GG 6" DA Polisher Taking out spider web scratches?

evob

evob

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Hi everyone, I hope I posted this in the right place, as I am still learning here on AG. I regularly read posts and techniques and enjoy learning about how everyone has a different way to do it. Anyways to my question that I need help with. Back in December (2013), I got a GG da polisher for Christmas. I absolutely love it and look forward to using it on my car every weekend when I wash my car. About a month ago I bought a 79 trans am as a project car. Well the paint has lots of flaws, but that's okay because it is good to practice on till I get it painted this winter. The car is red and I can see tons of, "spider web" scratches in the paint. From a distance it looks good, but up close you can see them, and they are driving me crazy. I honestly have no idea how to get them out. I have lake country pads, the orange, white, and blue. Same package you can get through auto geek. I also have swirl remover 2.0, M205, fine cut cleaner, and M105. I also have 3m rubbing and polishing compound. I have tried all the products on the Orange pad, going slow, letting the buffer move itself along at a slow pace, with a bit of pressure. But I can't get rid of the scratches. I'm really confused and a bit lost on what I am doing wrong, as it has to be me being a noob and all. If I haven't confused anyone through my randomness I would love some help on figuring out what to do and would really appreciate it too. Once I figure out what is wrong I'm going to try and get some spider web scratches out of my other black car. Thanks for any help you can give me.
-Brant

Sent from my VS980 4G using AG Online
 
Is it factory paint or if not is it base clear or single stage. (If not sure, did the pad turn the color of the car while polishing?)
 
evob:
In adddition to what Kingston asked:
- What speed are you using? Try the highest speed setting
- Did you put a tic mark on the backing plate so you know it is still rotating at a decent speed while compounding? (when i first started, i wasnt holding the pad flat enough, and it would cause the pad to stop rotating (but it still felt like it was).
- Make sure you arent using too much/too little product.
 
One suggestion...you don't need to use it every weekend on your car.

That aside, the others on here have good questions that will help us help you.
 
Thanks everyone for the quick replies and being interested in helping me.

Kingston said:
Is it factory paint or if not is it base clear or single stage. (If not sure, did the pad turn the color of the car while polishing?)
Click to expand...
On my red car, it is a newer paint job. The guy I bought it from said the paint was about a year old, but it was a cheap paint job, which you can tell because they didn't sand well at all. The black car is factory paint. I believe the black car is clear coat, and I am not sure on the red car. The pad did turn black when I used it on the red car, but I figured it was from the all the dirt in the paint, and oxidation, or something along those lines??

kevin_1981 said:
evob:
In adddition to what Kingston asked:
- What speed are you using? Try the highest speed setting
- Did you put a tic mark on the backing plate so you know it is still rotating at a decent speed while compounding? (when i first started, i wasnt holding the pad flat enough, and it would cause the pad to stop rotating (but it still felt like it was).
- Make sure you arent using too much/too little product.
Click to expand...
Well as I have learned from reading much on AG, speed 5 and 6 are for buffing and correction, so I have been using 6 until the buffer gets hot. I did put a tick mark on the backing pad, I learned from one of Mike's great posts the does and don'ts and that was something I made sure to do. I think I am holding the pad flat but it is hard to tell sometimes haha. I actually had read something Mike posted about too much and too little on the pad just before I created this post, and was going to hunt around and see if anyone has made posts about what is to much or too little. I normally get the pad ready by doing a spiral pattern on the pad, the, smear it into the pad with my finger, and do a pass, then just do three pea sized drops for the rest of the car. Not sure if that is too much or too little :confused:
 
swanicyouth said:
Can we see pictures of the defects?
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I agree, it would be helpful if I gave you guys some pictures to go off of. I will get some for everyone tomorrow, since the sun is almost gone where I am and I don't think I can get anything good with the sun gone. But I can try and get some flashlight pictures and see what happens.

wdmaccord said:
One suggestion...you don't need to use it every weekend on your car.

That aside, the others on here have good questions that will help us help you.
Click to expand...

I don't do the correction every week, way too much work haha. I just like waxing my car every weekend, and when I think it needs correction (which I can't seem to successfully do haha) I do that. But sorry I just meant I like waxing the car every weekend, just because I like the car shiny and rain comes and goes where I live.
 
