Not my first detail, but what am I not doing right this time?

BryanH

BryanH

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For the past 2-3 years I've detailed about two cars a year. So I'm no expert, but I've had reasonable success and satisfaction in the past considering none of my cars have been show cars exactly. My most dramatic improvement is in a thread here, if you want to see what I've been able to do in the past: http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...x-extreme-detailing-many-pictures-inside.html

However, this time I'm frustrated. I'm hoping you all can help! :) I'm not having much luck with the compound stage working on our Copper Red 2006 Mazda MX-5.

My usual system for prep goes something like this:
+ Wash with Dawn
+ IronX bath and rinse
+ Clay bar

Worth noting, the clay bar didn't pick up much contamination, which really surprised me given the heavy swirls in the paint and how rough it feels when washing the car. Perhaps the IronX took care of more than I thought.

Anyway I went ahead with my usual go-to: Meguiars Ultimate Compound on a 5.5" MF pad using the Megs G110v2 at speed 4-5. Usually, this is where I start to see real progress. But after doing the hood twice, it's maybe 15% better at best. :o

It's about 95 degrees ambient, no humidity, and the car is completely shaded (has been most of the day). After about 1.5 section passes the compound dries up and starts to fling dry flakes. I've tried using more product than usual and less product than usual. Same result. Also when I go to wipe the section with a micforiber towel there are small sections of product that take a ton of elbow grease to remove. I can feel a fair bit of heat in the pad after a pass, which tells me something is going on.

I've stopped for now and want to pick it up again tomorrow with some new ideas that might actually work. :props:

- Is my ~2 year old bottle of Meguiars Ultimate Compound too old? It has been stored indoors.
- Is it too hot out?
- Is this the hardest paint I've ever come across by a mile? I'm afraid to compound the bejeezus out of it based on what has worked for me on other cars (1990s 300ZX, 1995 Camry, 2005 Mazda RX-8).

Photos:

This is the trunk after claying, to show you what I'm starting with. A challenge, as you can see, but I've recovered worse!
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Here's the hood after two stages of compounding (1 to 1.5 section passes for each segment - which seems rather a short working time):
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And here's a great comparison benchmark: the hardtop, which is only about a year old and therefore in much much better shape. This hasn't been touched. I will probably just do a light polish on it. But I show it here for comparison purposes.
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Lastly, and only tangentially related, 5 months ago I restored the yellow headlights on my 350Z and followed that up with a sealant (I forget which one). It didn't take long for them to yellow again. Here's a before/after, below. What would be better to seal them with? I have some Menzerna PowerLock I was thinking of trying.
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Thanks for any help!
 
Is that the only compound that you have? The Ultimate compound in your case might not be enough cut to remove the scratches/swirls. You might want to try a different compound. If im correct Ultimate Compound in terms of cut is below M105.

Also the stuff that you are trying to remove off the car is most likely dried up product.


M105 Ultra Cut Compound
Ultimate Compound
ScratchX 2.0
SwirlX
M83 Dual Action Cleaner Polish
M205 Ultra Finishing Polish - M80 Speed Glaze (Different types of abrasives but close in cut ability)
ScratchX (Current Version being discontinued)



Jordan
 
So you went straight to UC/MF pad without trying anything less aggressive?

That's a pretty aggressive combo, and there's a good chance it's marring the paint.

Are you sure you're seeing the same swirls, or could they be new ones instilled by your pad/product combo?
 
FOCUS.FREAK said:
Is that the only compound that you have? The Ultimate compound in your case might not be enough cut to remove the scratches/swirls. You might want to try a different compound. If im correct Ultimate Compound in terms of cut is below M105.

Also the stuff that you are trying to remove off the car is most likely dried up product.


M105 Ultra Cut Compound
Ultimate Compound
ScratchX 2.0
SwirlX
M83 Dual Action Cleaner Polish
M205 Ultra Finishing Polish - M80 Speed Glaze (Different types of abrasives but close in cut ability)
ScratchX (Current Version being discontinued)



Jordan
Click to expand...

I agree with above...I'm no expert either. I love Megs Ultimate Compound, but it strikes me as more of a polish than a true compound (something in between). So, depending on the pad you are using, perhaps something more aggressive is in order.
 
This is the only compound I have, yes. In the past I've found it versatile depending on how I've used it, so I've always been able to get away with that followed by M205. I did have M105 at first but did not like it as much.

