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Now that I had a few days off I decided to finally coat the 88 with Miyabi and whatever I had left of the ISM Coat.
I did a two-stage correction, because this paint needed it. It had bad swirls when i bought it and just decided to deal with them in the time since. I had never used the Meguiars MF pads before and went with that along with Jescar Compound. I did try Jescar + a LC Orange pad, which seemed to be only slightly worse than the MF pad, so i went with the MF pad for the whole car. I followed with a LC white pad and Jescar finishing polish.
Typically what I do, and I'm not as experienced as some of you, is hold the polisher down with about 10lbs pressure for a few passes then lighten up to finish the section, which is about 24x24". I used setting 5 for speed with this Griots DA polisher. The worst swirls did not come out. I did change pads 3x and cleaned the MF pad with a stiff brush in between each section before applying more compound. I probably reduced it by 80% overall, but there are some still there in sunlight. Also looks like some water spots had etched into the paint and wouldnt come out. So is this an indication that the polisher was not up to snuff for this job, did I use the wrong pad, or should I have tried a different compound?
I went ahead with the Miyabi anyway and am happy with it. You can see some of the swirls in the sunlight on the last picture.
I feel your frustration. I'm just an amateur that can never quite get all imperfections out no matter what I do. A freind of mine suggested a product that he uses and his cars look flawless. He's shown me a couple of times techniques and what not and my paint never looks as good as his.Sometimes I think it's like playing guitar, you can practice ten times harder than the next guy and he'll still be a better player than you. I can usually get my paint 95% acceptable to me but I've never had flawless results. I literally scratch my head everytime I see his cars and we use the same buffer and the same product.
Im assuming these bad swirls cant be felt with your fingernail meaning not through the clearcoat? Put simply Use more cutting compound with a high speed (I use 6) and pressure like you mentioned with a cutting pad. Keep making passes. I did this the other day and took a lot of slow passes to eventually get it.
I dont know C4 paint but my C6 has very hard paint and can take a lot of passes.
Ive been correcting my 2012 Inferno Orange Grand Sport with JESCAR Correction Compound on 4" Buff&Shine Micro Fiber Pads on my Porter Cable 7424 with Great Results removing misc scratches and very small chips in the clear coats.
I'm not familiar with older C5 paint, but do want others reading to know that JESCAR Correction Compound is Excellent. I've also had Good Results with Meguiars M100 on MicroFiber....
Corvette paint is fickle. Hard as diamonds when you try to remove defects, but soft as warm butter when you put defects back in. The Jescar compound and the Meg's MF pads should be enough to do the job, though. I was successful using 3D HD Cut+ compound with Buff & Shine MF pads, a combo which is similar in aggression. I also use a little PC 7424XP, but have to crank up the speed to 5 or 6 and make sloooow multiple passes. Probably 4 full passes per 2X2 section. "Full pass" meaning a full up-down and left-right cross-hatch pattern. I switched to the 3D compound because it can be worked pretty long before drying up. I first tried Meg's Ultimate Compound, but I could only make maybe 2 full passes before it evaporated and I had to stop to add more product. It made a tedious job even more tedious. The Ultimate Compound works well, but I use it on softer paint now. It does a great job on my Infiniti daily driver, and I used it with success on my girl's '15 BMW 650i sedan and her daughter's '17 Mini Cooper convertible.
My car still has a couple small deeper scratches (from the previous owner) that I can barrrrrely feel with my fingernail. I could probably get them out (or at least diminish them) with a very aggressive compound and a small wool pad, but I would want to measure my clear coat depth and all that stuff before attempting it. I don't trust myself that much yet. LOL I do drive the car, so having just one or two tiny scratches is inevitable. I have learned to accept fate. Hahaha!
Like mentioned if your finger nail doesn't catch in the scratch it should come out.
The clear on the Corvette's is pretty hard so take your time and be patient.
Check out this link, it may help you.
Lots of sage advice here. I'll add my $0.04 worth -- yep worth every penny.
Proper detailing is heavily influenced by technique and less influenced by product. As pointed out person A can do a better job than person B even with the same product. All you have to do to believe that is to give me a Stradivarius and there's absolutely no one that would want to hear it. In the hands of a master it has the power to make one cry.
Technique can be taught to a certain extent and it's also something that can be part of a person's natural talents.
To be clear going for 100% paint perfection especially for DD is not worth it to me. I do a lot of work at the beginning of the season to get 'as good as I want it' which is still better than most and then I enjoy it. I used to frustrate myself to no end going for that 'perfect' paint.
Lots of sage advice here. I'll add my $0.04 worth -- yep worth every penny.
Proper detailing is heavily influenced by technique and less influenced by product. As pointed out person A can do a better job than person B even with the same product. All you have to do to believe that is to give me a Stradivarius and there's absolutely no one that would want to hear it. In the hands of a master it has the power to make one cry.
