My first DIY correction - My 2006 Caddy CTS-V

[ryanmcg1]

My guess is the finishing wax has a bunch of fillers and oils in it that the wash and/or the cleaners in 845 cleaned off.

Still its a massive improvement and a very successful first correction IMO.

I don't think but correct me if I'm wrong C-845 has cleaners in it?

 

[Wes8398]

Thanks for all the kudos guys (and girls?). That makes me feel better about things. Not that I didn't feel good about it anyway, it's just that room for improvement always makes me want to do it again and get it that much better. Yes, I'm a bit anal retentive. lol

Thanks for all the tips and suggestions too. Keep those coming; I embrace any constructive criticism. I'll definitely keep in mind that there's no need to "work in" the 845. Next time I'll just spread it for coverage and skip the 3+ passes. Thanks for that!

Those of you who think the "new" defects came out because of fillers in the finishing wax, is this fact or estimation? I was under the impression that a quality product like this wouldn't employ fillers. Also, these defects I saw yesterday, I didn't see even after the compounding stage so I don't think there was much for the finishing wax to 'fill'. I tend to lean towards the theory that this was the first time I'd looked at the paint in direct sunlight, and that showed defects that were there before but didn't show under my garage lights or overcast sunlight.

I also forgot to mention that I only used one pad of each on this. I used the 3" on the front and back bumpers, and 5" on the rest; just one of each. I wasn't sure how to tell if/when the pad needed changing, and it kept doing it's job so I kept using it. I'm sure the frequent compressed air helped with this.

Lastly, if my AR-ness gets the best of me in the spring, would it be stupid to try this whole process again in the spring/early summer sometime? How often is the norm for something like this? And what's a safe frequency for one's paint? I know that I could try just using the finishing wax again with a slower arm speed and more pressure for possible improvement, but what if I want to attempt to get more of the deeper defects out?

Oh, for the fella who asked... I'm in Sarnia. About an hour south-west of London. You?

And finally, yes, I am going to drop by the original "detail" shop and show him my work. I'm not going to gloat about it, but simply show it to him and tell him about the products. Maybe he'll be interested in it himself! And maybe I'll take him up on the free interior detail that he offered me for my displeasure with his previous work.

 

[embolism]

with proper washing techniques, you shouldn't have to compound your car again for a while. Have you read Mike's article about RIDS?

Sometimes, you've just got to live with some defects.

 

[Wes8398]

with proper washing techniques, you shouldn't have to compound your car again for a while. Have you read Mike's article about RIDS?

Sometimes, you've just got to live with some defects.

I have read about RIDS. My question about re-compounding was because the defects I'm referring to weren't there after the Finishing Wax step of the MF system, but did appear after my 845 application. Now, there's a chance the defects WERE there earlier and I just didn't see them, but I'm inclined to think that I installed them with my 845 application

 

[embolism]

If you want to try getting the defects out then maybe do a test spot in the spring.

You may not need to be as aggressive, maybe try some hyperpolish on a finishing pad...