Should I bring it to the paint shop???????

R

RAP

New member
I have a 03 Anniversary Edition Corvette and have kept it in perfect condition (as much as you can and still drive it ). The AE paint is similar to the special white pearl only this is red with a very tiny gold flake in it.



Anyway, I was thinking about getting it block sanded and additional clearcoat layers sprayed on. I noticed very minor orange pealing, the kind that comes direct from the factory at no extra charge and there is a very very small scratch in the clear coat I think from cleaning or drying. I'm sure the scratch can come out with buffing.



Anyway, since there is really nothing wrong with the finish is this something that I should put out of my mind for another 5 years or so or will it make the finish even better and deeper shine than it is now.



Good / bad issues??
 
buff the scratch out and live with it. If its a car you are going to drive at all it isnt going to be worth your while to have it painted.
 
Agreed. I wouldn't bother having additional clearcoat sprayed on. Preserve the clear that's already on there. If you could only find one small scratch on it now, you must be doing a great job preserving the OEM clear already.
 
i wouldnt paint an 03 car......its too new....esp if not a daily driver.....If you think orange peel is bad now, wait till they add more clear...only gets worse....
 
"adding a layer of clear" sounds like a good thing on the surface. It's sounds like " I think I'll add another blanket on the bed tonight".

In reality it can open up a whole new can of worms. I watched my business partner try and have the hood of his truck "recleared" because it was done so poorly from the factory. It was brand new with less than 100 miles on it the first time they did it. 3 tries later and it looks like poo.

It isn't worth the headache. Odds are as the sand it to get the pait to a point that it will accept clear they will hit the base coat causing even more issues.

Just keep up on the polish nad wax and you'll be much happier.
 
RAP- Yeah, just maintain what you have. And remember that any paintjob enhancement means it's not untouched original any more. That's the thing worth striving for IMO. They came from the factory with OP. In twenty years that'll just show that it's the thick, healthy, original paint.



Just put your efforts into good wash technique- in other words, get a foamgun ;)
 
Well, I know I'm going alone on this one but having worked in a custom paint shop, where a paint job wasn't considered done if there was any orange peel,I can tell you that orange peel is not a good thing and will diminish the look of your paint. The flatter the paint, the better the reflection. The factories, especially domestic don't want to put the time into taking it to the final step, since the average person won't know or care, but if you want to get closer to a show quality finish, you need to have it carefully and professionally wet sanded and buffed. Just make sure the person doing it knows what they are doing which should include measuring paint thickness. As far as the reclearing, I think it's totally unnecesary unless the existing clear is damaged.

Heff
 
If you reshoot it, the value of that car down the road goes down. Father in law collects Vettes, and the most valuable one is the one that is original. If you go to a concours, they will deduct if you don't have the proper amount of OP. And as Accumulator said, you shoot it with clear, and it isn't original. People will wonder why you've repainted.



Don't do it!
 
If it is being driven and not purchased for the intentions of serving as an investment 25+ years from now, I'd say do what Heff suggested. If you do expect to keep it as a garage queen and not drive it all that much keep it as original as possible as others have suggested. Just my .02.
 
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