Paint Issue

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dath1974

Well-Known Member
118
60
Vehicle Model
Si
Body Style
sedan
There is an area on the door that is lighter/reflects light differently as you can see in the picture. For a long time I just thought it was a reflection from something, but finally realized it isn't. This is only visible in direct light like pictured, otherwise it looks fine.

Any opinions on what it is and how to deal with it? Should I go to Honda, or is this perhaps something I could correct myself?

Excuse the dirty car, it's between washings and I don't yet have a good place to detail it fully, but that's changing soon I hope!

equ4aba8.jpg
 
It is possible I'm wrong about that being some kind of reflection. I think it may be a window on my house since I always park within six inches of the same spot... Unfortunately I just lost the direct sun...
 
It does look like a reflection of light, but that could just be the picture. Try and see if you can replicate it at a completely different place and if so, hopefully you can replicate it at the dealer because a paint defect would be under warranty
 
Yeah, it *really* does look like a reflection and that's what I was sure it was, but I got convinced it couldn't be... I'm almost certain now that it is and I think I know where it's coming from, so when I get home tonight I'll back into my spot instead and see if it's still there... And grab a big piece of cardboard to see if I can block the source just in case it for some reason doesn't show up. I kept telling my spouse it was just a reflection, but she got me to second-guessing myself... ;-)
 
It looks like they may have done some PDR on the panel. Often they have to compound off the mark/glue they leave, and if they don't finish it down it can look hazy like that. See if you can get a few more pics from different angles and in direct light. If that's what it is you simply need to polish it....
 
Thanks @RaskyR1, if it turns out to not be a reflection from something, I'll shoot a few pics from different angles and post back. I actually am planning on polishing the whole car myself anyhow (PC7424XP), but I've never done it before and at the moment I don't have the best place to tackle the job (garage is a disaster). I'm also figuring that I'll probably only be able to finish one panel at a time since this is my driver and I'm pretty busy... I'll probably practice a bit on my old project car first (needs a lot of bodywork and repaint anyhow)... I'm sure it'll be fine regardless, but a bit of practice on something I don't care about will make me feel better.

Since I have your attention anyhow... ;-) I'm planning on trying M205 first on a small area and if that doesn't remove everything, then I'll go to M105 and follow with M205. Seem reasonable? I've only personally taken it through abusive car washes once or twice before I realized just how bad they were (I know the dealership beat the crap out of it with their car wash though)... Now I either hand wash or if I don't have time, I take it through the touchless and let it blow dry/air dry.
 
dath1974 said:
Thanks @RaskyR1, if it turns out to not be a reflection from something, I'll shoot a few pics from different angles and post back. I actually am planning on polishing the whole car myself anyhow (PC7424XP), but I've never done it before and at the moment I don't have the best place to tackle the job (garage is a disaster). I'm also figuring that I'll probably only be able to finish one panel at a time since this is my driver and I'm pretty busy... I'll probably practice a bit on my old project car first (needs a lot of bodywork and repaint anyhow)... I'm sure it'll be fine regardless, but a bit of practice on something I don't care about will make me feel better.

Since I have your attention anyhow... ;-) I'm planning on trying M205 first on a small area and if that doesn't remove everything, then I'll go to M105 and follow with M205. Seem reasonable? I've only personally taken it through abusive car washes once or twice before I realized just how bad they were (I know the dealership beat the crap out of it with their car wash though)... Now I either hand wash or if I don't have time, I take it through the touchless and let it blow dry/air dry.
Click to expand...

With a 5" Tangerine LC Hydro pad you should be able to remove a good amount of the swirls I see in the finish with just M205. Technique is key though. ;)

M105 will cut noticeably more, but there are plenty of other compounds that will work too.
 
As is usual these days, I've been really busy, but I was able to verify that this is definitely some kind of paint issue. I reproduced the issue in a different location...

I can take some more pics for sure, but before I spend too much time on it, do you think it'd be better for me to just take it back to the Honda dealer and have them look at it, or are they likely to just make it worse? If I had more experience polishing (okay, any experience at this point), I'd consider trying it first, but my main concern is that if I attempt to polish it out and it doesn't go away, they may think that I did the damage... Of course they're also the ones who put 90% of those swirls in the paint with their crappy car wash...

Regardless, I do still plan to polish the whole car when I decide I'm ready and able to maintain the finish better (have an indoor parking location/etc)... For now I've just been trying to wash it carefully or use the touchless wash near work so as to not add any additional marring...
 
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