Orange Peel on Newer Car

bojo

bojo

New member
Planning for paint prep for CQ UK 3.0 coating next month. I am seeing in my 8 month old Honda accord some orange peel on the vertical panels. Otherwise, the paint is in good shape with just some very light swirls and scratches. It is a dark blue color (Obsidian Blue Pearl)

I know the intent is to have the paint in the best possible shape for application of the ceramic coating, so I am looking for recommendations on how I might be able to level out at least some or most of the orange peel. I am an amateur/enthusiast who just details my own cars so I know I don’t want to go as far as trying the wet sanding or even having that done professionally.

I understand that Honda’s have softer paint and also have a reputation for having thin paint so saving some clear coat is also a consideration. Would using the Carpro velvet pads with a more aggressive compound be a viable option? The most aggressive I have right now is Megs M205 so I am thinking Megs 105, 100 or 300 for initial cut? I am using a HF DA polisher.

Planning as my LSP to use Carpro Essence as primer before applying the CQuartz coating. Would the filler properties of the Essence perhaps help to “smooth out” any remaining orange peel effects?
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How bad does the orange peel bother you? You have to keep in mind that factory paint is only 2 mils thick.

You will have to judge how good you want the surface to be prior to coating it. The test spot is your friend. Essence on a polishing pad may be all you need. Really hard to say without physically being there.
 
I'd leave factory orange peel alone.
Even if removed you may see "ripples" in the "flat" metal panel.
This is known in production and the reason OEM does orange peel to hide "texture".
...removing orange peel also reduces the CC thickness and can lead to CC failure.
 
Right now, dont do anything. I suggest getting a Honda panel with similar orange peel from a junkyard and getting a paint depth gauge meter. See where your at, try your hand at sanding to remove the orange peel. Re-meter the paint and see how much you took off. Keep practicing on that dummy panel until you can sand with 1500, 2000, and then 3000, polish, and remove the least amount possible. Numerous people are quite good at sanding to remove defects but as a beginner, DO NOT practice on your own vehicle. A dummy panel is the best way to learn and if you go to metal, you learned that was too aggressive. Jason Killmer from KXK Dynamics is a guru when it comes to that stuff. Pressure is key!
 
Thanks everyone for your input. After seeing the orange peel it is really tough to "unsee" it! But I don't want to get into something that could potentially cause CC failure down the road. I think I will just leave it alone.

Thanks everyone for your advice!
 
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