Oxidation on micro scratches..

[hugh]

After machine treating (with my new DA Porter-Cable 7424XP CCS Pad Kit) my 2003 White Corolla with Meguiar's Ultimate Compound, I found small micro spots that seemed to be the result of contamination build up on the neglected paint mostly on the hood and back trunk. Looking closer with a 4x loupe, I found this spots to be like micro cuts beginning to oxidize, I machine compounded a small section as a test, but the micro damages remained present. Wetsanding is my next step, but since the spots are so small and scatterd around, I am hesitant to proceed because it seems that I have to do the entire hood and trunk in order for it to work out. I have not done any wetsanding repairs and so am hoping to get some help in this forum. Any alternate solutions to it?
Hugh

[Mike Phillips]

I found small micro spots that seemed to be the result of contamination build up on the neglected paint mostly on the hood and back trunk.

Looking closer with a 4x loupe, I found this spots to be like micro cuts beginning to oxidize, I machine compounded a small section as a test, but the micro damages remained present.

Do these "spots" appear to be like holes or pinholes into the paint?

Wetsanding is my next step, but since the spots are so small and scattered around, I am hesitant to proceed because it seems that I have to do the entire hood and trunk in order for it to work out.

If these spots go "into" the paint then removing them may mean removing more clear paint than would be a good idea for the benefit gained?

I have not done any wetsanding repairs and so am hoping to get some help in this forum. Any alternate solutions to it?

Hugh

If in fact these are some kind of hole or any kind of below surface defect then the way you remove them is by leveling the surface and this is done by abrading the paint. The issue is that factory paint will tend to be thin and hard, so removing too much paint can cause a number of problems and when it comes to wet-sanding, sanding the paint is pretty easy, that's for better lack of works putting scratches into the paint, (it's more than that for you D.O. people), it's the removal of the sanding marks that can be kind of tricky.

Hang tight and I'll dig up a related thread...

[Mike Phillips]

Here read through this thread and see if there are any simularities...


Seeing Dots! Help! - Pinhole or Solvent Pop? Common Paint Issue

[hugh]

Mike,
Thanks much for your kind and quick feedback, yes the damage goes into the paint in the form of a micro cut, some of them seem to have evolved into what you correctly described as pinholes, the cut turns roundish, larger and starts to oxidize. I will try to set a loupe on top of them and see if I can get decent shots with my Canon 40D above the loupe, they are so small that only the loupe will reveal the actual damage. Thanks again Mike..
Hugh

[Mike Phillips]

I will try to set a loupe on top of them and see if I can get decent shots with my Canon 40D above the loupe, they are so small that only the loupe will reveal the actual damage.

That's tricky to do but I've seen others do it...

Being a 2003 White Corolla you may get to the point where time and energy expended may surpass value added in end-results.

That's a judgment you'll have to make, basically it might get to the paint where you compound the paint, polish it and then seal it with a coat of wax and then move on to the next to-do item on your list.

Sometimes more and more buffing won't equal better and better results and while sanding is an option you have a very limited amount of film-build to work with and if sanding and compounding doesn't fix the problem, (because the defect goes "into" the paint and is not just topical), then you'll be left with the problem but with a lot less paint on the car.

I just recently wrote this article and it touches on this topic...


"Taking your car's paint to it's maximum potential"