I had someone fix some minor repairs and repainted both my front and rear bumper covers. He did not use a paint booth and I now have some crud in the paint including a human hair. I also have a rough spot where the coat did not level.

He said I should wait a month before wax or wet sand. He also put three coats of clear. While it looks fairly good I definitely can see and feel the flaws.

Rather than having it redone by someone else I wanted to see if I can fix these myself. (Not sure I want anyone else screwing it up more.)

Can someone give some advice particularly with sandpaper grit and than repolish steps. Should I attempt to get rid of the orange peal as well? It has not been a month yet but I want to get started soon.

Color is Speedway White on a C5.

 

if there's crud in the paint, why should you have to try to fix it yourself on your dime? At the very least I'd try to get my money back from that guy who screwed up the paint job. Then decide whether you want to have another shop spray it properly or tackle it yourself.

 

I honestly think that if it has the type crud you are describing that the only way to get rid of it is to do the job over.
Wet sanding followed by compound and polish is a good way to fix some things, but it can't work miracles.

 

The finish looks okay and I was not aware of the crud as it was still wet and I did not run my hand over the finish. Lesson learned and I am not going to argue with him about a refund he will not pay. It will only get me more upset with no satisfaction.

I DO want to try and fix it myself, I just need some advise on how to proceed. What are the grits and steps to use?

 

if the stuff that's in the paint is in fact in the paint itself and not just on the clear.....then it needs a respray. No buffing or sanding will help. If you try wet sanding it, you may get lucky, but from the sounds of it you're going to be sanding pretty darn deep. But to answer your question, it'd start with a 2000 wet sand and see what happens. Then decide if you want to progress any further. Be careful though. You could end up making it worse

 

I will need to then remove the 2000 grit scratches. I was hoping for a quick overview of the entire process.

 

This statement is not meant to question anything related to your detailing or paint re- finishing abilities just my opinion on the risks involved

This kind of work should only be undertaken by a professional or hobbyist detailer; who is experienced in colour-sanding (wet-sanding) / paint renovation, more so than detailing, someone who uses a paint thickness gauge (PTG) to measure and document the vehicles paint as this is a technique is capable of removing ~ 2.5 – 7.5 µ (microns) > 0.1 to 0.3 Mil of clear coat

Results will vary depending on your ability and the thickness of the factory finish. Wet-sanding (colour-sanding) a complete vehicle body may be beyond the capabilities of the average detailer or enthusiast; in this case we strongly encourage the reader to consult a professional detailer.

Correct wet-sanding takes a lot of experience and practice to perfect.

Take it back to the painter and have him correct his faulty work. If you don't wet-sand correctly you will end up paying for a re-paint (again)

 

Just Google wet sanding and you can read for hours and then buy some sand paper and sanding block and give it a go. But after the sanding it will need to be buffed so hope you have a buffer and compounds.

But I agree with the other posters that you are just simply spinning your wheels and doubt you have a chance in hell of fixing it. One important lesson learned is you get what you pay for and NEVER EVER have anyone paint anything on a car unless it is in a dust free paint booth.

 

I am still not really getting what I am looking for here.

Paint looks good, if you run your hand over it you can feel some grit. (There are three coats of clear, not too worried about burning through)

Wet sanding should fix my problem. Clay bar will not!

What are the steps?

1). 2000 grit? (Followed by finer grit???)
2) compound? (What grit, brand, etc?? Personal recommendations encouraged!)
3) polish? (Recommendations?)
4) sealant? (Recommendations?)
5) wax?

As previously stated I have a P/C buffer.

 

If it is as you describe, I doubt that you will be able to achieve what you're looking for.
Most of what you would use a PC for is correcting swirls caused by washing/drying, slight marring, surface type scuffs, and light scratches that don't go through the clear coat.
The PC is a nice little machine for the average hobbyist to keep their already nice car looking good. But it has it's limitations.
I've had one for years, that I don't use much anymore because of it's limits. I also have a Flex 3401, which is better and still very safe to use, and a Makita 9227 I use on my boat because the Gel Coat needs the power of a rotary, they are both great machines for their purpose, but they can't work miracles either.
Wet sanding is a good method to get out surface imperfections, or to break down orange peel in the clear coat itself. But you really need to know what you are doing. It's not like sanding a piece of wood where you can keep sanding away until it's smooth. 3 coats of clear is not all that thick. By a rattle can of clear, and spray 3 coats of it on something to see what I mean.
It is very easy to sand through the clear coat on a car with 2000 grit if you don't know what you're doing. I'm not a pro by any means. Just a guy who has taken pride in detailing his own cars/boats and occasionally helping out family/friends do the same for about 40 years, and I've seen the evolution of products, equipment, and techniques.
I have done some very light wet sanding here and there in the past to correct things that I couldn't get out with polish or compound. Personally I would never attempt to correct anything that was under, or through, the clear coat because the only way to get to it is to go through the clear coat. I especially wouldn't start with 2000 grit if I never wet sanded anything before unless it was on a practice panel from a junker. A well worn piece of 3000 is probably a better staring point, but just as dangerous.
But if you are willing to spend the time and risk sanding through the clear coat then the best thing might be for you to go with a product line that is easy to use and understand after you finish with the sanding experiment.
Adam's is a forum vendor and they sell some machine polishing packages for people that already have their own machines. The packages will include an aggressive polish or compound to use first after the wet sand, and a finer polish to use after that.
They have quality products, and the pads that come with the packages are color coded to the polishes themselves which makes it easier to avoid confusion.
They also have instructional videos on their website to walk you through the use of their products.
Give them a call and tell them what you are looking for and I'm sure they will point you in the right direction.
I will warn you though that sometimes you might not even realize you have gone through the clear coat with the wet sanding until you compound or polish it.
If you notice you're through the clear after you finish, it is very unlikely that the PC along with the pads and polishes that come with a kit are the culprit. About the only way to hurt the finish with a PC (or Flex for that matter) is to drop it on the car.
Before you spend the time and money to attempt this yourself, maybe you would be better served going to a different body shop that has a good reputation and asking them to take a look at it.
Some of the busier shops have guys that do nothing all day other than exactly what you are looking to tackle yourself. Painters paint the cars, and then the finish guys wet sand and polish it out. They would know if it is something that can be accomplished without further damage, and if so, could probably do it for you in a matter of a few minutes at a price that might be less than the supplies would cost you.
If that isn't an option, then maybe try getting a scrap deck lid, put a few test scratches in it, and then go at it with your sandpaper followed by your PC to get a feel for how it all works.
I've been playing with detailing cars and using different machines/products/pads on them for years. Yet I am still always on the lookout for a used deck lid in the same color as my C6 to use as a test mule or practice piece.
In the meantime; it is very rare that I will use, or do, something on one of my better cars before trying it out on my good old 96 Jeep that has spent it's life parked outdoors, and suffered many scratches and door dings during the years when my wife used it as a daily driver. Not that I don't care about it at all, but it's something we keep around for a spare vehicle and doing dirty work, and a mishap with the finish on it isn't nearly as critical as it would be on one of the other cars.
Do you have something like that you can practice on first?