New Car Paint Correcting Question

[TJKII]

Hi, I just bought a 2020 Nissan Sentra in December. It has a little more orange peel from the factory than I am used to. I have not waxed or coated it as yet. The dealer applied some kind of coating before putting the car in stock. It beads well. But I feel it doesn't shine to it's potential since it has the orange peel. I don't know how much clear coat I would have to sacrifice to correct this. What are your thoughts. I would appreciate any input you could give me.

Thanks,
Tom Koehler

[Bruno Soares]

I would not wet sand factory paint with the goals of removing orange peel. The clear coat is very thin and you might end up with a flat paint but also barely any clear coat to protect it. If you were to wrap the entire car in PPF, then maybe it's something to consider but to just remove that much clear to flatten the paint is too risky IMO.

You can buy a paint depth gauge to try and find out how much you have to work with but chances are, it's pretty thin.

[TJKII]

I was thinking orange pad and 3D one or is that just as much risk to the clearcoat? I don't have the knowledge or nerve to wet just yet. I appreciate the input.

[glen e]

Unless you wet sand, you can’t get rid of orange peel, especially with a random orbital And wet sanding except for seasoned professionals With a paint gauge, is too dangerous.

[Bruno Soares]

Orange pad and 3D One will be fine. It won't help with orange peel though. You need a lot more cut to flatten orange peel. Usually wet sand or a denim pad with aggressive compound.

[TJKII]

Thanks for the reply. I was going to use my Flex 3401. I thought that might be enough. It's not worth the risk to be any more aggressive than that. Maybe a couple of coats of Black Fire Hybrid Sealant will help with the reflection. Maybe a graphene topper.

[Rsurfer]

Thanks for the reply. I was going to use my Flex 3401. I thought that might be enough. It's not worth the risk to be any more aggressive than that. Maybe a couple of coats of Black Fire Hybrid Sealant will help with the reflection. Maybe a graphene topper.

To get max reflection, it's all in the polishing. Getting rid of swirls and marring will give you the maximum gloss. IMO live with the orange peel.

[TJKII]

To get max reflection, it's all in the polishing. Getting rid of swirls and marring will give you the maximum gloss. IMO live with the orange peel.

The paint is like new. The reflection is somewhat blurred due to the orange peel. My 2016 Ford I owned had much flatter paint surprisingly.

[PaulMys]

The paint is like new. The reflection is somewhat blurred due to the orange peel. My 2016 Ford I owned had much flatter paint surprisingly.

Unless you want to sand down the orange peel and repaint it, you're kinda stuck with what you have.

Most production cars are painted by robots today. I work for a Ford dealer, and I have seen some vehicles with very little OP, some with moderate OP, and some that are so bad that it is noticeable 10 feet away. (in the right light).

And I am not just picking on Ford. I own a Ram and a Jeep Wrangler. Same story.

[dgage]

That sucks to hear about your car. There is a new Nissan commercial for the Juke or similar compact SUV and there is a close up of the rear door at the beginning of the commercial and the orange peel jumps out. I said, wow, they’re advertising how bad their paint quality is.