"rough" paint on door panel, along the top few inches

[petee c]

Hi All,

Overall the paint on my new to me '01 Box S is in great shape for an 8 yr old car. Everything is smooth to the touch, except for along the nose of the car due to stone chips appropriate to the age and mileage of the car.

I however do notice that the top couple inches of each door panel, the paint feels 'rough' under the finger tips. I may break out the old claybar and run it along there a couple times with the appropriate lube. It almost feels like there are microscopic mist of tree sap or something else sticky that fell onto the car along time ago and has been embedded into the paint. I wonder if the proximity to the side mirrors has anything to do with it, and the mirror concentrating the suns rays on that area and baking the contaminant's in.

The car is black, and the paint looks fine to me, even in sunlight, just feels rough along the top few inches of both door panels...

P

[Ross1]

Hi All,

Overall the paint on my new to me '01 Box S is in great shape for an 8 yr old car. Everything is smooth to the touch, except for along the nose of the car due to stone chips appropriate to the age and mileage of the car.

I however do notice that the top couple inches of each door panel, the paint feels 'rough' under the finger tips. I may break out the old claybar and run it along there a couple times with the appropriate lube. It almost feels like there are microscopic mist of tree sap or something else sticky that fell onto the car along time ago and has been embedded into the paint. I wonder if the proximity to the side mirrors has anything to do with it, and the mirror concentrating the suns rays on that area and baking the contaminant's in.

The car is black, and the paint looks fine to me, even in sunlight, just feels rough along the top few inches of both door panels...

P

There is a high likelihood that the car has had the doors spot painted. Instead of doing the entire door, they just feathered it out so they wouldn't have to mask or remove trim. The rough feeling is probably overspray. Try using rubbing compound on it to see if you can clean it up.

[Thanassis]

It might be as simple as having some overspray from a soft-top sealant that the previous owner sprayed to seal the top. This usually is hard to remove but can be removed with some hard rubbing and warm soapy water.

[number9ine]

Try a light compound on a rough spot and see if it smooths it out. Clay can pick up contaminants pretty well, but some hard-bonded stuff won't come loose so you have to rub it away. I had this problem with a tree near a house I used to live in, it would seasonally spray my car with sap that was a pain to get off.

[petee c]

i tried claying it with the mother's system last night... didn't really remove it. I'm going with the top sealant overspray as my diagnosis at the moment..... I also have some Scratch X and may try that next time I give the full car a wash....

I've got some Raggtop, Optimum No Rinse, and some Waffle Weave MF towels on order.....

I didn't realize until after the Porsche that synthetic chamois were no longer the preferred method to dry a vehicle. I've had mine for the past 10+ yrs.....

[number9ine]

i tried claying it with the mother's system last night... didn't really remove it. I'm going with the top sealant overspray as my diagnosis at the moment..... I also have some Scratch X and may try that next time I give the full car a wash....

I've got some Raggtop, Optimum No Rinse, and some Waffle Weave MF towels on order.....

I didn't realize until after the Porsche that synthetic chamois were no longer the preferred method to dry a vehicle. I've had mine for the past 10+ yrs.....

A synthetic chamois isn't terrible for drying a car, so long as you don't have hard water and you wash thoroughly. If it's 10 years old it's time to buy a new one, regardless. :)

ScratchX won't do anything but lay on filler without a lot of application and elbow grease. Get a real compound, it's easy to find them at the store. 3M rubbing compound is one that's widely available.

Try a small spot, and if it works do the rest.

[JimEE]

Don't know why folks are saying ScratchX is a filler. Detailing forums and even the package itself says it's a mild abrasive that quickly breaks down into a polish. I'd definitely try ScratchX on your rough spots, first, before anything more severe, like rubbing compound. When using ScratchX, it requires repeated applications with fresh material, as it breaks down into polish fairly quickly (thus preventing you from easily rubbing through the clear coat). Remove the used ScratchX before adding new, as the old will dilute the new.

I've used it remove some fairly severe scratches on my hood and those pesky scratches near door handles, as well as swirl marks in various areas. Easy to use and hard to overdue.

Good stuff. Not a filler in my mind.

Jim

[Sputter]

Scratch X is a diminishing compound not a filler.

i tried claying it with the mother's system last night... didn't really remove it. I'm going with the top sealant overspray as my diagnosis at the moment..... I also have some Scratch X and may try that next time I give the full car a wash....

I've got some Raggtop, Optimum No Rinse, and some Waffle Weave MF towels on order.....

I didn't realize until after the Porsche that synthetic chamois were no longer the preferred method to dry a vehicle. I've had mine for the past 10+ yrs.....

A synthetic chamois isn't terrible for drying a car, so long as you don't have hard water and you wash thoroughly. If it's 10 years old it's time to buy a new one, regardless. :)

ScratchX won't do anything but lay on filler without a lot of application and elbow grease. Get a real compound, it's easy to find them at the store. 3M rubbing compound is one that's widely available.

Try a small spot, and if it works do the rest.