Comments please, what did I do wrong here?

[octane]

here's the story...

New black Toyota Rav4, full correction, and opti coat 2.0 applied, application was over worked and after 2 months, I can see that only 80% surface beads after a dawn + apc wash ... so I decide to reapply OC 2.0.

as per recommendation from Chris at optimum, I did a clay and a light polish with Optimum hyper polish ( I only did the front clip /hood and fenders since I had limited time) looked good yesterday, so I applied the OC 2.0 after an ONR wash. but this morning in the sun I see a swirl galore, I used a white pad on a flex 3401 did the hood with one pad, and the fenders with a new pad.

water still beaded after the polishing, so I hope I only put the swirls in the first OC 2.0 coat. I know toyota paint is soft, but this is with OC 2.0 on it...

what should I do? polish again the remove the 2nd coat of OC and the swirl (orange pad or white?), then polish with a finish polish (white or black pad?)

thanks

[embolism]

I've read that hyperpolish can really cut depending on the pad. Your paint might be too soft for that to finish down ready for a coating. You should have checked the finish under proper lighting before putting on the OC.

Unfortunately, I think those are DA tick marks, which means you will have to polish those areas again, thereby removing the OC. Do do a test spot this time, and use a pad with less cut like a black pad. I can't give you tips on finishing down with HP b/c I haven't used it yet but definitely put down a tape line and compare HP on a black pad to what you have now.

If that doesn't work and you want to stick with optimum polishes, then you might need finish polish. What process did you use the first time? Polishes with diminishing abrasives work well on softer paints but will probably require more than just an ONR wash for prep if you are going to coat.

I have some hyperpolish on the way b/c my polish II is getting low. You've now got me worried that it might be too much for my soft black paint.

[octane]

first time I did the car, I used Carpro fixer followed by an eraser wipe down and ONR wash, and it worked great before coating, so as you say a DAT polish works really well on soft paint, but the thing that intrigues me, is that since I already had a layer of OC on the car, I would not of though that Hyper polish would have been too agressive...

this time my test spot will not be 3 panels big ;-)

[embolism]

also note that unless your prep was bad, diminished beading does not necessarily mean that your OC is gone. There are other things you can try before you polish and reapply.

Check out Old Tiger's thread where he uses Iron X to rejuvenate the coating on a Yaris.

[octane]

I read Old Tiger's thread, and in my case I was sure that I messed up, I was in a hurry to get rid of the high spots, and I really buffed it out. And I missed some spots as well...

[FPEvo]

You may have to use a black pad and hyperpolish or PO85R. My 1998 E38 will swirl ridiculously easy. I had to go with a black with PO85 to get all the swirls out.