Paint issues? Possible buffing through the clearcoat?

[Mike Phillips]

Hi Charlieboy1,


I uploaded your pictures to your free gallery here on AGO


https://www.autogeekonline.net/galle...me/charlieboy1


Here they are,

Hi Mike,

I was just wondering if you could help me with something I am working on a VW Golf mk4 bonnet which is a solid black colour.

I have included attachment images of this also on this email

I'm not sure if you have ever seen anything like this before on this part of the bonnet its showing 120um on paint depth gauge

looks as though its gone through a bit but not sure why the reading on the gauge wouldn't then be lower reading

the paint looks micro scratches and like smudged look to it

Thank you
Charlie

Thanks for taking this to the forum. I just don't have typing time to answer questions via e-mail or PM's where one set of eyeballs will the questions and answers when others can benefit.

[Mike Phillips]

It's hard to tell from this picture but this could be where the clear has been buffed through to expose the basecoat.




A REAL SIMPLE TEST would be to take a white cloth and some white polish, compound or cleaner/wax and rub lightly on the patch area.

Turn the cloth over and inspect.

If you see the color of the basecoat then someone has buffed through the clearcoat and what you're doing is rubbing ON the basecoat and that's why your cloth will show color.

If you don't see any color that's good news and the patch you see is probably some type of topical stain that you should be able to remove by polishing.


You can test by rubbing on only a section of the darker patch area and see if the paint starts to look like surrounding paint.

Or even weirder, rub in the more dull areas and see if they start turning darker like the darker patch area.


It could be the paint is neglected and therefore dull and all the car needs is a good polishing.


Hope that helps...

[Charlieboy1]

Hi I've had a little issue lately to do with my bonnet on my car
i have a golf mk4 Straight black paint and I noticed that there was
a ring look in the clear

i have tried a few a few things like compounding wetsanding and no luck at all

I also messured the paint and it said 120um on the paint depth gauge

not sure if if it's a chemical reaction or a heat reaction of some sort but what I find
It crazy that the reading on the gauge says 120um and I would have thought it would have read lower reading than this

Thanks
Charlie

[Mike Phillips]

Hi Charlie,

After we talked via e-mail I uploaded your pictures to the gallery and created this thread for you. Just trying to help out...

https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...clearcoat.html



I'll merge my posts over here but they will stack on top of yours as they go by time stamp date

[Mike Phillips]

Hi I've had a little issue lately to do with my bonnet on my car

i have a golf mk4 Straight black paint and I noticed that there was a ring look in the clear

Somehow I missed this in your e-mails.

Just to be clear, you mean SINGLE STAGE BLACK PAINT when you say "straight black paint".

If that's so, single stage is a lot more porous than clearcoats so it could be stained.

i have tried a few a few things like compounding wetsanding and no luck at all

If sanding and compounding are NOT changing the appearance of the patch of darker black paint or the surrounding paint then it sounds like the paint is stained or altered deeper into the paint.

The reason I say this is because "we" can only remove topical defects, that is thing on the surface. When defects go deep, more and more sanding and/or buffing simply remove more paint and uncovers more of the defect.

The problem is if you remove too much paint you're going to see primer first and the shiny metal.

I also messured the paint and it said 120um on the paint depth gauge

not sure if if it's a chemical reaction or a heat reaction of some sort but what I find
It crazy that the reading on the gauge says 120um and I would have thought it would have read lower reading than this

Thanks
Charlie

Sounds like the paint has either been somehow stained or chemically altered.

Brake fluid turns single stage paint purple. Not saying that's what this is just saying it is possible for some chemicals to stain paint.

[Charlieboy1]

Thank you Mike
for your reply its actually not
single stage paint and there
are very fine scratches but
the paint looks as though its
blemished and smudged browny
look to it too

[Mike Phillips]

Thank you Mike
for your reply its actually not
single stage paint and there
are very fine scratches but
the paint looks as though its
blemished and smudged browny
look to it too

Gotcha...

I wasn't sure what "straight black paint" meant but now I think it's safe to assume it's

clearcoated, non-metallic black paint


Not sure what the issue could be. For things like this I do what I call

Paint Defect Troubleshooting


I place a strip of painter's tape across the middle of the defect or defects and then just buff on one side of the tape. Wipe off the residue and inspect to see if the side you buffed is getting better or no change.


Paint Improves

If it's getting better then remove the tape and buff the entire area. You may have to use a more aggressive tool, pad or product.


No Change

If no change then this tells me whatever the defect or defects are they are either,

1: Throughout the matrix of paint. Matrix means the entire film build.

2: Under the clearcoat


And neither of the two things above can be fixed.

[PorscheFan]

Paint defect troubleshooting? Your knowledge is astounding. I have no idea how you come up with all of these tips and tests (my guess if you're just a natural teacher), but this is an amazing place to come to learn...

[Mike Phillips]

Paint defect troubleshooting? Your knowledge is astounding.

I have no idea how you come up with all of these tips and tests (my guess if you're just a natural teacher), but this is an amazing place to come to learn...

Thanks for the kind words and recognition. Whatever it is I do it just comes naturally.

The core of how I'm wired comes from remembering how I felt when I first started out. Here's the nutshell version,

I worked hard at minimum wage to save up the money for a custom paint job on my car.

I blew up the engine in the car and by the time I replaced the engine the paint became damaged by sitting outside for about 5 months through an Oregon summer. (lots of rain and sun)

A new the basics of car detailing but because I spent a lot of money on the paint job I sought out "advice" from others I assumed would know something, even know more than I knew.

The advice I received was the "Here's how we've always done it" advice and that was to compound, polish and wax the paint. (duh)

The problem or issue was back then the compounds and polishes used HORRIBLE abrasive technology and I almost ruined my paint job.

Later, down the road I discovered Meguiar's and fixed the paint to make it look like it did the day I picked up the car from the painter. (respected custom car painter)

After that experience I have empathy, that is I understand how other people feel when they have something that's important to them that's jacked up or at a minimum they don't want to mess it up but the thing most people have in common is they don't know what to use or how to use it... so I just help out...


I have a sense of humor, here's what I think is funny... Bill Clinton had a quote that went like this,

I feel your pain -Bill Clinton


My quote goes like this,


I feel your paint -Mike Phillips






Seriously, next time I'm in a position with the right paint defects to capture via camera exactly how to trouble shoot paint defects the way I described here I'll do so and create a dedicated article.


p.s.

I share my story about the above car in an interview I did on TV with Dennis Gage here,

Dennis Gage interviews Mike Phillips

[PorscheFan]

That's a great story! What's even cooler is that you're about as successful as you can get in the detailing world (in a way I guess you're redefining it) and yet you're still helping people with that same enthusiasm.

I'm currently on the search for my perfect classic car (taking a 6am flight in the morning to continue my search). I'll be getting a Rupes 15 from Autogeek and would love to have it personally signed by you