jlanka

Saw mention of this in another thread.

Is Orange peel when your paint looks like the surface of an orange - sort of bumpy?

If so, couple of questions:

1) How did I get this?

2) Is there any way to get rid of it?

Tacet-Conundrum

Finer bits of Orange Peel may also be known as Egg Shell. Sorry I could not add any more to this posting!

kosmo

welcome to the world of Porsche paint. Contact a detailer, like Larry Kosilla. Hes in the tri state area.

extanker

have a body shop or detailer give you an estimate..........or live with it

MerlinsGarage

All vehicles painted with 2 part will have a varying amount of texture called orange peel. Some will have fish eyes, small amounts of dust particles even hair and insects marks. So long as enough clear has been applied all of these imperfections can be remediated with color sanding and/or polishing.
You can do it yourself or have a competent body shop perform the operation.

Bigalfromfl

These are new. I have no experience with them, however, from what I have read, it takes an experienced 'detailer' to work with these and get the desired results without damaging anything. Be careful. Most modern cars now-a-days have orange peel. Sucks, but that it how it is.

You can also wetsand it out.

http://www.autogeek.net/orange-peel-removal-pads.html

http://www.autogeek.net/orange-peel-removal-pad.html

Hope this helps. Keep us posted.

Tacet-Conundrum

As a "Rule of Thumb" of often do some of you P owners get your cars detailed. I mean I can "Wash" my car when needed but there are times after driving a few thousand miles my car deserves cleaning and detailing far beyond mine-own skills.

Who would be the top three Detailers in the L.A and Orange Counties area? I don't want some up and comer who is just barely developing their skills touching a 991TT or 997.2TTS!

MerlinsGarage

Color sanding is wet sanding my friend. : D.

I've done this many times from OEMs to customs. It's not rocket surgery but it does take a lot of time, figure 50 to 100 hours for doing an entire mid sized car.
Most shops just concentrate on the upper half of the car for the intense cut work. The lower just 3m Perfect-it and polish.

For those of you that have this done, it will absolutely snap the car out. When folks talk about "show car" shine that is the reference. Huge difference IMHO, especially on darker colors.

Bigalfromfl

^^^Yes. Just the term I have always used! LOL.

And what Merlin has said is so very true: When you see a car that has been color/wet sanded and then polished...the difference is HUGE! Depth, shine, etc will blow you away.

Even when proper wash/cut/polish/LSP practice is used the differences are amazing.

stealthboy

I do my own detailing so I can keep it up often and not let things get too bad. I'll do a wash every few weeks, but a serious half-day affair where I detail the wheels and tires (and wheel wells), wash, clay, polish any spots that may need attention, wash again, then wax. The interior gets attention often to remove dust and dirt. For me detailing is a hobby, so I enjoy doing it ... It's not difficult, but does take some initial investment into equipment and supplies.

CaliforniaZombie

I take my 991 to Steve's Detailing in Birch St in Newport Beach all the time. My experience with them has been terrific. I've found them to be very detail oriented and I feel they do a terrific job. And I'm picky.

If you go there, be careful as there's a car wash place right next door (Beacon I think). You definitely don't want to end up over there by mistake. Just be sure you're at Steve's.

chuck911

Something to keep in mind, all the various remedies above will result in less paint left on your car. Removal of any paint flaw- orange peel, speck of dust, scratch, whatever- means removing all nearby paint to the point where what's left is now level with the lowest part of the blemish. Just want to be clear because in looking for the answer you may run into the myth of the detailer able to heat and move the paint around to fill in. Don't buy it!

Before throwing money at a shop you might want to try doing it yourself. Get a couple of the denim pads linked above, and try some other wet sand paper, 5000 or 10000 grit. Select a small inconspicuous area and try the least aggressive grit first. Take it easy. Sand a little, polish, see how it looks. You may well find a big improvement even before complete removal of all the peel, and decide its worth stopping right there.

As others have said if you do this right your car will really be a sight to behold.

MerlinsGarage

I would not suggest the above on your Porsche. Those not familar with machine sanding will often break through the clear and that is not good.

Lots of information on the subject this one should give you an idea what is involved:

http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/b...g/viewall.html
The above is for sanding, polishing is typically done by machine. Higher temp to achieve proper polishing properties, we use 3m Perfect-It products which is industry standard.
Two added suggestions: Tape sharp edges to avoid burn-through and if you are going to use a machine for polishing use an orbital like a commercial quality Dewalt, with hook and loop kit, it wont burn the paint. High speed pneumatic is for pros only.

chuckbdc

Is the orange peel in the clear coat, the color pigment coat, or both?

Are some suggesting to sand off the clear coat and polish the color pigment?

If so does the car need to be repainted with clear coat?

MerlinsGarage

We are calling it orange peel, maybe not best description, think of it as minute ripples over the skin of the paint. Very hard to see face-on from a few feet in lighter colors, it is easier to look down the length of the car in good light (long tube flourescent light preferably).
You are basically sanding those "ripples" smooth, and only taking off enough to achieve it. Never getting anywhere near the base coat.
"Smoothing" the paint equates to a glass like surface also creating depth.