Compounding right through a modern clear coat....

[fightnews]

This is a major fear of many new and inexperienced detailer's everywhere. Is it justified? How easy (or hard) would it be to polish through a clear coat on your average modern car with a dual action polisher? Assume you are using any of the available over the counter compounds like ultimate compound, M105, Ice speed compound, ect,,,, and foam or microfiber pads.

[GSKR]

If it's on a body line it still would take some effort to burn through with that machine.

[DogRescuer]

I did it on a spot that was repainted in my door jamb , but I actually learned from it.

[LSNAutoDetailing]

Heat is going to be a bigger issue than the pad or product. Rotation is of the DA is what allows correction. Proper technique should not do anything more than correct the surface and at best remove very littl paint, on a sub micron level. Someone had a spread sheet of comparisons and it was very minimal. Again, heat will be your biggest factor, improper technique... i.e. "I really want to get that scratch out...." mentality and staying on one section forever...

6-8 section passes in a 16"x16" section and move on... err on the side of caution. work conservative. This is why Mike Phillips says, "least aggressive approach".
Maximize your correction with leaving as much paint on the car as possible.

[Mike lambert]

A fast cut microfiber pad and fat cut cream on a 21 with a 5 inch plate, no problem especially on an edge

[fightnews]

Heat is going to be a bigger issue than the pad or product. Rotation is of the DA is what allows correction. Proper technique should not do anything more than correct the surface and at best remove very littl paint, on a sub micron level. Someone had a spread sheet of comparisons and it was very minimal. Again, heat will be your biggest factor, improper technique... i.e. "I really want to get that scratch out...." mentality and staying on one section forever...

6-8 section passes in a 16"x16" section and move on... err on the side of caution. work conservative. This is why Mike Phillips says, "least aggressive approach".
Maximize your correction with leaving as much paint on the car as possible.

thanks i feel like this is good advice


A fast cut microfiber pad and fat cut cream on a 21 with a 5 inch plate, no problem especially on an edge

two opposing views, i thought the long throw machines made it less likly to burn through paint becuase of the larger orbit and less heat build up

[Setec Astronomy]

i thought the long throw machines made it less likly to burn through paint becuase of the larger orbit and less heat build up

Long throw machines do more work, the more work you do, the more material you remove, the more material you remove the more likely you are to burn through the clearcoat.

[Mike lambert]

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[Mike lambert]

Excellent answer

[fightnews]

ok thanks makes sense, i guess i better be extra careful with my new g15, what about heat is that more or less of a problem with long throw machines?

[TTQ B4U]

A fast cut microfiber pad and fat cut cream on a 21 with a 5 inch plate, no problem especially on an edge

^^ This. Have only messed up once on the edge of a door handle when using my 3401 with a microfiber pad. Should have known better but was in auto-pilot mode and didn't realize it was hitting so close. Now I use more care. Owner was fine with it and we touched it up with paint he had in the glove box.

[k20trick]

This is a major fear of many new and inexperienced detailer's everywhere. Is it justified? How easy (or hard) would it be to polish through a clear coat on your average modern car with a dual action polisher? Assume you are using any of the available over the counter compounds like ultimate compound, M105, Ice speed compound, ect,,,, and foam or microfiber pads.

Im no pro here, but it would have to take a lot to burn through, but that doesnt mean you should try it like I did:dblthumb2:. I've compounded one area multiple times and still no burn through. Actually the paint got better and better, not saying you should try this because Im sure it is risky. Luckily it was a beat up test panel with tons of scratches, rock chips, and cats clawing the hell out of it. It needs a repaint but I wanted to test to see how far I could go.

[AutowerxDetailing]

If you don't measure the paint, and if you aren't 99.9% positive you know the full history of the paint, then there is no way to know for sure how risky polishing a vehicle will be. Any machine, under the right set of circumstances, can burn though the paint.

[lawrenceSA]

How are all of you making statements about how hard or easy it would be to do, without knowing how thick the clear coat is to start with? We all know that modern clear coats seem to be getting thinner and thinner and whilst it is 'normal' for me to see around 150µ total paint thickness on most new VW's, there are other manufacturers where the film build is like 70µ out the factory... so it is a very 'unsafe' assumption to make that because its a new modern car, you have a certain clear coat thickness/life in the paint.

And even if you do own a PTG, its not a foolproof solution (unless you are dropping serious money on one which measures individual layers) because even though the total film build may be high (like with most repaints) you won't always know what each individual layer is doing.

If there is only a few microns of clear left, it will be super easy to strike through - I have a BMW bonnet in my garage that I use for testing and I struck through the clear in a section reading 250 odd microns - presumable there was a little clear on top of a bunch of primer/base/old paint? There are also sections on the same bonnet where I have sanded extensively and am picking up readings as low as 210µ and the clear is still in tact.

IMO the best advice I can give is

a) make sure you own a PTG if you are planning on doing any serious correction work (any more than say a finishing polish)
b) always perform a test spot to enable you to remove as little paint as possible whilst still getting the desired results and
c) apply some common sense to the PTG readings before, during and after your test spot(s) to decide on the best way forward and
d) always tape up body lines and panel edges where there is an increased risk of striking through.

[fightnews]

^^ This. Have only messed up once on the edge of a door handle when using my 3401 with a microfiber pad. Should have known better but was in auto-pilot mode and didn't realize it was hitting so close. Now I use more care. Owner was fine with it and we touched it up with paint he had in the glove box.

why did hitting the edge of the door make it burn or wear through the clearcoat?