Advice wanted: paint damage (1 Viewer)

[callipygian]

I drive a 14 Claret Mica 570.
A few months ago I was refueling in the Outer Banks of NC on a very windy cold day, the gas station happened to also service 18 wheelers. While filling up I heard a loud hissing noise from one of the trucks being serviced close to my vehicle and saw a bunch of spray come up some of which landed on my car. I didn’t think much of it, but did stop by a carwash on the way back home. A few months later I was hand washing my car and noticed these spots all over the hood. They are only noticeable in the right light direction, I tried my best to get them out by washing but failed. Then I remembered that day in NC.

Has anyone seen this kinda damage?

Is it something I can fix by re-polishing? If not does it need clear coat work?

I’m not very familiar with paintwork but I do do all the maintenance myself and would like to learn how to polish.. just wondering if anyone has any insight/advice.


Very thankful for this forum!

 

[TheIcemanCometh]

Looks like the clear coat has been compromised. To my knowledge there is no good fix other than to strip and repaint.

 

[CanadianRockyCruiser]

Brake fluid perhaps? I'd try cutting compound followed by polish. If that doesn't "cut" it...then you might have to consider re-clear-coating or repainting.

If you don't want to do it yourself, a detailing shop should be able to cut/polish for you.

 

[RET2]

Hard to tell but looks similar to hard water/salt deposits. perhaps test a small spot and wash with vinegar solution to see if they will remove said deposits.

 

[Zill]

View attachment 3870457
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I drive a 14 Claret Mica 570.
A few months ago I was refueling in the Outer Banks of NC on a very windy cold day, the gas station happened to also service 18 wheelers. While filling up I heard a loud hissing noise from one of the trucks being serviced close to my vehicle and saw a bunch of spray come up some of which landed on my car. I didn’t think much of it, but did stop by a carwash on the way back home. A few months later I was hand washing my car and noticed these spots all over the hood. They are only noticeable in the right light direction, I tried my best to get them out by washing but failed. Then I remembered that day in NC.

Has anyone seen this kinda damage?

Is it something I can fix by re-polishing? If not does it need clear coat work?

I’m not very familiar with paintwork but I do do all the maintenance myself and would like to learn how to polish.. just wondering if anyone has any insight/advice.


Very thankful for this forum!

Can your fingernail catch any of the bumps? If not, I would be surprised to see if a polish won’t fix this.

 

[doru]

If you cannot tell what the damage is I advise going to a good detail shop for them to analyze it.

It can be easy to remove if it is on the surface or affecting just the top layer of the clear coat. The fix can be from just a polish up to wet sanding.

But it can also be deeper into the clear if that was some chemical agresive fluid. In which case you just have to live with it as nothing short of sanding and clear coating will fix it (or even repainting if it is too deep into the clear).

But exactly what needs to be done is something that an experienced person should make the call on.

If you want to do it yourself and learn something new in the process, I recommend you spend some (or a lot) of quality time on YouTube and teach yourself the basics of "paint correction". Then order the tools of the trade and start working first on a hidden panel to get the hang of it, before addressing the problem.

The most important advice I can give you is: start from less aggressive to more aggressive in small steps, and do not lose patience or cut corners to save time. You do not have the experience and the knowledge of a profesional that allows them to work so quick and eficient. If you lose patience, just take a break, and come back later. Damaging the paint is easy, fixing it is hard or impossible without a repaint.

And keep in mind that the clear coat is there to protect your paint against UV and chemicals (e.g. bird drops, tree sap). There is a limit of how much clear you can polish/sand away before it is too thin to still protect. You may have to compromise between protection and looks especially if you live in a sunny place like in the picture.

Good luck!

 

[Noctilucent]

You could try using a clay bar on a small area and see if that works.

 

[KLF]

I'm with @doru, I would start by taking that to a detail shop, maybe talk to your lexus dealer and see if they have a recommendation. You may just makes it worse.

 

[bloc]

Third what doru said. Basic paint correction is very attainable by a patient owner. Too many unknowns here to be your first project.

 

[PDoyle]

Using a buffer on your rig for the first time could be disastrous.

 

[gasman4u]

View attachment 3870457
View attachment 3870458
I drive a 14 Claret Mica 570.
A few months ago I was refueling in the Outer Banks of NC on a very windy cold day, the gas station happened to also service 18 wheelers. While filling up I heard a loud hissing noise from one of the trucks being serviced close to my vehicle and saw a bunch of spray come up some of which landed on my car. I didn’t think much of it, but did stop by a carwash on the way back home. A few months later I was hand washing my car and noticed these spots all over the hood. They are only noticeable in the right light direction, I tried my best to get them out by washing but failed. Then I remembered that day in NC.

Has anyone seen this kinda damage?

Is it something I can fix by re-polishing? If not does it need clear coat work?

I’m not very familiar with paintwork but I do do all the maintenance myself and would like to learn how to polish.. just wondering if anyone has any insight/advice.


Very thankful for this forum!

I hate to say it, but best I can tell your clear coat is toast in those little spots. There's little areas that look like they're peeling/pulling away from your paint. I will echo what others have recommended in going to a detail shop in lieu of doing it yourself as your first project. Any good, reputable detail shop will be able to look at it and tell you whether they can buff/polish it out or not.

I fear you're headed to respray sooner than later. I hope to be wrong.

EDIT: I am assuming there's pitting in those pics with the above statement. Again, I want to be wrong.

 

[urinalcake]

Those appear quite similar to hard water spots. As others have suggested, if you're not familiar or experienced with paint correction, consider visiting a local, reputable detailer.

The ol' adage from a detailer... start gentle then work your way in baby steps to more aggressive measures.
1. washing. you tried it.
2. clay bar to remove surface contamination.
3. polish with a foam pad and a random orbital polisher. Many are surprised what this will remedy.
4. polish with a wool pad.
5. rubbing compound.
6. wet sanding 4000 grit
7. wet sanding 3000 grit
7. wet sanding 2000 grit
8. wet sanding 1500 grit. quite aggressive.
9. last resort is repainting.

This was just polish on my black rig, which is the toughest color to work with and EVERYTHING shows in direct sunlight.
Before on left from previous owner. After my handiwork on right.