Paint question?

[Klint]

My paint on the hummer kind of looks like an orange peel. It isn't smooth like a lot of other cars is anyone else’s like this? If you have not looked go look and see. Does this fall under my warrantee? I have had it for a month now and just now noticing it. I really do not know how to explain it I am going to take it to a paint and body shop and ask them what is with it.

[Klint]

My paint on the hummer kind of looks like an orange peel. It isn't smooth like a lot of other cars is anyone else’s like this? If you have not looked go look and see. Does this fall under my warrantee? I have had it for a month now and just now noticing it. I really do not know how to explain it I am going to take it to a paint and body shop and ask them what is with it.

[tmiller]

It is orange peel. What color do you have? I have the red and its almost too much. I also have dirt in my paint.I dont want to take it in because they will make it worse.

[Klint]

I also have Red, is this something I just have to live with after paying almost $40k?

[tmiller]

When I get a chance I will go back to the dealer and look at others, they have about 60 of them!! I think the red really shows it.

[hummerdonthurtem]

My paint (black) has the same orange peel texture. There are also a couple of spots where there are metal flakes under the paint. Seems like this is a common problem.

[Klint]

should I say something to the dealer?

[4ophenia]

Yellow has same orange peel texture.

[NewHummerGuy]

As does the birch white

[Webb70]

Every car company allows a certain amount of orange peel. It is measured with a Profilometer or with OP panels. Each plant has an exceptable number eg. Cadallac is(don't quote me) 9 (very glass like)minimum I believe. Pontiac is minimum 5, I'm not sure what HUMMER is. When I first got mine I measured it and mine is a 7 (very smooth). Mine was delivered the beginning of June and with all launches, the standards start off high and then they are brought back a little to help increase quotas. Being a Process Engineer in the paint department for GM, i was able to do many tests to mine to check for repainted panels, gloss, doi(destinction of image) and orange peel. I was VERY happy with all my results. Most of the results are better than I thought they would be, after looking at H1's in the showroom.

If you are not happy with the finish take it to the dealer and ask about having it buffed and polished. This will take out the orange peel effect, but if not done properly they could leave swirl marks or possibly damage the paint. If you know what you are doing you could claybar it as a friend of mine did with his H1 and the finish is now like glass.

* sorry about the bad spelling, I'm used to spellcheck.

[OrangeCrush]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Webb70:
Every car company allows a certain amount of orange peel. It is measured with a Profilometer or with OP panels. Each plant has an exceptable number eg. Cadallac is(don't quote me) 9 (very glass like)minimum I believe. Pontiac is minimum 5, I'm not sure what HUMMER is. When I first got mine I measured it and mine is a 7 (very smooth). Mine was delivered the beginning of June and with all launches, the standards start off high and then they are brought back a little to help increase quotas. Being a Process Engineer in the paint department for GM, i was able to do many tests to mine to check for repainted panels, gloss, doi(destinction of image) and orange peel. I was VERY happy with all my results. Most of the results are better than I thought they would be, after looking at H1's in the showroom.

If you are not happy with the finish take it to the dealer and ask about having it buffed and polished. This will take out the orange peel effect, but if not done properly they could leave swirl marks or possibly damage the paint. If you know what you are doing you could claybar it as a friend of mine did with his H1 and the finish is now like glass.

* sorry about the bad spelling, I'm used to spellcheck. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

The only way to remove orange peel is to wetsand and buff the paint. No amount of claybarring will remove orange peel.

My suggestion (coming from someone who has been in the bodyshop business for over 22 years) is to deal with it.

The reason being, if you wetsand and buff the paint, yes, it will be slick but in order to do so, you're literally "shaving" off some clear. The less clear, the less protection you will have from UV rays, etc.

Not to mention a slicked out paintjob is harder to keep swirl-less.

Our paintjobs for show cars are usually about 10-12K. Even the lesser ones (5-6K) are wetsanded and buffed.

I guess I'm just a purist about leaving stock paintjobs, stock. Even on my corvette (which is RIDICULOUSLY loaded with orange peel) I didn't wetsand and buff it.

Hope that helps,

Mark

PS. Just for the record, if you do decide to get your truck wetsanded and buffed, be prepared to take it to a bodyshop, not a detail shop and spend 500-800 bucks.

[Webb70]

Orange Crush, I do agree with everything you said except the claybarring. If done properly it does remove the orange peel effect, or at least the appearance of it.

[OrangeCrush]

Perhaps I should have rephrased that. Claybarring I guess wouldn't be much different than someone that polishes by hand all the time. Eventually, though minutely, it will smooth it out a tad... You will NEVER remove the orange peel, you may take off the sharp edges and therefore it looks better but to remove it completely, the only way is to wetsand and buff.

Mark

[Klint]

Should I just call the dealer or has nyone? Would this be covered under the warnt?

[OrangeCrush]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Klint:
Should I just call the dealer or has nyone? Would this be covered under the warnt? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Uh, no.

Even if it was, I sure as hell wouldn't take my truck to let some moron 6 dollar an hour detailer buff my truck.

If it really bothers you, take it to an independent bodyshop and have them wetsand and buff it.

Mark

[evldave]

Just get it muddy, then never wash it. Looks better that way anyway.

[HummerB]

i agree dirty is better.