radmanly, I would say that running a D/A at speed 6 with enough downward pressure to almost bog the machine is pretty darn extreme and I don't know of ANY company that recommends proceeding this way. The heat you developed, enough to steam a quick detailer off the surface, is pretty extreme and I would caution you against using this process in the future.

I'd love to see the microscratches you're talking about - can you describe them in more detail? Are they throughout the paint or are they very random? There is every possibility that an aggressive approach with even a medium cutting pad could be inflicting some marring to the surface, regardless of which chemical you're using. You might want to try more of a finishing polish with a less aggressive pad and less pressure/speed than you've been using.

 

Yeah...the steam worried me a bit. I was able to put my hand on the surface and hold it there. It was uncomfortable but not excruciating. I really don't think I did any damage but I don't plan on making a habit of doing that. I was REALLY glad I wasn't using a rotary.

The microscratches are random. A little line here; a couple of lines there. It's not pervasive. When I look at the reflection of the light bulb in the finish, it's definitely not a mirror. It looks a little "foggy" with tiny, tiny, tiny little microscratches encircling the reflection. It's when I'm squinting at those that I think maybe I've gone over the edge!

I think I am going to try the less aggressive approach. Clearly more aggressive isn't working. After my failed experiments with the Swirl & Haze, I polished the hood and front quarter panels with the Fine Machine Polish and the white polishing pad. When I was done, it didn't look that different than when I started. I pulled the car out into the sun and it looked perfect.

Does Meguiar's do detailing clinics? Any chance they'll do one in the Twin Cities of MN? I'd love to have a real pro look at this and tell me if I'm just being neurotic or if there's really something to be done here.

 

One more thing...my cars are Aero Blue and it seems like a lot of the cars I see that have truly mirror shines are black. Is such a shine really possible with blue paint?

 

You'll never get quite the same look on Aero Blue as you can on Black and a true red, it's just the nature of the color. Silver and white are worse still in that regard, but you can still get a very high degree of reflectivity, just not that fully wet, deep look.

 

Originally Posted by FP
Mike, obviously my paint is in pretty good condition, but I still see some spider webs. Keep in mind I'm **** and want a perfect black, no swirl marks finish. I don't trust myself with an orbital, but I probably would not trust just any pro either, because you don't alway get the best guy in the shop. Does Megs have any shop in the Chicago-Land area they would recommend?


Mike, I can't thank you enough for pointing me to the Meg's M105 product. I used it on my car yesterday, and I am as satisfied with the results as I can be. The car looks fantastic; no swirls marks at all. I finished it up with my Adams polish and wax, and the result is outstanding.

Thanks for your help. BTW, the dressing worked great too.

FP

 

Happy to help..... it's what I do.

 

I have an old porter cable G100 Meguiar's polisher that I got for my vette about 10 years ago. I hope it is still a usable product to use on my car. My car looks about showroom but I know I should get some wax on it as I don't think anything was done other than the dealer prep. What is the way to proceed with my finish? Thanks Ron
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