Best Sealent/Wax for Imperfect Clear Coat

[bradesp]

Guys,

I have just had my dark green 2000' metallic Miata repainted... the result from 10 feet looks awesome, but up close the hood and trunk lid have numerous imperfections... We have wet-sanded and buffed, but sadly there's no way to completely remove the clear coat issues without repainting these panels.

The clear coat issues are related to solvent pop.. essentially a few areas where there are microscopic, pin sized "craters" in the clear coach and a touch of haziness in the finish. Again, to a very casual observer it's looks very shiny.

So, my question is this... are there sealant or wax products that might help help my surface look better cosmetically then it does right now?

[primo spaghetti]

if you just had it repainted, id take it back and have them properly paint it instead of you trying to fix it...

[bradesp]

Primo, trust me , I tried... I made the mistake of going with a small paint shop (single proprietor)... I nearly didn't get my car back... so I was forced to "move on"... I am piecing this Miata back together into something very nice, so I decided I'll re-shoot the car in a year or two after I finish tricking out the interior and mechanical upgrades I have in mind.

[cardaddy]

Guys,

I have just had my dark green 2000' metallic Miata repainted... the result from 10 feet looks awesome, but up close the hood and trunk lid have numerous imperfections... We have wet-sanded and buffed, but sadly there's no way to completely remove the clear coat issues without repainting these panels.

The clear coat issues are related to solvent pop.. essentially a few areas where there are microscopic, pin sized "craters" in the clear coach and a touch of haziness in the finish. Again, to a very casual observer it's looks very shiny.

So, my question is this... are there sealant or wax products that might help help my surface look better cosmetically then it does right now?


Primo, trust me , I tried... I made the mistake of going with a small paint shop (single proprietor)... I nearly didn't get my car back... so I was forced to "move on"... I am piecing this Miata back together into something very nice, so I decided I'll re-shoot the car in a year or two after I finish tricking out the interior and mechanical upgrades I have in mind.

Ouch, that hurts brother!

The craters I bet are due to contamination. The whole idea of "body shop safe" materials is to keep anything and everything from either settling on the surface of the primer, base coat, or even in the air as the clear is being sprayed.

If say someone is using tire shine within a MILE of the spray booth, and the intake air gets a whif of it, it'll fisheye the paint! I had a body shop that had multiple locations I used to do towing for. Well one day some jack leg guy ended up in there bringing cars in, undercutting my rates by half (knowing he wasn't making any money). Next thing you know he was out.... and wanna' know why? He was in the parking lot using aerosol tire shine, SILICONE SPRAY and every car they painted for TWO days was filled with fisheyes! :laughing: (Doesn't have to be aerosol, just that it was silicone.)

All the prep in the world isn't gonna' help if there are contaminates in the air. That shop KNOWS this is their problem and they are figuring you'll just go away. Park in front of the driveway with signs up saying you were ripped of, no warranty, bad service, bad paint, you name it. He'll go freaking nuts! File a BBB complaint as well. May or may not help, but it might. ;)

If it's just the clear, a good wet sand and another couple coats of clear surely wouldn't hurt. Lord knows there are tons of cars out there these days with multiple layers of base, and even more layers of clear. Shoot one or two and sand, then shoot another. At some point it'll be as good as anything else out there.

[swanicyouth]

If it was me, I would polish with Prima Amigo and top it with Banana Gloss. Both hide imperfections and are meant to work together. Also get some Hydro to use as a spray wax.

[VroomVroom]

I think you're going to notice it no matter what....the curse of the vehicle owner who chases after perfection. :)

That said, for a bit of peace of mind, I'd recommend Poorboys Black Hole glaze and Natty's Blue wax. They make for a nice one-two punch for applications like this, and they won't break the bank. Natty's Blue is surprisingly durable as well. Good luck...

[bradesp]

Thanks guys.. I'll look into the suggested products! Key the sogo's coming.

Cardaddy, I think you're right... I've taken the car to some other painters for a second opinion and one said if it we're him he'd sand, and re-shoot 3-4 coats of clear with a blender on the first to insure a proper "melt" of the new clear into the current clear. Then wetsand and buff. Since I bought the car to have fun on weekends with the top down, I plan to re-shoot the clear in late July/early August when it's hot and humid here in Raleigh.

[rmagnus]

The only tru fix is a respray. Too bad the paint shop won't stand behind their work. There are several reasons for those pinholes none of them are valid and experienced painters don't make these mistakes.

It's difficult to sand down the clear far enough without going into the base coat. Blender is a good idea but not fool proof. As card addy said you want to make sure there are no contaminants on the surface before respraying.

Make sure the catalyst is the right temperature for the climate you are spraying in. If the solvents cooks off too fast you you'll get pin holes in the finish.

[vegas911gts]

I'd try cg black light. It hides a lot of scratches.