1990-1993 Infiniti Q45 OEM Paint thickness

[Infinitiguy19]

I am getting ready for summer and I am going to get a porter cable sander/polisher for Q to make it look nice. But one thing that saddens me is that the paint is not show car new. So I would like to know what the paint thickness was like from the factory.

I consulted several body shops/detail shops and they all told me that the paint thickness has many variables so there is no standard thickness meaning all Q45 have a thicker or thinner paint but very very slightly.

So does anyone have any clue as to how thick the paint was when the Q45 was new from the dealer?

[Q451990]

Be careful with that polisher... even experienced body guys get sloppy and routinely mess up finishes getting overly aggressive with those things. I have no idea on thickness, but the Q's finish is probably one of the best factory paint jobs available... way better than what's on the G and Frontier.

Probably not Nissan's fault... environmental laws have all but eliminated the use of good paint in manufacturing.

Heath

[AZhitman]

The early Q's had good paint. The clear coat is the only thickness you care about, and you're not gonna be getting THAT deep into it.

Required reading:

http://www.autogeek.net/dual-action-pol ... bu....html

[maxnix]

Be careful with that polisher... even experienced body guys get sloppy and routinely mess up finishes getting overly aggressive with those things.

Amen! Repaints are then required.

Best to do it by hand with a clay bar after washing and drying immacuately. Slower, but more full proof and eliminates cahnces of swirl as long as you don't use something with a strong grit.

[qship96]

I own a porter cable 7424, and have used it on the Q more than a few times- it is pretty safe to use as it is an orbital polisher which is almost idiot proof compared to a circular rotary polisher most pros use.

I generally make 3 rounds, with 3 different levels of polish and pads, from coarse to micro fine polishes- then seal with a hand application of pure wax or sealant.

The process ends up being a 4-6 hour ordeal, but the end results are spectacular as all the fine hairline type scratches are removed and the paint looks like a mirror- then the trick is to be careful with your hand washing/drying techniques to maintain it that way. One incorrectly done carwash, and all your hard work is wasted

[Infinitiguy19]

The process ends up being a 4-6 hour ordeal, but the end results are spectacular as all the fine hairline type scratches are removed and the paint looks like a mirror- then the trick is to be careful with your hand washing/drying techniques to maintain it that way. One incorrectly done carwash, and all your hard work is wasted

This should help prevent swirl marks, scratches....:

http://www.autopia.org/forum/g....html

But like I said I want to compare a base number when the car was new to now after so many years.

I want to achive these results:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIxunFq_cww http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtoWk9thSEI

That top video was Collinite 472S that lasts for 6 months+ and sheets water like a mother. But I also want a mirror shine nice smell.....

Colinite 472S is availableon Ebay for $13 to your door and its no more than that usually.

[qship96]

Yes, flowing the water over the surface from the hose end without a nozzle helps a ton to sheet the water off the car after a carwash, then little remains to mop up with a soft towel. the enemy is allowing anyone else to ever wash your car{like the Infiniti dealer or most other places offering a hand wash} I have seen them wipe dirty door sills/wheels and then use the same towel on the panels......makes you cringe. The darker colors obviously show the swirls/hairline scratches much more than the lighter color cars......why I will never own another black car again- too old to devote so much time to keeping it looking new!

The Colonite is a durable wax, but it is a pure wax only- still need a cleaner and polish to fix blemishes/scratches before you apply a wax to protect.

[Infinitiguy19]

Yes, flowing the water over the surface from the hose end without a nozzle helps a ton to sheet the water off the car after a carwash, then little remains to mop up with a soft towel. the enemy is allowing anyone else to ever wash your car{like the Infiniti dealer or most other places offering a hand wash} I have seen them wipe dirty door sills/wheels and then use the same towel on the panels......makes you cringe. The darker colors obviously show the swirls/hairline scratches much more than the lighter color cars......why I will never own another black car again- too old to devote so much time to keeping it looking new!

Not all waxes sheet water like Collinite, 3M for example doesn't do it very well. I also tried Meguiars NXT and I thought that was the best wax in the world till I heard about Collinite.

The Colonite is a durable wax, but it is a pure wax only- still need a cleaner and polish to fix blemishes/scratches before you apply a wax to protect.

Thats true but I have yet to find out if its a true Carnuba or a synthetic.

[Infinitiguy19]

So does anyone know roughly how thick the paint is in mills?

[qship96]

How thick the clearcoat was when brand new has little to do with its current condition- after 17 years of use and who knows how many times previous owners had paint polished, the current thickness is certainly a little{or a lot} less than brand new- only way to tell is pay to have a professional measure it.

[Infinitiguy19]

I would like to compare it to the current thickness of the paint and see how it has aged.

And in the Q45 brochures I have it says that the paint is meant to go for 10 years WHEN new without wax. So it has been put to the test I want to see how it has held up.

[Infinitiguy19]

I can never stop learning!!! I found the answer in what I was looking for (Clear coat thickness): http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B5V ... NDY3&hl=en!!!

I am surprised in all this time I had the link in my signature only ONE person even bothered to look at the stuff in there. I know because there is a little Widget in my Gmail account and it lets me see the most recently access files in my Google Docs.

So anyone who wants the link Email me or PM me.