Pretty bad swirls in clear bra... is this fixable?

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jdgamble

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Hey all,

So my paint is now looking pretty swirl free, but the clear bra on the lower hood looks terrible. Lots of swirls. Is this fixable with a DA polisher / compound? I'm getting very little and conflicting info in my search efforts.

Thanks for any ideas.
 
jdgamble said:
Hey all,

So my paint is now looking pretty swirl free, but the clear bra on the lower hood looks terrible. Lots of swirls. Is this fixable with a DA polisher / compound? I'm getting very little and conflicting info in my search efforts.

Thanks for any ideas.
Click to expand...


Here's the deal....


To my knowledge, none of the companies that manufacture clear bras have an official recommended procedure or recommended products to use to machine polish their plastic films.

You will find "people" that have their recommendations but I have not seen any manufacturers make official recommendations. So keep that in mind.


That said, I've had luck using super soft foam pads and ultra fine polishes to IMPROVE the appearance of clear bras.

The pad and product combo I've used wit good luck is the RUPES Diamond White Polish with the RUPES white foam finishing pads and I used these with the RUPES BigFoot 21 polisher. Sorry, no pictures. Next time I get a swirled out clear bra I'll be sure to take pictures.


Here's the BIG PICTURE for --> you.


If the clear bra on your car has swirls and scratches then at this point in time you have nothing to lose to "try" to do something. Worst case scenario is you get zero improvement and are in the same place you started.


So if I were in your shoes I would at least "try" something. Stick with ultra fine polishes and super soft foam finishing pads. Most companies have fine cut polishes but most companies don't have ultra fine cut polishes. In the world and also in my how-to book (page 92 and 93), I created 4 categories that EVERY COMPANY's products will fall into,

  1. Aggressive compounds
  2. Medium cut polishes
  3. Fine cut polishes
  4. Ultra fine cut polishes



RUPES, Menzerna and SONAX all have ultra fine cut polishes. There are others but these are the three companies I can think of off the top of my head that have ultra fine cut polishes that also use great abrasive technology.


SONAX Nano Polish
Sonax Profiline Nano Polish 3/6, sonax nano polish, sonax perfect finish, sonax profiline cut finish

Menzerna Super Finish Plus
Menzerna Polish PO85RD, Mernzerna 85rd, Menzerna finish po85rd, Menzerna Super Finish Plus

Rupes Diamond Ultra Fine Gel Polish 250 ml
Rupes Diamond Ultra Fine Gel Polish 250 ml.







Do you have an orbital polisher?



:)
 
Thanks Mike. Yeah my thought process is that, if I don't like the results, I will just remove and replace. The really bad section is just 1.5 ft of hood. The rest looks ok or just doesn't catch light like the big flat surface of my hood.

Yes I have an orbital... GG6" from you guys.
 
Plenty of white pads.

I have 2 polishes... Pinnacle Advanced Finishing polish and Meguiar's Ultimate polish. I take it these do not qualify as ultra fine.
 
jdgamble said:
Plenty of white pads.

I have 2 polishes... Pinnacle Advanced Finishing polish and Meguiar's Ultimate polish. I take it these do not qualify as ultra fine.
Click to expand...


I would classify these two products as "fine".


But if I were you, I would go ahead and try them with a foam finishing pad. If all you have is foam "polishing" pads then try those with light pressure and speed 4ish on the GG6. Shake the polishes well before use.

Again, at this point you have nothing to lose.

If you can, take some before pictures of the swirls in the bra outside in the sun...


:)
 
If you know the manufacturer and level of product you might want to contact them with the details. There likely is a clear-coat layer on the product but it's thin and not meant to be "corrected" per-say but it may respond well to an ultrafine polish or sealant and a moderate working speed. Use something like CarPro Essence which is not only a very fine polish but it has fillers in it to help cover up fine lines. The sealant in it is a great AIO product but is also a base for coatings too. Top it with a good coating and you should be pleased with the results.
 
My approach is exactly as Mike suggested...super fine polish and pad. I treat them as soft as all heck and sometimes brighten it up significantly. I will admit sometimes they don't budge but I never get any more aggressive with that material.

Tape off the edge of the film too. I hate having to run a toothpick down the edge line.
 
jdgamble said:
Hey all,

So my paint is now looking pretty swirl free, but the clear bra on the lower hood looks terrible. Lots of swirls. Is this fixable with a DA polisher / compound? I'm getting very little and conflicting info in my search efforts.

Thanks for any ideas.
Click to expand...
XPel has the following recommendations
for buffing swirls/(scratches) from their PPF
(This doesn't apply to their self-healing
Ultimate; or Matte PPFs):

Removing Scratches

"Most scratches in the film can be
removed using a rotary or dual-action
buffer.

For best results, it is recommended to
use 3M Perfect-It Machine Polish (part
number 06064) used with their color
coded buffing pad (Part number 05738).

If needed, this product can be followed
by 3M Perfect-It Ultrafine Machine Polish
(part number 06068) used with the blue
pad (part number 05733) to restore a deep,
swirl-free shine."
_______________________________________

Note:
Do not linger very long on
any one area while buffing.



Bob
 
I have had good luck with Optimum Poli Seal and a white pad on a DA. Not much pressure or speed as I recall. I keep a bottle on had just for that purpose.
 
Awesome. Thanks for all the tips.

I don't know the product, as I bought the car with the film installed. I will get some pics and update on how it turns out.

Honestly, I see myself replacing this unless it turns out amazing, but it should be a good experiment. Targeting the work either this weekend or next.

Thanks again.
 
Many PPF now can heal themselves when exposed to heat. You should check if yours can. If so, all you need is hot water, a hair dryer or steam to fix the film. If not, polishing should do a good job at making it much better.
 
Calendyr said:
Many PPF now can heal themselves when exposed to heat. You should check if yours can. If so, all you need is hot water, a hair dryer or steam to fix the film. If not, polishing should do a good job at making it much better.
Click to expand...

Wait what's the process there? What do I do with the hot water and a hair dryer? Steam would be a stretch.

For the record, this is a kit. It's cut around the bumper, headlight washers, etc... not a custom installation. So I could be wrong, but my guess it that it's not the best stuff.
 
jdgamble said:
Wait what's the process there? What do I do with the hot water and a hair dryer? Steam would be a stretch.

For the record, this is a kit. It's cut around the bumper, headlight washers, etc... not a custom installation. So I could be wrong, but my guess it that it's not the best stuff.
Click to expand...

Here is a youtube video showing how easy it is. In this video they are using a heat gun, so a hair dryer, hot water or steamer would be slower but would be able to give you the same results if the ppf is self healing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC0OZm1aFWY
 
Brief update. I played with the clear bra a bit and got nowhere. So today I had it removed. The swirls were under the clear bra. I just couldn't believe someone would install clear bra over a swirled mess, but they did. I took a first pass at correcting... will start a new thread on an issue I'm having there.
 
jdgamble said:
Brief update. I played with the clear bra a bit and got nowhere. So today I had it removed. The swirls were under the clear bra. I just couldn't believe someone would install clear bra over a swirled mess, but they did. I took a first pass at correcting... will start a new thread on an issue I'm having there.
Click to expand...

That's odd, PPF will hide most swirls unless they are really deep. Not the best pic but here is a new install over a swirled A7 hood.

 
Get rid of the Clear bra and go with a ceramic coating


Sent from my iPhone using AGOnline
 
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