New Cadillac not shiny enough!

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rajon

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So I bought a Griot's 6" DA with Meguar's 105/205 in a package here. I don't remember why exactly I chose that particular package but I agonized a long time.

I had a 2014 Chevrolet Diesel Cruze finished in Black Granite Metallic. After following all the directions here I topped it with WGDGP3 and it looked amazing. Especially for a Cruze.

I traded the Cruze for a 2016 Cadillac ATS finished in Brilliant Black Metallic.

The paint seems different. I guess it should going from an Econo Chevy to a Caddy.

I bought the Cadillac with 3800 miles on it as it started life as a courtesy car, was exactly what I was looking for and they gave me a ridiculous deal. So I, in a basic panic, washed it and applied WGDGP to the whole thing. It looks ok. There are still swirls but at least the car is coated. I parked in the bright sun today and saw that the swirls are there and I want them gone. As an aside I work for GM at the Tech Center in Warren, MI so a black Cadillac is absolutely nothing special. I got a couple of looks today and one comment about the shine so I believe that speaks volumes in favor of the Wolfgang.

My stupid question to all of you experts is did I screw myself by putting on the synthetic wax or can I safely remove it, clay the car and get to polishing with the Meg's 105/205?

I have the upgraded paint and it seems hard but I have very little experience correcting paint and they have all been GMs.

So how does one begin with a car that already has a solid coating?

This had probably been discussed ad nasuem but I apparently suck at the search function.

So I have a pile of pads. All Lake Country.

I am thinking of doing two test spots on the hood this evening and evaluating in the sun tomorrow. Bad idea?

Sorry for the rambling post if it makes no sense so here is a tl;dr:

1. Have a Black Cadillac (pretty new)
2. Shows the typical swirls from weekly trips through a mechanical car wash for 3 months..
3. I already put Wolfgang Deep Gloss on it to prefent further damage.
4. I need to polish and had unbelievable results (beginner's luck?) with Meg's 105/205 on a Black Chevy.
5. I will do test spots but I do I begin? Wash with dawn? Wash the regular way and then clay anything needed and just get to polishing?

I also have the Wolfgang Twins and basically am addicted to trying new stuff from here.

Thanks in advance.
 
The wolfgang will give you zero problems. Just give it a wash, a clay, and perhaps some form of decon like iron -x. Then polish away, always doing a test spot with your least aggressive method available. I bet a two step with your Megs 105/205 will get you what your looking for. I would then do a wipedown of some sort (IPA,Eraser, etc) to remove what polishing oils are left to create a good clean base. Then just reaaply your Wolfgang.
 
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I also have Wolfgang Perfekt Paint and the Uber Coating. :-x Like I said, addict. I guess there are worse chemicals to be addicted to.
 
Post some pictures of the Cadillac?
What exactly does Cadillac call their "upgraded paint"?
I guess it's a good thing you've got some M105, because odds are that paint is going to be hard. I've yet to meet a Cadillac that didn't have hard paint. If you find M105 a pita to work with you might want to consider picking up some Griots Boss Fast Correcting Cream.

You say a black Cadillac is nothing special eh? What color would you say Cadillac does best of all? IMO it's White Diamond aka Pearl White. I'm not a real big fan of white vehicles, but if it's a Cadillac I'll make an exception. They always look supreme.:)
 
Hope you don't have to resort to using M105. Wear a dust mask.
 
Ah Cadillac. My Cadillac.
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A Cadillac is a very special car. In Warren or Milford, where I work, there are Cadillacs a plenty. I spend my days working on Escalades and CT6s. I spent a lot of time in SRX development mules. I got to use a 2014 CTS-V for a week. Cadillacs, Cadillacs everywhere but mine is retail. I bought it. It is not borrowed, assigned, fleet or company owned. It is mine. Well it is GM financial's but as long as I pay them they let me drive it.

It is a 2016 Base Model ATS 2.0L Turbo and All Wheel Drive.

With AWD+2.0 the base model gets the Brembo brake calipers with "Cadillac" written upon them.

Frankly I believe Cadillacs can be black or white and other colors are begrudgingly tolerated.

According to my body shop manager brother (body shop as in the part of the plant that is responsible for the body) the upgraded paint is indeed a triple coat, an absolute pain in his behind and worth more than they charge for it. In reality is is a nice deep black with metallic flake.

It does not pop in the sun. It is covered in swirl marks. The application of the WG DGP actually enhanced the swirl marks. This might be a well known side effect but I am still a beginner.

So a'polishing I will go. I will maybe bucket wash it this time rather than the rinseless but I am seriously considering never pulling out the hose again.


What I did notice with my Cruze is that removing the swirls and giving it a deep inky finish made the car look exception in a sea of similar cars. I attached some pictures of the Cruze too. I learned on the Cruze and I care much more for the ATS.
 
