Factory Double Clear Coat

[njarmstrong81]

I recently purchased a 2014 Nissan GT-R. I have a small list of to do's.

First is to fill a small rock chip in the side panel. Found some helpful threads/videos on that.

Second is to do a light polish as there are some factory installed swirls.

In 2011 Nissan started applying a 'double' clear coat. Would that then mean I would have about 4 mils of clear? Anyone have experience with GTR paint? I am going to try and get a paint meter to get an official number but finding one is proving difficult.

[wrx495]

I recently purchased a 2014 Nissan GT-R. I have a small list of to do's.

First is to fill a small rock chip in the side panel. Found some helpful threads/videos on that.

Second is to do a light polish as there are some factory installed swirls.

In 2011 Nissan started applying a 'double' clear coat. Would that then mean I would have about 4 mils of clear? Anyone have experience with GTR paint? I am going to try and get a paint meter to get an official number but finding one is proving difficult.

hey congrats on the new car! and I'm not sure about the double clear coat thing but polishing it once won't hurt the car. sanding will! and i believe AG sells the paint meters but they're expensive ..( well for me at least!)

[geekdout]

If you don't have a lot of experience polishing out paint I would recommend taking this to a professional either to do the job or for some guidance. I had the pleasure of working on a 2012 GTR recently and it had some very light swirling. The owner wanted the paint brought up to its potential. Do some research on your VIN and see if you have the self healing clear coat. Some things I noticed while working on the 2012 that had the self healing CC.
1. This paint does not like heat at all. Make a few section passes then mist the area with water.
2. Start off with a very mild polishing pad and finishing polish. SF4000 seemed to work very well in my situation.

[Spinny02]

Congrats that's a mean machine! Make sure you get some laser and radar protection. Can't help you with the buffing. I leave that to the pros.

[njarmstrong81]

I do have a moderate amount of experience, just on my old cars. I really got into detailing my MKIV Supra before I sold it. I am comfortable with the process, but nothing beyond a basic 2 step process. Never messed with, nor comfortable even trying wet sanding.

The other things is, the dealer had a 1/2 clear bra installed, and of course the little rock chip is about 3 inches past where the fender bra ends baaah. I plan on removing it completely for a good polishing and either leaving it just dealing with the chips as they will happen, or re-wrapping the full hood , bumper and fenders once it is swirl free.

[cardaddy]

Congrats that's a mean machine! Make sure you get some laser and radar protection. Can't help you with the buffing. I leave that to the pros.

x oh ten million with that one!


Laser jammers front and rear should be standard equipment. (At least they are not covered under the same laws by the FCC that radar is. After all, a laser is 'light'.)

I do have a moderate amount of experience, just on my old cars. I really got into detailing my MKIV Supra before I sold it. I am comfortable with the process, but nothing beyond a basic 2 step process. Never messed with, nor comfortable even trying wet sanding.

The other things is, the dealer had a 1/2 clear bra installed, and of course the little rock chip is about 3 inches past where the fender bra ends baaah. I plan on removing it completely for a good polishing and either leaving it just dealing with the chips as they will happen, or re-wrapping the full hood , bumper and fenders once it is swirl free.

So you already have a DA? There really isn't a worry about burning through the clear, especially on that one. Not unless a careless detailer has tried sanding it before. Which btw, you DO NOT need to do. No need to worry about wet sanding, not unless it's just covered with rids and orange peel all at once.

The Nissan paint is soft, chips something STUPID, but corrects easy enough. With a DA, half a dozen pads (at least 4 of the color you want to compound with if you want to do a 2-stage then two more to polish) and some decent technique you'll probably be able to get her done. Although I've been pushing for a "Bakers Dozen" deal on 13 pads for a year now. Everyone should have 4 orange, 4 white, 2 blue, 2 black, and 1 extra of either blue or black. Either that or replace blue with CCS green.

You've done 2-steps, right? This one isn't really any different, just has soft paint. If the swirls are not too bad you'll be able to do it with a single stage. Try a white pad and 205 or perhaps starting with a CCS green to see if it'll give you the results. Remember that 205 will keep cutting so you can start with one pad then change out to a lesser cut and finish it out beautifully.

Or, you might move to more cut such as an orange pad with something like Menz 2500. (Actually Menz 1500 will work really well with an orange flat or CCS pad and finish out nice also.)

The difference though is keeping the Menz working longer to get the best out of it as it works through it's complete cycle. Usually after 4 or so passes you'll do a very light spritz on the pad, turn the speed up half a notch and go back for 2~3 more passes. It'll really finish down nicely. I've seen very similar results with WF Uber Compound as well. (Just haven't tried that one.)

I hear ya' on getting chips on the hood, BEYOND the half bra coverage!
That and the "A" pillars! What is it with rocks that have deadly aim these days? I mean SERIOUSLY! Mine has managed to get a few chips in the hood, managed to get one in the roof last month, and one on the A pillar this month. All at 60+ mph, and all while having to drive 35 miles downtown just once a month to go to the doctor. Having to go over it again I'd probably do the entire hood, A pillars and maybe the roof back to the sunroof.

There was a mention about keeping heat down while working it. Not a bad idea considering how soft it is. But with a DA, and especially by changing out your pads it shouldn't be a problem.

[Andr3wilson]

I have polished a handful of GTRs. The R35 paint is medium hardness (kind of nice actually) and is actually quite thick. Handful I measured are all 120-190 microns. I would break out compound for the first round and get everything out, then polish with polishing pad, then finish with a finishing polish/aio on a wax pad, finished by LSP of your choice.

One thing that is deceiving on the car is how big it actually is! Seems smaller when you start the job.

Another tip is to take off the rear wing for polishing. Seems like a big job, but it's just 4 x 8mm bolts under the carpet. Makes life soooo much easier and there is no worry of striking the wing with the polisher. A friend or gf helps make removal and install easy.

[njarmstrong81]

Thanks for the input, really appreciate it. Talking to some other owners it seems most factory readings range between 4.5 - 8 mils (roughly the 120-190 microns mentioned) depending on the panel and location. It's a new car so nothing has been done to it before, not concerned about some questionable areas that had some work done previously.

Great tip about the wing - I was wondering how to go about caring for the matte carbon fibre pieces. The owners manual says to just wipe them down with a micro finer and some water basically.

[Andr3wilson]

Thanks for the input, really appreciate it. Talking to some other owners it seems most factory readings range between 4.5 - 8 mils (roughly the 120-190 microns mentioned) depending on the panel and location. It's a new car so nothing has been done to it before, not concerned about some questionable areas that had some work done previously.

Great tip about the wing - I was wondering how to go about caring for the matte carbon fibre pieces. The owners manual says to just wipe them down with a micro finer and some water basically.

No problem.

The dry carbon fibre wing is actually ideal for ownership as it is not a clear coat/matte coating, but actually naked CF, just a different moulding and curing method for that matte look.

Side note on factory matte paint here - because it is a matte clear coat, you can actually polish glossy from touching it too much, the dry wing on your GTR you can't.

In the past I apply the wax/sealant I am using to the wing, no streaking or any problems.