fury

In fixing my sunroof, I had to re-paint it. I gave 2 coats of primer, 3 coats of paint, and 2 coats of clearcoat. But I can't get it to shine like the rest of the car. It still looks kinda dull, whereas in the rest of the car, i can actually see my reflection.

What am I missing/doing wrong?

DTN

Give it some time. Wait a month, have it buffed, and it will look great.

Bandity2k00

Ya man you have to wait a week or week and a half depending on your weather there and then wax it and it lightens it up and makes it shine.

StrikeEagle

I think I know what your paint must look like, I've been there, and finally found how to get it to 'pop'.

Do a careful wetsand, I'd go with 1500 or 2000 grit sandpaper. This gets every bump out, and also gets rid of any 'orange peel' look. Be sure to wash it off really good when you're done.
Use a polishing compound, I recommend the Turtle Wax ($4 at AutoZone)

Then use the 3M rubbing compound (yes, do the polishing before the rubbing. It sounds backwards, but this stuff really isn't rubbing compound) (again, about $4 at A.Z.)
Then use a little Meguiar's ScratchX (same as the others, $5 at A.Z.)
Let all that dry for at least a couple hours, then finish it off with a paste wax (not a liquid wax). I use Meguiar's NXT Generation Tech Wax (about $15-20 at A.Z., but it goes a long way).

Some day I want to do all of that to my car as the finish it gives is way better than any brand new car will have.

fury

^^^ It never turned out mirror shiny. It's shiny but dull-like. I'm sure this is what has already happened to you, StrikeEagle.

One question for you: you suggest to wetsand using 1500 or 2000 grit. Do you mean that I do this right now that I have already given the 2 coats of clearcoat?

Last Friday I went to buy some wax and polish. I saw the Turtlewax (the exact same can as the one on the image you posted), but I opted for ICE. But I'm gonna buy the Turtlewax, since you suggest it. And for the wax, I bought "Gold Class".

So here's my plan, I'm gonna wait a bit, like DTN and bandity2k00 suggest, and then I'm gonna follow your suggestions.

StrikeEagle

Right on man. It feels smooth, but looks dull, right? That's where I was stuck. Now unless you have bumps that you can feel or can bump over with a fingernail, you may not need to wetsand. And yes, you would wetsand the clearcoat. It takes off a touch of clear, but leaves it perfectly smooth. The polishing compound gets rid of the 1500 grit lines, but I think this step may even be skipped if you wish. And 1500 vs 2000 depends on the thickness of the defects on your paint. It's just a judgment call though.
From the dull state you're at, you could probably just go straight to the 3M rubbing compound (this step is a must!! it's where the bulk of the shine comes, you can even do it twice for better results), then ScratchX, then wax. That will bring the shine right out of the dull state. The 3M does the most, the ScratchX finishes it up, and the wax protects it all.
The Gold class wax you have should be fine, but do wait a day or so after the ScratchX. I find everything to be really touchy after the ScratchX, even leaving a microfiber cloth on it for a few seconds leaves an imprint. It's really strange, but a bit of drying usually fixes that, then the wax fully protects it.
And I prefer a paste wax rather than the liquid simply because it seems tougher, especially for a first coat. But what you have should still be fine. However, with the liquid, I definitely recommend waiting after the ScratchX, my liquid stuff seemed to separate (water and polish) when doing it right after...
PS Sorry if I rambled or didn't make good sense, I need sleep... Ask more questions if I didn't explain something right.

fury

^^ Thanks, StrikeEagle! Rambled??!! No way, man! You should check out most of my threads (replies and questions): they're mostly long-winded laugh.gif I like to be clear and leave no confusion :-)

yeah, that's exactly it: it feels smooth but dull. Although I think my paint-job is good (no irregularities on the paint, no foreign particles stuck,....), I'm gonna do the 1500 wet-sanding (lightly).

Thanks again, man! I really appreciate it!