So you are doing a test spot on the repainted Trans Am and even with the M105 and orange pad you're not getting correction? When you say you tried all the products at your disposal, you cleaned the pad each time?
 
trekkeruss said:
So you are doing a test spot on the repainted Trans Am and even with the M105 and orange pad you're not getting correction? When you say you tried all the products at your disposal, you cleaned the pad each time?
Click to expand...

Yes, I am doing a test spot every time, and I didn't get any correction for some reason. Yes, I cleaned the pad each time. I cleaned the pad by holding a Terry cloth to it, then I put the pad under some hot water, and from the center out, pushed the excess product out. To dry the pad I put them in from of my dehumidifier at home to pull the water out. If it helps at all, but every time I use my pads, I always tend to get a dish shape in the center of the pad. I will probably have to take a picture to better describe it.

-Brant
 
dpk20x said:
Did you clay the car first?
Click to expand...

The trans am I haven't clay bared, mostly because I have never done it before. The black car I have never put clay on either for fear of hurting the paint. A friend who is a painter showed me how to use lacquer thinner on the car without taking the paint off. So I have always done that, even though I know some people will not like the fact I just said that haha.

-Brant
 
evob said:
Yes, I am doing a test spot every time, and I didn't get any correction for some reason. Yes, I cleaned the pad each time. I cleaned the pad by holding a Terry cloth to it, then I put the pad under some hot water, and from the center out, pushed the excess product out. To dry the pad I put them in from of my dehumidifier at home to pull the water out. If it helps at all, but every time I use my pads, I always tend to get a dish shape in the center of the pad. I will probably have to take a picture to better describe it.

-Brant
Click to expand...
What size backing plate and pads. The dish shape has me thinking the pad and backplate are not sized to each other correctly.

Ed
 
evob said:
The trans am I haven't clay bared, mostly because I have never done it before. The black car I have never put clay on either for fear of hurting the paint. A friend who is a painter showed me how to use lacquer thinner on the car without taking the paint off. So I have always done that, even though I know some people will not like the fact I just said that haha.

-Brant
Click to expand...

That explains why your pad turned black. Just imagine all that dirt and crud on the pad grinding against your paint. That's why you need to clay before you polish.
 
Eandras said:
What size backing plate and pads. The dish shape has me thinking the pad and backplate are not sized to each other correctly.

Ed
Click to expand...

The backing pad is 6 inch and the pads are 6.5 inch. Been trying to use the same size stuff that I got from the kit on the first day, thinking nothing could go wrong then haha

-Brant
 
dpk20x said:
That explains why your pad turned black. Just imagine all that dirt and crud on the pad grinding against your paint. That's why you need to clay before you polish.
Click to expand...

Right, I agree that's probably why the pad becomes black. But like I said I lacquer thinner the car, which is a more harsh clay bar method. Or at least that's what I have been told, but I'm still a noob so I'll believe just about anything haha

-Brant
 
I think I know what you mean with the dish plate. I know with my PC7424XP, it would not be able to handle 6.5" pads and maintain speed... not sure about the GG.

Like the others said, clay barring is very important. If you arent claying, you are going to be putting a bunch of swirls into your car. I HIGHLY recommend doing the baggy test - I wasnt a believer til i actually tried it. Once you feel all the grit through the bag, you'll be thinking you're sanding the car instead of polishing/correcting it.

Like some of the others on here, I am a noob as well. Since I'm worried about taking off too much clear, I usually prime my pads by putting a spray or two of quick detailer on it, and rub it with my hand, then 4-5 drops of compound.

Are you going with 3-4 passes with hard pressure and 2-3 with lighter pressure? That's usually what i do (ive only used Meg's UC so far though... like i said... im a noob).

Any pictures yet? :)
 
kevin_1981 said:
I think I know what you mean with the dish plate. I know with my PC7424XP, it would not be able to handle 6.5" pads and maintain speed... not sure about the GG.

