What did you used? Lexus Obsidian Black Paint (#212)

Z

Zelfiris

New member
Joined
Apr 25, 2013
Messages
482
Reaction score
0
Been looking up info but nothing really conclusive found on this. I would like to know how some of you have tackled Lexus' soft black paint, such as the following info:

- 1 stage or 2 stage polish
- which product was used (compound/polish)
- which pads were used
- which polisher was used
- condition of paint

I don't have experience myself with obsidian black and would really like to know others have done it before me

Thanks,

Zel
 
I've had great luck on soft Lexus and Toyota paint with Menzerna FG400, IP2000, and SF4000. Most used pad would be LC White. Orange for the stubborn spots. Megs M205 also works great on softer paints.
 
Just02896 said:
I've had great luck on soft Lexus and Toyota paint with Menzerna FG400, IP2000, and SF4000. Most used pad would be LC White. Orange for the stubborn spots. Megs M205 also works great on softer paints.
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing!

What polisher did you used and did you find you had to do 2 stage for the black cars to get 90%+ correction?
 
If a 2 step process is needed, I typically compound with FG400 on and orange light cutting pad (work long enough to finish down!!!) followed by sf4500 on a white polishing pad or black finishing pad.

If you only have light defects, and you don't need to compound, SF4000 on a white or black pad would be great. Technique and machine speed play a big role in how well you can finish on that tricky paint.

I use 5.5" pads on the Rupes lhr21 and 3" pads on my porter cable.

Hope that helps :)
 
Zelfiris said:
Thanks for sharing!

What polisher did you used and did you find you had to do 2 stage for the black cars to get 90%+ correction?
Click to expand...

My machine of choice has always been a Flex 3401. And yes, sometimes a 2-step has been necessary for best results. Many times I was able to spot correct with FG400 and then finish out with SF 4000 or SF4500.
 
Thanks guy! It looks like the preferred compound would be FG400 for soft paint
 
Zelfiris said:
Thanks guy! It looks like the preferred compound would be FG400 for soft paint
Click to expand...

I would first try one of Mezerna's polishes before you resort to a compound! Try PF2500 or SF3000 first!
 
Just02896 said:
I would first try one of Mezerna's polishes before you resort to a compound! Try PF2500 or SF3000 first!
Click to expand...


Or, to minimize the products you have to purchase, just go with SF4000 on a white pad, and if you need a little more cut try an orange pad and see if you can still get good correction while finishing down perfectly.

But I agree with the general advice... Always be sure to start with the least aggressive method first.
 
Zelfiris said:
Been looking up info but nothing really conclusive found on this. I would like to know how some of you have tackled Lexus' soft black paint, such as the following info:

- 1 stage or 2 stage polish
- which product was used (compound/polish)
- which pads were used
- which polisher was used
- condition of paint

I don't have experience myself with obsidian black and would really like to know others have done it before me

Thanks,

Zel
Click to expand...

My wife has a 2013 Lexus in obsidian black. This paint is extremely soft and almost always requires two steps. Unless the defects are just terrible, Sonax Perfect Finish on a Rupes yellow pad and Rupes Ultra Diamond on a Rupes white pad is plenty.
 
Lexus paint is similar to Toyota, but Lexus obsidian that the op is referring to is not comparable to the metallic red shown in your article.

Obsidian, or any other soft jet black, will require careful finishing to remove micro marring that you might not detect on any other color.
 
I did not want to interfere the purpose of the thread - which was to find out other detailer's experience so I did not include my own.

I have been using a 2 step - Opt. Hyper Compound + MF pad and HD Polish + white pad on Rupes.

I found the hyper compound did not have enough cut in it, took too many passes. HD Polish does however finish nicely. As I'm limited to what I have in my arsenal, I really wanted to see what others are doing.

I will be picking up the FG400 and SF4000 for a test run.

On top of learning what others are doing I'm trying to look for the "most" efficient product/ approach combo
 
e5upenyb.jpg


I used mf pad with m105 using porta cable and finished with 205 with white pad. I have obsidian black Lexus so I know your pain.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
@nebojsa - YES, my paint look exactly like that right now.

I purchased the car used so I was not able to stop the swirls before it came to my ownership.

I have used 105/205 before (sample bottles), didn't well with me
 
I was able to remove defects and finish great with Optimum Hyper Polish and an LC HT crimson pad on the Griots & HF DAs. 3 passes at speed 5 with medium pressure and 2 passes at speed 3 with machine pressure. Towel marring was a big issue for me; I removed polish with a damp (ONR) towel and then dried. This was for coating prep - I'm sure M205 or Menz sf4500 would finish great, but would probably leave a lot of oils behind that may hide defects and be difficult to remove without marring the paint.
 
This is an example from a jet black toyota (similar characteristics to lexus obsidian)

FG400 on an Orange Pad followed by SF4500 on a White Pad
1237108_299780100160116_1864011973_n.jpg


1240631_299780540160072_1610524684_n.jpg


Full write up here: http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...a-trashed-toyota-avalon-corrected-coated.html

Most of the pictures in the write up are after compounding only, so you can see how well the FG400 finishes down. Under the right lighting, there is visible marring which was easily cleaned up by SF4500 during the finishing step.
 
Thank you Zach, I will give your combo a try. It took me 12 hours just for the bumper, hood and one fender using my current stuff. And before I know it, one of the auto shops gave my car a wash.. back to square 1.

Seeing how you got the Avalon done in 15 hours is very motivating for me to try new polish :D
 
Zelfiris said:
Thank you Zach, I will give your combo a try. It took me 12 hours just for the bumper, hood and one fender using my current stuff. And before I know it, one of the auto shops gave my car a wash.. back to square 1.

Seeing how you got the Avalon done in 15 hours is very motivating for me to try new polish :D
Click to expand...

12 hours for only the bumper, hood, and a single fender??? OMG! That's enough to make me quit detailing! Lol! With the proper tools and product, you should be able to 2 step and LSP the entire car in 10-12 hrs!
 
The picture I put up earlier has a 50/50 shot. I also use air to blow out my pads before putting more product on. What did you not like about 105/205 combo


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Zelfiris said:
@nebojsa - YES, my paint look exactly like that right now. I purchased the car used so I was not able to stop the swirls before it came to my ownership. I have used 105/205 before (sample bottles), didn't well with me
Click to expand...

It's not your fault. 105/205 are crap polishes. Get some good polishes from Menzerna, Scholl Concept's, etc. Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover and Finishing Glaze also give nice results.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top