Any c5 owners step in.

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robsc5vette

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Hi There:
I have a 01 t/red corvette coupe. Not my dd. 16k on the clock. Really nice glossy paint no scratches or dings,garage kept never in bad weather. I want to remove the swirl marks caused by hand washing over the years.These swirl or halo marks are really noticeable in the sunlight.
I plan on using these pinnacle products with my p/c 7424. Advanced swirl remover,(orange pad) advanced finish polish(white pad) then sealing with a mequiars cleaner wax.(blue or white pad)
I just got this p/c 7424. I used it once on my 05 ranger.I clayed the entire truck as the paint felt like you were running your fingers over fine sand paper. These bubbles were all over the paint.Now it is smooth as glass & protected by meguiars cleaner wax. My questions:Are the steps above the proper steps to proceed on my vette?Is the advanced s/r a medium cut? Is the f/polish the fine cut? If the advanced s/r is a medium cut would you use a fine cut s/r instead of the medium cut?I want to remove these swirls with the least amount of abrasive. What is the white foam pad that came with the p/c 7424 used for?
Thanks for any advice.
robsc5vette
 
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I would use the same steps. Wash, clay, polish, lsp. The white pad with the pc is to rough to use on a vehicle. I would step up to the Menzerna polishes if possible. The Pinnacle twins are nice but just don't match the results Menzerna will provide for you. You want to start off with the lesser cut polish to see if that takes care of the swirls/scratches, if not you have to move up to the more aggressive polish. How indepth do you want to go with this. I would also suggest the Pinnacle shizzling shine kit.
 
Be prepared for tough polishing. Vette clear coat is thick and tough, doable with a PC but not easy. Rotary is a lot better.
 
ASPHALT ROCKET said:
I would use the same steps. Wash, clay, polish, lsp. The white pad with the pc is to rough to use on a vehicle. I would step up to the Menzerna polishes if possible. The Pinnacle twins are nice but just don't match the results Menzerna will provide for you. You want to start off with the lesser cut polish to see if that takes care of the swirls/scratches, if not you have to move up to the more aggressive polish. How indepth do you want to go with this. I would also suggest the Pinnacle shizzling shine kit.
Click to expand...
:iagree:
 
As a former C5 owner I too suggest the Menzerna polishes as possible. It will still take some time and patience. When funds allow move to a Flex polisher for faster more effective results.

wash --- clay --- polish --- protect
 
As said before, go with the SIP/Nano combo to help with your hard clear coat and you will be good as gold. And don't worry about removing too much clear with the pc. If the car has never been polished before you can polish with the pc many times before you ever need to worry about clear coat thickness.
 
Another vote for SIP/Nano! If that doesn't do the trick, Meguiar's #105 followed by Nano also works very well on the more stubborn stuff.
 
Re: Any c5 owners with scratches?

Hi There:
Today I Detailed my hood using the p/c on speed 6 after spreading the product on speed 3 trying to get rid of the fine scratches.I started with # 9 Mequiars fine cut swirl remover & then the pinnacle advanced s/ remover(medium cut) & then pinnacle advanced polish.I did the whole hood area twice.No change.I went to a local paint shop(napa store) & bought some mirror glaze#4 heavy cut cleaner, pinnacle s/remover & the polish.Tried those items twice & still no change. Scratches are still there & they are not into the c/coat.They should come out fairly easy but did not.
Any ideals on which menzerna or mequiars products to buy? Is a rotary type polisher the way to go.Which one do you recommend? Is the flex a rotary?
Signed tired & not too happy.
robsc5vette
 
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If the swirls are that bad get yourself some Meguiars m105, Menzerna sip and 106ff or fa.
 
what size pads and backing plate are you using on the PC, I think I missed that ???
 
Rotary is really the only way, a Flex should work as well. We have a C4 and C6Z and PC didn't do squat, not even with an orange cutting pad and optimum compound at speed 6 pass after pass after pass. Vette CC is not only thick (so some scratches are deeper than norm, but also hard as hell). Besides ceramiclear, Lincoln CC was the only one I've done that was just as tough as a Vette.
 
