ffas23

Those of you with Black C5's what do you use to buff out light scratches on your factory basecoat clearcoat paint job? I have some light scratches that look light gray in color. Can't feel them with your finger nail so they are not deep. Looks like something rubbed against the paint. Scratches came with the car when I bought the car privately last August. I have a buffer that I know how to use as I buffed out automotive lacquer paint in the past. I just don't want to use the wrong compound as it has been awhile since I buffed out any cars. Just need to know the correct product to use on Basecoat clearcoat with a machine and the recommended pad if someone knows.

Chicago

Take it from me: Corvette paint is is one of the unexplained phenomena known to mankind. It is an extremely hard clearcoat, yet will get scratches if you so much as look at it wrong. What I have found is that there is no way you'll get all of scratches out of black. If you try to do so you'll wind up running screaming into the night, never to be heard from again. I have tried a lot of combinations of polishes, and have found the combo from Meguiars works the best. 105 and 205. Be prepared to spend long days polishing your car. In fact, you'll probably buy a halogen light and polish well into the night, possibly making your neighbors very angry. Head on over to the car care section as well. There are many, MANY long suffering folks like you and I that have to deal with black paint, and have lived to tell about it.

blackmachdown

i agree with the above...
i use menzerna polishes they cut the vette paint with ease and leave a nice gloss

baxsom

turtle wax black box

BWF07

Any of the major products when used properly should do what you are wanting to accomplish. I don't have a black car, but I have a Torch Red and it will show the same scratches maybe not has much as a black car, but there just the same.
I use Adams products with a Porta Cable buffer. Adam has some great videos on the proper use of each product and what to expect. They may help you.

jrose7004

Black paint is pretty much an art form unto itself. Guys that are really good at keeping black cars looking great (and there are very few of them) are almost cult like. They hang out in the Car Care Forum.

Blue 92

John03

I also had the same problem really sucked big time i spent maybe 40hrs.. i used a reg buffer the first time wasnt happy then i went over it with a orbital buffer and 3mm micro polish (( dont buff dry ,, keep very moist))with a blue bad then two coats of wax. looks mint now good luck

--Z06--

I use a professional...

oakvillec5

me too, I have a pro do it once a year.

JACKAL0PE

Black isn't a color.

It's a career.

BillY2KFRC

1. Buy a FLEX dual orbital buffer
2. Menzerna SIP w/orange pad
3. Menzerna Nano Polish w/white pad
4. Zaino Z2pro w/ZFX
5. No more swirls... until a few washes and a couple thousand miles later when they slowly start to creep back... repeat steps 2-4.

In all seriousness, do LOTS of research on buffing. Read the car care forums, youtube videos, test on your beater cars, etc, before touching the Vette. But thankfully with dual orbitals and the stuff I've listed above, you can't really do any damage, so it's pretty safe. LOTS of work though!!!

ffas23

I know how to buff a car as I have owned a professional buffer for probably better then 30 years just like the body shops use. As I mentioned earlier I have buffed out plenty of Lacquer painted cars back in the day. I am basically only looking for the right product to use on Basecoat Clearcoat Paint since I am not as familiar with this type of paint. Was hoping I could get these light scratches out with a mild compound to start out with. I am familiar with Meguiar products as they work well on my cars. I may try what was recommended to me early on here in the Meguiar products 105 and 205. There are not many of these light scratches otherwise the paint looks great being the car has only 36k miles on it and I believe it was always garage kept most of its life.

Alex1

I have black and as a rookie with a pc7424xp and some Lake Country orange and white pads I was very happy with the 105 and 205.
With your experience I am sure you know to start out milder

Care care forum has all you need to know about others good and bad experiences

KonaVette

and so true...

0Killrwheels@Autogeek

http://autogeek.net/detailingtips.html

bop

keep the buffer off your car. I had a local detailer to do my car with a clay bar. He took out scraches and my cars painted surface is slicker to the touch than the back glass in my coupe.

dmarkshark

Why not go to a auto paint supply shop and ask what they recommend. I have some stuff for my sons black car but have not had the time to try it yet, so can't recommend it. But, I did get it at the auto paint shop and thats what they recommended. Its buffer material.

EVIL_C5

heres a black car that was a wreck....every inch was scratched.....



spent about 30-40 hours over a week, and this was end result.



all of the products used are avalible from autogeek, but whats not is the experience that it takes to get to this point....I have been doing this for over 20 years as a hobby.

if you have the ability to pay to get it done, thats your best bet. you would probably spend 500 dollars or more to get everything to properly do it yourself then the time it will take, or pay someone 500 and up to get it done depending on your location and shops ability to correct the problem rather than fill it (which 90 percent of the shops will do)

baxsom

2 hours, turtle wax black box