<p>A surface imperfection is an unwanted difference in depth&comma; height or structure to the surrounding area&period; For example&colon; a scratch&comma; which is basically a sudden difference in depth with an edge that has an angle that is very different to the one of the surrounding area&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>Causes of surface imperfections<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>There are many different causes to a surface imperfection&comma; many of them refer to the mark that is left behind from either physical contact or chemical interaction&period; A few examples would be&colon;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<ul>&NewLine;<li>A small stone being thrown up by the car in front of you and hitting your vehicle<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>A shopping trolly bumping into your car<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>A heavy and hard object touching your vehicle with speed<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Bird droppings<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Chemical etching<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>A branch rubbing along the side when you drive to close to a plant<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>A cat walking over the vehicle<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>A sticky object that is being torn off the surface<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Heavy oxidation<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Chemical reaction with gas<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Polishing wrong&comma; to deep&comma; to rough<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Using the wrong procuts<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<li>Using the wrong tools&comma; or tool in a wrong way<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Wrong painting technique<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Certain processes of polishing<&sol;li>&NewLine;<&sol;ul>&NewLine;<p>If the cause is physical contact&comma; the mark that is left behind is thanks to the interaction between 2 objects&period; If one object has energy in a different direction then the other object&comma; the objects that interact will have to absorb that energy by either deforming or transporting that energy to an underlying structure&period; In the case with vehicle surfaces&comma; most of them deform&period; This can result in damage in the form of a scratch or the deformation of a structure&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>types of surface imperfection<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>There are several types of surface imperfections&comma; although you could classify them on the type of shape or form they have&comma; it is more common to divide them into the sort of imperfection&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<ul>&NewLine;<li>Dent&comma; can be removed by a bodyshop<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Scratch&comma; can sometimes be removed by polishing and&sol;or wetsanding<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Deep scratch&comma; can sometimes be removed by wetsanding &lpar;or made less visible&rpar;<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Random Deep Scratch &lpar;RDS&rpar;&comma; can sometimes be removed by polishing or wetsanding<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Waterspots&comma; can often be removed by polishing and sometimes even by claying<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Chemical etching&comma; can be removed by polishing and in rare cases by claying<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Bird dropping etching&comma; can sometimes be removed by polishing or wetsanding &lpar;depends on the severity&rpar;<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Swirls&comma; can often be removed by polishing<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Paint defects&comma; can sometimes be removed by polishing or wetsanding&period; Can also need a re-spray<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Holograms&comma; can be removed by polishing with a finer polish or a Dual Action polisher<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Wetsanding&comma; can be removed by following up with several steps of polishing<&sol;li>&NewLine;<&sol;ul>&NewLine;<h2>Removing imperfections<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p><figure id&equals;"attachment&lowbar;2525" aria-describedby&equals;"caption-attachment-2525" style&equals;"width&colon; 150px" class&equals;"wp-caption alignright"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;detailingwiki&period;org&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2017&sol;04&sol;rough-paint-surface&period;jpg"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;detailingwiki&period;org&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2017&sol;04&sol;rough-paint-surface-150x150&period;jpg" alt&equals;"Rough paint surface" width&equals;"150" height&equals;"150" class&equals;"size-thumbnail wp-image-2525" &sol;><&sol;a><figcaption id&equals;"caption-attachment-2525" class&equals;"wp-caption-text">Rough paint surface<&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>ng will remove deeper swirls&comma; more oxidation&comma; light chemical etching and can make a deep scratch less visible<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Wetsanding removes more paint&comma; and has a good effect on deeper marks&comma; chemical etching and even paint defects<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>A re-spray should be the last resort&period; This will completely cover up any surface imperfections if done correctly<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Dents can only be removed by &lpar;paintless&rpar; dent removal<&sol;li>&NewLine;<&sol;ul>&NewLine;<h2>The art of detailing&sol;valeting<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>Detailing revolves for a large part around the knowledge and skill to know how to remove surface imperfection&period; These are often considered ugly and prevent the surface from looking at its best&period; Removal of these imperfections is not always easy and can take a lot of experience and practice&period; If done correctly the results can be stunning&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure id&equals;"attachment&lowbar;986" aria-describedby&equals;"caption-attachment-986" style&equals;"width&colon; 662px" class&equals;"wp-caption alignnone"><img src&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;detailingwiki&period;org&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2016&sol;06&sol;surface-imperfection&period;jpg" alt&equals;"Surface Imperfection" width&equals;"662" height&equals;"403" class&equals;"size-full wp-image-986" &sol;><figcaption id&equals;"caption-attachment-986" class&equals;"wp-caption-text">Surface Imperfection<&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;

Vinnie van Rooij

Vinnie started the DetailingWiki Project in december 2015, and his quest is still going strong. Hoping to create a solid and informative center of information for anybody who is into detailing.

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