I believe it's brilliant black pearl metallic, so yes, there is a pearlescent coat in there for a 3 stage paint job. base + pearl + clear
 
The paint looks complex if that is even a thing. I am due a PBMG box in the next couple of days. I might have a late weeknight coming. Seeing the swirls in the sun today leads me to believe that there is significant potential for a striking appearance.
 
I have no pictures (so it didn't happen?) and I have decided that M205 with an Orange CCS Lake Country Pad topped with The Wolfgang DGPP it a significant improvement. I did (in a moment of weakness?) succumb to the 20% off coupon last night and ordered (among other things like 6 orange pads) the little jar of FUZION wax. Nothing like self inducted conflict eh?

I am terminally curious about the FUZION so I might just go with it or I might put it over the DGPP. I am still debating on what to do with the Uber ceramic but honestly I like working on my car and I hate working on my wife's behemoth so I might coat hers and suffer through waxing mine in the winter. (I have a heated garage. :-D)
 
Just follow the basics...

Step 1: Wash and dry.

Step 2: Inspect for above surface contaminants. Do the Baggie Test. If you find the paint feels rough, has little bumps or a texture then use detailing clay or one of the other options for removing above surface bonded contaminants to remove them.


REMEMBER - Gloss starts with a smooth surface


Step 3: If correction is needed to remove below surface defects like swirls and scratches then do a Test Spot. Dial in a process that works in one small area to make the paint look GREAT! Then simply duplicate this process over the rest of the car.

Step 4: Seal the paint. The Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0 or the Wolfgang Fusion are both great options for a super high gloss finish.

Step 5: Enjoy the ride. Show off you shiny Cadillac. Moving forward, wash using The Gentle Approach.



Below is a brand new article I wrote for using the gentle approach for washing a car that has been coated but all the same techniques apply to vehicles no matter what you use to seal the paint. In other words, car waxes, synthetic paint sealants or paint coatings. The big picture is to pay attention to how you move a wash mitt over the surface and be gentle so you don't re-instill swirls and scratches after you have already removed them.


How to wash a coated car - The Gentle Approach for Washing a Car by Mike Phillips



:)
 
Thanks so much Mike! I made the best looking Cruze at the Milford Proving Grounds with your book and WAY less work than I thought. I can't believe you share so much wonderful information but I promise that I spread the love.
 
Yeah, some of GM's paints are sometimes notoriously said to be hard.

I noticed that once, and had a bit of difficulty getting out some slightly deeper "sleeks" in the Hood with Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover and White LC Flat Pads. Don't get me wrong, WG TSR is an absolute killer product, one I'll most likely always have on hand.

Then at later date, and when it was then first introduced, I bought a bottle of Wolfgang Uber Compound. Again used the White LC Flat Pads on my PC7424XP DA.

This worked perfectly, it did rid the hood and some other areas of these slightly deeper sleeks which I noticed only under bright lighting, and as the description of this product, and people like Mike Phillips have said about it, it finishes down absolutely fantastic.

I'm sure you have noted already how nice WGDGPS 3.0 is, and sure you'll be quite wowed with Fuzion as well.

Having the "Wolfgang Trio" of Polishes, Uber Compound, Total Swirl Remover, and Finishing Glaze are also outstanding products which too would be great additions in just about anyone's arsenal. All totally top of the heap!
 
rajon said:
Thanks so much Mike! I made the best looking Cruze at the Milford Proving Grounds with your book and WAY less work than I thought.
Click to expand...

Congratulations!

This how-to book was a lot of work and took a lot of time to write. I know a couple of schools use it for their course manual.


300_2_book.jpg





rajon said:
I can't believe you share so much wonderful information but I promise that I spread the love.
Click to expand...


And thank you for spreading the passion!


:dblthumb2:
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
Congratulations!

This how-to book was a lot of work and took a lot of time to write. I know a couple of schools use it for their course manual.


300_2_book.jpg
Click to expand...

It shows and I have basically memorized it. I am an engineer so over-research is my forte. You take a lot of the mystery out of detailing paint which was my most difficult mental barrier. Becaue of this book I have dropped around $500 on Auto Geek in the past year and I have yet to be disappointed. I have a new car so of course I have all the same fears all over again for absolutely no good reason.

I know it is pretty unreasonable to maintain a near show ready shine all the time on a daily driver in a 4 season state but I try.

The satisfaction at catching the inky shine of your car in a sea of dull ones is worth more than the hours invested. The world deserves nice things to look at.
 
I think you're on the right track with M205. Yeah, the GM paint is hard, but your combo of pad & polish will get you a fair amount of correction without removing too much paint. Depending on the results obtained, you may want to consider a repeat pass of M205 with a softer pad to enhance the gloss even more. I've got a DD Black Lacrosse of my own and my spring cleaning with Meguiar's Ultimate Compound and and orange pad achieved all the correction I needed, looked good under a swirl finder light, but just didn't have the "pop" I had hoped for. Another rub with M205 and a white pad and we were all good.

Bill
 
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