Mike - What is this mark? Can it be removed?

[chris7469]

Mike:

Please see the attached photos of this mark. Yes it is barely visible but it bothers me. It is a little smaller than two quarters and it is located on my drivers side C pilar. It appears to have a hologram outline and a bunch of little marks like a pen tip was pressed into my paint. I do not think it is from any paint work or repair.

I tried all the Wolfgang products with orange and white pads. The mark has gotten better but I would really like it gone or much less noticeable.

It came with the car and I noticed it as soon as it was delivered. It almost looks like bird etchings that were removed too late and left a bunch of little bumpy marks and a terrible hologram outline? If I move my finger horizontally I can feel slight bumps. I feel nothing over the hologram outline portion.

I am certainly not skilled enough to tackle this problem with sanding. However, if you think that is my only option I will certainly take it to a local pro and have them work on it.

I was just wondering if I should try a more aggressive product and or pad on my PC?

Any and all suggestions and comments are appreciated. Thanks. CM

 

[BobbyG]

It's somewhat hard to tell from the photo Chris but it appears that the clear coat may have been breached in an attempt to remove the defects you mention...

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

I agree with Bobby, it looks like burn-through, that is the clear has been abraded off in that area. The border is where clear paint meets basecoat paint.


Here's a real simple way to test,

Take a white cloth and some white polish and rub in the middle of the patch. If you are removing color or pigment there is no clear there and no amount of polishing is going to fix it just make it worse.


Do that test real quick and let us know what you find out.

 

[chris7469]

Sorry it took so long.



I put a little Meguiars Ultimate compound on a white micro fiber and rubbed back and forth with my hand. No black paint at all.

That lead me to believe it was not a clear burn through? Really looks like bird etchings and some chemical ring around? However the UC left some marring.

I took out the PC, orange 4 inch hydro pad and Wolfgang Swirl Remover, hit it once, saw and improvement, hit it about three more times, WOW, removed the complete hologram around the mark and smoothed over the tiny pin head type bumps. Followed with Wolfgang Finishing Glaze and finally the Deep Paint Sealant. The mark is no longer noticeable with the naked eye in the direct sunlight. You need a magnifying glass to actually see it. ( I know, I lost my mind ).

Thank you for all your help!

A few questions, can I or do I always have to do the three step detail, WSR, WFG and WDPS? I certainly do not mind the extra steps since it’s a labor of love, but will I remove too much clear and or hurt the finish? I use an Orange pad then a white pad then a blue pad.

Currently there are no real noticeable swirl marks on my car, sure there maybe be a few light RIDS or two but again hardly noticeable and very acceptable to me on my black daily driver.

Should my next detail just be a white pad with WFG and finally WDPS or can I do a three step? What is the “normal” time between details like this? 4 months, 6 months, 12 months?

Lastly, when would you normally use Meguiars Ultimate Compound? Perhaps on a yellow pad when you need to really cut? Seems like a light application by hand left a ton of marring, I can’t imagine what a PC and yellow pad would do? Perhaps its used for older cars?

Thanks again! CM

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Sorry it took so long.

I put a little Meguiars Ultimate compound on a white micro fiber and rubbed back and forth with my hand. No black paint at all.

That lead me to believe it was not a clear burn through? Really looks like bird etchings and some chemical ring around? However the UC left some marring.

Sounds like some type of topical stain.. If UC left marring do keep in mind it is what I would call an aggressive compound, not a ultra fine finishing polish and it's normal to follow a compound with a less aggressive product even if this compound does go against the traditional norm of leaving a nice finish.

I took out the PC, orange 4 inch hydro pad and Wolfgang Swirl Remover, hit it once, saw and improvement, hit it about three more times, WOW, removed the complete hologram around the mark and smoothed over the tiny pin head type bumps. Followed with Wolfgang Finishing Glaze and finally the Deep Paint Sealant. The mark is no longer noticeable with the naked eye in the direct sunlight. You need a magnifying glass to actually see it. ( I know, I lost my mind ).

Thank you for all your help!

Good to hear.

One thing for you and all the people that will read this into the future and that is here's a way to trouble shoot paint defect like this...

Place a strip of painter's tape down the middle of the defect and then buff on just one side. Next remove the tape and you should be able to very quickly see if abrading the surface if helping, (even a little), versus doing nothing at all.

A few questions, can I or do I always have to do the three step detail, WSR, WFG and WDPS? I certainly do not mind the extra steps since it’s a labor of love, but will I remove too much clear and or hurt the finish? I use an Orange pad then a white pad then a blue pad.

No. You can do some testing and only do the minimum to accomplish the goal, this accomplishes the goal while leaving the most paint on the car.

Currently there are no real noticeable swirl marks on my car, sure there maybe be a few light RIDS or two but again hardly noticeable and very acceptable to me on my black daily driver.

Should my next detail just be a white pad with WFG and finally WDPS or can I do a three step? What is the “normal” time between details like this? 4 months, 6 months, 12 months?

Again, do some testing and use the least aggressive product, pad and process to reach your goal.

Lastly, when would you normally use Meguiars Ultimate Compound? Perhaps on a yellow pad when you need to really cut? Seems like a light application by hand left a ton of marring, I can’t imagine what a PC and yellow pad would do? Perhaps its used for older cars?

Thanks again! CM

Ultimate Compound is one of the best compounds ever introduced in the history of car detailing and you use it when you need to remove below surface defects. Because it's a SMAT product you can stop at any time during the machine buffing process without having to worrying if you've buffed long enough to break down all the abrasives because they don't break down.


This throws a Monkey Wrench into the philosophy of using the least abrasive or least aggressive product approach because theoretically you can start with the most aggressive product and as soon as you see or think the defects are removed you can stop buffing.

It is also a compound that by simply switching to a soft finishing pad you can finish out as well as most quality Fine Cut and Ultra Fine Cut polishes.


Great questions...


:xyxthumbs: