Paint and Body Maintenance & Repair

swschrad · April 2002

alignment might be slightly affected, but if you don't have any N V H issues punching up to speed on the highway and holding it, I wouldn't lose any sleep over the issue. have it checked at the next tire rotation if you're really worried.

probably didn't take any more shock than hitting a pothole while pulling out of a parking lot.

a Yugo... errr, excuse me, a Zastava... would be another matter.

headers8 · May 2002

thanks for your reply.

Pardon my ignorance, what's NVH.

swschrad · May 2002

noise / vibration / harshness.

jinmo · May 2002

Just got a black 98 CL 3.0 and just wanted some tips on how to take care of it. How often should I wash and wax and with what to maintain, or get, a mirror finish. Also have a couple little dents and wondering how to get them out. Do suctions actually work without ruining paint? Thanks

malachy72 · May 2002

Try going to autopia-carport.com . You'll get a lot in their forums.

merckx · May 2002

My year-old Passat got a very light ding in the middle of a front door,about two-thirds up(large expanse of metal). But being dk grey,and still so shiny,it's noticable from 10 ft. away. Up close,you can't see it.
I'm wondering if "paintless dent removal" could fix it,or if I should try the large suction cup mentioned here last month. How much do the experts typically charge? The dent is small,a little less than a quarter.
Thanks,guys.

swschrad · May 2002

that's worth trying the heat-gun type dentless repair on, IMHO. the suction cups are larger than that, and on a large flat section like that, might leave their own little dent from being pushed on. popping it from the back is likely to leave a ring.

webguyster · May 2002

I just had a "hood bender", with my 2000 Solara Se V6 Black Metallic Sand Pearl. The replacement "OEM" hood now has stripes in direct sunlight, a hologram effect, and often 2 floating suns, under the already swirled clearcoat. The body shop took a look, on a cloudy day, and wet sanded the hood again. Still looks horrible. New paint from blending already cracking at the bottom of fenders, a part that was not damaged by skidding under the truck. They clear coated it too, so its noticable from the dull black bottom of the rest of the car. Everything under the hood they fixed is clear coated!?! Is this a common practice in autobody? The shop I used is a dealer certified and owned shop, but I don't think they have done the best job possible. Used touch up paint to seal the bare metal at bottom of fenders, as I am reluctant to let it remain bare until the shop car take a look, with it raining all weekend. They already touched up some cracking paint under the hood. Any feedback. They say the optical distortion is caused by buffing and will go away, but not to wax or polish for at leat 90 days. I think that the hood should look "NEW" leaving the body shop. I went to another body shop, and they were an Allstate owned shop. The person I spoke with said, all black cars leave with streaks, and floaters!?! I have been more aware when walking through mall parking lots, and have yet to see another black car with these types of distortions.

Ding removeal...Having my Solara for 2 years now, and knowing why Saturn used dent resistant doors, I have spend hundreds of dollars in dent removal from door dings. The place I use uses the suction cups, and does a good job, without leaving any noticable markings, "outside" the car. Under the hood, and truck, the points of entry gets screwed up and mangled.

cheerful · May 2002

What is best way to fix those very thin and shallow lines of scratch? I have some 10 lines in paralell, about 5 inches long. They are quite visible in front. The scratch is really thin. I could not get the touch-up paint into just the scratch -- it always messes up the nearby area.

I have seen ads on TV about those scratch-remover. Are they any good?

Thanks!

phillyguy3 · May 2002

Tried 2 different ones after I inadvertantly removed clear coat with compound to remove scratches. Best is Mothers from Pep Boys. Looks new.
Now I'm going to try touch up for stone chips and rub smooth with The Blob Eliminator. Keep you posted.
BTW, advice came from yosteve.com, detailer on this thread. Thanks.

curlyq · May 2002

Anyone interested in this topic should go to the Toyota Solara discussion under "Coupes". There are many new postings on this subject.

joffficer · June 2002

While I was away in the desert my wife decided to paint the lawn furniture (white) on a windy day. Now my (Black) 3 month old car looks as if it is dusty all the time (if you look close)!! She did this over a month ago, and now I'm trying to figure out how to fix this.... the paint that is! Any ideas? I got a bottle of cleaner wax, but I have my doubts. How about the clay bars? I'd hate to have to use polish or compound on such a new car.
What can I use to get the paint off the rubber moldings and vinyl trim?

jjv55 · June 2002

I have a 2000 Accord. It was parked under a fir tree (by my better half) and now has droplets of sap in various places. Does anyone have any advice for its removal? I can get a bit of it off by hand, but it still leaves a sticky mark.

