What am i doing wrong?

Sorang06

Sorang06

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Hey all, since it finally got nice I am Trying to do i full detail on my Corvette for the first time since i bought all the stuff in november. The problem i'm having is that nothing seems to be doing the job the way i expected. I started out with Megs Ultimate polish and then went to Megs Ultimate compound, I now tried Megs 105 and there is still swirl marks left behind. I am also having trouble removing the 105. do i need to let the 105 dry for 30-45min or remove it right after im done buffing? I am doing this with my GG6 with an orange ccs pad on the speed setting 5. any tips and tricks are appreciated!!
 
I've never used 105, but being a compound, I would think like Ultimate compund, you need to remove it from the surface right after using it. You can always try a quick detailer to get rid of excess product if you're having a hard time removing it-at least that's how it works for me.
How was the finish before you started compunding? Was it really riddled with swirl marks? Are you working outdoors?
-Chris
 
Its hard to explain the swirls and i don't have a good camera to take pics. all i have is my camera phone. But the car is a 99 that i've had for 4 years and have never done anything but apply wax. i think that will give you a good idea of severe the swirls are. The color hides a lot of imperfections but it was pretty swirled. I am working in my garage with the door 3/4 closed to keep the sun off the car itself so lighting is not the best. I ordered a swirl finder light that will be here tomorrow hopefully.
 
Doing 3-4 passes using the up/down then crossing over it in the opposite direction using moderate pressure. Im going to try and get some pics real quick with a friends camera.
 
best pic i could get with the point and shoot. This is on a panel that i have already gone over with 105.
SN850348.jpg
 
Well, as I said, I have not used 105 before. In the linked above article, it says to NOT remove the product after compounding with a compounding pad. You are to polish the finish with a primed finishing pad and use very little product to complete the first step. Lots of pics included.
That is a great article to reference. Thanks embolism!
-Chris
 
Keep you work area small. Wipe 105 off directly after making your passes. If m105 and the orange pad isn't aggressive enough to remove the defects you're after then the next step would be switching to a microfiber pad. Others would have you move up to a surbuff pad but IMO the m/f pad would be my next step and then if needed move up to the surbuff.
 
How much 105 are you using? The first time I used it I used way too much and it was like cement to remove. I cut back to 2-3 pea sized drops on a primed pad and it was much easier to remove.
 
2old2change said:
Keep you work area small. Wipe 105 off directly after making your passes. If m105 and the orange pad isn't aggressive enough to remove the defects you're after then the next step would be switching to a microfiber pad. Others would have you move up to a surbuff pad but IMO the m/f pad would be my next step and then if needed move up to the surbuff.
Click to expand...
I agree 100%. The MF Cutting Pads come much closer to finish quality than SurBuff pads do.
 
I figured i would be told i need a different pad. The orange CCS i'm using is the most aggressive pad i have so it looks like i need to place an order for a Optimum MF cutting pad or something like that.
 
well corvette paint is pretty hard so will take more passes to accomplish what you want. m105 is a compound and will leave swirls/holograms so you need to follow up with a polish like m205 afterwards. now the only thing you let dry on surface is your LSP and some of them you dont let dry. with m105 there is a learning curve and you need to use less product or you get thick buildup on paint and is tough to remove, if you happen to get those tough spots use some quick detail spray to help removal. remember to use about 15-20lbs of pressure and maximum speed for compounding and a slow arm speed. and i prefer flat pads, i havent tried the CCS pads as they have reduced cut compared to flats due to the diviots, and ccs pads do not work well for a diminishing abrasive polish like menzerna products ect. you just need to perfect your method, why not grab a fender or hood from a junk yard from a black car and practice on that to learn the machine and arm speed. but i do have a feeling some microfiber pads will work pretty good for you, or you can try yellow LC pads which are more agressive then an orange, my super hard white paint laughs at orange pads and m105, wont even remove 2,000 grit sanding scratches like it would on most "normal" paints the woes of hard paint!
 
instead of following up with 205 will the ultimate polish work just as well or do you absolutely recommend the 205? i don't mind spending the extra money to buy a bottle but if what i have will work i would prefer not to. the products i have are Megs ultimate polish and compound. now i know i need a few more pads to choose from. If i'm understanding you right i should just use the CCS pads for LSP and very minor correction, but i should get a few flat foam pads and a few MF pads for heavy correction correct?
 
The M/F pads will have it looking like your a pro already. Short learning curve. Just remember working clean with any pad is key.
 
To me it looks like you are using too much product and not working the product in long enough. Prime your pad and as S2K pointed out, use 2-3 pea size amounts on the pad. Try bumping your speed setting up to 6 as well.
 
Thats what i was thinking. My Daily driver Grand Prix is worse than the vette and i have to do that next. Instead of buying a bunch of foam pads i may as well just get something that will cut and be done with it. i already have 2 orange, red, gray, and green CCS pads. Im pretty sure those will correct what the MF pad will leave behind.
 
I'll try some more stuff tonight or tomorrow. Im a 2nd shifter so its time for me to go to work. I'll update you later. Thanks to everyone in this thread!! :dblthumb2:
 
Its 12:49am and im working on it again. I turned the speed to 6 and an going a little slower. it seems to be working better now. we'll see what it looks like when i go back over it with the 205
Detail2012.jpg
 
I worked on it until 2:20am last night and got up at 9:45am this morning and finished it up. followed up with 205. Now i'm waiting for the UPS guy to show up with my opticoat 2.0! lets see how this goes for a noob!
 
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