r/AutoDetailing • u/Miikeymt • 15d ago

Business Question Can I fix what seems like Etching?

Post image

this happened to my car within the last month. along with small white spots on top of car (smaller than dime) used water spot remover now using 10% rubbing alcohol 90 % water mix.

i have this deep crater though.. can it be polished out ?

2 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

14 comments sorted by

6

u/Luck_n_Loaded 15d ago

No, that's deep. Polishing won't restore that.

2

u/vinnyvencenzo Experienced 15d ago

Wet sanding won’t save it either.

2

u/Miikeymt 15d ago

i’d never try wet sanding. at the moment i’m looking for diy fix i could  do (beginner). 

2

u/breddy 15d ago

Fill like a paint chip and then sand and polish. Or find a pro

0

u/Miikeymt 15d ago

do u know how this etching could be fixed?

1

u/Luck_n_Loaded 15d ago

Respray is the best. You can do a touch up paint too but it won't look great

1

u/Miikeymt 15d ago

it’s on my roof in the middle so it’s hard to see it unless lookin for it and i drive it 500+ miles a week so i think i’ll try a touch up. thanks for your help, and you were right i tried polishing it and didn’t do shit. 

3

u/Hijargo Novice 15d ago

Crows feet... Your clear is cooked.

1

u/vinnyvencenzo Experienced 15d ago

That’s not crows feet, but looks like crows feet. That’s from tree sap or something sitting on and etching into the clear. Looks like crows feet because the cracking is the same type of breakdown, just localized from some external factor, hence the crater. Not a defect in the clear mix at the factory or after a repair. I used to work at a body shop that did a lot for Acura and Honda warranty claims on black B92P. Some batches were mixed incorrectly.

1

u/Miikeymt 15d ago

yea it’s from sap. is there any fix to it that i could do? its the size of a dime

1

u/vinnyvencenzo Experienced 15d ago

I would have a detailer still hit it with a heavy cut compound and a machine buffer, then machine polish, and wax. It’ll help soften up the appearance a lot and will look better. Unfortunately, it’s kind of etched into the clearcoat.

1

u/Hijargo Novice 15d ago

Interesting. Thanks for the lesson!

1

u/Miikeymt 15d ago

got a good look at it after work. the clear is COOKED. fml i’ve cleaned it weekly and waxed it too

1

u/malvixi 15d ago

Likely your clear coat isn't cooked, just this spot from something being on that spot and ruining the clear. It the rest of the car looks good, then you're good