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Hi there Killrwheels:
I just received the p/c starter kit on 12/16 from auto geek.5" backing plate with the ccs pads. 2 free orange, (5 1/2") The white, grey,blue & black are 6.5".It appears I should have bought the flex polisher instead of the p/c 7424.
robsc5vette
 
Hi Surfer:
Thanks for the reply & info.You are correct sir" didn't do squat on the vette." I was wondering which flex polisher & products you would recommend. Would a glaze hide & fill in these fine scratches? Thats about the only product I did not try. Maybe its time to try to hide them instead of removing them. They are on top of the c/ coat.
robsc5vette
 
There is no need to hide the scratches when there are products that can remove them. Vette clear is a challenge, but it is very rewarding when it is corrected. I would try 4 or 5 inch pads on your pc first before jumping to a rotary just because it is cheaper way to go. You can remove the scratches with the pc with the right product, pads and some patience. The rotary would make quicker work of the scratches but do not give up on the pc yet. Like I said earlier get some Meguiars m105, Menzerna sip and 106fa or 85rd. I have had four vettes and know your pain, but just be patient and you will be rewarded for your hard work.
 
Hi there Asphalt Rocket:
Thanks for the tips on the other products.I,ll try the mequiars m105 because I can buy that locally.I have this 3m Perfect-it 11 Rubbing compound #05973 that I used on my ranger to remove over spray.It was recommended by a pro detailer at the ford dealership.Its a fine 1500 finishing compound.On the back of the bottle:this compound safely & effectively removes grade 1200 or finer sand scratches,other fine scratches,medium oxidation,coarse swirl marks or water spots & leaves a fine finish.I do not have the 3m compounding pad that they recommend to use. I would think that the napa store were I bought this compound has it.They mix paints for all the dealers in the area & sell all kinds of professional polishers paint sprayers & meguiars products. Do think its worth a try?I would use this right on one of the scratches by hand first.Will probably leave a white residue as most compounds do.
Thanks for your advice.
BTW: Merry Christmas.
robsc5vette
 
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robsc5vette said:
Hi there Killrwheels:
I just received the p/c starter kit on 12/16 from auto geek.5" backing plate with the ccs pads. 2 free orange, (5 1/2") The white, grey,blue & black are 6.5".It appears I should have bought the flex polisher instead of the p/c 7424.
robsc5vette
Click to expand...

While a Flex is a worthwhile upgrade to the PC, you can get more than honarable results using a smaller backing plate and pads. Look at the ceramiclear kit including the polishes, it is very user friendly and I believe you will like more than Megs105 on your Vettes finish.
 
Scott, he is going to need the m105 for the scratches, then finish up with sip and 106 or 85rd. Sip only is not going to be enough.
 
guys, could he try 4" orange lo pro pads with trimmed 3.5" plate (so the plate doesn't cut into those pads) and optimum compound? then refine from there? he'd get more heat from those smaller pads...

re: smaller pads, AG sells mostly spot buffs, and then the low pro oranges. the spot buffs are awesome and don't require a trimmed smaller plate, but they are no good for extended use. they can easily get soft/dissolve in the middle.

if there are major scratches, could he use some mechanical correction help from a harsher pad, like yellow? then stage up from there and get finer and finer?

i'm curious how the paint on that car compares to the f360 i just did; the f360 has glasurit clear that seems to act the same as what i've read about the same gen vettes/cadillacs.
 
He's going to have to use a smaller pad as I posted above, also will have to use the orange pad since he is using the pc. If he used a rotary I would tell him to go with wool. I hate an orange pad with a rotary, wool is easier to use, levels the paint better. As far as optimum polish, the m105 is going to cut more and the Menzerna polish seem to work better. The vette clear is very hard so m105 would be a very good choice or 3m extra cut.
 
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