Sanding down my 08 Viper...your thoughts?

[Malu59RT]

Well, I just couldn't look at it anymore. I think Saleen forgot to finish out the fenders on my car, as all the panels look good except for my fenders, so last night I went out to the garage and busted out the 300 grit sand paper to take the paint from this:

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to this:

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So how do I make the paint shiny again? Suggestions?































Kidding

I used 3M 1500 Wet/Dry Sand Paper and a sanding block, with LOTS of time and patience. I'll probably use the 2500 afterwards, on the other fender later this week. This one fender took me a good long time, but I wanted it to be perfect. Menzerna Power Gloss on a Edge 2K green pad, and some 106FF on an orange pad helped finish out the process.

In process:

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[Malu59RT]

Continued:

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[big-n-italian]

i almost lost my lunch when you said 300 grit! LOL

 

[CitySnake]

You've got a lot of grit to do it all yourself!

 

[KURT E]

Big thumbs up for having the stones to do that yourself, but, WHY should you have to? That is alarming QC there. "Forgot to finish.." WOW. Sorry to see that. I am not bashing your car at all. I would LOVE to have an '08. Any warrantee precendent on a case like this?

Kurt E

 

[Malu59RT]

i almost lost my lunch when you said 300 grit! LOL

I hoped a few seasoned detailers would catch that

Big thumbs up for having the stones to do that yourself, but, WHY should you have to? That is alarming QC there. "Forgot to finish.." WOW. Sorry to see that. I am not bashing your car at all. I would LOVE to have an '08. Any warrantee precendent on a case like this?

Kurt E

Paint issues are hard to argue with, as far as warranty goes. I had a regional manager for BMW argue with me that the clearcoat failure on my brother's 1 year old M3 was not the company's responsibility. Clearly a lack of common sense on his part.

Besides, I'm sure I would hear that it is within the acceptable limits, especially since most cars have terrible looking clear coat's these days. I have a pretty good idea what I'm doing, so I figured I would just spend some time bonding with the car while we worked out the issues together.

Jason

 

[Sellshomesdrivesviper]

100 grit would have been much quicker, and Home Depot has a ton of it.

 

[Coloviper]

Saleen and good paint, just don't mix. Owned enough Saleens over the years to learn that one, but was hoping it was limited to Saleen in Cali, only. Guess not!

The paint on my 2007 Jeep SRT8 is just as bad and is even thin in the door jams. So thin that I can see factory primer in spots. Jeep representative came out twice at my warranty complaints on the paint and just pulled his little tester out and said "oh, it is just within specs." Whatever, is that like missing all the powerball numbers by 1!

I would have been concerned more if I was planning on keeping this SRT-8 vehicle forever, but I doubt that will happen. It is okay and puts a smile on my face but a Porsche Cayenne Turbo, like my wife's, it is not. As fast, yes, but quality, fit and finish, NOOOOOOOOOOO!

Anyway, great to see you took care of the problem yourself and the fin al product looks great. I would consider trying that on my SRT-8 to get the orange peel out, but am scared I would have a 1/2 primered vehilcle in front of me after the first sand.

 

[Jeff Lemke]

Nice job. The biggest risk here is not knowing how much clear Saleen applied. It's great that there was enough to work with, HUGE improvement for sure.

Jeff

 

[CarDude]

uhh...I have 2000 grit sand paper for that....honestly...what grit did you use?

 

[Stealth]

WOW!

You are brave, and apparently skilled!

I would have been forced to ask the Dealer to get it handled.

Looks great!

 

[Vipermann]

Major juevos to do that ...

 

[softuff]

100 grit would have been much quicker, and Home Depot has a ton of it.

HA.....

 

[Malu59RT]

Nice job. The biggest risk here is not knowing how much clear Saleen applied. It's great that there was enough to work with, HUGE improvement for sure.

Jeff

Yeah, I was fully ready to buy a new panel if I went through the clear...glad I don't have to

uhh...I have 2000 grit sand paper for that....honestly...what grit did you use?

I was serious about the 1500 grit to start with, I ended up doing 1500 followed by 2500 on the other fender.

Jason

 

[agentf1]

I would finish with 3000 grit, Meguiars has an awesome unigrit paper. Probably not a real big difference between the 2500 and 3000. Give 3M 05933 a try as I think you will like it much better than the Menzerna Power Gloss for removing the sanding scratches. If you can't get the PI III give the PI 3000 06062 a try (don't quote me on that number, I will have to check it and verify when I get home if you like) The Menzerna P0106FF will be perfect for finishing with a foam pad.

Car should look spectacular when you are done. I have done a few vettes and they always come out great. It is A LOT OF WORK and not for the faint at heart but it is well worth it.

 

[Malu59RT]

The other fender:

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MUCH BETTER!

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Cleaning up is going to ****

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All better

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Jason

 

[CarDude]

The last pictures is the best...it looks like your were also able to buff off the Japan Crap as well...






I wonder how many people I just offended....sorry.

 

[Malu59RT]

Say what you will about it, that Lexus is one of the best cars I've owned. Super reliable and dependable. It's got the V8, and it is just awesome in traffic, surprisingly good in the corners, and not bad at hauling 4-5 people

You can't beat the dealership experience either. I actually look forward to bringing the car to the shop!

 

[Nader]

Awesome job. Now i would like to schedule some time to buff out my car next...

 

[Malu59RT]

Awesome job. Now i would like to schedule some time to buff out my car next...

I love detailing cars, but I don't think I could charge someone else enough to do an entire car I couldn't imagine having to do my entire car (at least with the panels attached to the body).

Jason

 

[2 VENOMOUS]

Looks great, nothing beats that smooth look, but I'm sorry I have to say this, with all the work you're doing I just can't believe your not covering all else with plastic.. that drives me crazy.