaking.
Click to expand...



Spoken like a true geek! If I could read with my eyes closed, I would swear that Gil Grissom was typing! :lol



Thanks guys for all the responses, I kinda hada bad feelin that a chicken was involved in creating that thingy...



Good thing my insurance agent did not see the car prior to insuring it, I might have to claim drive by egging.



Now what about all that other stuff in the paint, what do you all suggest?
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Strange thingy = egg damage. I DO know for sure.
Click to expand...



As do I.. Funny thing is that it appears after a few days. Then stays no matter what you try to do. I had reported an egging and mistakenly thought that there had been no damage. A few days later up pops the nasty spot. Well I live and learn. Not much else I can do... :furious:
 
ive got one on the side of my car too. stupid kids have too much time on their hands.

i tried touching it up with the autosharp pen, it looks better, but its still an eye sore.
 
WOW!! thats so cool guys!! I haven't seen the egg thing yet. This was definetly a learning experience thread for me. Boy ,you guys are sharp!! :2thumbs: :getdown
 
geekinc said:
Spoken like a true geek! If I could read with my eyes closed, I would swear that Gil Grissom was typing! :lol



Thanks guys for all the responses, I kinda hada bad feelin that a chicken was involved in creating that thingy...



Good thing my insurance agent did not see the car prior to insuring it, I might have to claim drive by egging.



Now what about all that other stuff in the paint, what do you all suggest?
Click to expand...



I suggest doing it yourself, of course you're on Autopia so... :)



If you do you're looking at an initial outlay of ~$200-$250 for products and a lot of reading. Honestly, it's worth every penny and every minute you'll spend being able to maintain your cars appearance yourself (and by maintain, I mean keep it looking incredible). You've definitely come to the right place. First step - check out the host domain (www.autopia-carcare.org) and click "how-to" then start reading. You should be able to tackle everything but the egg on your own, and even the egg once you get good. :)



Then again that's just me. Of course the easier option is to take it to a local detailer, but that's no fun!
 
Picus said:
I suggest doing it yourself, of course you're on Autopia so... :)



If you do you're looking at an initial outlay of ~$200-$250 for products and a lot of reading. Honestly, it's worth every penny and every minute you'll spend being able to maintain your cars appearance yourself (and by maintain, I mean keep it looking incredible). You've definitely come to the right place. First step - check out the host domain (www.autopia-carcare.org) and click "how-to" then start reading. You should be able to tackle everything but the egg on your own, and even the egg once you get good. :)



Then again that's just me. Of course the easier option is to take it to a local detailer, but that's no fun!
Click to expand...



Thats whats I wanted to hear, just nervous about dropping the cash and not being able to get the results I want...I wish I could go rotary cause I know that will do what I need, but I have witnessed first hand what could happen even in the hands of a pro(it was really late, on a Black Astro show van and luckily for all of us the bra fit over the burn, and yes I know I am dating myself :D ) I have read just about everything I can get my hands on, and even watched the Megs how to video a couple of times!



Obviously what I really want is a deep, flawless, dripping wet, walk too close and I'll kill you finish, and I want to get there via the best route. My issue has always been, no matter who I go to, in just about every service business, is that they just don't do it as well as I can, thats why I do all my own stereo work, most mechanicals, etc. I have been burned too many times thinking I am paying an expert to do a job, and then you realize this dude knows half as much as I do about HIS chosen proffession. I make sure I am educated about what I do, but more and more these days(esp. with the Internet) I end up knowing more than the professional. OK rant off. :wall



So looking at the second pic, do you guys think this is a doable job using a PC or by hand? Is Nissan/Infiniti paint considered hard? I also have an 05 Armada in black that I bought new and I need to protect it. It already has some very slight scratching(some from the costco MF that I just bought!)
 
From the sounds of your first post you kind of came off as a DYI'er, I totally understand and approve. I absolutely think that you'll be able to tackle 99% of the swirls/scratches with a PC. In my opinion the best route for you will be the PC, some good polishes, a couple sealants/waxes, the right accessories and some practice. What actual products you use will ultimately be up to you - for everything but that egg mark I think you'll be fine with the PC+a medium cut pad and a moderate-abrasive polish - something like Poorboys SSR2.5, Menzerna IP, Optimum Compound, etc. Obviously you'll want a less abrasive polish to finish and perhaps a glaze to make it oh so shiney... but in terms of actually tackling the swirls/scratches I think most of your work will be done with those medium-abrasive compounds. You might consider investing in some SSR3 for some of the deeper scratches (I get the impression the ones on the roof are slightly deeper?). Before I go on - I think if you try to tackle this by hand you're going to be in for a world of hurt. Just imo, of course. I just think the paint has been too neglected to really ressurect it via hand. A PC is ~$100, and honest to god, I can't think of a better $100 I've spend in the last 5 years.



In terms of the egg - it's really difficult to say what's going on there. I don't think you answered if it was bare metal or not? if so, you'll need to learn how to do touchups and possibly wetsanding. It's not difficult but it requires an additional leap of faith. If it's not to the metal and it's clear coat etching a good polish will likely help it a lot, though I doubt it will eliminate it.



Alright so Infiniti paint. Nissan/Infiniti paint is crap. It's soft, it's thin, and it has a lot of orange peel. The one positive is it's very easy to work on since it is so soft. I'm not sure about the Armada, but I know G35 paint better than I want to. :D (oh, side note - if you don't already and your hood/front bumper are in good shape, get a clear bra. It's so worth it, I can't even tell you.)



And hey, I feel your pain. A little encouragement from a fellow pre-owned G35 owner whose car came with mashed paint - it can be done, trust me!
 
Well Picus, I beleive you've been helping me on the G35 forum. I registered today. All the talk of getting my G35 sedan back to showroom shine seems to have jinxed me. Last night my car was egged and the spot remaining looks exactly like the picture posted here. What a coinceidence! I could litterally kill whoever did this! It's just to the right of the back window. So now, instead of having a paint job that just needs some TLC, I have a completely hosed paint job. I was hoping to get lucky and find that I could fix this with some help from you but I knew I was being overly optimistic since I could feel the tiny chips in the paint after I washed the egg off. I doubt that it would be worth claiming on my insurance and doubt that I could fix it myself. No use in detailing the car now. I guess I'll get some estimates...
 
Hi Ray - I replied over at g35driver.com. I'm sorry to hear about your car being egged, it's a real bummer. :(



Before you opt for a repaint of the panel make sure the egg spot can't be fixed via touch-up paint.
 
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