Like the others said, clay barring is very important. If you arent claying, you are going to be putting a bunch of swirls into your car. I HIGHLY recommend doing the baggy test - I wasnt a believer til i actually tried it. Once you feel all the grit through the bag, you'll be thinking you're sanding the car instead of polishing/correcting it.

Like some of the others on here, I am a noob as well. Since I'm worried about taking off too much clear, I usually prime my pads by putting a spray or two of quick detailer on it, and rub it with my hand, then 4-5 drops of compound.

Are you going with 3-4 passes with hard pressure and 2-3 with lighter pressure? That's usually what i do (ive only used Meg's UC so far though... like i said... im a noob).

Any pictures yet? :)
Click to expand...

I have to admit, I love my GG. Out of the megs, GG, and another one which I can't remember for some reason, the GG stood out with the lifetime warenty (I have,bad luck anyways) and if I remember right it played down a little more power. But don't quote me cuz that was several months ago haha. But the megs was a close second and I read so much on the two and watching so many videos too.
I'll have to look up the baggy test and give it a shot. I've,never heard of such a thing before. But I'm extremely curious about it now hahaha.
What kind of compound are you using? The megs, or 3m or something like that?
When I buff the car I do 4 passes in the pattern that is the vertical stripes the horizontal after. It is hard to say what my pressure is because everyone has different opinions and I get tired after a while haha. But I use the weight of the buffer and lean into it a little bit. I would say it's enough weight to shut a hood (a hood that holds itself up, like the old car heavy hoods).
Would you recommend the mother California gold clay bar kit? As a kit to start out with?
I have pictures of my black car, I don't think the pictures are very good or how much help they will be But I'll give them to you guys and I can always get more.

-Brant
 
I think it might help if you go back to square one and get the paint clean. Do a wash with Dawn dishwashing soap (since it is easy to get). Then clay the car. Mothers, Meguiars, or Griot's are all fine choices and can be found at local auto stores. Make sure and get a clay lube...it should be with/near the clay. Or you can buy a clay kit that includes the lube. Watch a few videos on how to clay your car and then go to it. Don't worry if you mar the paint a little bit, the correction/polishing stage(s) will take care of that. I have 3 black cars and always get a couple spots each detail where I mar the paint a little bit. Always comes out in the polishing stage.

I would be willing to bet you will get better results if you are starting with clean paint.

Another note, find a sealant to use so there will be no need to wax your car every weekend. The less you touch the paint, the less chance you will have to scratch the paint. Right now you are waxing dirty paint and that is only scratching more. Plus, you aren't getting a good bond with the paint which means you aren't getting optimal protection from the wax.

I could go on and on, but I would recommend spending a couple hours each night for a full week in the "detailing how-to" link at the top of this page. Read and watch videos.
 
Brant,
I'll have to look up the baggy test and give it a shot.
Here is Mike's youtube video on it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ml434m7ILNA

What kind of compound are you using?
- Since I'm still new, I use Meg's Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish combo. It lasts a long time when compounding (i hear that m105 dusts sometimes).

When I buff the car I do 4 passes in the pattern that is the vertical stripes the horizontal after.
- One thing I usually do for consistency is alternate the patterns. So, you have your 2'x2' square (or whatever size you currently use - hopefully not bigger than 2x2), and I start by doing overlapping passes, up/down/up/down (from left to right on the square) until the whole section has been compounded (that's 1 pass), then I go left/right/left/right (from top to bottom or bottom to top) - thats the 2nd pass. I usually then do another pass or two with the same pressure. then I finishd it off by doing another 3 passes with barely any additional pressure.

I would say it's enough weight to shut a hood (a hood that holds itself up, like the old car heavy hoods).
- I believe that most people recommend 12-15LBS of pressure including the machine, so maybe 7-10lbs of additional hand pressure in addition to the machine. I usually just judge my pressure by how fast my pad is actually spinning, if i notice its going slow, I ease up.

Would you recommend the mother California gold clay bar kit? As a kit to start out with?

- The only bars ive used are Clay Magic (old one before i got to this forum), and Meguiars. I like the Meguiars a lot... havent used mothers. I heard Griots is another good OTC product as well. Make sure you keep the pad/car lubed up well so the clay glides on the surface. I think claying should help a bit :)
 
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