Is it possible to remove etching with a PC?

I

imported_SHICKS

New member
Hi,



Both of my cars have what appears to be etching, which looks like it is almost below the clear coat. Both cars have lived outdoors for the past 5 years, but now I have an incredible heated garage with decent lighting. Now I can see every little imperfection. I have tried a bunch of different pad/polish combo's with no sucess.



Is it possible to remove etching with a PC? Under the lights, my hood looks terrible no matter how much I polish. I can get it very glossy, but cannot remove the etching.



Any suggestions?



Thanks,

Steve
 
Yeah it sucks.

I just tackled a few etchings on my trucks hood and of course i started with the least aggresive method. Next thing ya know i was wetsanding. Then buffed with the rotary. It removed 80% of the etchings but the last 20% was way to deep to safely remove. Sometimes its best just to live with the imperfections.
 
Thanks,



The sad part is, the paint is only 2 years old on the hood with proper care, but it could just be the aftermarket paint job from an accident, although it is one of the best repaints I have seen in a while. The 4Runner is dark green so I can see the etching more clearly, but my BMW is grey which hides about anything.



Steve



Coupe said:
Yeah it sucks.

I just tackled a few etchings on my trucks hood and of course i started with the least aggresive method. Next thing ya know i was wetsanding. Then buffed with the rotary. It removed 80% of the etchings but the last 20% was way to deep to safely remove. Sometimes its best just to live with the imperfections.
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joshtpa said:
It might not be etching. What pads and polishes have you tried? What kind of car is it?
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Toyota 4Runner, repainted after an accident 2 years ago, so not factory paint in the hood.



Last night I tried, OCH with orange LC pad then SSR2.5 with orange pad.



I also have a yellow SFX pad. Those are my most agressive products. I used to have IP, but sold it. I have Klasse AIO, Zaio, and a bunch of other light polishes.



Steve.
 
KAIO and ZAIO are not polishes, but you might want to try 2.5 with the yellow pad and see if that works. Are you waiting for the polish to break down?
 
joshtpa said:
KAIO and ZAIO are not polishes, but you might want to try 2.5 with the yellow pad and see if that works. Are you waiting for the polish to break down?
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Yea, I'm working it pretty good, basically until it's gone. I've been using a PC for more than 2 years, but I just never really tried to tackle this type of defect before. I have done major swirl correction on black, but these marks are killing me. Yea, I know the AIO is not a polish, Just thought I would throw it in there just in case someone said to do a rain dance while appying AIO with a brick or something.
 
joshtpa said:
KAIO and ZAIO are not polishes, but you might want to try 2.5 with the yellow pad and see if that works. Are you waiting for the polish to break down?
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He tried OHC with an orange pad. The most aggressive combo would be HTEC/Yellow cutting pad or 3m extra cut/yellow cutting pad.
 
wannafbody said:
He tried OHC with an orange pad. The most aggressive combo would be HTEC/Yellow cutting pad or 3m extra cut/yellow cutting pad.
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Would I be getting into dangerous territory with the 3m? Like damaging the clear if I over do it? I think the local autoparts store might have that.





I'll give the OHC or 2.5 shot with the yellow pad. I seem to have better luck with the SSR2.5 than OHC.



Steve
 
The 3M PI-III EC 05936 is pretty aggressive stuff, and I'd only use it by rotary. By PC I'd worry that the hazing from the initial cut would be so severe (and the breaking down of the product so incomplete) that you'd never get it fixed. So at least go very cautiously if you try that stuff. I'd only try it with 4" pads too, not larger ones.



If the etching is machine-correctable at all, it's gonna take something mighty aggressive and that'll take off a lot of clear. I'd generally recommend wetsanding instead, and FWIW I left the etching alone on my wife's A8 after some aggressive rotary work didn't do anything.



The AutoInt Paint Correction Creme is made for jobs like this and is rotary-only. IIRC they claim it takes off so much clear that you have to be careful about any subsequent correction of the paint...for ever. I'd rather have plenty of clearcoat myself, etched or not.
 
Thanks, I'm just gonna leave it alone for now. Once I get it all polished up and have mulitiple layers of LSP of choice it looks great, just the pesky flourecent lights reveal everything in the garage.



Steve



Accumulator said:
The 3M PI-III EC 05936 is pretty aggressive stuff, and I'd only use it by rotary. By PC I'd worry that the hazing from the initial cut would be so severe (and the breaking down of the product so incomplete) that you'd never get it fixed. So at least go very cautiously if you try that stuff. I'd only try it with 4" pads too, not larger ones.



If the etching is machine-correctable at all, it's gonna take something mighty aggressive and that'll take off a lot of clear. I'd generally recommend wetsanding instead, and FWIW I left the etching alone on my wife's A8 after some aggressive rotary work didn't do anything.



The AutoInt Paint Correction Creme is made for jobs like this and is rotary-only. IIRC they claim it takes off so much clear that you have to be careful about any subsequent correction of the paint...for ever. I'd rather have plenty of clearcoat myself, etched or not.
Click to expand...
 
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