Clear coat hardness

[Montaver]

My E90 has what I would describe as some fairly light cobwebs or swirl marks, very hard to see as space grey hides marks well. For a 2009 the paint is in excellent condition, polish not really necessary but I wanted to do it for satisfaction more than anything.

After lots of reading, I got myself a Griotts Orbital DA polisher and some M205. All advice suggested start with the least aggressive method. Washed, stripped off current wax with CarPro Eraser clayed a couple of areas which needed attention then set to polishing.

Started with M205 and polishing pad, it absolutely did nothing to the paint. Switched to a correcting pad, still did very little to the paint even after 6 or 7 passes. Was I expecting too much from a light polish?

I gave up polishing, coated the car with Ammo Reflex followed by Ammo Skin and it looks amazing but not getting the polish right was disappointing.

Anyone else else experienced this? Does the car have very hard clear coat? There are well known detailing shops NY/NJ who I could take it to for a correction, but I was quite looking forward to doing it myself! Based off peoples advice / experience I will tackle it again in Spring.

[EnVe46]

Originally Posted by Montaver

My E90 has what I would describe as some fairly light cobwebs or swirl marks, very hard to see as space grey hides marks well. For a 2009 the paint is in excellent condition, polish not really necessary but I wanted to do it for satisfaction more than anything.

After lots of reading, I got myself a Griotts Orbital DA polisher and some M205. All advice suggested start with the least aggressive method. Washed, stripped off current wax with CarPro Eraser clayed a couple of areas which needed attention then set to polishing.

Started with M205 and polishing pad, it absolutely did nothing to the paint. Switched to a correcting pad, still did very little to the paint even after 6 or 7 passes. Was I expecting too much from a light polish?

I gave up polishing, coated the car with Ammo Reflex followed by Ammo Skin and it looks amazing but not getting the polish right was disappointing.

Anyone else else experienced this? Does the car have very hard clear coat? There are well known detailing shops NY/NJ who I could take it to for a correction, but I was quite looking forward to doing it myself! Based off peoples advice / experience I will tackle it again in Spring.

Depending on your level of marring you may need a more aggressive pad and compound. Also, make sure you go slowly with multiple passes as you need to have some heat get into the clear inroder to move it around, for lack of better wording. What color pad are you using?

[cclinard1]

You need to move up to a compound like Meguiars M105 with Orange pad.

[Montaver]

Originally Posted by EnVe46

Depending on your level of marring you may need a more aggressive pad and compound. Also, make sure you go slowly with multiple passes as you need to have some heat get into the clear inroder to move it around, for lack of better wording. What color pad are you using?

Started with a white lake country pad, moved to an orange Griotts correcting pad. Given how light the swirling is I thought 205 would be enough, but this is my first time polishing. Good learning experience!

[Montaver]

Originally Posted by cclinard1

You need to move up to a compound like Meguiars M105 with Orange pad.

Thanks for the advice, this was my thinking also. This would be a two step though I assume, as I'll need to do one correct with M105 then polish with M205. I expect this would take me all day!

[cclinard1]

Originally Posted by Montaver

Thanks for the advice, this was my thinking also. This would be a two step though I assume, as I'll need to do one correct with M105 then polish with M205. I expect this would take me all day!

You are doing it correctly starting least aggressive. It's hard to know what you'll need until you're working on it. And yes you'll definitely spend a good amount of time on it.

[rcracin]

I'm on board with the m105 on orange pad then m205 on either an orange or white pad.

I ran m205 with an orange pad just to make the paint shine a bit and i didn't have a lot of time. Good enough for now, but not properly corrected.

[Z K]

What paint color is your car? There's different paint hardness depending what color it is.

For example, Jet Black is extremely soft and mars easily. It corrects without needing much power.

[Montaver]

Originally Posted by Z K

What paint color is your car? There's different paint hardness depending what color it is.

For example, Jet Black is extremely soft and mars easily. It corrects without needing much power.

