Sorry for the cross posting -- I originally posted this on the Body and Paint Forum, then realized it might belong on this forum:

I know very little about auto-body and paint, but from what I've read in some of the other post here, hopefully the members here will be able to help me out:

I had some body and paint-work done on my vehicle (2000 Jeep Cherokee, color = Inferno Red -- nothing fancy, but I like it) The damage was in the rear quarter panel on the driver's side following a fender bender. After I got it back from the shop the first time, I was very impressed with the paint job as it matched very well, but was not satisfied with the body-work -- the dent was not completely removed. I took it back to the shop and they did a fine job straightening the panel this time, but the paint job is not as good the second time around.

The paint is very smooth to the touch, but if you look at it from an angle, you can see what I think you call "orange peel"? It looks like the paint is rippled or dimpled, although it is smooth to the touch. Is there anything an amateur can do to make the "orange peel" less noticeable? Are there polishes or waxes that will improve the appearance? From what I've read in other post, the popular recommendation is sanding--but I don't have nearly the skills, experience, or tools necessary to do that -- and I don't really want to bother the guys at the body shop again.

To some degree the "orange peel" is noticeable all over the vehicle if you look very closely, but it is much more noticeable on the panel and sections that have been repainted. The rest of the car has been waxed about five times in the time that I've owned it (just over a year). Will applying wax or polish to the newly painted section (after the paint has had time to cure of course) buff out any of the orange peel and its reduce its appearance?

Thanks in advance for you help!

A certain level of orangepeel is present in every new paint job. For a daily driver, ideally the repair area orange peel would match the level of orange peel on the rest of the vehicle. For a custom job/show car/etc. you'd basically expect a glass-like finish with all the orangepeel removed. Getting to either of these levels is a bit of a black art, unfortunately, even though we keep trying to get it down to a formula on this forum.

I'll argue that effective removal of orangepeel requires wetsanding (1500 grit minimum), followed by compounding then polishing with a rotary buffer. For some of us (well, me anyway!), doing this well is harder than doing the paintjob itself. It's a touchy thing, you've got a brand new shiny paint job and you're going to dull it down by scratching it and then polishing it again. So you probably want to talk to the bodyshop about the need for them to buff their work.

You used to be able to get rid of orangepeel slowly and safely just by washing and waxing the car a lot. But modern urethane finishes are pretty hard, that doesn't really work as well now.

Chris

Thanks Chris for the info -- If I understand you correctly, if it is noticablly different from the rest of the paint on the vehicle, I ought to ask them to buff it some more -- and that ought to get it down close to the rest of the vehicle in terms of "orage peel".

Yup, I believe they should. It's been a topic of discussion here whether it's the bodyshop's responsibility to do this or not (i.e., a function of whether you are paying for an "ala carte" service like you might get at a MAACO, or a full service paint job). But I'll bet the pros on this forum (the senior posters who seem to have higher skill levels than the typical bodyshop painter) all would buff the finish before they gave you your car.

Chris