What is this and how can I fix it?

[omgboost]

I have these white scratches on my door and I don't know the term for this. Can anyone help and provide some insight on how to remove it? I've been over it with M105/M205 on orange and white pads, respectively. Don't think I made any progress.

[AutowerxDetailing]

In that area the paint is fracturing apart. This happens when a corrosive substance sits on the paint for an extended period of time which causes the binders and resins in the paint to separate. When this occurs it looks like a spiderweb of fractures like in your photo. If you look at the damage with a microscope you will see it more clearly that it is not scratches but actually the paint system failing. Unfortunately, it is impossible to remove these types of blemishes by traditional polishing. Even wet sanding will not work because the damage could be down through the entire paint system.

[GSKR]

Looks like rust coming thru hard to see the pic

[omgboost]

Thanks for the reply Nicholas. I've attached a screenshot of the spot zoomed in on my phone, hopefully it looks clearer. I don't remember anything sitting on the paint other than bird poop and I am pretty quick to wipe it off. Sucks that there isn't much I can do about it, it sure will bother me everytime I look at it. Will that spot vet bigger over time?

[GSKR]

Yes sir,what year is the car a lot of factory warranty are 5 years?

[AutowerxDetailing]

Zoomed in it looks exactly like what happens when a bird dropping is left to dwell on the paint. It's crazy how fast a bird dropping can etch into the paint and cause irreparable damage. You have to get that stuff off quick! In my experience fracturing like this does not spread. It remains localized to the area that was covered with whatever substance caused the damage.

[GSKR]

I gotta tell u looks like a beehive with all the little holes ,this is a first for me strange,still can't really see 100 percent.Rub you're index finger gently over it then look ,do u have a rusted residue left.

[GSKR]

i wouldn't mess with it .

[GSKR]

Autowerx how do you survive in the winter,when I was in ny I was working at a little hand car wash. we did so many car washes at 15 a pop which really deosnt amount to much ,we got hit hard fri sat only,what's your plan do u put away cash for that season ?

[AutowerxDetailing]

Several months ago I declined a job at one of our dealer accounts that was covered with severe etching and paint fracturing. I knew without even touching the paint that it couldn't be saved; however, they still wanted us to try... so, we did a test spot to test my theory (that the marks were too deep to repair).

I documented the process with pictures.

These etchings were everywhere across the hood, roof, and trunk. The previous owner must have never washed the car. This picture is actually after a test spot with an aggressive compound, so there are really no scratches or swirls but still etch marks remaining.
http://autowerxdetailing.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/2015-03-16-16.27.18.jpg

Before going any further we measured the clear coat thickness to make sure there was enough film build to attempt further repair.
http://autowerxdetailing.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/2015-03-16-16.25.53.jpg

After machine wet sanding with 1500g the etching and paint fracturing still remains...
http://autowerxdetailing.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/2015-03-16-16.38.56.jpg

We removed approximately 10 microns of paint wet sanding.
http://autowerxdetailing.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/2015-03-16-16.38.46.jpg

This is what the etching looks like under a 200x electric microscope. The very fine lines are actually sanding marks. The thick lines are where the paint is literally fracturing apart due to a chemical reaction with probably bird dropping residue left to dwell for an extended amount of time.
http://autowerxdetailing.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/2015-03-16-17.11.34.jpg

After sanding and compounding the area we were able to reduce the appearance of the etching; however it was impossible to completely remove.
http://autowerxdetailing.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/2015-03-16-16.58.59.jpg

[AutowerxDetailing]

Autowerx how do you survive in the winter,when I was in ny I was working at a little hand car wash. we did so many car washes at 15 a pop which really deosnt amount to much ,we got hit hard fri sat only,what's your plan do u put away cash for that season ?

We stay busy year around with paint correction and coating installs. We also have dealer accounts, maintenance washes for regular clients, and commercial fleet accounts that need to be kept clean all year.

[RTexasF]

In short there is nothing that can be done other than repainting the door.

[omgboost]

Yes sir,what year is the car a lot of factory warranty are 5 years?

Car is 2012, purchased December 2011

[omgboost]

Thanks for the write up and pictures and input. When I rub it, it does feel like the paint has been raised, can't feel the individual line marks. There is no rust that I can see, yet. I wonder what the dealer can do if it is covered under warranty.

[GSKR]

Maybe try to get it covered under warranty,they will have to fix it ,I had a 07 mustang gt ,the hood is notorious for rust it was a cpo car certified preowned dealer fixed twice,the I got rid of it.