what am i doing wrong-- paint help!

[ove_98 TSI]

I am repainting some of my engine bay it had some scratches
I went to autozone checked the book got the right color of paint and the right kind.. its touch up paint, but today i tried a small section thats kind of hidden and the paint looks like it has craters and is not a solid color what am i doing wrong i though primer was only needed for exposed metal? i can see the primer underneath the scratches

 

[squirley8888]

Was the surface cleaned prior(no grease, dirt, oil)? Its usually better to just lightly hit the area your trying to paint with some sandpaper to scuff it up for better adhesion. Also whats the temperature like there? Have you shaken the can well? I know these are all common sense things but I don't see what else could be the problem.

 

[Jeff99GS]

You are laying it on TOO thick. The first coat should just be a mist....then wait 5 min....then mist it somemore.....then wait 5 min....mist it again....then wait 5 min. Are you getting the pattern here?

After about 3 mist coats with DRY time in between wait 10 minutes. Then you can apply a "Wet Coat"

This is where you can lay the paint on till it looks WET....then let that dry.

What you can do now is let your engine bay Dry for a few days. then you can sand it with some 200 grit wet sand. Once it is sanded smooth you can start again with the LIGHT coats like I said.

 

[ove_98 TSI]

thank you guys i will try all those things i guess ill just do the whole engine bay now beacause the old paint is faded and not as bright as this one.. im gunna go start tapeing it up and ill try painting again saturday..im just worried im going to mess something up like i always do
and any other ideas are welcome

 

[Jeff99GS]

You should get a heavy degreaser and clean the areas you want to paint. The engine bay has tons of dirt and oil in it.

 

[EDM95]

Did you clean the and sand the bay?
You need to sand the primer before the paint is sprayed.
Make sure you clean and sand and clean the bay really good.
By the pics you posted it looks like you are over applying the paint
and rushing the paint job. The key is to get it
as clean as you can
and also sand and clean, also when spraying the
paint dont just hold the gun in one area move it from side to side so you will get
no runs and apply the first coat real light.
Then do another coat.
I hate to say this but you are going to have to redo the bay.
It looks as if the paint is already flakeing.

 

[ove_98 TSI]

this is what i did
1. I cleaned it with a light degreser
2. sanded it with about something around 300-grit sandpaper
3. sprayed a coat--- i know relize i sprayed on to heavy

i wasnt going to do the whole bay just parts of beacuse there were spots where the battery rubbed and took of paint.. but i may do it all now depending on how my spot i tried comes out

this i like the spot i did--its just red with a line of gray i dont know why it rubbed of there probably where the hood sits? how should i go about doing that spot should just scuff it up and paint lots of light coats

i hate painting!!

 

[Kingsstar]

Looks like fish eyes, but i can't tell for sure because of the picture. If thats the case just clean your engine bay with Simple Green and a good Wax and grease remover.

 

[Jeff99GS]

Preping the surface is 80% of a good paint job. If its NOT super clean and prepared right it will not turn out good.

I would wet sand the whole area with 200 grit, then use 2 coats of primer sealer. Then lay your paint on.

Make sure you shake the can VERY VERY WELL...that crap needs lots of mixing. I would say 2-3 full minutes. It also should be room temp. Don't keep the paint somewhere cold, and don't try to paint where its cold. Get inside a garage with some heat...Heaters blow DRY heat and that will help your paint dry.

As I said before use 2 or 3 light coats first....then do a wet coat....but DON't Soak it down TOO wet. Just wet enough till it looks shiny wet. You Might have to put on a few wet coats to cover all the primer and get a good rich color.

Your best bet would be to use a can of the Dark Redish orange primer.

 

[ove_98 TSI]

i tried everyones idea and it turned out great not more uneven spots or running its very smooth and looks good... i ran out of paint althought so the bay wont be finished until i can get somemore

 

[Jeff99GS]

NICE! that looks 50 times better!