I guess the first question is does anyone not have orange peel issues with their Ram? And second, has anyone taken the step of getting the orange peel tapered down? I would imagine it would involve wet sanding but my concern is it may compromise the clear coat thickness to the point where UV protection will be an issue. I would love to see some before and after pictures if anyone has taken the step to remove the peel. My black metallic finish still looks like a mirror when its all cleaned up but my obsessive nature still cannot get over the peel texture.
5thGenRams Forums
Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
Orange Peel
- Thread starter Jtr
- Start date
Cmerkert
Ram Guru
May be a dumb question, but what's Orange Peel?
I do have some orange peel, but it is what it is. Doesn't really bother me.
I would advice against sanding. It will definitely reduce your clear to almost nothing by the time you level out the paint, as clear is usually about 2-2.5mils. If it was a pebble beach show car than by all means. For a daily driver, not so good.
Cheers,
Texture of the paint resembles an orange skin instead of being perfectly flat.
Instead of a smooth surface, the paint has a texture like the skin of an orange, hence the wording. It is most noticeable when you have a clean surface and you can see that there is a "bubbling" effect that results in poor reflection of light. It basically is a texturing imperfection when the factory applies the paint.
securityguy
Legendary member
As others have stated...just about all vehicles today have this effect. It cannot just be "sanded down". The clear coat is not your problem...it is the way vehicles are painted and prepped today at the factory. Expect orange peel unless you are buying a BMW, AUDI, MB, PORSCHE, FERRARI, etc. and even some of those have it as well. Is what it is and it is possible that Abilify may do wonders for you...I think you can get a Pharmacy by Mail to send you a sample
MJP
Ram Guru
The orange peel is in the paint not the clear coat. I would not mess with it. These days lots of vehicles have it. Some manufacturers are worse than others unfortunately. I can say I haven't seen it on any of the European cars I've owned but it probably exists. My truck has some but it's not terrible so I can live with it. Do yourself a favor and don't stress over it. This advice is coming from a former auto body mechanic who's also ridiculously OCD.
Rototerrier
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2018
- Messages
- 349
- Reaction score
- 375
I actually don't mind a little orange peel as long as it is consistent over the entire vehicle. I've had several german autos that all had orange peel, some worse than others. Even my walls in my house have orange peel But mostly my fault for using too thick of a nap.
But mostly my fault for using too thick of a nap.
Billy James
Ram Guru
Mine has a slight orange peel. It isn't really noticeable looking directly at it; but if you look down the side you can see it. I have decided to live with it because I would rather have slight orange peel than to have mismatched paint. Its just not worth the time, hassle, and frustration that can come with the results of body and paint work.
Well, I wasn't expecting to get diagnosed with a mental health disorder and prescribed medication but I agree with the thoughts on this- that its just a problem that is normal on most vehicles in production. I was just curious if anyone took steps to try to mess with the paint.
but I agree with the thoughts on this- that its just a problem that is normal on most vehicles in production. I was just curious if anyone took steps to try to mess with the paint.The problem with paint these days is the EPA. I think they accomplish amazing things given the regs. But the amount of paint they even can put on is very little. So you guys that vote for people that love regulations.....and you know who you are and how you vote, can leave the room now
Biga
Ram Guru
Mine has some but it is not as bad as my 2014 Ram was.
Deriggs007
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2019
- Messages
- 304
- Reaction score
- 161
My 2016 Mazda does not have this problem.
Utemachine
Active Member
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2020
- Messages
- 41
- Reaction score
- 37
I just picked up a 2020 with the Diamond Black Pearl color and wow the orange peel is horrible. Back in the 90’s when I was in Highschool I used to paint cars in my parent’s garage with a 1 stage paint & clear coat. Think Earl Schieb or Sameday Auto caliber paint jobs. I would say my orange peel is on par with the cars I painted in the garage. It’s really bad.
mikeru82
Legendary member
Orange peel is in the paint and the clear coat, and is something you will always have when applying paint with a sprayer. It's unavoidable. There are techniques which can reduce it, but you can never completely keep it from happening. This is simplifying the process, but in a nut-shell, high end paint shops apply many coats color, then wet sand smooth. Then several layers of clear are applied. The final clear coat is then wet-sanded until smooth to remove all traces of orange peel. The multiple coats of color and clear are what allow for them to sand enough to remove the orange peel completely. It's not something you want to try with these trucks. The paint is very thin and can be easily sanded through.
SD Rebel
Spends too much time on here
Some of you guys complaining about orange peel probably never owned a Ford before? I think it was a factory installed option on my Fords, "3D textured paint" if I recall correctly (just kidding).
All vehicles have orange peel, check even high end premium cars, they all have it to some extent. My 3-series was honestly worst than my RAM, though being black it made it really noticeable. My red RAM is hard to see, actually better than most of the vehicles I've owned. Only custom painted cars take the time and effort to reduce or remove it. Usually with several layers of clear coat which is applied so it can be cut and buffed to a very flat surface.
Modern factory paint is usually a flat color with a gloss clear. The orange peel that is seen and felt is primarily in the clear coat, and can be cut and buffed to reduce it. However, that depends on the thickness of the clear if it's worth the effort on a factory paint job, also the UV protection of the paint tends to to settle near the surface when it cures, leaving the paint vulnerable unless sealed regularly.
All vehicles have orange peel, check even high end premium cars, they all have it to some extent. My 3-series was honestly worst than my RAM, though being black it made it really noticeable. My red RAM is hard to see, actually better than most of the vehicles I've owned. Only custom painted cars take the time and effort to reduce or remove it. Usually with several layers of clear coat which is applied so it can be cut and buffed to a very flat surface.
Modern factory paint is usually a flat color with a gloss clear. The orange peel that is seen and felt is primarily in the clear coat, and can be cut and buffed to reduce it. However, that depends on the thickness of the clear if it's worth the effort on a factory paint job, also the UV protection of the paint tends to to settle near the surface when it cures, leaving the paint vulnerable unless sealed regularly.
Last edited:
