Orange peel

Hey guys/gals just wondering if when I polish my truck next year when it's warm, will polishing do anything for orange peel in the paint? One quarter panel on my 2007 was hit and repainted poorly and has some orange peel in it. Thanks and I hope this hasn't been asked before.

 

I'm assuming your paint has a clear coat. If the orange peel is due to the clear coat and not the base coat than yes, it can be repaired. I see too many cars that have been buffed that look worse than orange peel so be careful.

 

A lot of detailers will tell you to leave this alone if you plan on keeping the truck for awhile. The issue is you don’t know if it is the clear that is peeling, the paint, the primer, or all of it.

You can likely reduce the peel, but to eliminate it, you have a chance of stripping the clear coat in spots or reducing it severely to where the life of the paint is compromised.

Toyota typically has halfway decent paint (for whatever low VOC can be due to regulations) but the application isn’t flawless. I’ve always aimed to lightly reduce it on anything but the bottom foot or so of all side panels if it bothers me.

If the orange peel is at the bottom of the panel, it was intentional. This is to build the paint to be more resistant to chipping from road debris.

If you think it is that bad, take it to whomever painted it and ask them about it. They may say it is unacceptable work and apologize, or they may educate you on the hows and whys it is done that way. Without a picture, none of us can say who is right here.

 

Appreciate it