Shapeshiftedcow
New member
- May 28, 2016
- 2
- 0
Hey all, short time lurker, first time poster; I hope this post is in the right place, and isn't too redundant with anecdotal issues. I've done plenty of searching on this forum as well as others trying to find a pretty close example to my issue, but haven't found an exact answer.
I've just gotten into the detailing hobby after getting a car that I really care to keep looking nice. This is my first time around working with a multiple step detail process. I made sure to do plenty of research beforehand, and I've done my best to follow good techniques with every step of the process covered so far.
So, dodging the rainy weather on my daily driver '08 A3, I've washed with my new PW/foam lance + two bucket combo (too much fun), clayed for what I assume is the first time in the car's life at 95k miles (purchased from the previous owner at 87k), and just made it to the cutting and polishing steps in the last few days. The paint isn't in terrible condition, but has a fair amount of swirling and scratches/chips that you might expect from an 8 year old daily driver that doesn't always get to sit in a garage, and probably didn't get extensive care from the original owner.
I have a few questions, but one major issue: I've been using Meguiar's Ultimate Compound on every panel of the car over the last couple days with a PC 7424XP, doing my best to follow all the technique and general tips & tricks that are out there. The hood, which I worked first, turned out pretty damn well; there are very few scratches and swirls left visible, with only minor chips and dents that I can't attend to with this process remaining. The top back panel (behind the dual sunroof panels, connecting to the lip/spoiler/whatever it would be categorized as) of the car turned out pretty satisfactory also, compared to its original condition, while not being perfectly up to my standards and perhaps garnering further attention when I can get the rest of the car to a satisfactory condition. I mention this because it seems to be a pattern: I have much better luck working the horizontal areas than any of the vertical ones, which cover a much larger surface area of the car overall.
Although I understand I probably won't be able to get everything out, the door panels just aren't cooperating the way the hood and top were. I've worked most of these areas two or three times over, with relatively little change. The UC has restored a bit of clarity and color depth to the paint, but the scratches themselves are very stubborn, especially near more uneven areas and crevices. I have a small bottle of Swirlx that I originally spot tested with on the hood that didn't seem to be quite up to the task, that I've thought about using on these problem areas, but I wasn't sure that it would make any difference if the more aggressive compound isn't touching them up very well either. In any case, I've gone over the vast majority of the car with the UC at least twice, and my 15oz bottle is ~75% empty, so if I need to go over these areas again with a tweaked technique and the same product I'll need another bottle, if that gives you an idea of how much I've been using. I originally started on the hood with my second heaviest Chemical Guys cutting pad, and eventually moved to my heaviest after seeing how troublesome the door panels are, with little to no change in result. Pic links attached to better explain the specifics of the problem areas within the door panels. Forgive my sloppy MS Paint work done with my laptop's trackpad in advance, lol.
Areas outlined in red are the only ones not worked yet; the smaller trim areas most likely have to be worked by hand, including the one on the door panel separated by tape, though that area is only separated because of some accentuating paint lines that UC started taking off on the passenger side of the car, which I worked before the driver's side.
In this image, the areas outlined in red have the heaviest and most stubborn scratching. Green is moderately stubborn and of lesser concern, and brown is the aforementioned area that will likely have to be worked by hand (which I'm dreading), with moderate swirling throughout.
Closeup of most concerning problem area, marked in red from the second image.
Another closeup of problem area marked in red in second image.
Closeup of area marked in brown in second image.
Example of how well the hood turned out compared to rest of the car.
Example of clear bra on hood, for which I had a question about polishing and swirl removal.
So,after all this heavy background information, here are my main questions:
Should I stick with the UC/cutting pads I'm using, and try to go over these areas again until they're satisfactory, or try a more aggressive product/pad combo? Are there any techniques or tricks I can use to help remedy those more problematic, uneven areas, like my most concerning one (marked in red) with the current products? I've been spreading the previously dabbed-on UC in over small sections at a speed of ~2 with the PC, before buffing slowly and with plenty of pressure at ~4.5-6 (depending on risk of splatter on given area) with 50% overlapping section passes, keeping in mind that the UC shouldn't be buffed long enough to get dry and powdery. Compound is then buffed off with microfiber, and inspected. Most of these areas have been treated twice already.
Would it be unwise to use either UC or SwirlX on the hood's clear bra before polishing, or should I just go straight to polish in the hopes that it will remove the swirls? I will be using Meguiar's Ultimate Polish. Keep in mind that the clear bra was installed by the previous owner at an unknown date, so I'm not entirely sure whether the majority of the scratches are in the clear bra, or under it. Aside from a few bubbles and small peeling areas scattered on the edges, it's in otherwise great shape, no discoloration or anything that stands out as being in poor shape.
I used UC on my headlights (which are in fair, but not perfect condition as clarity and spotting goes) once over, with little resulting change, but I have a small bottle of PlastX from a headlight restoration kit that I could use on them, with the hopes that the 7424 would make the job simple and more effective compared to the wet sanding and buffing by hand that the kit provided, with a poor effort to outcome ratio. Should I continue trying to use the UC, or would PlastX be a better choice?