Technique can be taught to a certain extent and it's also something that can be part of a person's natural talents.
To be clear going for 100% paint perfection especially for DD is not worth it to me. I do a lot of work at the beginning of the season to get 'as good as I want it' which is still better than most and then I enjoy it. I used to frustrate myself to no end going for that 'perfect' paint.
Well said! I used to be so OCD about removing every imperfection that it took the fun out of detailing. I've learned to accept that I won't get every little scratch out. I'm still pretty picky though but not as I was. Product has come a long way in the last 10yrs. to make detailing easier.
Well said! I used to be so OCD about removing every imperfection that it took the fun out of detailing. I've learned to accept that I won't get every little scratch out. I'm still pretty picky though but not as I was. Product has come a long way in the last 10yrs. to make detailing easier.
I agree with all of this! I have trained myself to accept the fact that if you drive your cars, stuff will happen to them. Nothing wrong with trying to keep them as protected and pretty as possible, but if you chase down every little scratch and nick constantly with your compound, polish, and machine, you will eventually run out of clear coat to correct. "Next stop, body shop."
Well said! I used to be so OCD about removing every imperfection that it took the fun out of detailing. I've learned to accept that I won't get every little scratch out. I'm still pretty picky though but not as I was. Product has come a long way in the last 10yrs. to make detailing easier.
I like what you say here as well. You get to the point the FUN is gone. That's another way people become really great at something, they ENJOY whatever it is they're doing! Once that's removed then it is actually a LOT of work.
Lots of sage advice here. I'll add my $0.04 worth -- yep worth every penny.
Proper detailing is heavily influenced by technique and less influenced by product. As pointed out person A can do a better job than person B even with the same product. All you have to do to believe that is to give me a Stradivarius and there's absolutely no one that would want to hear it. In the hands of a master it has the power to make one cry.
Technique can be taught to a certain extent and it's also something that can be part of a person's natural talents.
To be clear going for 100% paint perfection especially for DD is not worth it to me. I do a lot of work at the beginning of the season to get 'as good as I want it' which is still better than most and then I enjoy it. I used to frustrate myself to no end going for that 'perfect' paint.
Actually it is quiet the opposite. Product is the most important. After 40 years of detailing I thought it was technique. Some top of the line detailer's such as Mike Phillips will tell you it's the abrasive technology as the most important..
You may need to either wet sand - be my last option especially on older paint( best use a PTG first though) or do another section pass. Make sure you are not applying too much product. 3 pea sized drops at most. Too wet and the abrasives do not heat up enough
Actually it is quiet the opposite. Product is the most important. After 40 years of detailing I thought it was technique. Some top of the line detailer's such as Mike Phillips will tell you it's the abrasive technology as the most important..
You may need to either wet sand - be my last option especially on older paint( best use a PTG first though) or do another section pass. Make sure you are not applying too much product. 3 pea sized drops at most. Too wet and the abrasives do not heat up enough
We'll agree to disagree. Mike Phillips (he's a foremost authority at AutoGeek for others btw) would say that proper technique can overcome many, many faults with products and poorer technique. In his hands he could do more with old-school Turtle Wax than most can with the hyper-dollar latest greatest because of his decades of experience. I could give the best product to "joe-off-the-street" and there's absolutely no way he could out perform my efforts with just a decent product. I go to the Stradivarius example.
You can maintain an almost swirl free daily driver. The secret to doing it is pretty straightforward: don't introduce new swirls after you polish them out.
Washing is where a lot of swirls come from. If you wash carefully using the two bucket method, microfiber pad, etc. it won't create swirls. If the car is REALLY dirty, take a suuuper gentle swipe with the pad and then rinse it before getting in to the main washing of the panel. Removing the film of dirt so you're not grinding it into the paint is key. Wash in straight lines...the direction of airflow is a good way to be consistent about this...and you will avoid swirls that are visible from every angle.
During the winter, if you live in the snow/salt belt, take the car to the touchless. People will get out there in the freezing cold to hand wash the car - why? So it can be clean until 5 seconds after you leave the driveway? The touchless will get rid of most of the dirt and will avoid introducing swirls. When spring comes, then do a detailed hand wash of the car being extra careful about those initial wipes of the panels. It really comes down to a choice - does the car have to be perfectly clean sitting in the driveway until you drive it, or would you rather avoid polishing it again?
People balk at spending time on washing, but it's so much less work than polishing. Spend an extra 10 minutes washing the car and you don't have to polish it for 2 years and it will remain almost swirl free.
In terms of the subject of the thread I would probably try a slightly more aggressive polish. Look for a couple videos on technique...AMMO NYC is a good resource for learning things, after almost 20 years detailing my own cars he has taught me a few things. It's a balance of product and technique. You don't have to have perfect technique, but you need to have the basics down.
