When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Stock XJ Cherokee Tech. All XJ Non-modified/stock questions go hereXJ (84-01)
All OEM related XJ specific tech. Examples, no start, general maintenance or anything that's stock.
Well as some of you may know I tried to better myself by polishing my jeep to restore the paint. Of course trying to better myself has never worked out in my favor in life.
Everything has been going fine with the polish. It was really making the paint look better. Getting a reflection and everything. Been doing a little at a time to be careful and not rush through it. Did some yesterday and then noticed on the left side of the hood the paint is lighter. I did it exactly the same way as the rest, or so I thought. Maybe I accidently pushed down harder, or crossed it too many times, used too much polish, or maybe the paint was just already thinner there.
Basically I'm kicking myself and everytime I look at my jeep that is all I see. I can't stop me from noticing it. You can only see it good when in the sun. Most people would still look at the Jeep and think it's got descent paint for 32 years old but it's just disappointing to me for some reason. Maybe I'm expecting too much from a 32 year old paint job.
So is it even possible to fix? I actually thought of trying to polish the other side to match so it would be symetrical. Might be a stupid and risky idea.
Pictures taken in the sun but kind of hard to capture. Should have cleaned my camera lens. Still haven't poloshed the roof.
A few more pictures. There is shadows on some of the hood. Look where there is no shadows for colors, of course.
I don't understand how I could have done so well to habe this happen. The only thing I could think of is the paint was already thinner there because I really don't think I was pressing any harder. And why did it have to happen on the hood and not the roof? Dang.
Well, you were warned this could happen. The area involved is near an edge, a spot that is very easy to apply too much pressure. I think the warning about being careful near an edge was given. Too easy to give the polish pad a little extra push when on the edge of that fender. Makes me wonder how thin the remaining paint is. A temporary improvement in shine, for a loss in paint thickness, and the protection that the paint once provided.
Once the rust sets in at that location, you wont notice the lighter shade of paint.
They call me Mr. Gloom and Doom. I must have a split personality.
Wax it well to keep the rust worm away! heck a spray of clear over that spot might be prudent, to seal rust promoting moisture away.
And no, dont go and wreck the otherside to make it match, step away from that dam polishing pad. You wouldnt shove a nail into your left front tire to match the nail in the right front tire, or would you? Or cut off your left thumb cause the lawn mower took off your right thumb?
Walk away, call the thin paint "patina" spray a clear coat on that area after cleaning it. then walk away with a smile, do no more harm.
Nah, man I was extremely careful. Not saying I didn't accidentally do it but I was so careful that if I was anymore careful I couldn't have done the polish job at all. Also kind of hard to believe I applied perfect pressure on the entire front half of the jeep and then applied the exact amount of too much pressure in one perfect strip like that. Makes me wonder if it was inevitable no matter what, due to the paint being thinner thrre to start with. And that is the hood not a fender, so it's thicker than the fender.
I have already done half the jeep and I'm going to finish it now. The paint in that area still feels like the rest of the paint so I'm not sure it's even through the clear coat but your right it probably is.
Here's one more picture in direct sunlight just for the books. I guess it is what is for a 32 year old finish. I wish I could just paint over it with the same color but I that's not how it works I guess. I don't know how much just to paint the hood would be, as that is the worst place of the entire jeep thanks to some effing cats that scratched the hood.
Find your paint code and check the parts store for a match. Not all of them have everything tho. You dont need to repaint the entire hood. Use the lines of the hood as a guide and mask that section off, and whatever else you dont want misted with paint, because any wind will carry it. Feather your coats just right and the paint should blend with the old. Youtube can help with that stuff. Some show the entire process so its a good visual.
There is also the possibility that the area had been repainted previously like fb97xj1 is suggesting to do in the previous post. The paint would of come off easier than the factory paint...
Find your paint code and check the parts store for a match. Not all of them have everything tho. You dont need to repaint the entire hood. Use the lines of the hood as a guide and mask that section off, and whatever else you dont want misted with paint, because any wind will carry it. Feather your coats just right and the paint should blend with the old. Youtube can help with that stuff.
Thank you for the help. After it's all over I'll probably just wax/seal it real good. I was just looking at it again and it's only noticable from certain angles. Does it bother me yes. But 99.99% of people would never notice it. Even other jeep guys would still think the paint is good for a 32 year old XJ.
And no I'm not going to do this to the other side....which I actually polished more than this side due to some cat scratches (eff a cat) and it didn't do this. It really makes me think this was inevitable. But dang I hate when things are not symetrical on certain things....like vehicles, even if to 99.99% of other people they will never notice it. My driver side door seam doesn't close as perfect as my right side and it has bothered me for 5 years. Nobody else can even tell until I point it out. But no way I am going to mess with those door hinges over that. Just leave it alone, I tell myself.
Trying to partially fix paint this old, is a prayer without an end. If you're already up in the trees about lighter spots here and there , I recommend against grabbing any spray cans of any kind if youre not experienced enough with them because you'll wish you had just left it with the initial issue.
Either bite the bullet and fix it properly, or leave it for what it is.
Went to a store and got out in ghe bright bright sun light. I could only see it from one angle when I got up on it. Only from the side, and up close. When looking from a distance can't see it. When looking from the front it is basically unseeable. Decided right then to leave it alone and just torture myself when I see it but try to let it go. And here's one last shot parked under a tree.
Probably already damaged by oxidation and fragile enough to be worked off easily by any manner of polishing. That's what happened to the hood of my 96 (Florida) so I removed it, sanded it down and repainted it. That took me a weekend to do right.
04-26-2021, 01:42 PM
How to fix this issue...paint involved?
