Need help with new White Pearl finish options

[10GenPearlSi]

I am in a quandary. I didn’t like the orange peel on my new White Pearl 2018 Civic Si. I was thinking about a light sanding to knock the peaks of the peel down and then to polish the sand marks away with Griot’s Correcting Cream and then 3 in 1 polish. I would then top it off with Power Lock and then a wax on top of that.

However, I used a drive through car wash and wax Friday and drove it around in the Sun today. It looks fantastic! I thought it was the best looking car in the Walmart parking lot! Now I don’t know what to do. It was just a glowing frosted pearl.

Any advice? Should I just polish it, put on the Power Lock sealant and then wax? Should I go ahead with my original plan? Or, should I just keep it clean and waxed.

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[CivicChina]

Since the paint is very thin, I would not polish it until it is really necessary because of deeper scratches. A lot ow wax can make it shine enough for me.

 

[10GenPearlSi]

Since the paint is very thin, I would not polish it until it is really necessary because of deeper scratches. A lot ow wax can make it shine enough for me.

Thanks. I am now leaning against more aggressive measures myself. A friend buffed a test spot on the bumper and it looks better than the rest of the car. I am thinking about a light polish and then a sealant. Similar to what this guy did. The paint is very thin.

 

[LeSpp1985]

I have a white 2017 Civic. When I got the car in November last year I didn't like the shine nor the orange peel on the car.
I did the following steps on my car and I think it looks better than when it arrived.

- Light polish: 3M Finesse-it which is an extremely light polish normally used in the final step of paint correction. This gives it a much better shine, without taking much off.
Didn't really fix the orange peel, but it did create the illusion of less orange peel because the car became more shiny.

- Ceramic 9H coating (Gyeon): 3 layers

- Maintenance: I haven't repolished the car, but I maintain it with Gyeon cure after each wash. Every month I spray it with SI700 to boost the hydrophobic effect of the coating.

 

[LeSpp1985]

A few more pictures from last week after having changed the side marker and installing TEIN Z STREET ADVANCE.

 

[10GenPearlSi]

A few more pictures from last week after having changed the side marker and installing TEIN Z STREET ADVANCE.

Thanks for the input. It is hard to tell from the pictures, but people talk about the warmth of the finish from ceramic from a slight yellowish tint. I am concerned about that on white. That is why I am considering a sealant instead. What is your experience? It does look fantastic in the pictures.

 

[LeSpp1985]

You are right that ceramic coatings might give of a yellow shine, but only if you put too many coatings on it or the coating is too thick. From doing my own research and talking with the Gyeon distributor, it seems that 3 layers is the best middle road. It gives a nice shine, protection and keeps the car nice and white. The pictures are after more than 1 year of usage (20,000 miles).

On the other hand, I believe a decent sealant after a light polish will give you a really nice shine as well. As I live in Thailand, I needed the ceramic coating as it tends to get really dusty here followed by torrential rainfall so the ceramic coating together with the SI700 keeps the car clean even under such harsh conditions.

My previous car had its paint corrected and was only sealed with CG jetseal. Just to say that I am not an advocate for Ceramic coatings ;-)

 

[10GenPearlSi]

I just got my car back from the body shop. I had a small chip in the paint on the back bumper. Now it is ready for me to detail the car. Sorry about the dreary day.

 

[callmehandsum]

You live in a large city. You may be able to find a detailer that has a paint thickness meter to measure the paint thickness of your car. That way you'll know how aggressive you can be. As a general rule of thumb, always go with the least aggressive method first.

 

[LeSpp1985]

You live in a large city. You may be able to find a detailer that has a paint thickness meter to measure the paint thickness of your car. That way you'll know how aggressive you can be. As a general rule of thumb, always go with the least aggressive method first.

I have a paint density meter and in Thailand (not sure about the US) the overall thickness of the paint is around 140 micron.

 

[callmehandsum]

I have a paint density meter and in Thailand (not sure about the US) the overall thickness of the paint is around 140 micron.

That's good info. Thanks. I wonder how much more/less paint thickness US Civics will have.

 

[10GenPearlSi]

You live in a large city. You may be able to find a detailer that has a paint thickness meter to measure the paint thickness of your car. That way you'll know how aggressive you can be. As a general rule of thumb, always go with the least aggressive method first.

I don't know if this is accurate but this thread indicates that a typical light buff with a DA buffer might take of only 1-4 microns. My car is new so just a light touch should be enough.

https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101-a/68580-how-many-microns-paint-removed.html

 

[callmehandsum]

For sure but since you mentioned you were considering sanding it, I thought it'd be safe to check the paint thickness first.

 

[10GenPearlSi]

For sure but since you mentioned you were considering sanding it, I thought it'd be safe to check the paint thickness first.

For sure. There is nothing that is being too careful for my baby!

 

[10GenPearlSi]

When I had the chip fixed on the back bumper at the body shop, I told the owner that I was going to buff the car and put Power Lock Sealant on it. He offered to buff the repair and put sealant on it. I said OK as I thought that would be a good standard for me to shoot for. He used a mop style rotary buffer and I noticed that it didn't reduce the orange peel as much as the test spot on the front bumper did that my friend did with his DA buffer. I also notice that his Turtle Wax Sealant has a slight yellow tint which I don't like. My friend says his Power Lock is clear. I will remove the Turtle Wax before I put on the Power Lock.

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