Wet Sand and Buff Information

S

S13Nissan240SX

New member
Hey all,

I just had my car repainted and it was recommended to me by the paint shop that I wait 30 days and then have the car wet sanded and buffed. I do not understand this process and I was hoping one of you could clarify a few things for me. What sort of benefits will I get out of a wet sand and buff given that the car is just painted? Also, how do you do this? Do you actually sand the freshly painted surface? Are there any things I should be concerned about? Any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.



Best wishes,

Matt
 
I think the quality of the paint job I recieved is quite good. I think there may be some "orange peel" but definitely not very much. I was under the impression that most high quality paint jobs were finished with a wet sand and buff. Is this wrong?



Thanks,

Matt
 
Hi Matt,



The body shop you had this painted at should do the wet-sanding and buffing and it should have been figured into the bill when you and he discussed what would be done and for how much.



Wet-sanding is a lot of work and if you don't know what you're doing, you can get into a lot of trouble real fast.



Not only that, while you didn't list what type of paint was used, in most cases, most wet-sanding and buffing is done the next day while the paint is still soft enough to sand and buff.



The longer you wait, the harder the paint becomes and the harder your sanding marks will be to remove, thus the danger.



You need to do something NOW!



Either you decide to do it now, or take it back to him and tell him it is not within your ability to wet-sand and buff.



(Do you know anything about it? Like whose sandpaper are you going to use, whose chemical line are you going to use, wool pads, foam cutting pads, etc.



Mike Phillips



p.s.



Here is a tip: Don't sand where you cannot safely run the rotary buffer, i.e. next to body lines, around louvers, etc.
 
The paint shop I went to did not have the facilities to do a wet sand and buff. They did recommend a detail shop to do the work though. I specifically asked for the sand and buff but since they didn't offer it, it was never factored into the cost of the paint job.



Perhaps I should call up the detailer now and see what he recommends. If he thinks now is the time, I'll do it.



Thanks for your help,

Matt
 
Geez, not only was the body-shop incapable of doing a proper repaint, they gave you BAD ADVICE on how to finish what they started.



Keep us posted on how things go.
 
It sounded to me like they were concerned about it being perfectally clean. They mentioned they could do it out back but that the detail shop would do a better job. As for the paint job, I think it came out rather nice. I doubt whether I really need the sand and buff, but if it'll make things even better, then I'll do it.



Thanks for all your help and advice,

Matt
 
Meguiar's recently put out a new video called,



"How to remove paint defects"



This video covers "Hand" wet-sanding, and then removing your sanding marks using the Meguiar's paint polishing system.



If you have never wet-sanded a car, I would suggest watching the video. You can always substitue someone elses compounds, polishes and foam pads to do the work.



I would however, recommend using the Meguiar's "Nikken" Unigrit sanding papers. They will reduce the amount of "Tracers" you put in and make buffing your sanding marks out easier and faster, no matter who's products you use.



You can get a copy by going to any PBE store and ordering a copy.



(PBE stands for Paint, Body and Equipment, they are the auto parts store in your community that also sells "Paint" to your local body shops and Dealerships)



Go to the counter and ask the counter person for a copy of Meguiar's new video, part number, PES101V



If he doesn't have it in stock, the "Warehouse" he orders his Meguiar's from should have it in stock, and he can have it for you in a day.



Suggested Retail Price is $9.95



I wrote the script for this video ;) and I honestly think it will help you understand what's involved and how to do the job right the first time



Hope this helps...



Mike
 
Mike, will the unigrit finishing papers work on the new factory "hard clear coat" finishes?
 
Sorry for not getting back to you, I just discovered your post this morning.



Yes.



Try to stick with the #3000 grit, or #2500 grit, it will make buffing your sanding marks out easier.



Even if you sand with #2500, make a few follow-up passes with the #3000 grit.





I would recommmend soaking your papers overnight also, not just "dip & sand".



Mike
 
Mike Phillips said:
Sorry for not getting back to you, I just discovered your post this morning.



Yes.



Try to stick with the #3000 grit, or #2500 grit, it will make buffing your sanding marks out easier.



Even if you sand with #2500, make a few follow-up passes with the #3000 grit.





I would recommmend soaking your papers overnight also, not just "dip & sand".



Mike
Click to expand...



Thanks for the reply. I actually tried the procedure last week after viewing your detailing tape. The unigrit worked well. There is some improvement but I think the peel problem goes down into the base coat since it's still visible from one angle even though the clear coat looks very smooth from the opposite direction. It's livable now but I'm thinking the car deserves a good quality re-paint in the long run once I can part with the $4-$5k required to do that.
 
When they painted the area, did they put it in an oven to cure the paint? If so, you can sand, if not, you have to wait for all the VOC's to leave the paint.



Wet sanding does take time and experience, but it can be done depending on what type of painting as done (color or 3 step clearcoat) Wet sanding clearcoat just does that, levels the clear, but if the defect is under the clear, no sense in sanding, take it back and have them resolve it.



Kind of odd that they left the car without sanding and polishing to final finish. Did they do this to reduce cost? Otherwise, take it back, let them do the work to finish it. Inspect it and see if it is what you paid for.



Without proper tools and experience, you can run into trouble and get frustrated.



Regards,

Deanski
 
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