What is dirt in the clear coat?
Also calledDirt and dust in clearcoat, Dirt and dust in the clear coat, Dirt in Clear, Dirt in finish, Dirt in paint, Dirt inclusions, Dirt Nibs Embedded in Clear Coat, Dust Contamination, Grits
Specks you can feel as small bumps are dirt that landed in the clear coat while it was wet. Some is normal in any paint job. A repair with zero dirt is rare in practice. What matters is how much. A few specks you had to look for are normal. Specks you can see from a few steps back are not.
What kind of repair does it need?
Each speck is sanded off level and the area is polished back to gloss. This is called de-nibbing. Sanding and polishing only removes dirt at the surface of the clear coat. Deeper dirt means the colour and clear coat are refinished.
The cheaper kind of workmanship fault, and the easier conversation. One warning: this is fresh paint being cut back. Cutting too far on an edge or a body line causes burn-through, so watch for it.
What to do next
Run a clean hand over the panel, then over an original panel on the other side, and compare. If one is rougher, that is your case. Paid work must be done with care and skill. Ask them to de-nib it. Ask them to check the clear coat thickness before they cut.
Sources
- BASFpaint maker
While refinishing automotive panels with zero dirt inclusions is possible in theory, it rarely happens in actual practice.
- Standoxpaint maker
Sanding and polishing will only remove dirt on the surface of the clearcoat
- PPG Industries (US/Canada, 2019)paint maker
After fully cured, the surface dirt can be sanded and polished out
- Axaltapaint maker
Polishing through layers on edges
- PPG GBpaint maker
most frequently in hard to spray areas, on lower panels or on sharp edges and contours.
- OCD Car Careproduct seller
Dirt Nibs are below surface paint defects, which are seen and felt within paint.
- Queensland Government (Office of Fair Trading)government
A business guarantees they provide their services with due care and skill.
Not sure what your car damage is?
Point your phone at it, or describe it. The answer in seconds, $8 AUD.
Check it