Advise: Did I just go through the clear coat?

P

Paca12

New member
Hello Autopia members,

My name is Pedro and this is my first post. I am looking forward to keep learning from all of you!

I just used Quixx Paint Scratch Remover on my car and it seems to me that I have gone through the clear coat. Is that possible? I did not wet-sand the area but only applied the two-step product using a cloth — just as indicated in the instructions.

This product is supposed to be safe on clear coats. Nevertheless, after applying it twice and rubbing it for few moments I noticed some paint on the cloth. I got rid of the scratch but now I have a small circle area (probably the size of a nickel) that do not match the paint of rest of the car. It does not look really terrible, but it is noticeable, specially because the rest of the paint still looks great.

I never thought the clear coat could be so thin. I have seen many videos where the clear coat is wet-sanded and polished without any problem. And I have used Quixx before without any problem. Do you have any idea of what could have happened, and more importantly if there is any solution to this issue? Is there any other way to fix this without having to apply clear coat to the whole panel? Can I just spray some clear coat to the area, and then wet sand and polish it? Will it blend with the rest of the panel? And if not, should I be concerned about protecting the area that I just ruined?

One more thing: this is the back of an SUV, and I think the panel seems to be made of plastic. I will try to upload some pictures.



Thank you very much in advance!

Pedro
 
Apparently I won't be able to post any pictures until I reach my tenth post. Hopefully I will still be able to get some advice!

Sorry.
 
If you have compromised the clear coat you will also be able to see a non-glossy patch (base coat) where the clear has been removed with the edges of the remaining clear coat being visible
 
Are you sure your paint is clear coat? If the cloth turned the color of the paint after only a few moments of rubbing, this would most likely mean that you have single stage paint, which does not have a clear coat on it. I would try taking some fine polish like M205 and rub it over the spot you created and a little further and try to even it out into the surrounding paint. The product in the kit may be too aggressive for your paint and is leaving the paint dull in the spot you rubbed.



I don't see how you could have hand rubbed through clear coat, unless it was already wetsanded/compounded in the past and was just that close to striking through. Not very likely IMO though.



To test if you have single stage paint, take some compound on a cloth and rub it on a different spot on the car for a few seconds. If the color comes up onto the cloth, you have single stage paint.



If your paint is clearcoat, you would most likely need to reclear the whole panel for a proper repair.



EDIT: I just noticed you said it's a plastic panel this happened on. The paint on this panel may be single stage, and the rest of the vehicle may be clearcoat. So test for single stage on a different spot on the same panel or another panel made of the same material.
 
Thank you to both of you for your replies.

I just called the service department of my Nissan Dealer and they told me that they use a three-stage paint process on all painted surfaces, including the non-metal panels. They said that the paint in the cloth should imply having gone through the clear coat. I do not feel any difference to the touch between the section that I rubbed/polished and the rest of the panel, but I am no expert on this.

I will try to attach some pictures with this post. It is hard to show the problem in the photos but I hope they somewhat help.

Thanks



IMG_1195.jpg




IMG_1191.jpg
 
Hold on here, the photos and text don't really tell us what is needed.

How about a photo from a bit further back, so we can get a better idea of just where the part is, what part of the vehicle it is located on.

Is it a fascia/bumper area or what?

The photo's indicate the concern is on the inside of the vehicle or am I wrong?

If it is an "interior" piece, the Nissan response does not apply.

I have read the two posts where explaination is attempted, notice I said "attempted" to tell where the concern is, and I still don't have a clue.

Grumpy
 
Thank you for your reply and sorry or not being clear!

This is the exterior part of the rear cargo door of an SUV (Nissan Murano 2011). The panel seems to be made of plastic.

Thanks!
 
Ok, just where in the picture is the concern, I see lots of lines, color variation in straight lines, but can't spot something that looks like where the clear would have been compromised.

Grumpy
 
WD Pro said:
1st picture - top right hand corner of the door reflection ?
Click to expand...
....that's what I'm seeing. The lighter oval shaped spot in the paint. In the second picture its directly in the middle.
 
I didn't want to quote position as my iPhone chops off the right side off pictures ? lol



But yes, half way up the second picture almost directly above the dark patch at the bottom.
 
Yes, top right hand corner of the door reflection, which shows on the left side in the first picture. In the second picture it appears above the door reflection, where the ceiling begins.
 
Is this pearl paint? What's the paint code, or even the name of the color? If it's pearl, you could have rubbed enough to alter the pearl in the clear. The slightest uneven removal of pearl, especially in a small spot like that can alter the shade in that spot.
 
Very good point!

I also have to wonder is this small area is due to some quick "polish out a small imperfection" at the port or dealership.

Grumpy
 
Looks like you went through the clear coat, especially since you have paint on the cloth. Sorry buddy. Companies saying "clear-coat safe" is just marketing and it's probably not. It was likely much more abrasive than need be, and thus is great at eliminating scratches but also your clear coat.



One of the jobs of a detailer is to remove the scratch while removing the least amount of paint possible. Quixx will remove the scratch but at the expense of a ton of clearcoat. Also, having a paint depth meter helps a lot.
 
The color is not pearl white but I am not sure if it is pearl paint. The name of the color is Platinum Graphite and the code that I found is: K51 Color Code



Thanks!
 
ExplicitDetails said:
Is this pearl paint? What's the paint code, or even the name of the color? If it's pearl, you could have rubbed enough to alter the pearl in the clear. The slightest uneven removal of pearl, especially in a small spot like that can alter the shade in that spot.
Click to expand...



If this is the case, do you have any advice on how should I fix this?

Thanks!
 
Pedro, where are you located?

I am not sure where you are, but have contacts around the world, and it may be possible for me to put you in contact with a professional who may assist you.

Grumpy
 
Darkstar752 said:
Looks like you went through the clear coat, especially since you have paint on the cloth.
Click to expand...



Since the area is very small, do you think it would be OK to spray clear coat just to that spot, or will this makes things worse.

Thank you
 
If you said it was three stage. I believe you are referring to intercoats, or groundcoats. One is used for a tri-coat(intercoat) and the ground coat, which is the first base color to provide a transparent tone to the next base color added.



Im pretty sure i see it. reflection of door. upper corner left on reflection. correct.



If you have a metallic,pearl (mica flake) that you busted through having it recleared will not help.

Your option for a repair is to have it professionally blended in this case.



This it?

IMG_1195.jpg
 
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