Orange Peel on OEM Paint

[oneseba]

I've searched but most of the posts mention of orange peel to be results of a bad repaint job. What about those that came with the car, are these correctable? If so what needs to be done? I have orange peel on the side panels (back passenger doors, black paint).

[BigFloppy]

You're NOT ALONE

most OEM paint jobs have orange-peel, Meguiars specifically address this point on their website and say ... DO NOT try wetsanding OEM paint to remove orange-peel as you'll probably end up destroying your paint.. PERIOD

Sorry mate, live with it

[StephenK]

You're NOT ALONE

most OEM paint jobs have orange-peel, Meguiars specifically address this point on their website and say ... DO NOT try wetsanding OEM paint to remove orange-peel as you'll probably end up destroying your paint.. PERIOD

Sorry mate, live with it

:whs::whs::whs:

that is the one thing i hate most when we repaint a car and wetsand then buff it out. it really makes the factory orange peel show.

[oneseba]

Oh well, thanks for the info anyways.

[DFT Details]

It is possible to bring factory orange peel down and make it much less apparent. It is true that if you do not have a ton of wet sanding experience, you will ruin the paint as you will destroy your clear coat. 3M has a D/A sanding method that allows you to orbitally wet sand with 3000 grit discs. This method is very effective, but requires superior experience and you MUST gauge the thickness of the factory clear coat, which depending on the make/model is typically as thin as paper!! beware!!!

[BigFloppy]

OK, here's a hijack in the making....

What's the thickness of your paint?
I can start with Black 05 Mustang.. PTG shows me 5.5

[DFT Details]

Typically, a factory paint job lands somewhere between 4.0 - 6.0 mils thick. The clear coat portion of this number is usually 1.5 - 2.3 mils of that number. If yours lands at 5.0, you could safely guess that your clear coat is at about 1.9 mils. Before you begin wetsanding, I would recommend starting at the rear decklid for thickness measurement initial testing. (If you foul up bad, the trunk is a lot less expensive to repaint than the hood) Do a section on the lighter side, then remeasure that section. You will see how much you have removed safely and then can keep that consistency throughout the rest of your car. Factory Techs say that 25-30% of the clear coat can be removed without risking long term damage. Hope this helps!!!! Good Luck!!!

[David Fermani]

Every car produced has OP. Even Ferarris, Lambos and Bentleys. Lambos & Bentleys are even hand painted and get wet sanded & polished at the factory and still aren't totally flat. Removing enough clear to remove all (or close to it) the OP on a factory finish will almost surely destroy the paint's UV protection and cause the base coat to eventually fade and shed the CC off. If you're planning on trying this repair, a paint thickness guage and rotary buffer is almost mandatory.

[Surfer]

All cars have it now b/c of paint rules, I was behind a Rolls Phantom, black, that had horrible orange peel. The older Vipers (Gen II) had pry the best factory paint I've ever seen from a factory, my 01' had basically no OP at all. But now even the newer ones have some.

Wetsanding etc generally doesn't work, as most of the time its the paint under the clear that didn't set or wasn't applied correctly. It can help alleviate it some though, you just have to figure out how thick the paint is to get an idea if you should wetsand or not.

[ScottB]

wet sanding can reduce most OP but as offered can reduce the protection and thickness of paint and clear coats.

[The Skillmaster]

Wetsanding etc generally doesn't work, as most of the time its the paint under the clear that didn't set or wasn't applied correctly. It can help alleviate it some though, you just have to figure out how thick the paint is to get an idea if you should wetsand or not.
That about sums it up.

[swlamedic]

I don't mean to high jack, but I have a question pertaining to orange peel.

I plan on wash, clay, WG Total Swirl Remover, Finish Polish, Sealant and then Pinnicle Souvern.

I noticed OP on my trunk lid. Should I spend the time detailing my car and will this make the OP look better or worst?

[tnxm42]

My 2012 titan looks like a feel out of the orange tree and hit every branch down. I just live with it