Space grey. Here is a pic I took this afternoon whilst at ACM, came out pretty well despite the polishing fail. Theres one obvious scratch on the bonnet (which I'm fairly certain I must of caused) which is particularly annoying, can't see it 98% of the time but when the light catches its obvious to me. Doubt anyone who doesn't have a keen eye would spot it though.

[Z K]

Originally Posted by Montaver

Space grey. Here is a pic I took this afternoon whilst at ACM, came out pretty well despite the polishing fail. Theres one obvious scratch on the bonnet (which I'm fairly certain I must of caused) which is particularly annoying, can't see it 98% of the time but when the light catches its obvious to me. Doubt anyone who doesn't have a keen eye would spot it though.

This may seem obvious but did you use the maximum speed on your DA polisher?

M205 is a finishing polish... it doesn't have much cut at all. That with a DA, it won't do much. I'd suggest going with the M105 and finish with M205 if needed.

I usually use Carpro Fixer with lake country hydrotech pads. Fixer has the cut of M105 but finishes like M205 so it's a fast one step that works for 80% of the stuff I polish. Only issue is that it is designed for no dust (which is good) but it is rather sticky if you don't polish it completely dry. It also loads the pads fast. You'll go through 3-4 pads for a car. I just clean the pads afterward for use next time.

[Montaver]

Originally Posted by Z K

This may seem obvious but did you use the maximum speed on your DA polisher?

M205 is a finishing polish... it doesn't have much cut at all. That with a DA, it won't do much. I'd suggest going with the M105 and finish with M205 if needed.

I usually use Carpro Fixer with lake country hydrotech pads. Fixer has the cut of M105 but finishes like M205 so it's a fast one step that works for 80% of the stuff I polish. Only issue is that it is designed for no dust (which is good) but it is rather sticky if you don't polish it completely dry. It also loads the pads fast. You'll go through 3-4 pads for a car. I just clean the pads afterward for use next time.

I was spreading it over the area with 1 speed, then 6 for polishing.

Carpro fixer sounds perfect thanks for the tip, ideally I'd just like to do a one stage correct/polish. Can always just hit any residue with Eraser.

[Bimmer Barney]

My recommendation:

Check out detailed image for tips and tricks. I had a SGM 335i, which looks amazing when polished, but shows swirls easily despite the metallic flake (which generally hides imperfections). Here was my process:

M105, Orange Lake Country Pad, Speed 4-5 with Porter Cable DA
M205, White Lake Country Pad, Speed 4-5
Poor Boys Black Hole Polish, Black Lake Country Pad, Speed 3-4
Collinite 845, Red Lake Country Pad, Speed 1

My paint looked like a mirror. Just remember the technique is more important than the product, so watch so youtube videos, etc. Also be sure to use a quality wash mitt, 2 buckets, quality super sudsy soap, and quality towels when drying. It's very labor intensive to polish rather than just maintain with wax, so do your best to prevent the swirls when washing.

[doogee]

Every paint is quite different and technique comes into play.

Learning this skill takes a long time, so don't be too upset with the outcome!

This is why I have 6 different types of pads and 5 different polishes


My most commonly used combo is Menzerna FG400 with an Optimum microfiber cutting pad if the vehicle has moderate swirling. This is with a Flex 3401.

[thkfast]

I was following OBSESSED GARAGE and Matt's 911 GT3 RS detail at THE high end detailing shop in Ohio and decided I'd try to correct my swirls/light scratches using the same process: a Rupe's Yellow Pad and Sonax Perfect Finish using Griot's 6" machine. After 2 full 4X passes and swapping pads I can still see long fine scratches (like from a drying towel) on the CF roof and deck lid. So I ordered SOME MORE CRAP: Meguiar's Microfiber Cutting Discs and Jescar Correcting Compound.

I've got so many lines of product in my cabinet I could open an auto parts store! This is ridiculous...it's probably my technique - I'm not a patient person. Arrrrrg