[dgrott328]

I just debadged my car yesterday and i got all the residue off but it looks like i messed up the paint or something. It does not have a polished glossy look anymore, it looks sort or swirly matte. Any ideas? I used rubbing compound and then waxed it...

[gun6slinger9]

Rubbing alcohol ruins paint, goo gone and a hairdryer/heatgun works as well. As for the paint you might be able to salvage it with a detailing and good buffing but I can't tell you for sure since i can not see the damage done.

[bsamoul]

Do you happen to have a picture of it so we can see?

[mike-y]

Originally Posted by dgrott328

I just debadged my car yesterday and i got all the residue off but it looks like i messed up the paint or something. It does not have a polished glossy look anymore, it looks sort or swirly matte. Any ideas? I used rubbing compound and then waxed it...

rubbing compound is used to remove a small layer of clearcoat to help hide scratches and paint defects. You most likely wore away the top layer of paint, that's why it's not glossy anymore.

A good detailer should know how to fix it though, so you might want to give that a try.

[335BBS]

Thats why you have the dealer take care of things like this. Thats who de-badged my last few cars and they have been perfect.

[takashin]

Originally Posted by Leaker

Thats why you have the dealer take care of things like this. Thats who de-badged my last few cars and they have been perfect.

Debadge is about as easy as it gets. All it takes is a little dental floss (or fishing line) a little tenacity and some common sense.

Goo gone or quik detail work great.

[Speed_Addict]

Try using a light cut polish, hoping that you did not actually already rub your way through the clear coat and then re-wax. Maybe something like McGuire's Scratch X. If you have a small orbital you can apply with that as doing in by hand will not give nice even results unless you work at it for a while and most polishes I have used in the past needed some heat via vigorous motion to activate the polishing compounds in the polish you are using - thus an orbital is the way to go (it also randomizes polishing motion to prevent you from adding additional imperfections to the paint while trying to remove existing ones by using a repetitive motion in one direction).

If you don't have an orbital take it to a reputable detail shop and have them polish it.

Then don't use the rubbing compound again - not typically the best thing to use on clear coat in my opinion - to abrasive/aggressive and more likely to get you into the type of trouble you have wandered into.

You may also want to post this question in the Detailing forum - I am not a professional but there are pro's in that forum that may be able to offer better advice....

[Quick6EF]

I have never heard of the rubbing alcohol taking away the clear coat - with that said, the wax layer is probably stripped down to the clear-coat.

Like others have suggested, check a detailer forum for a product to fix it. GL

PS I don't know how much you really worked the alcohol into the paint, but reasonable amounts won't hurt the car*

[RDHTran]

how does rubbing alcohol ruin paint? Can someone clarify, I use it after I polish

[pander5]

He said he used rubbing compound, not rubbing alcohol. Rubbing alcohol in my experience does not harm paint.

[dgrott328]

Fixed it, thanks guys