I don't believe it's causing new swirl marks. It's more like the paint remains hazy/cloudy and the existing imperfections aren't coming out. I can try a test spot with just M205 and a foam polishing pad. My bet is it will make no difference, but it's worth trying.

Here's another thought: Should I try smaller sections with more UC product? I divided the hood up into 4 sections (remember this is a small car so the hood is not large by any means), maybe I was stretching that too far.
 
I would go with Mike Philips advice...Start with the least aggressive and work your way up. I suggest getting more aggressive for the marring until you discover a product pad combo that works. As far as haze, let the polish of your choice take care of that.
 
Make sure to at least use 15 lbs of down force, run the polisher at high speed, make sections small, and use at least 5-6 passes per section.
Also, use slow arm speed (moving slower is working faster), about an inch per second. If your product dries, give it a spritz.
Furthermore, on first use, prime the entire MF pad with product. Work it into the fibers with your fingers or a cc card. Its supposed to be moist with product, not globbing wet. Make sure to clean your pads after every pass.
Try to fluff up the fibers with a brush.
 
Thanks for the tips!

Update: I've achieved acceptable results for a non-show-car. Im the MAN

original.jpg


M205 didn't make a visible difference either when I tried it.

However, a friend of mine came over with a couple products for me to try on the car. The first was some powerful Menzerna compound (the label had come off the bottle, but the product was gritty to the touch). That made little to no difference to the paint either. Next I tried Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover. And it worked! At first I thought "there must be fillers in here" but a little research says that's not the case. Not only did it significantly reduce the imperfections in the paint, it finished very smooth. So smooth in fact that I followed up with M205 for the final polish, as usual, and after a few test spots in different areas of the car I could not see a difference at all.

original.jpg


I'm still confused at how one product could act so effectively as a 1-step solution, where all other products I tried (in my admittedly limited, but up till now effective, arsenal) failed. This Pinnacle stuff is not cheap, but I think I will have to order a bottle for myself!

original.jpg


I topped it with two layers of Menzerna PowerLock and then did a quick job on the black trim and the windows. Interior to follow.

original.jpg


I did manage to delaminate a MF pad. No big deal. That one has had an edge coming up for some time now.

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You learn something new every day. :)

More photos here: 2006 Mazda MX-5 Photo Gallery by bryanh at pbase.com
 
nice little collection of cars there!

off topic, but the wheels on your z32 are on the wrong sides. if you look on the are between the 'spokes' you'll see L or R
 
Eagle eyes. :) Yeah those photos of the Z32 were taken shortly after I bought the car. I remedied the situation before too long. :)
 
If UC and Menzerna Compound didn't work for you then you used Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover that's telling me that the first 2 compounds were too aggressive.
 
BryanH said:
Eagle eyes. :) Yeah those photos of the Z32 were taken shortly after I bought the car. I remedied the situation before too long. :)
Click to expand...


i used to own a pearl yellow 2+2 back when i was 17-22. damn do i miss it
 
I miss a lot of things about mine, but I don't miss working on it!

JHL88 said:
If UC and Menzerna Compound didn't work for you then you used Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover that's telling me that the first 2 compounds were too aggressive.
Click to expand...

In my quest to find something that worked I also tried just straight M205. And I tried UC + M205. The existing paint imperfections remained in both cases. By my understanding this is doesn't make much sense.
 
M205 was probably too mild for it (to be expected for a finishing polish) and the other two were probably too aggressive.
 
Between the de laminating pad and the product drying up it sounds like you were putting way too much heat into the paint. If the compound dries and you continue to work it, it has no more lubrication and the abrasives will mar the paint. Look for the Kevin Brown article where he addresses this problem by introducing supplemental wetting agents.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Yep. Off my gf's old RX8. The tires are a bit too meaty and the ride height could be lower, but we were working around some things with that we had. :)

-

The MF pad delaminated during the Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover process, when things were going well. I didn't feel too much heat in the pad then. I think it was just a bad one from the beginning.

In the earlier testing stages, yeah, I felt quite a bit of heat in the pads. How would I reduce the heat I put into it? I need to use 4-5 OPM speed on the DA polisher, and I tried varying amounts of product. It all dried and started flaking after a single section pass. I did try some QD to extend working time - it was marginally effective.
 
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