Not sure how you guys do it

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dlowry81

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Not sure how you guys do it


Much respect for you guys that can get these perfect looking vehicles. I've spent 2 whole weekends on my white Tacoma which honestly wasn't that bad to start with and it looks worse now than when I started as far as scratches go. It is shiny though :xyxthumbs:

Short story is I clayed for first time last weekend after a thoughough wash. I then used a cleaner wax with a green LC pad on my PC. After I was done I noticed light scratches that only showed up with with perfect lighting on the white paint (man its hard to pick up swirl marks and scratches on white). I assumed this was due to clay bar but honestly maybe I just never noticed them before.

Fast forward to this weekend I picked up a Nanoskin Autoscrub mitt and rewashed truck and used the mitt instead of clay. I then used Presta's step 2 polish with an orange pad. I think I've got more swirls and scratches now than when I started. All my products are kept clean and I kept the mitt and clay well lubricated and clean. Not sure what I'm doing wrong. Truck probably looks awesome to most but knowing those scratches exist under the right lighting is killing me. Definitely not as easy as the how to videos.
 
Doubt if clay was the culprit reason being it's not an abrasive. It might leave residue if not enough lube was used but it won't scratch on its own accord.
Regarding the polishing and waxing, I'm strictly and "hand man" so others will have to address those issues.
Good luck, I know the feeling of helplessness when you do things by the book but they don't turn out as expected. Be well,
elliot
 
A lot of the times when you remove all the contaminants and lighter defects off your paint, it will reveal deeper defects that were not as visible before.

Also, you are probably now developing an "eye" for these imperfections that you did not have before.
 
c8n said:
A lot of the times when you remove all the contaminants and lighter defects off your paint, it will reveal deeper defects that were not as visible before.

Also, you are probably now developing an "eye" for these imperfections that you did not have before.
Click to expand...

I had considered those possibilities as well. I guess what I need to do is find one of the more bad sections and just sit down spend time on a small section until I find what works. The pads and polish I'v got should be sufficient I would think. Just down in the dumps about spending 2 weekends and not seeing great results. Washing a truck before polishing everytime is time consuming.
 
I should also mention, using improper wash methods will induce scratches as well. When I first started, I was so concerned about removing the defects that I took less interest in the proper wash method. Long story short, I made my car perfect and then induced my own scratches. Went back to the drawing board and had to learn the proper way of washing my car and then had to corrected my car for the second time.
 
Care to share what works best for you for washing? Sorry I'm learning and I'd like to correct it properly and not have to keep doing this over and over.
 
dlowry81 said:
I then used a cleaner wax with a green LC pad on my PC. After I was done I noticed light scratches that only showed up with with perfect lighting
Click to expand...

When you remove shallow or fine scratches the deeper ones left behind will stand out like a sore thumb. I cover this in my article here,


RIDS - The Definition of RIDS and the story behind the term...



dlowry81 said:
I then used Presta's step 2 polish with an orange pad. I think I've got more swirls and scratches now than when I started.
Click to expand...


I'm not 100% sure because I've never used Presta products, but I think they primarily make their products for use in body shops and body shops do almost all their work with rotary buffers. So I think Presta compounds and polishes are formulated for use with rotary buffers and not dual action polishers.

This can be a problem as some abrasive technology might work great with a rotary buffer but when used with a dual action polisher it will leave DA Haze, also called micro-marring also called Tick Marks.

See this article and perhaps pick up a bottle of compound or polish you see talked about here that is known to be made for use with dual action polishers.

Tracers Tracers - RIDS - Pigtails - Cobweb Swirls - Rotary Buffer Swirls - Holograms - Water Spots - Bird Drooping Etchings - Micro-Marring



The way I troubleshoot a "product" is to place a tape-line on the effected area and then buff on just one side with known good abrasive technology for dual action polishers like your PC and a clean, un-used pad.

This will tell you if the problem is the abrasive technology in the other product.


:)
 
Thanks so much Mike. I noticed that the bottle and website mentioned rotary, but I (uncorrectly apparently) assumed that dual action wouldn't matter. With a mild polish and an orange pad would this be a bad combo for a beginner taking my time and doing a test spot using my Makita that I use for my boat?
 
I think you said it yourself...take a section of one panel and try different processes on it until you get the desired results. Then hit the whole car.

I'd say you probably don't need to re-clay each time you re-start the process. If you are just trying to remove the polishes and waxes from the previous try, and you are going to wash it anyway, just use dawn dish soap (unless you have something like Chemical Guys Citrus Wash Red) which will strip the previous coatings you applied.

The video above shows a good intro to the 2BM. I would maybe add to not wash in circles. I wash front to back motion on the horizontal panels and up and down on side panels. Use very little pressure on the mitt...just let it glide across the panel and do the work. I've had great success since I started using the 2BM and have very few scratches imparted from washing...and I have black cars!
 
dlowry81 said:
Thanks so much Mike. I noticed that the bottle and website mentioned rotary, but I (uncorrectly apparently) assumed that dual action wouldn't matter.
Click to expand...


This kind of thing happens all the time, in fact I just wrote an article about it to help others understand into the future...


For Use with Rotary Buffer Only - Read the Directions


dlowry81 said:
With a mild polish and an orange pad would this be a bad combo for a beginner taking my time and doing a test spot using my Makita that I use for my boat?
Click to expand...


I would recommend getting one of the polishes listed below as they all have a very good reputation for the ability to finish out haze-free when used with a dual action polisher. Be sure to use them with a foam polishing or finishing pad that is clean and not contaminated with other products.


Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish
Menzerna SF 4000 SF 4500
Sonax Nano Polish and Perfect Finish
Optimum Finish Polish
Wolfgang Finishing Glaze

There are others but there's plenty to choose from in that list and you can find write-ups on show cars that we've used all of the above here,


Pictures from Autogeek's Car of the Week



:)
 
One thing I noticed is the longer I wait to clean the surface the worse it gets during the washing. I have very little time to do my car, it is mostly sunny where I'm at and no covered areas. The finish gets worn down to no protection and then the inpurfections start to grow. The better the up keep on the finish, the less damage it will take on. I got a black Prius and I just looked at one side and I see hours of work.
 
Try the Garry Dean wash method. I haven't done this myself yet, but I sure keep thinking about it. Not sure why I haven't pulled the trigger. I mean, you can't really get any safer than that. My car is small too, so it shouldn't require very many towels, especially considering how often I wash it.
 
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