Auto body repair & detailing: wet sanding and polishing clear coat, gray spots, wet sanding

Question
I painted some panels on a truck and clearcoat had orange peel from clear coat (thick).  Wet sanded down from 600, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000.  Buffed it out with maguires #4 compound, #9 polish.  Didn't wax it but it looked great.  Went away for 4 hours come home to wax it and it had a lot of rough whitish gray spots in the paint.  Looks bad.  Can I fix this or does it need more clear coat?  Thanks- Fred

Answer
Hi Fred,

It sounds like you may have sanded through the clear-coat into the base-coat color. This would make the "Whitish Gray Spots" you are talking about. 600 and 800 grit are pretty course unless you are cutting out some major runs. Most likely you will need to lightly apply more base-color to your "Whitish Gray Spots" and the whole panel will need to be re-cleared. This time try to stick with 1500 grit to avoid cutting through the clear. I hope this helps.