Dialtone76
Living the Dream
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2013
- Messages
- 84
Hello everyone!
I am looking for advice on repairing my paint on my car that I picked up last year. I will try to upload pics in this post, but I don't have any close ups of the problem spots, so not sure they will be of much help to anyone right now.
It is original black paint and while there are blemishes all around (scuffs/rubs/scrathches), there are what I would call unnatural issues on the trunk and spoiler. There are dozens of droplet sized blemishes that have a physical texture to them. Googling the condition I think the accurate term is etching. I don't know what the cause of them was. I am the third owner and the damage was there when the previous owner got it.
Additionally, there are multiple attempted 'touch ups' on some of them with what appears to have been either a pen or a small brush, I am a complete amateur, so I don't know what my touch ups will looks like, but these are awful. It looks as though someone brushed over the spot AND the paint around it. Combined with the etching, it looks like my car has chicken pox on its butt (hehe). Truth be told the trunk probably needs to be repainted, but like so many of the people whose posts I read, I want to see what it looks like when it is done to the best of my abilities first.
Overall the car is in need of a full exterior detail, lots of dust and contaminants have settled in and are fully visible in direct light. As I begin the detailing process, I want to see if there is anything I can do about these spots.
Given that this is lacquer paint, is there anything I can do to remote the existing touch up paint and try again? Lacquer thinner would probably make the good paint match the bad (which will make the chicken pox then look like herpes hehe)
In searching the forum, posts from 10-12 years ago indicate getting GM paint code matched touch up paint was recommended. However recent posts (last 2-3 years) I get that impression that 'over the counter' gloss black is the same thing and that color matched GM touch up paint is not easily available. Is that accurate? Should I get over the counter 'universal' black touch up? Does it need to be lacquer too or does it even come that way anymore?
My original plan is to seriously cay bar everything, soak the trunk using multiple applications of Meguiar #7 then go over everything with a moderate buffing pad with Meguiar ultimate and see where I stand. I don't have any expectations that those two processes will necessarily impact the etching, but afterwards I will attempt to wetsand one of the spots to see what happens. In my mind, worse case scenario I add another touch up spot to the chicken pox.
I am however worried about the correct 'order' of dealing with possible touch up repair. Am i correct to do the above first, prior to trying to remove or place new touch ups? (Assuming a way to remove them is suggested of course) It occurs to me that if i buff everything down, and 'then' do something abrasive to try and remove the old touch up paint, the exiting paint could be more vulnerable leading to more damage. Especially if more buffing woudl be needed on a new touchup. Should I try to remove/apply new touch ups before oiling/buffing the whole trunk?
I appreciate any guidance offered. And if nobody has told you all lately... You ROCK!

I am looking for advice on repairing my paint on my car that I picked up last year. I will try to upload pics in this post, but I don't have any close ups of the problem spots, so not sure they will be of much help to anyone right now.
It is original black paint and while there are blemishes all around (scuffs/rubs/scrathches), there are what I would call unnatural issues on the trunk and spoiler. There are dozens of droplet sized blemishes that have a physical texture to them. Googling the condition I think the accurate term is etching. I don't know what the cause of them was. I am the third owner and the damage was there when the previous owner got it.
Additionally, there are multiple attempted 'touch ups' on some of them with what appears to have been either a pen or a small brush, I am a complete amateur, so I don't know what my touch ups will looks like, but these are awful. It looks as though someone brushed over the spot AND the paint around it. Combined with the etching, it looks like my car has chicken pox on its butt (hehe). Truth be told the trunk probably needs to be repainted, but like so many of the people whose posts I read, I want to see what it looks like when it is done to the best of my abilities first.
Overall the car is in need of a full exterior detail, lots of dust and contaminants have settled in and are fully visible in direct light. As I begin the detailing process, I want to see if there is anything I can do about these spots.
Given that this is lacquer paint, is there anything I can do to remote the existing touch up paint and try again? Lacquer thinner would probably make the good paint match the bad (which will make the chicken pox then look like herpes hehe)
In searching the forum, posts from 10-12 years ago indicate getting GM paint code matched touch up paint was recommended. However recent posts (last 2-3 years) I get that impression that 'over the counter' gloss black is the same thing and that color matched GM touch up paint is not easily available. Is that accurate? Should I get over the counter 'universal' black touch up? Does it need to be lacquer too or does it even come that way anymore?
My original plan is to seriously cay bar everything, soak the trunk using multiple applications of Meguiar #7 then go over everything with a moderate buffing pad with Meguiar ultimate and see where I stand. I don't have any expectations that those two processes will necessarily impact the etching, but afterwards I will attempt to wetsand one of the spots to see what happens. In my mind, worse case scenario I add another touch up spot to the chicken pox.
I am however worried about the correct 'order' of dealing with possible touch up repair. Am i correct to do the above first, prior to trying to remove or place new touch ups? (Assuming a way to remove them is suggested of course) It occurs to me that if i buff everything down, and 'then' do something abrasive to try and remove the old touch up paint, the exiting paint could be more vulnerable leading to more damage. Especially if more buffing woudl be needed on a new touchup. Should I try to remove/apply new touch ups before oiling/buffing the whole trunk?
I appreciate any guidance offered. And if nobody has told you all lately... You ROCK!

