Wetsanded for First Time - Need Expert Review - Huge Photos

L

Landerholm

New member
I have had this scratch on the door of my M3 and finally got up the courage to wetsand it. I applied touchup paint with a toothpick and let it dry for 48 hours. (Actually I tried Langka 3 times before that but the blob eliminator turned my blob into a divot). I used 3M 2,000 grit "wetsanding" sand paper exclusively around an eraser. I let it soak for 3 hours in water/carwash solution prior.



I rewetted the panel after each pass with the sandpaper with my carwash/water spray bottle (was this necessary? It made it glide much more smoothly). I spend maybe 65% of the sanding time getting rid of the blob, and ~35% of the time making sure it was 100% smooth. (Did I go through the clear doing this!?)





Now im not sure if I took off too much clear or not enough! And my door is all hazey and my poor car is ruined!!! Im feeling very emotional right now!!!



I read the tutorial by the member who wetsanded his black G35 sedan. He said not to freak out but Im freaking out!!!



The reason I think I took too much off or not enough is because of the light spots, shown in one of the photos (near bottom). This cant be good!!! (The first few photos are of before I touched the scratch).



Photos:

http://home.comcast.net/~carpedieme/Scratch/Scratch.htm



Oh BTW Im a new member and its nice to meet everyone
 
Thank you for the reply. I am planning on going over it with my PC and a cutting pad starting with 3M Perfect-It II. Does it look like Ive gone thru the clearcoat in those patches, or that I need to sand more? The scratch is completely smooth to the fingernail (You can see numerous faint marks from me feeling it).



I also have clearcoat touchup. Should I apply this over the scratch and re-sand?
 
i think its too late for a clear coat maybe? i fyou do, you'd have to sand again.. But yes you have to go over with a rubbing compound to get the haze out.
 
Landerholm said:
Thank you for the reply. I am planning on going over it with my PC and a cutting pad starting with 3M Perfect-It II. Does it look like Ive gone thru the clearcoat in those patches, or that I need to sand more? The scratch is completely smooth to the fingernail (You can see numerous faint marks from me feeling it).



I also have clearcoat touchup. Should I apply this over the scratch and re-sand?
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I would also apply the clear coat as well Landerholm (I used and airbrush). I had the same issue with my M3 (was keyed in two places). I had a posting on the forums with before and after pics along with my steps. As for the hazing, it can be removed with polishing even if you don't clear coat it. I was able to get all the hazing out with the Sonus 1/2 products. I'll try to find my thread and post it.





Here is the link.. http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?t=69195
 
Thanks for the replies. People like keying these M3s! I guess I can go ahead and put some clear on top, but Im worried that by the time Ive sanded down the blob from the clear, Ill have sanded thru the surrounding factory clear?



How do I know if I can afford to go over it again with sandpaper?
 
Landerholm said:
Thanks for the replies. People like keying these M3s! I guess I can go ahead and put some clear on top, but Im worried that by the time Ive sanded down the blob from the clear, Ill have sanded thru the surrounding factory clear?



How do I know if I can afford to go over it again with sandpaper?
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Landerholm



I used an airbrush to apply the clear coat. The clear will need to be thinned with the correct paint thinner; I took my bottle of clear to an auto paint supplier and they where able to give me the correct thinner. I masked the area around the “hazy� spot with painters tape and also covered the car with an old sheet to protect from over spray. Make sure you spray over the scratch well and feather out the clear as you get further away from the scratch. I allowed the clear to cure for 2 hours then wet sanded with 2000 grit, followed with Sonus SFX-1, and SFX-2. Go very slowly over the repair with the polishes and the wet sanding marks will come right out.
 
It looks like you went through on the right side end if the scratch.



Paint is not an option, then leave it touched up. Once you take a compund to that the thinner areas will get even thinner and you will see more primer and maybe metal.



Depending on the year of the car (2004-2006) and location of the scratch (will an adjacent panel need to be painted to make the blend look good) you will de-value the car $500 per panel painted. Then include the cost to paint at $300 per panel, and you have sometihng to think about.



But if you think this is a car that needs to keep its original paint for resale, think of this - the guy buying it will see the scratch and know he has to repiaint it and take that into consideration when he offers you a price.



Take it to a pro. Let them compund it and touch it up.





Please Note: The de-value price is $500 per panel on a car like an M3, 997, SL500, etc. Lower priced cars do not take this big of a price hit. Most vehicles are hit $100-200 for repainted panels.
 
jsatek said:
Depending on the year of the car (2004-2006) and location of the scratch (will an adjacent panel need to be painted to make the blend look good) you will de-value the car $500 per panel painted. Then include the cost to paint at $300 per panel, and you have sometihng to think about.



But if you think this is a car that needs to keep its original paint for resale, think of this - the guy buying it will see the scratch and know he has to repiaint it and take that into consideration when he offers you a price.