We'll agree to disagree. Mike Phillips (he's a foremost authority at AutoGeek for others btw) would say that proper technique can overcome many, many faults with products and poorer technique. In his hands he could do more with old-school Turtle Wax than most can with the hyper-dollar latest greatest because of his decades of experience. I could give the best product to "joe-off-the-street" and there's absolutely no way he could out perform my efforts with just a decent product. I go to the Stradivarius example.
1 thing I will admit is I love your last line
Mike is far from my be all end all in knowledge or experience. I was using him only to state his state that abrasive tech beats all. Nothing more nothing less.
Washing is where a lot of swirls come from. If you wash carefully using the two bucket method, microfiber pad, etc. it won't create swirls. If the car is REALLY dirty, take a suuuper gentle swipe with the pad and then rinse it before getting in to the main washing of the panel. Removing the film of dirt so you're not grinding it into the paint is key. Wash in straight lines...
THIS!
During the winter, if you live in the snow/salt belt, take the car to the touchless. People will get out there in the freezing cold to hand wash the car - why? So it can be clean until 5 seconds after you leave the driveway? The touchless will get rid of most of the dirt and will avoid introducing swirls. When spring comes, then do a detailed hand wash of the car being extra careful about those initial wipes of the panels. It really comes down to a choice - does the car have to be perfectly clean sitting in the driveway until you drive it, or would you rather avoid polishing it again?
THIS.
People balk at spending time on washing, but it's so much less work than polishing. Spend an extra 10 minutes washing the car and you don't have to polish it for 2 years and it will remain almost swirl free.
...annnnnnnd THIS.
I actually impressed myself with how well my daily driver looked after this past harsh winter. I gave it a full detail before any snow hit last November: Wash, light machine polish to clean off any protection, then laid down a coat of Rejex sealant on the paint, glass, lights, and wheels. When that cured overnight, I laid down a top coat of 3D "HD Poxy" sealant/montan wax. Over the winter, I gave her weekly spray booth washes. Apart from that, and maybe a couple follow-up wipe-downs with Wolfgang Uber Rinseless Wash if it wasn't sub-zero outside, I let it ride. Well, when I gave her the first spring hand wash of the season, I inspected the paint. The only damage I noticed was some very mild micro-scratches/swirls on the hood, roof, and trunk, where I was a little too aggressive with the snow removal. They were easily removed with a mild machine polish using soft polishing pads and some finishing polish. Easy-peasy. I am ditching my snow brush and getting one of those soft "snow pushers" to use next winter. That should be a little safer.
Oh, and my paint still beads water really well. The Rejex/HD Poxy combo turned out to be super-durable. I applied it in late November and just did my spring detail on the car at the end of May. 6 months of daily driving through Chicago winter and spring and the combo was still working. That's pretty good! She is now dressed for summer: Chemical Guys "White Light" glaze/sealant topped with Collinite 845, and wiped down with P&S Bead Maker. Pearl white paint is poppin'!
I actually impressed myself with how well my daily driver looked after this past harsh winter.
I had my FJ professionally detailed by a high end place a couple years ago because it was just too close to winter and my back was bothering me too much to do it. It still looks great and has minimal swirls.
Admittedly I have been neglecting it a bit since I don't drive to work anymore, but the lesson stands. It's a car that's parked outside all year in the snow. Few visits to the touchless to keep the really bad stuff off. Half the damage people wind up correcting is damage they do themselves!
[img][/img] I did not get as good of results as I wanted, but I think I was a little "Wimpy" with the buffer. I will take everything off an try again with a more aggressive pad and more passes.
06-08-2019, 08:48 PM
Could not get all the swirls out
The Jescar compound and the Meg's MF pads should be enough to do the job, though. I was successful using 3D HD Cut+ compound with Buff & Shine MF pads, a combo which is similar in aggression. I also use a little PC 7424XP, but have to crank up the speed to 5 or 6 and make sloooow multiple passes. Probably 4 full passes per 2X2 section. "Full pass" meaning a full up-down and left-right cross-hatch pattern. I switched to the 3D compound because it can be worked pretty long before drying up. I first tried Meg's Ultimate Compound, but I could only make maybe 2 full passes before it evaporated and I had to stop to add more product. It made a tedious job even more tedious. The Ultimate Compound works well, but I use it on softer paint now. It does a great job on my Infiniti daily driver, and I used it with success on my girl's '15 BMW 650i sedan and her daughter's '17 Mini Cooper convertible. 
I do drive the car, so having just one or two tiny scratches is inevitable. I have learned to accept fate. Hahaha!
I have trained myself to accept the fact that if you drive your cars, stuff will happen to them. Nothing wrong with trying to keep them as protected and pretty as possible, but if you chase down every little scratch and nick constantly with your compound, polish, and machine, you will eventually run out of clear coat to correct. 
