Bodywork questions

[edh]

I've just spent the last 2 days rescuing my car from a year's worth of PF97 brake dust - the sides of the car had taken on a texture of a very fine grit wet & dry []

The good news is that Mr Bilt & Hamber's finest clay bar & wax saved the day []

I didn't bother with the wheels - the fronts are too far gone already, but as long as you don't get too close it looks great [] The bad news is that there are a fair few stone chips to deal with - and I need some tips on the best way of going about this....

Some of these chips are a bit black - I guess where brake dust & muck has taken hold - should I sand these back before painting or not? I'm not looking for a concours finish - just one that will protect the car.

 

[Diver944]

If you can somehow clean the brakedust out of the chips then it will help in the long run but you need a solvent based panel cleaner from a bodyshop supplier rather than trying to sand it out with wet n dry.

When touching in chips it's always best to use a fine artists brush and NEVER use the brush thats supplied with the touch up.

Once you've properly cleaned the area then jst touch in the barest amount of paint that you can it's far better to use too little than too much. If the chip has not been filled in one go then allow it to dry overnight and then touch in a little more next day. If you do make a mess then wipe it off with a paper tissue straight away. The Langka product can be pretty good at wiping off the top of any blob and getting it reasonably level with the rest of the paintwork.
Plain non metallic red should give reasonable results but they will always be pretty visible, the important thing is to protect the chip from the elements so they dont start going rusty []

 

[Peter Empson]

Car looks great Ed.
I've found the P21S total auto wash very good at removing brake dust and the like from the wheels and paintwork. Great at removing oil from the back of the car too [] (must get the rings done).

 

[edh]

That's very kind advice - if you read the first post that's what I've done []

The PF97 brake dust isn't your usual brake dust - I wash the car regularly, but it obviously doesn't make much difference.

 

[appletonn]

Ed, car is looking great and in the best colour too.....[][]

Dons flameproof suit and legs it......[][]

 

[333pg333]

The PFC does throw a lot of dust. I hope to use them for track only. I have found the Pagid Blues for street driving are good enough and don't throw dust nor squeal.
Nice resurrection though. []

 

[edh]

ORIGINAL: Diver944

If you can somehow clean the brakedust out of the chips then it will help in the long run but you need a solvent based panel cleaner from a bodyshop supplier rather than trying to sand it out with wet n dry.

When touching in chips it's always best to use a fine artists brush and NEVER use the brush thats supplied with the touch up.

Once you've properly cleaned the area then just touch in the barest amount of paint that you can it's far better to use too little than too much. If the chip has not been filled in one go then allow it to dry overnight and then touch in a little more next day. If you do make a mess then wipe it off with a paper tissue straight away. The Langka product can be pretty good at wiping off the top of any blob and getting it reasonably level with the rest of the paintwork.
Plain non metallic red should give reasonable results but they will always be pretty visible, the important thing is to protect the chip from the elements so they dont start going rusty []

Thanks Paul - that's just what I needed - that Langka stuff sounds interesting - I also found a thread on detailing world suggesting a cheaper alternative solvent. http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=14590

The car looks pretty good now from 5 yards [] - there are some old chip repairs in the bonnect that are pretty horrible, but I'm not after perfection, so they can stay for now... Next week it's an interior clean, then a service - Still plenty for me to do! (lucky I work from home []).

 

[944cabby]

I've been using a product called wonder wheels to clean the brake dust off my D90's - it comes with a small brush which you use to agitate the liquid into the brake dust - worked well especially when i had pagids fitted.

 

[Peter Empson]

ORIGINAL: 944cabby

I've been using a product called wonder wheels to clean the brake dust off my D90's - it comes with a small brush which you use to agitate the liquid into the brake dust - worked well especially when i had pagids fitted.

Wonder wheels is very strong stuff and will attack bare alloy if you get any chips, turning them black. I'd definately recommend trying something like the P21S or similar citric acid based cleaner, they're much kinder on the wheels (and your hands if you get any on them). I've found it to be almost as effective too (it might need a tiny but more time/agitation, but gets the same results in the end).