Thanks!

mdwheary · June 2002

I had quite a few heavy sap droppings on my car and used Turtle Wax Bug and Tar Remover to remove them from the car surface. It comes in a spray can or as a liquid paste. Test in a inconspicuous area first to make sure it won't damage the surface. You should also use the remover when the car's surface is cool (i.e. not in direct sunlight). I sprayed some on the sap droppings, let them sit for a minute or so and then gently scraped them with a thin piece of plastic. I then reapplied a little more remover and wiped away any remaining residue.

sddlw · July 2002

I think your best bet will be a polish. But stay away from coarse polishing compounds if you can. Take a look at Meguire's or 3M "glazes". Some are very, very mild and are made for polishing up the paint prior to waxing for show cars and the like. You can find lots of info on their web pages.

swschrad · July 2002

butter, peanut oil, and stoddard solvent (bug and tar remover) have all worked for me, with peanut oil being the best at getting sticky, resiny pine sap off my trucks.

tntitan · July 2002

Wash
Clay
Polish
Wax

awagon1 · July 2002

Has anyone else noticed the paint flaking off early 90s GM vehicles? Personally noticed quite a few before the paint began to abandon my 1991 T-15 Jimmy. I've kept my Jimmy washed, waxed, and garaged when it wasn't in the snow and mud. Has anyone heard of GM caring about all the ruined paint caused by a bad formulation they used in the early 1990s?

swschrad · July 2002

everybody had peeling issues again in the early 90s... mostly silver, there were dark blue issues with ford, and others had some different color issues. you see a lot of peeled back cars on the road since the automakers don't give a rip about reimbursing the customers even for paint any more. guess the solution is to glue corks, or slinkies, or shoes, or whatever the mad hatter version of refinishing a car is in your neck of the woods. I would also suggest a sign in the window, "Misfire Motors refuses to put paint on their cars that stays... before or after the sale." because this is getting to be a way old story with this lot, and it's time to turn the tables on these outfits.

awagon1 · July 2002

swschrad · July 2002

maaco uses a different class of paint than is put on cars today, more modern version of what your choices were in the 1970s. besides, the dealers would be raising blazing hell if their body shops were in competition with the factory.

chevy used to have regional service centers that were factory-owned in larger cities, at least into the 1960s. dealers didn't like it. they eventually made their point, and the chevy service centers closed. we had one in fargo that took three stories over half a block to do their business.

peppe1 · July 2002

Could someone tell me the difference between "clear coat" and "pearl coat".
Thanks
Tom

mpyne · July 2002

i may be wrong but from my understanding clearcoat is basically transparent paint that is used to create a shine over a base coat.
pearlcoat is basepaint(pigment color) with crushed mother of pearl in the formula.

bigfur · July 2002

bigfur · July 2002

Pearl coat is a almost reflective coat put down between the base and the clear coat to make the paint look more impressive.

alternator · July 2002

A Tri-Coat (or 3-stage paint) has three different layers: base coat, pearl coat and clear coat. The base coat can be a solid color or a metallic color. The pearl coat is a translucent paint with pearl flakes mixed in. The last coat is the clear coat, which is a shiny see through paint. This is also a protective coat from the sun. Tri-Coats show slight highlights of diverse colors when you look at your car from different angles.

bigfur · July 2002

Thanks Alternator...said it better than i ever could. I only used to paint them, but h*ll if i can explain it

peppe1 · July 2002

Thanks for the info.

starnubbin · July 2002

This may be a little off subject, but it is the closest discussion I saw. I have a convertible (Boxster) with a soft top. I can see the water does not bead-up like it used to.

Is it recommended to treat the soft top with Scotch Guard or something else? I called Scotch Guard, and they didn't make any promises regarding safety of their product on a soft top. They also mentioned that the rain will wash away the Scotch Guard after a rains.

Should I use something else, or nothing at all?

Thanks!

mpyne · July 2002

can anyone explain what it is and if it works? it usually states its used on lower fenders etc....
thanks

spyderturbo · July 2002

I have been using RaggTopp convertible top protectant, on my black soft top (Spyder GS-T

Eclipse) for the past several years. I think it works great. I buy it from Autofanatics. Here is the link: http://www.autofanatics.com/autcontopcar.html

starnubbin · July 2002

The RaggTopp products on the web site look great! I think I'll check a few auto supply stores for the product, but I have a feeling it is only available on-line. If so, I think I'll order it.

Thanks again. This is exactly what I was looking for (and the UV protection is a bonus.)

alternator · July 2002

of auto painting technology, see

http://www.autoed.com/resources/sampchaps/Duffy_2e/DUFFY_CH8.pdf

mpyne: see page 145 therein for chip resistant coatings

fear_hope · July 2002

Does anyone know how to remove scratches from the outer casing of a sideview mirror? It is not painted and the surface is dull black. Has anyone tried to do this? Any experience or ideas would be appreciated. This van is just too wide for my garage doorway!

bruticus · July 2002

My only suggestion on removing scratches from the plastic mirror body would be to use a somewhat coarse hand-polishing compound and buff one scratch. Since the plastic is pretty thick you don't have to worry about buffing through, but I'm not 100% sure you won't alter the appearance of the scratched area vis-a-vis surrounding plastic (ie you might cause the plastic to look more/less dull, or appear hazy, etc)

I want to buff/polish the paint on my car, but doing it by hand is a killer. Any recommendations on electric random-action/orbital buffers?

