Orange peel removal!!

[Gio G]

Would I be looking at a substantial bill for wanting the orange peel removed from my car. I always understood that orange peel is created during the process of applying clear coat at the factory. They do not seem to do a good job..

The car is brand new and really would like a better finish...

[JFReturns]

Proper detailers can remove it using fine grit sandpaper and refining back up with polishes. I imagine it is a big job.

[JulesB]

For a proper job it should take around two days, probably looking at costs from £300-600 dependant on the size of your car and where you take it!

[TonyHetherington]

JulesB said:

For a proper job it should take around two days, probably looking at costs from £300-600 dependant on the size of your car and where you take it!

Yikes.

To say that is an underestimate is an understatement.

You'll be lucky to pay that for a polish, let alone a wet sand. You're looking at well over four figures for a (properly done, professional) wet sand.

[JulesB]

TonyHetherington said:

Yikes.

To say that is an underestimate is an understatement.

You'll be lucky to pay that for a polish, let alone a wet sand. You're looking at well over four figures for a (properly done, professional) wet sand.

No, that is what I charge, dependant on make+size of car to cut back paint fresh from the manufacturer. But perhaps your time working in the IT industry outshines my time in the paintwork industry?

[TonyHetherington]

For the sake of clarity, I'd like to confirm something;

You're asserting that you can fully wet sand all panels on an entire car, removing all traces of orange peel, then polish back to a perfect finish, from start to finish in 16 hours?

[grand cherokee]

TonyHetherington said:

For the sake of clarity, I'd like to confirm something;

You're asserting that you can fully wet sand all panels on an entire car, removing all traces of orange peel, then polish back to a perfect finish, from start to finish in 16 hours?

i'd like that confirming as well - because if correct there will be plenty of work coming your way!

[JulesB]

Yes

[JulesB]

grand cherokee said:

i'd like that confirming as well - because if correct there will be plenty of work coming your way!

Tell me more?

[TonyHetherington]

Can you run us through the 16 hours of work?

Ie;

How long to wash the car?
How long to prepare the car
How long to wet sand the whole car, removing orange peel from each panel?
How long to mask the car ready for polishing?
How long to polish the whole car from matt freshly sanded, to perfect finish?
How long applying waxes/sealants?
How long adding finishing touches to car (tyres dressed, windows cleaned etc.)?

I'm not trying to out you as a charlatan, but instead suggest the amount of work involved in such a task.

[grand cherokee]

Jules - what would be the price on an older car with 'orange peel'?

seriously interested - not extracting the urine

[grand cherokee]

TonyHetherington said:

Can you run us through the 16 hours of work?

Ie;

How long to wash the car?
How long to prepare the car
How long to wet sand the whole car, removing orange peel from each panel?
How long to mask the car ready for polishing?
How long to polish the whole car from matt freshly sanded, to perfect finish?
How long applying waxes/sealants?
How long adding finishing touches to car (tyres dressed, windows cleaned etc.)?

I'm not trying to out you as a charlatan, but instead suggest the amount of work involved in such a task.

tony i was sceptical - but lets give the guy a chance?

and tyre dressing/windows etc do not come into the equation - we are talking 'body' only

[TonyHetherington]

Oh absolutely - but that's why I want to know the details, I simply can't get in my head all the things that need doing through a wet sand can be done in that time, hence wondering about the specifics

[TonyHetherington]

grand cherokee said:

and tyre dressing/windows etc do not come into the equation - we are talking 'body' only

Fair enough, we can exclude those bits.

[Gio G]

Is the process wet sanding down the clear coat, to get rid of the texture? Which then leaves a glass/mirror like finish?

Having looked at some information online, some experts suggest not to do this on factory paint, due to the paint being so thin. Any views on this?

The car in question is a brand new Audi A4 in daytona grey. I have seen cars worth three times mine having the same finish, which I find astonishing. Have standards dropped or is it just cost savings?

[Jaykaybi]

Gio G said:

Is the process wet sanding down the clear coat, to get rid of the texture? Which then leaves a glass/mirror like finish?

Having looked at some information online, some experts suggest not to do this on factory paint, due to the paint being so thin. Any views on this?

The car in question is a brand new Audi A4 in daytona grey. I have seen cars worth three times mine having the same finish, which I find astonishing. Have standards dropped or is it just cost savings?

Both (in the case of some manufacturers), plus changes in materials and the production line process.

The thickness of the paint on your new car is very unlikely to be a cause for concern. A skilled technician (no doubt I won't be the only person thinking of Kelly) will probably achieve the desired result by removing as little as a few microns. This can all be evaluated and checked beforehand though, just to be safe, with super-accurate paint depth gauges.

[JulesB]

grand cherokee said:

Jules - what would be the price on an older car with 'orange peel'?

seriously interested - not extracting the urine

What car is it pal?

[julian64]

Honestly this thread is laughable. The guy will charge what you are willing to pay.

If you have ever done your own home car painting you will realise exactly what is required to sand down a panel of a car with orange peel as its a very common event in HOME spraying without an atmosphere controlled spraybooth.

For every time I've sprayed a car, stood back and said okay thats fine. There have been at least double that amount when the finish isn't ideal, the paint has to be taken back in stages from wet sanding to cutting polish and so on till its a mirror then assessed for paint depth to either recoat or stick. The more you strive for the mirror the more you realise the number of imperfections. Most people who look at the work I've done think I'm perfect, but if you've stared at a panel for a weekend you tend to be a lot less forgiving of yourself that others who glance for a few seconds.

That process will depend on how exacting you are, and what tools you have for the job. I have in the past done a whole car in an hour, and have also spent about a week on a single door panel.

To jump on this guy because he isn't charging enough either means your, and his, expectations of the work are a mismatch, or that he simply has a lot of experience about how fast he can go with what cutting machinery that you don't.

I would take him at face value.

[JulesB]

1) How long to wash the car? 30 minutes
2) How long to prepare the car? 1 hour
3) How long to mask the car ready for polishing? 30 minutes
4) How long to wet sand the whole car, removing orange peel from each panel? N/A
5) How long to polish the whole car from matt freshly sanded, to perfect finish? Step 4+5 completed panel by panel not complete car to ensure best finish on each panel, 8 hours tops?
6) How long applying waxes/sealants? 1 hour
7) How long adding finishing touches to car (tyres dressed, windows cleaned etc.)? 20 minutes

Total time = 11 hours and 20 minutes. This was roughly the time spent on a Black 56 reg Renault Laguna Estate with two of us on the car, customer was charged £500 and left very happy

[JulesB]

julian64 said:

For every time I've sprayed a car, stood back and said okay thats fine. There have been at least double that amount when the finish isn't ideal, the paint has to be taken back in stages from wet sanding to cutting polish and so on till its a mirror then assessed for paint depth to either recoat or stick. The more you strive for the mirror the more you realise the number of imperfections. Most people who look at the work I've done think I'm perfect, but if you've stared at a panel for a weekend you tend to be a lot less forgiving of yourself that others who glance for a few seconds.

That process will depend on how exacting you are, and what tools you have for the job. I have in the past done a whole car in an hour, and have also spent about a week on a single door panel.

+1 Hit the nail on the head there