Stubborn '95 Camry. Learned a new process.

[BryanH]

Last weekend I detailed my mom's 1995 Camry which she has owned since new. It hasn't been garaged for the past 5 years so it definitely needed some attention.

Remarkably the hood only needed M205 to achieve a very good level of clarity. The roof and trunk, on the other hand, were the worst areas and were very hazy and dull. It seemed clear to me they would need heavy correction.





Nonetheless I started with a less aggressive method than I anticipated I'd need. Pinnacle ASR or Meguiars UC weren't getting results. So I went for my strongest ammo, M105 on a MF pad, and it was most troublesome. I had two problems:

1) Sometimes it would leave behind thick deposits (think of small bird dropping size) of product. I had to saturate the deposits with QD and use a MF towel with elbow grease to remove them.



2) Often the M105 would seemingly absorb into the paint before it had an opportunity to work. It left behind streaky white trails that wouldn't come off. Buffing the area with a MF towel felt exactly like no product had gone down at all - as if the paint was freshly clayed - and no M105 would come off with the towel. I applied more 105 by hand to help "pick up" the old 105 in order to try something different on that section of paint.

I tried to mix M105 with a QD spritz on the panel and got the same results more or less. So I took a break, thought about it for a while, and the best I could figure was that in some way the paint was so dry that it wasn't the right time to use M105.

It took me a while to figure out but I came up with a new (to me) 3 to 4 step process to finish out the paint.

1. Pinnacle ASR on a foam polishing pad. This stuff has always seemed to run "wet" to me so in my head it seemed like it would nourish or prep the paint in some way.
2. M105 on a microfiber pad (now it works!)
3. UC on a foam polishing pad (Optional, depending on how an area finished after M105)
4. M205 on a foam polishing pad

Four steps... that seems extreme for a car where 90% correction would be plenty good for the owner. But that's what I had to do to get the job done on these areas.



I'm very much in the 'hobbyist' category as I tend to do 1-2 detail jobs per year. Lately it seems like I'm presented with challenges like this more often than I used to be, so I'm thinking I may be missing something basic or something important. It might be a good idea to head down to the next Detailing 101 class at Meguairs HQ. It looks like those are done for the year.

Meantime I ought to do more research on indicators - signs that you're using the wrong amount of product, the wrong DA speed, the wrong product, etc. In theory I think I understand what's going on. In practice I can find it tricky. I seem to have the best luck with M205 since it's so so easy to work with. M105 gives me fits 90% of the time. And others are in between.

Most of the other panels came out fine with UC and M205. I then finished the car with two coats of Menzerna PL (4 hours apart).








Even the local insects like a good smooth surface with minimal defects.

Not the most exciting car or color but it was a satisfying job nonetheless. One of these days I'll get to my own cars...

[LSNAutoDetailing]

Nice job on the Camry! Certainly restored that old paint!

Regarding the 105, I find it best to change pads often. (I do this anyway...) You should plan on using 6 cutting pads for compounding, 4 for polish and 1 or 2 for finishing lsp.
105 can be difficult, thus I try to stick with Pinnacle Advanced Compound (Diminishing Abrasives gives longer working time), or BOSS Fast Correcting Cream.

Nice work!!!

[Sizzle Chest]

It came out very nice! Good work!

[GSKR]

Last weekend I detailed my mom's 1995 Camry which she has owned since new. It hasn't been garaged for the past 5 years so it definitely needed some attention.

Remarkably the hood only needed M205 to achieve a very good level of clarity. The roof and trunk, on the other hand, were the worst areas and were very hazy and dull. It seemed clear to me they would need heavy correction.





Nonetheless I started with a less aggressive method than I anticipated I'd need. Pinnacle ASR or Meguiars UC weren't getting results. So I went for my strongest ammo, M105 on a MF pad, and it was most troublesome. I had two problems:

1) Sometimes it would leave behind thick deposits (think of small bird dropping size) of product. I had to saturate the deposits with QD and use a MF towel with elbow grease to remove them.



2) Often the M105 would seemingly absorb into the paint before it had an opportunity to work. It left behind streaky white trails that wouldn't come off. Buffing the area with a MF towel felt exactly like no product had gone down at all - as if the paint was freshly clayed - and no M105 would come off with the towel. I applied more 105 by hand to help "pick up" the old 105 in order to try something different on that section of paint.

I tried to mix M105 with a QD spritz on the panel and got the same results more or less. So I took a break, thought about it for a while, and the best I could figure was that in some way the paint was so dry that it wasn't the right time to use M105.

It took me a while to figure out but I came up with a new (to me) 3 to 4 step process to finish out the paint.

1. Pinnacle ASR on a foam polishing pad. This stuff has always seemed to run "wet" to me so in my head it seemed like it would nourish or prep the paint in some way.
2. M105 on a microfiber pad (now it works!)
3. UC on a foam polishing pad (Optional, depending on how an area finished after M105)
4. M205 on a foam polishing pad

Four steps... that seems extreme for a car where 90% correction would be plenty good for the owner. But that's what I had to do to get the job done on these areas.



I'm very much in the 'hobbyist' category as I tend to do 1-2 detail jobs per year. Lately it seems like I'm presented with challenges like this more often than I used to be, so I'm thinking I may be missing something basic or something important. It might be a good idea to head down to the next Detailing 101 class at Meguairs HQ. It looks like those are done for the year.

Meantime I ought to do more research on indicators - signs that you're using the wrong amount of product, the wrong DA speed, the wrong product, etc. In theory I think I understand what's going on. In practice I can find it tricky. I seem to have the best luck with M205 since it's so so easy to work with. M105 gives me fits 90% of the time. And others are in between.

Most of the other panels came out fine with UC and M205. I then finished the car with two coats of Menzerna PL (4 hours apart).








Even the local insects like a good smooth surface with minimal defects.

Not the most exciting car or color but it was a satisfying job nonetheless. One of these days I'll get to my own cars...

Try the new sonax cutmax.

[coles_paint_correction]

Nice job bryan, specially for figuring that out on the fly.
As paul said, i too try to stick with fast correcting cream boss, i personally have the g21 and all there creams and man it works so good
and i have done probably 40-50 cars and haven't had any problem yet.

Also i believe if you want to stay with meguiars products m100,m101 works alot better i've read and researched on here and other places.
Tends to not dust ''as'' much and also easier to work with.

[BryanH]

Thanks for the recommendations. In my brief research so far it seems like FG400/HC400 is worth a try for when I need a heavy cut. I'll look into this Boss Fast Correcting Cream too. If it makes a difference, I'm using a Meguiars G110v2. Not quite BOSS level.

I'm not dead set on only using Meguiars products. I tend to use them frequently because they often offer good value and availability. I've had more good experiences than bad with their products.

plan on using 6 cutting pads for compounding, 4 for polish and 1 or 2 for finishing lsp.

Oof. Big investment for a hobbyist. I used 7 out of my 8 pads for the whole process on this car, although I apply LSP by hand. Just my thing. It's one of my favorite parts of the process.