Factory Orange Peel, can this be removed?

A

Anonu

New member
I've presonally never wetsanded for the purpose of removing orange peel. When I see it on OEM paint, it looks to me that it's between the base coat and clear, not on the outer clear itself. Here's an example of that I'm talking about:



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Looking nearer the tail light, see can see the orange peel. This is a black metallic 2008 BMW.



So what you see in the photo, could you flatten the orange peel with wetsanding, or is is it part of the basecoat and therefore not removable given that it's underneath the clear?



Thanks
 
It's not like you CAN'T remove it, but it will be a HUGE job. BMW clear is a real pain in the rear to polish out after sanding.
 
So the orange peel is in fact on the outside of the clear? Seems to me that compounding/polishing would have had a greater affect than what's been left behind here.
 
Anonu said:
So the orange peel is in fact on the outside of the clear? Seems to me that compounding/polishing would have had a greater affect than what's been left behind here.
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Compounding and polishing will not remove the orange peel, it would need to be wet sanded, but it's not something I recommend doing on OEM paint. Sure it can be done, but doing so will remove valuable amounts of clear coat, leaving little UV protection behind, as well as very little clear for future corrections.



I also wouldn't touch a job like that for under $2500.
 
RaskyR1 said:
Compounding and polishing will not remove the orange peel, it would need to be wet sanded, but it's not something I recommend doing on OEM paint. Sure it can be done, but doing so will remove valuable amounts of clear coat, leaving little UV protection behind, as well as very little clear for future corrections.
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Agreed. If I were doing a job like that on OE clear, application of Opti-Coat/Opti-Guard would be mandatory afterward.
 
Good to know. I'm amazed to learn that this effect is actually th etop clear. I really thought you'd be able to feel it with your finger or with the baggie-method when it's so easily visible to the eye.



Thanks, everyone.
 
You do not need to wet or dry sand the paint to remove the orange peel, you can polish it out. However you will need a rotary with the denim or velvet pads from malaysia.



still need to be cautious though
 
I saw your Youtube video removing orange peel. Very impressive. Can you elaborate on the process, pads and polish to use. Can another polish be substituted?
 
I would only wet-sand freshly painted or custom paint cars and strongly advise against wet-sanding OEM paint finishes as the paint is usually very thin, or wet-sanding any paint without first using a paint thickness gauge (PTG) to check the thickness of available clear coat.
 
SVR said:
You do not need to wet or dry sand the paint to remove the orange peel, you can polish it out. However you will need a rotary with the denim or velvet pads from malaysia.



still need to be cautious though
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Even with going that route you're still removing a lot of material to flatten the paint; it's just a different approach to the same end result.
 
C. Charles Hahn said:
Even with going that route you're still removing a lot of material to flatten the paint; it's just a different approach to the same end result.
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...and more heat
 
Agree with you Hahn, the system wont give you 100%, maybe 97 to 99%

but unlike sanding you can see the peel reducing and the marring you have will be lighter than if you sand



but hey It doesnt mean you dont eliminate sanding at all
 
Another vote for "not worth it for OEM unless it's a show car". From my understanding, orange peel is typically from uneven spraying of clearcoat (not keeping sprayer perpendicular with the surface). The sub-clearcoat imperfections would typically be runs in the paint.
 
SVR said:
You do not need to wet or dry sand the paint to remove the orange peel, you can polish it out. However you will need a rotary with the denim or velvet pads from malaysia.



still need to be cautious though
Click to expand...



Can you give us the link to your video please?



Robert
 
Hey, sounds like your getting some great advise here... The orange peel is totally removable and can make the paint look amazing. However, its a time consuming, dangerous and difficult process. Wet sanding has its place but for the most part unless it is requested and pushed its best to leave it alone. When wet sanding is done properly, it usually means you're using several levels of sand paper to get the painted surface flat. In doing this you end up removing a lot of clear. Also, its smart to charge accordingly because of the risk involved. Not many high end guys will touch a wet sanding job unless the paycheck is worthy... $1,500.00 to $2,000.00 is a good starting point especially since your taking on so much of the risk on such an nice vehicle. Good luck in your decision making process and let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.
 
Yes, it can be reduced:



fIVK5.jpg






Which can lead to nice results...



5731096373_58059b5b0f_b.jpg






The real concern is time, money, and long term safety of your vehicle.
 
The Total Pro said:
Hey, sounds like your getting some great advise here... The orange peel is totally removable and can make the paint look amazing. However, its a time consuming, dangerous and difficult process. Wet sanding has its place but for the most part unless it is requested and pushed its best to leave it alone. When wet sanding is done properly, it usually means you're using several levels of sand paper to get the painted surface flat. In doing this you end up removing a lot of clear. Also, its smart to charge accordingly because of the risk involved. Not many high end guys will touch a wet sanding job unless the paycheck is worthy... $1,500.00 to $2,000.00 is a good starting point especially since your taking on so much of the risk on such an nice vehicle. Good luck in your decision making process and let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.
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Hi Mel

It's not a service I do very often but its nice to have the ability to do it as is my motto these days, have as many weapons in your arsenal as possible.

using the xpert certainly helps, not being a cutting compound as such but a polish that rolls over the paint rather than tearing the paint which almost all other products do. I removed 10 microns in doing that vehicles panel, a little high perhaps but the difference is worth it and it wont be getting anything other than Xpert 1500 High Tech from this point on once every couple years if that.



I dry, damp or wet sand scratches out if deep enough but I will never sand an entire car to remove peel from an OEM or aftermarket finish

because of having to polish it up afterwards and you cant see (as good as using the pads) how much clear your removing. with the pads, the peel comes down to whatever level you want and dont have to remove any sanding marks etc.



anyone can choose how much peel they want to remove by either using different combinations of products, speeds and pads, from 10% to nearly 100%



that backing plate you see is from osren in malaysia.
 
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