Take it to a pro. Let them compund it and touch it up.





Please Note: The de-value price is $500 per panel on a car like an M3, 997, SL500, etc. Lower priced cars do not take this big of a price hit. Most vehicles are hit $100-200 for repainted panels.
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I don't understand how getting a panel painted could devalue a car.



Do you not have professional body shops in your area?



My family has been using the same shop for years. They use the highest quality paints, and blend the repair across a large area and you would never be able to tell that it was not the factory paint.



I'd rather buy a used M3 with what appeared to be perfect paint top and bottom than scratched factory paint.
 
Thanks for the replies. I am proceeding to get rid of the haze from the 2000 grit sandpaper. I will be using my PC and a yellow cutting pad.... Will 3M Perfect-It II be able to get rid of the haze? What speed should I be working at?



Thanks!
 
I went over it with the Perfect-It II. In one pass it took away all the haze from sanding! It looked just like it did before I touched it! I was amazed. The clearcoat survived perfectly, but the scratch is not flush with the paint anymore. I need to go over it with clear and wait a week or so for that to dry hard before wetsanding the blob off?
 
paul79uf said:
I don't understand how getting a panel painted could devalue a car.



Do you not have professional body shops in your area?



My family has been using the same shop for years. They use the highest quality paints, and blend the repair across a large area and you would never be able to tell that it was not the factory paint.



I'd rather buy a used M3 with what appeared to be perfect paint top and bottom than scratched factory paint.
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Painting a panel devalues a car for many reasons:

1. Its not original anymore

2. The reapir may comprimise later in time. Who knows who did it and how.

3. What was the reason for the repair? Was there just a scratch or was the entire panel damaged?

4. Even the best shops work can be detected by a professional.



My family has owned a multi-franchise new car dealership for 36 years. This is how you put a price on a used car. I was the used car manager for 8 years and managed the body shop for 5 years. We have a 20 car body shop on site that uses Glasurit paint. (Top 2 paint systems in the world)
 
I was going to say, I don't think you've cut through - you just haven't polished out the sanding marks. I recently wetsanded the whole side of my S2000 (a repaint, not original paint) but even so, you really do sort of have to work at it with 2000 grit to kill the clear.



It definitely looks like you've flattened out the orange peel in that section, tho :D



See, they said not to freak and you freaked. :)



I'm glad it worked out for you. Now just make sure to carefully examine the area with a bright high-wattage incandescent bulb to make sure you've eliminated the sanding marks with your polishing.



Definitely keep the area wet so that the paper glides over the surface - apply LIGHT EVEN pressure and check your work often. The clear may be thinned significantly in that area, but it looks like you did a pretty decent job for a first timer :) Just take it easy and slow and check your work often.
 
Landerholm said:
I went over it with the Perfect-It II. In one pass it took away all the haze from sanding! It looked just like it did before I touched it! I was amazed. The clearcoat survived perfectly, but the scratch is not flush with the paint anymore. I need to go over it with clear and wait a week or so for that to dry hard before wetsanding the blob off?
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I told you not to freak out. :)



Really, I'm surprised I missed this thread but glad I found it now since you seem to be referring to my writeup. It really can be stressful when you're done sanding, it *always* looks much worse than it is. The key is to do it in steps if you're unsure. Sand, polish, sand, polish until it's perfect.



A couple thoughts to make it easier next time:



1) Spraying water/soap often is a good thing. It removes paint particulate and keeps the area lubed. Keep doing that.



2) Try to find some 2500 or 3000 grit, removing the marring is not only easier but it's harder to make a mistake.



3) After sanding, regardless of how it looks, polish. If you've gone through the clear polish won't hurt (since you're already screwed). Like you, most folks are susprised when they polish.



4) It's actually *difficult* to go through the clear. 2000-3000 grit is very fine, so if you're careful and apply no pressure you really need to *try* to create a problem.



Regarding your specific scratch - how far below the level of the existing paint are you? The original depth of the scratch or just a tiny bit? If you're far enough down that clear won't put you over the existing, do one more color layer then clear. If you're close just clear it, wait 48 hours and sand again. Remember, touch up shrinks, so before you sand you want the ENTIRE touch up to be above the level of the existing paint. If it isn't you'll be left with a shallow spot which is a total bummer.



Cheers.



edit - check this bad boy out. Imagine the look on the owners face before I polished. :) :soscared:



http://gtaindetail.com/pics/01s4051806/photo7.jpg
 
Thank you for the replies! After I polished it, I could actually feel the scratch with my nail a little bit. I think this is because I only waited 24 hours after applying the paint, and using the narrow side of the eraser to level down a majority of the blob. (It may have dug into the scratch a little). I have just been letting it harden for a few days, and today I am going to use clear for the final coat to bring it flush. I will let that dry 2 or 3 days and do the final wetsand. The original scratch was very deep and well into the primer. No metal though.
 
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