Scratch removal and opinions

[Mitch7c]

I bought a 12 silverado back in 2012 and have always had a pain keeping it scratch free.(BLACK METALLIC) This past winter I bought a Porter Cable 7424xp and practiced on my spare door to test on. Was using a chemical guys hex logic orange pad and their VSS line. Came out with good results in my eyes, and ended up doing our farm truck and felt pretty confident. I ended up doing my truck a couple months ago I did my whole truck and it came out good to me. I topped it with CG black light sealant and then jet seal and it still shines pretty good to this day.

Anyways... my question is " How much clear coat do I have left or do I have to worry about?"

To cover the find scratches I see now would I be better off going with a glaze to try hiding them?

I want to invest in a Paint depthness gun but I don't know if I wanna drop the kind of cash right now.

I also talked to a chemical guys representative and was told I had 5 to 6 times of doing that procedure before I had to worry.

Thanks

[GSKR]

Heavey correction takes a toll on paint.just polishing every 6 months lightly keeping your truck maintained in between ,you won't have any promblems.

[LSNAutoDetailing]

Anyways... my question is " How much clear coat do I have left or do I have to worry about?"

I also talked to a chemical guys representative and was told I had 5 to 6 times of doing that procedure before I had to worry.

Thanks

This is the age old question... See Mike Phillips reply on a similar thread:
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...ml#post1366823

The only true way to tell how many mil's your removing is to actually take accurate measurements in test spots, which is tough for most of the hand held gauges. It's also tough to get the same reading from the same spot. You'd have to get into the $$$$.$$ range with computer analytical software and microscopes to get consecutively accurate readings.

I measure in microns because they're more granular. I know on my garage queen, a 2005 Mustang GT Conert, I've taken measurements that are average 140 microns, or about 5-6 mils... pretty standard on factory paint. I've gone over the car at least 5 times now and I'm still averaging between 135-140 microns....

I can tell you this... GM paint is rock solid... I have a 2008 Malibu LTZ V6 DD with 140K miles on her. I can't kill this car, nor can I kill the paint. I've wet sanded scratches, I've used heavy rubbing compound to spot buff out DEEP scratches, wet sanded the bumper, compounded out deep scratches, and gone over the car at least 3 or 4 times since with Menzerna FG400, HD Speed, Pinnacle Advanced Swirl & Scratch Compound, Pinnacle Advanced Polish,... etc... The Malibu is my "test car"... I don't use a product until I get first hand knowledge of it using my Malibu as the subject. She looks awesome and I get so many compliments....

On another note, the model of the car has a lot to do with this too... My wife's Honda has an average of about 90 - 100 microns of very soft paint. I will not be trying to obtain a show car finish with this car... Usually just a good AIO, HD Speed or the new BOSS Finishing Sealant and a coat of Collinite 476 or 915 will make this car turn heads.

Anyway, I think you're fine... Once you've eliminated 80% of the defects with your first detail session, at this point a few more passes should get you to where you want to be, but at that point maintenance is really the key so you don't have to invest the HOURS it takes to do the whole truck. More for the sake of your arms and patients of your significant other, rather than your paint.

The best advice I can give is for you to get Mike Phillip's book, "Complete Guide To A Show Car Shine", it unlocks the the knowledge you need to make decisions on product, technique, skill and making the right choices.

Hope all this helps...


p.s. I edited this post and took a lot out because GSKR said it all in his post with one sentence... How does he do that? :-)

[Mitch7c]

That helped. I've heard gm paint is rock solid and just never knew. I don't wanna have to get it repainted Is all. I've owned it since new and never had any heavy buffing done on it. The vss which breaks down to a final polish is the most I've used on it. Never had paint come on my pad or anything like that. I have some heavier scratches due to using it on the farm but they're not bothering me to an extent because I drive the truck. I'm hoping a couple other guys will chime in also to get a true group of answers but thank you! And I use the other farm truck and impala as a test vehicle also haha

[Crispy]

You have to know what you are working with. Otherwise trial and ERROR. I know my own car panel by panel, but I'm still learning. If you have access to a test panel then begin there. Divide it up and blast away (over sanded, over compound etc.). Next time you work on paint look at your test panel. I try to remove 80% of the defect by sanding and then buff out the last 20% (more gentle).