DjB

sddlw · July 2002

Stay away from orbital buffers unless you have used them before. These are professional tools and can easily damage the paint if not used properly. Find a good quality orbital, with a good balance. It should not hop around but stay smooth and steady on the surface of the car. There are different polishing pads and different compounds/polishes/glazes for different kind of work. Glazes used with foam pads are the least abrasive. Rubbing compounds used with synthetic lambs wool bonnets are the more abrasive. Even with an orbital buffer, be careful at the corners and raised areas with the compound/lambs wool. You can burn right though the paint. I like to stick with the glaze/foam pad combo unless there are deap scratches or oxidation. It is very hard to hurt the car with this combo.

fear_hope · July 2002

Does anyone else have any suggestions? Has anyone successfully removed such scratches before? Thanks!

swschrad · July 2002

I discovered why they call 'em "breakaway" mirrors, and have a little kiss on the right one on my exploder from the garage door molding. I was able to reduce the obviousness a little using Novus #3, but it's still marked on the outer edge.

have not tried ABS solvent as I know what happens to the pattern and color when I use that stuff.

you could try a little black tire or vinyl top wax and see if it covers the thing up... black shoe polish if you don't have the other handy.

bruticus · July 2002

I had been planning to use only machine-glaze compound, as there are no deep scratches on my car (knock on wood) but wasn't aware that a foam pad is best for this.

My father's (he lives 4 hours away :-( )backyard shop has a compressor and air-powered buffer, but I've used it in the past and know how easy it is to erase the paint completely (fortunately, I was just practicing on old cars/parts) so I will look into electric-powered machines this weekend. I also want to be able to do this whenever I have time, rather than having to wait until I visit him for a weekend.

DjB

bruticus · July 2002

http://www.automotivedetailing.com/articles/buffer.htm

DjB

bellefleurs · August 2002

I was out of town on business for 2 weeks and left my car parked outside under several trees, some were pine trees, thus I have pitch on my car. I have bought a Turtle wax sap/bug remover (useless). Any suggestions on how to remove the pitch it is on the roof/hood of my car.

alternator · August 2002

how significant is the "new paint technology" just announced by Mazda? See :

http://www.auto-asia.com/viewcontent.asp?pk=7359

peppe1 · August 2002

Warm water and soap in the shade usually does the trick.
Good luck,
Tom

headers8 · August 2002

My Sienna recently got a scratch and visible ding on the passenger side sliding door. I think that if only I could get to the inside of the door, I could probably push the ding out.
Does anybody know how of a relatively easy way to remove the dent? Do those dent pullers work?
I also retouched the scratch with the Toyota touch up paint pen. Is there a batter way to retouch it?

sddlw · August 2002

I've had Dent Pro work on several of my cars from time to time. They use metal rods they slip in behind the dent and massage it out of the metal with outward pressure. The guy told me that there was a trick to it so that the metal body panel did not retain a "memory" of the dent, where the panel's indentation might go partially back to the dented position when inadvertantly flexed. I've never tried doing it myself, but have been very happy with Dent Pro. Charges I've experienced have ranged from $80-120 for the removal of several dings at a time, depending on location and ease of access. Look them up on the net.

Some local detailers and dent removers here in San Diego will air brush the scratches. And some of the dealers have these guys come by once a week for their used car lot and for customers. It leaves a better look than filling the scratch with touch-up. If you do the touch-up yourself, use a toothpick or straight pin or a single bristle from a wisk-broom or large paint brush and gradually fill the sctratch, carefull not to go outside the scratch. Use several coats. It will look better than dabbing it with the brush provided in the touch-up paint.

swschrad · August 2002

or better yet a roller, if you figure on using the brush in the bottle. it's just as "invisible." I second the toothpick theory, and want to go on record as saying the paper-matchstick theory is as subtle as throwing the bottle of paint at the car as well.

alternator · August 2002

you might take a look at this for minor paint repair :

http://www.langka.com/

If anyone has used Langka products please share your experience with us.

twistinmelon · August 2002

Apparently someone thought I was someone they didn't like at the mall today and wrote on my white 2002 Accord in an approximately 3" by 3" space in black permanent marker. Is there any way to get rid of it without destroying the paint on my hood?

atuzai · August 2002

maybe you can try some Acetone. I use it remove the decal sticker residule on my car. it works great. I did not try permanent marker before. But guess it will work. try a small area first anyway.

good luck

swschrad · August 2002

that's really neutral towards cured paint. if that doesn't do it all, I would try isopropyl alcohol next.

somebody munged up a (vinyl) bumper sticker a few elections ago on my older truck with a black marker. curiously, a little WD40 on a rag polished the marker right off.

as always, try in an inconspicuous area, etc.

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