I'm looking for some advice on how best to remove holograms on a 2011 black suburban. the vehicle spends most of its time in the Phoenix area and is exposed to excessive heat/sun as well as wind & sand. The vehicle was recently detailed/buffed & polished and that's when I noticed these holograms in the paint. Any idea's? Thanks so much
How to remove Holograms
- Thread starter Richie
- Start date
I just went through this on my Buick that got swirled out by a local body shop following PDR. In my case Sonax EX 04-06 on an orange Lake Country CCS pad nuked them completely in one step. This was my first time trying to do anything like this and the Sonax stuff was SUPER-easy to work with and didn't leave residue in cracks or stain trim at all.
I then put Sonax Polymer NetShield on and plan on using McKee's Hydro Blue every couple washes to keep a strong layer of protection there so I won't have to revisit this any time soon.
Here was my experience but it wouldn't have been nearly as stressful if weather would have cooperated or I had a garage to work in: https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/110877-competition-ready-backyard-edition.html
I then put Sonax Polymer NetShield on and plan on using McKee's Hydro Blue every couple washes to keep a strong layer of protection there so I won't have to revisit this any time soon.
Here was my experience but it wouldn't have been nearly as stressful if weather would have cooperated or I had a garage to work in: https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/110877-competition-ready-backyard-edition.html
Mike Phillips
Active member
- Dec 5, 2022
- 51,004
- 7
Welcome to the forum....
Do you own an orbital polisher?
If not this is where you need to start. I'd recommend getting the Griot's Garage 6" Orbital Polisher.
Griot's Garage 6" ROP - Standard cord
I've been doing this a long time and from experience, most people don't possess the
Skill
Muscle
Patience
To remove holograms or ANY type of paint defect by hand.
Besides the polisher you'll want and need a 5" backing plate. The tool comes with a 6" backing plate but it's too big to be practical and maybe someday Griot's will include a 5" instead of a 6". Until then,
NOTE: These are all 5" backing plates so you can turn and churn 5.5" foam and microfiber buffing pads which are for the most part the best all-around, all-purpose size pads for buffing out modern cars.
Lake Country 5" Backing Plate
Griots Garage 5 Inch Vented Orbital Backing Plate
Buff and Shine Dual Action 5 Inch Backing Plate
Meguiars Soft Buff DBP5 DA Polisher 5 inch Backing Plate
Foam pads
These pads are the SIMPLEST pads to use with any simple orbital polisher and will fit the above listed 5" backing plates
Lake Country Pad Manufacturing
Lake Country 5.5" Flat pads <-- Simplest pads available, makes these bubba-proof
Then you'll need
Compound - Polish - Wax
Or a great cleaner/wax like the 3D HD Speed. Click the below link and read the text and look at the pictures...
Making money doing production detailing by Mike Phillips
Do you own an orbital polisher?
If not this is where you need to start. I'd recommend getting the Griot's Garage 6" Orbital Polisher.
Griot's Garage 6" ROP - Standard cord
I've been doing this a long time and from experience, most people don't possess the
Skill
Muscle
Patience
To remove holograms or ANY type of paint defect by hand.
Besides the polisher you'll want and need a 5" backing plate. The tool comes with a 6" backing plate but it's too big to be practical and maybe someday Griot's will include a 5" instead of a 6". Until then,
NOTE: These are all 5" backing plates so you can turn and churn 5.5" foam and microfiber buffing pads which are for the most part the best all-around, all-purpose size pads for buffing out modern cars.
Lake Country 5" Backing Plate
Griots Garage 5 Inch Vented Orbital Backing Plate
Buff and Shine Dual Action 5 Inch Backing Plate
Meguiars Soft Buff DBP5 DA Polisher 5 inch Backing Plate
Foam pads
These pads are the SIMPLEST pads to use with any simple orbital polisher and will fit the above listed 5" backing plates
Lake Country Pad Manufacturing
Lake Country 5.5" Flat pads <-- Simplest pads available, makes these bubba-proof
Then you'll need
Compound - Polish - Wax
Or a great cleaner/wax like the 3D HD Speed. Click the below link and read the text and look at the pictures...
Making money doing production detailing by Mike Phillips
Mike Phillips
Active member
- Dec 5, 2022
- 51,004
- 7
If you've never used a simple or entry level orbital polisher, this video will show you EVERYTHING you need to know and do and be successful....
It's really not that hard....
It's really not that hard....
brettS4
New member
- Jan 7, 2015
- 649
- 0
Mike's recommendations are exactly what I would have written out (if I wasn't so lazy).
To do the job right, you'll need an orbital polisher (the Griots 6" is the best bang for your buck), pads, polish and wax (or sealant), plus a handful of good quality microfiber towels. Probably about a $250 investment. But that investment should keep you going for several years. Of course, you can spend a lot more depending on your choice of polish and wax.
Notice that my list didn't include the backing plate that Mike mentioned. You can get by without it if you buy pads to fit the 6" backing plate on the Griots machine. But you'd be better off if you also invested in the Griots 5" vented backing plate and got pads to fit that instead of the native 6" plate. The smaller pads are better suited to that machine (and really should come that way from the factory).
The work itself is pretty simple with the orbital polisher. Highly unlikely you'd be able to remove the holograms without one. Just be sure to read up a bit about the process (doing a 50/50 test area and starting with the least aggressive polish and pad combination). If you pay attention to your materials and technique you can have your vehicle looking better than new in one weekend.
To do the job right, you'll need an orbital polisher (the Griots 6" is the best bang for your buck), pads, polish and wax (or sealant), plus a handful of good quality microfiber towels. Probably about a $250 investment. But that investment should keep you going for several years. Of course, you can spend a lot more depending on your choice of polish and wax.
Notice that my list didn't include the backing plate that Mike mentioned. You can get by without it if you buy pads to fit the 6" backing plate on the Griots machine. But you'd be better off if you also invested in the Griots 5" vented backing plate and got pads to fit that instead of the native 6" plate. The smaller pads are better suited to that machine (and really should come that way from the factory).
The work itself is pretty simple with the orbital polisher. Highly unlikely you'd be able to remove the holograms without one. Just be sure to read up a bit about the process (doing a 50/50 test area and starting with the least aggressive polish and pad combination). If you pay attention to your materials and technique you can have your vehicle looking better than new in one weekend.