Did I just ruin my hood?

[watermark]

I was working on my wife's 2007 Pathfinder today (black), and something has gone really wrong.:confused:

Used the 2 bucket method with Dawn to strip everything off the paint. Clayed the whole car using Z6 as a lube. Then, using the 7424xp and an Orange pad (speed of 5), I started polishing the right fender with Optimum Hyper Polish spray. Came out great! Did the hood, and looked great at first, but as soon as I pulled it into the sun there are marks everywhere!! They look like tiny cracks or scratches, and everyone of them has a little point, like a star. They weren't there before. Anybody know either what they are, or what I can do to fix them?

The first three are of the hood, and the fourth is of the fender.

Feed back pleaseFeed back please

[tuscarora dave]

That is called checking or crows feet and they were in fact there before, you just didn't see them because they weren't filled with polish and or wax residue. Sorry to say that they will have to be sanded down and filled then the car will need to be repainted to make this go away. I had a hood with these and for investigative purposes I wet sanded to see how deep they were and they were clean into the primer. I don't know what causes them but I do know that they can't be rubbed out and that they were in fact there before you started. As much as it sucks to hear this, you can be assured that you did not cause this directly by what you just did to the car. If anything I would believe that this is a result of the car at some point in it's life being left unprotected for long periods of time.

[dublifecrisis]

Crows feet? You Sure they were not there already?

[dougaross]

That is called checking or crows feet and they were in fact there before, you just didn't see them because they weren't filled with polish and or wax residue. Sorry to say that they will have to be sanded down and filled then the car will need to be repainted to make this go away. I had a hood with these and for investigative purposes I wet sanded to see how deep they were and they were clean into the primer. I don't know what causes them but I do know that they can't be rubbed out and that they were in fact there before you started. As much as it sucks to hear this, you can be assured that you did not cause this directly by what you just did to the car. If anything I would believe that this is a result of the car at some point in it's life being left unprotected for long periods of time.

I are you sure these are not pigtails?
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/hot-topics-frequently-asked-questions/22234-tracers-rids-pigtails-cobweb-swirls-rotary-buffer-swirls-holograms-water-spots-bird-droping-etchings-micro-marring.html

[tuscarora dave]

I are you sure these are not pigtails?
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/hot-topics-frequently-asked-questions/22234-tracers-rids-pigtails-cobweb-swirls-rotary-buffer-swirls-holograms-water-spots-bird-droping-etchings-micro-marring.html
100% sure, Ive seen enough of them to spot them from 10 feet away.

[C. Charles Hahn]

100% sure, Ive seen enough of them to spot them from 10 feet away.

I agree with your assessment 100% as well.

[watermark]

Thanks Dave, that's what I was afraid of. It's my wife's car, and to say that she doesn't take care of it would be an understatement. I gave up washing it years ago, as she simply trashes it on a regular basis. I thought I would give it a coat of Rejex for the winter as a surprise, and it looks like I've made it worse! Anything that I can do to at least lessen it (glaze)?

[BobbyG]

Checking is typically caused from the paint being applied too thick and or improperly. It can also be caused but the substrate surface not being cleaned enough and the paint didn't adhere properly and it is pulling away.

Have you had the car repainted?

[tuscarora dave]

I've had some success in reducing the visual ugliness of them by a process of wash, clay, soak with rubbing alcohol continuously dabbing them with an alcohol soaked sponge then blasting the dissolved residue out of the fracture with an electric pressure washer. A gas pressure washer would possibly be too much pressure and blast the paint right off of the hood. The Coin Op car wash wands are a safe bet in using this process as they are not too powerful. You shouldn't have a problem considering the small size of the fractures but understand that there is that risk. After effectively removing the residue I top that panel with a clear product like Opti seal or DG Aquawax would be a good choice. Good luck with it.

[watermark]

Bobby, it's stock, never been repainted. I'm guessing it's due to my wife's insistence on only cleaning it about twice a year. Never heard of crow's feet before, but I guess you live and learn.

Any idea if wiping it with alcohol can at least get rid of the polish out of the cracks, or am I pretty much screwed?

[watermark]

I've had some success in reducing the visual ugliness of them by a process of wash, clay, soak with rubbing alcohol continuously dabbing them with an alcohol soaked sponge then blasting the dissolved residue out of the fracture with an electric pressure washer. A gas pressure washer would possibly be too much pressure and blast the paint right off of the hood. The Coin Op car wash wands are a safe bet in using this process as they are not too powerful. You shouldn't have a problem considering the small size of the fractures but understand that there is that risk. After effectively removing the residue I top that panel with a clear product like Opti seal or DG Aquawax would be a good choice. Good luck with it.

Thanks Dave. Just so that I'm clear, don't try to wax or seal the hood? Only use my Opti Seal?

[tuscarora dave]

Thanks Dave. Just so that I'm clear, don't try to wax or seal the hood? Only use my Opti Seal?
You're welcome. What I am saying is that anything with any color to it will fill the cracks with residue again. This includes any type or color of carnauba wax as carnauba is white to begin with. Opti Seal and/or Aquawax is a clear Polymer sealant that will not turn white as it hazes or dries. Opti Seal will have more durability than Aquawax. The process I outlined above is very tedious and time consuming and you will only want to do it once.

[watermark]

Dave, you saved me. A huge thanks!!:xyxthumbs:

I spent WAY too much time wiping with IPA, and I also clayed the hood twice. I didn't want to use the pressure washer as I was afraid of damaging the paint further. However, after a couple of hours, I reduced the damage by about 80%. Two coats of OptiSeal, and I'm done. Thanks again Dave.

This is the best forum to come to for answers to all things relating detailing! Im the MAN

[buddhadog]

I was detailing a ford explorer and had the same thing happen to the hood after I waxed it it looked really bad with cracks everywhere that did not show up before.

I used a black colored wax to cover it up . It worked pretty well.

[tuscarora dave]

Dave, you saved me. A huge thanks!!:xyxthumbs:

I spent WAY too much time wiping with IPA, and I also clayed the hood twice. I didn't want to use the pressure washer as I was afraid of damaging the paint further. However, after a couple of hours, I reduced the damage by about 80%. Two coats of OptiSeal, and I'm done. Thanks again Dave.

This is the best forum to come to for answers to all things relating detailing! Im the MAN
My pleasure, you did a knockout job of reversing that little quagmire. The SUV looks really nice!!