Hey guys! Great forum. I have found a lot of great info here.

I just bought a 2002 Lightning and even though I don't tailgate, I got a pretty good sized rock chip in my bumper. I have read some great posts by Intel and others on using the 2000 grit sandpaper on a pencil trick and buffing it out after it's smooth. I noticed the parts store has 2500 grit paper in stock. Would it be ok to use 2500 instead of 2000 so it will be easier to buff out the scratches by hand.

Thanks for any info!

 

I think 2500 would work, but I've never used it before.. it might not be abrasive enough though. I'd look for the 2000 grit, pepboys carries it by 3M.

 

Either or....

As you're probably aware, 2500 grit is less agressive than 2000 grit thus, you're going to have to work on it more than you would with the 2000 grit.

One tip when you're utilizing Intel's rockchip fix-it method.... BE PATIENT!!!

Don't get ahead of yourself. Allow the paint to fully dry and cure before you go in and start trying to hit it with papers. I've been VERY successful with the technique and it works great... the only time I've had trouble with it is when I rushed things. It typically takes me 2+ days to make an averaged size chip go away.

RP

 

Thanks. How should I sand? Very lightly in circles or from side to side.

 

Straight lines will be easier to polish out than circles in my opinion.

 

I would just go with the 2000 grit paper. I've always used it and it works out fine.

I've found myself going in small circles to get the repair mark down a little and then going back and forth to finish it up. Whatever works for you though.

Be patient though, this method does take some time.

Good Luck with it.

 

the difference between 2500 and 2000 is so small i doubt anyone would notice the difference. When we buff cars with compound we'll start the sanding off with 1200 then hit some of the harder to get areas with 1500 and run with it.

As far as filling these scratches like this. It would be pretty important to get the sanding block your using to be pretty hard or stiff and avoid the good paint as much as you can till it gets down to that level. One could easily burn through the clear on the good paint before getting through the touch up with a soft block/pad. And that touch up should be dry. If it grabs the paper at all, give it more time. I have done a couple repairs like this but we always catalyze the paint first so you know when you go to work on it 24 hours later, it is dry.

 

I got some 2000 grit 3M paper and clear coat safe 3M rubbing compound from the store so I'll try to fix it when the touch up paint cures. The chip is really small and not in a place that is easy to see. It will be a good one to learn on for fixing the inevitable chips that will happen in the future.

 

Rio J, you'll need to follow up behind the 3m Rubbing Compound with another polish as it'll leave the paint hazy. You'll need it to get the sandpaper marks out. I believe Meguiar's #9 will work but I'll let someone else suggest a retail product. It seems a lot has changed in the last year to consumer products.

 

My favorite compound has always been Auto Glym fine abrasive 03b using a coarse Schlegels pad and would follow it up with 3M Finnese with a finesse pad. That will work from 1200 grit to finish. I can buff a car from start to finish in uder 3 hours with these products. IF you can find the Auto Glym pre low VOC, then you have found Gold.

The 3m rubbing compound will leave major swirls. That's where a product like Finnese will work great. If done by hand, I have no idea. These are all recomendations for a rotary polisher.

I've never had good luck with Mequires polishes from the aspect of sanding, compound them mequires polishes. They were always really slow. We had reps give it to us and we would wind up giving it away. Same deal on the 3m compounds. SLOW But in reality this might not be a bad thing on a small touch up like this. My experiance is the less sanding, rubbing, etc. on an area yields the best results. The more time you spend on an area the more likley hood of going through, especialy edges.

 

In this particular aspect, I think slow is going to be better; especially for someone that is learning to wet sand.

When you wet sand Rio, you're removing a top layer of clear coat (clear paint -- or in this case, touch up paint and clear coat) so that you can obtain a smooth surface (minus the scuffs). Those scuffs or sandpaper marks will go away but, only after you remove more clear coat.

Meguiar's #9 Swirl Mark Remover 2.0 is a great product for dealing with these tiny scuff marks that you're going to be creating in my opinion. It's not overly aggressive and thus, you run less of a chance of burning through your clear coat. In my opinion, erring on the very safe side, especially when you're learning the art of wet sanding, is probably the best way to be rather than having a major 'oh crap' moment and having to have a professional take care of your blunder.

Again, this is just my opinion but, I think a very mild product like Meg's #9 is what you should try at first. Going much more aggressive (IE: the rubbing compound) isn't really necessary as I've removed numerous sanding marks created with this touch up paint process.

RP

 

Thanks for the info guys. I touched up, wet sanded and polished out 2 places on my front bumper. One spot came out looking very good and the other one looks good but I didn't quite get it sanded down flush. It looks 90 percent better than it did and is hardly noticeable so I am happy. It's on the lower part of the front bumper so you's have to get on top of it to see it.

The 3Mcompound isn't to aggressive. I had to go over the spot 2-3 times to get all the marks but it looks great. I went over the spots with some Eagle One Wet polish and it really cleaned up the rest of the marks.

What is causing these rock chips anyway? I only drive 5 miles to work on a 2 lane road and I don't tailgate. As a matter of fact, I get made fun of for driving so slow and carefully in a 380hp truck. What gives?

 

Yes it is slow but very abrasive. Rub some between your fingers and you'll feel it.

Rock chips can be caused by numerous things, the major offender being semi trucks. Flat bed trailers throw the most but them damn dirt dump trucks throw it all over the place as well when there not covered. You could be 200 yds behind a truck and still get hit! Driving through wind blown sand/dirt is usually more than just chips.