I'm hoping to get this all to a point of satisfaction ASAP so I can get the polish and sealant/wax(?) done and get my car back into commission, but I also don't want to have to use cutting compound again anytime soon, so I'm willing to take the time and effort to get it right the first time. I wanna get my baby looking just as good as the 3.2L 24v VR6 under the hood sounds, lol :xyxthumbs:
Would appreciate all advice from everyone here, most of whom are likely a bit more experienced than myself Feed back please. Sorry for the super long post! Thanks in advance!
I've just gotten into the detailing hobby after getting a car that I really care to keep looking nice. This is my first time around working with a multiple step detail process. I made sure to do plenty of research beforehand, and I've done my best to follow good techniques with every step of the process covered so far.
So, dodging the rainy weather on my daily driver '08 A3, I've washed with my new PW/foam lance + two bucket combo (too much fun), clayed for what I assume is the first time in the car's life at 95k miles (purchased from the previous owner at 87k), and just made it to the cutting and polishing steps in the last few days. The paint isn't in terrible condition, but has a fair amount of swirling and scratches/chips that you might expect from an 8 year old daily driver that doesn't always get to sit in a garage, and probably didn't get extensive care from the original owner.
I have a few questions, but one major issue: I've been using Meguiar's Ultimate Compound on every panel of the car over the last couple days with a PC 7424XP, doing my best to follow all the technique and general tips & tricks that are out there. The hood, which I worked first, turned out pretty damn well; there are very few scratches and swirls left visible, with only minor chips and dents that I can't attend to with this process remaining. The top back panel (behind the dual sunroof panels, connecting to the lip/spoiler/whatever it would be categorized as) of the car turned out pretty satisfactory also, compared to its original condition, while not being perfectly up to my standards and perhaps garnering further attention when I can get the rest of the car to a satisfactory condition. I mention this because it seems to be a pattern: I have much better luck working the horizontal areas than any of the vertical ones, which cover a much larger surface area of the car overall.
Although I understand I probably won't be able to get everything out, the door panels just aren't cooperating the way the hood and top were. I've worked most of these areas two or three times over, with relatively little change. The UC has restored a bit of clarity and color depth to the paint, but the scratches themselves are very stubborn, especially near more uneven areas and crevices. I have a small bottle of Swirlx that I originally spot tested with on the hood that didn't seem to be quite up to the task, that I've thought about using on these problem areas, but I wasn't sure that it would make any difference if the more aggressive compound isn't touching them up very well either. In any case, I've gone over the vast majority of the car with the UC at least twice, and my 15oz bottle is ~75% empty, so if I need to go over these areas again with a tweaked technique and the same product I'll need another bottle, if that gives you an idea of how much I've been using. I originally started on the hood with my second heaviest Chemical Guys cutting pad, and eventually moved to my heaviest after seeing how troublesome the door panels are, with little to no change in result. Pic links attached to better explain the specifics of the problem areas within the door panels. Forgive my sloppy MS Paint work done with my laptop's trackpad in advance, lol.
![AXL56ub.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/AXL56ub.jpg)
![VDHBfva.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/VDHBfva.jpg)
![eLqABnZ.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/eLqABnZ.jpg)
![YERd9Op.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/YERd9Op.jpg)
![JYh4OQy.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/JYh4OQy.jpg)
![7KN2IbE.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/7KN2IbE.jpg)
![q9uPFnz.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/q9uPFnz.jpg)
So,after all this heavy background information, here are my main questions:
Should I stick with the UC/cutting pads I'm using, and try to go over these areas again until they're satisfactory, or try a more aggressive product/pad combo? Are there any techniques or tricks I can use to help remedy those more problematic, uneven areas, like my most concerning one (marked in red) with the current products? I've been spreading the previously dabbed-on UC in over small sections at a speed of ~2 with the PC, before buffing slowly and with plenty of pressure at ~4.5-6 (depending on risk of splatter on given area) with 50% overlapping section passes, keeping in mind that the UC shouldn't be buffed long enough to get dry and powdery. Compound is then buffed off with microfiber, and inspected. Most of these areas have been treated twice already.
Would it be unwise to use either UC or SwirlX on the hood's clear bra before polishing, or should I just go straight to polish in the hopes that it will remove the swirls? I will be using Meguiar's Ultimate Polish. Keep in mind that the clear bra was installed by the previous owner at an unknown date, so I'm not entirely sure whether the majority of the scratches are in the clear bra, or under it. Aside from a few bubbles and small peeling areas scattered on the edges, it's in otherwise great shape, no discoloration or anything that stands out as being in poor shape.
I used UC on my headlights (which are in fair, but not perfect condition as clarity and spotting goes) once over, with little resulting change, but I have a small bottle of PlastX from a headlight restoration kit that I could use on them, with the hopes that the 7424 would make the job simple and more effective compared to the wet sanding and buffing by hand that the kit provided, with a poor effort to outcome ratio. Should I continue trying to use the UC, or would PlastX be a better choice?
I'm hoping to get this all to a point of satisfaction ASAP so I can get the polish and sealant/wax(?) done and get my car back into commission, but I also don't want to have to use cutting compound again anytime soon, so I'm willing to take the time and effort to get it right the first time. I wanna get my baby looking just as good as the 3.2L 24v VR6 under the hood sounds, lol :xyxthumbs:
Would appreciate all advice from everyone here, most of whom are likely a bit more experienced than myself Feed back please. Sorry for the super long post! Thanks in advance!