i have something on my front bumper (2009 accord) that so far i haven't been able to get completely out. it's as though something that was crumpled up and soaked with something that can dull clearcoat somehow got pressed up against the bumper (it has that kind of irregular pattern, with alternating spots of gloss and dull.) i've used 3M rubbing compound followed by a cleaner wax and have made a dent in the dullness (it's less visible in most light, something you might not see if you weren't looking for it). i've done this by hand.

is it possible to do much damage to the clearcoat using 3M rubbing compound by hand?

as an aside, any idea, without seeing it, how this might have happened?

some of you may have read my saga of the tail light paint chipping and the dealer body shop. since i never noticed these dull spots on the bumper until after getting it out of the body shop the second time, i can't help think they did it. on the other hand, there's no sign of these dull spots on the chrome grill surround or the hood, so i'm wondering if this might have come from the factory that way, i.e., something got on the painted bumper prior to assembly (this makes the assumption that the bumper is painted prior to assembly--this correct?)

any thoughts on either issue are welcome. thanks.

It's really hard to give advice on something like this without seeing it. A couple of pic.s would help. Which 3M compound are you using?

it's this stuff:

http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/popup.a ... /14342.gif

this is one of those finish things that just won't seem to show up on camera. you have to see it in a certain light and angle, etc. i'll try again though. but like i said, it's an irregular patter of dull spots on the otherwise glossy clearcoat, that feel smooth unless you run a fingernail over them, then you can feel some drag. hand rubbing compound seems to be doing some good. i was just concerned about otherwise damaging the finish, and wondering if using a buffer/polisher would be better.

Yeah, the stuff you've got their is just the generic car care version you get at the auto parts store. Probably like a medium to fine compound. Shouldn't get you in too much trouble. If you've got access to a buffer it would definitely give you more burnishing power than you'd ever get by hand. Just slowly build rev.s and watch the area. If you see steady improvement great, if it starts looking less glossy you're probably breaking through your clear (yes, that's a bad thing ).

Is it overspray? Was this area of dullness near where they touched up paint? If so it sounds like it could be clear coat overspray on top of your clear?

no, it's not overspray. when i had overspray after the first trip to the body shop, there was overspray on the rear bumper and trunk lid, but that came off fairly easily with a clay bar.

pics