Spent 3 hours sanding a single fender yesterday - what a difference clear coat makes

I had this 2015 Honda Civic fender that had some nasty clear coat peel around the edge. Pulled it off a parts car and figured I'd just scuff it and paint. But the unevenness bugged me so I wet sanded the whole thing with 400 grit. Took me about 3 hours because I had to feather the edges where the clear was gone. After primer and base I laid down three coats of clear and let it cure overnight. The next morning I buffed it with compound and it looked like a brand new fender. Has anyone else noticed that spending more time on the prep makes the clear coat pop way better?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_henry4d ago

Oh come on, you sanded for three hours on a single fender? That's dedication right there but were you using a block or just your hand? I've seen guys skip that feathering step and then wonder why the clear looks like crap after a month. The uneven spots will show through no matter how many coats you lay down if you don't take the time to level it all out first. Prep work is ninety percent of the finish in my book, you can have the best spray gun and paint in the world but if the surface isn't right it will look like garbage. Did you use a guide coat to check your work while sanding or just go by feel?

kevin_sullivan4d ago

Three hours on one fender? Man, that's next level... I don't think I've ever spent that long on a single panel unless I was stripping it down to bare metal. I gotta ask though, what grit were you running at the end? If you went too fine, sometimes the paint won't bite right. I always use a guide coat, a light dusting of black spray paint, it saves your ass every time. You can feel the low spots with your fingers but you never really see 'em until you hit it with the guide coat.