Some ideas would be great!

[Collin04]

I recently began learning the detailing process and have a couple questions regarding machine polishing black paint. To start ill explain whats going on. I have a brilliant black 2004 audi s4. I will admit that before a couple months ago i didnt really know the proper washing/paint maintanance process. Now after learning a bit about detailing i dont know what i had been thinking all of those years! So i wanted to fix all of those scratches and swirls, first on the s4 then on my samurai. So i researched a lot, purchased a kit which included a TorqX DA polisher, full line of hex logic pads, chemical guys vline polish plus a few other goodies. I started on my test spot with an orange hex logic (medium-heavy) and v36, this didnt do the job. Moved up to orange with v34, didnt do it. On to orange with v32, didnt do it. Anyway, worked my way up to yellow (heavy) and v32, this finally removed the deeper defects. I took this to mean that the paint was quite hard. Although i did keep in mind that it was a DA polisher. After this i moved to a white hex logic pad with v34 to soften the aggressive swirls from polishing. I then tried the white pad with v38 to finish it off (i thoroughly washed each pad before switching to a different compound and re-contitioned each time.) The white pad and v38 left a lot of swirls in the finish so i decided to move on to a black pad with the v38. This produced a great finish but not excellent. I thought i would apply the Blacklight glaze and a coat of wax to see if this helped at all. It did but ever so slightly. I used brand new "monster extreme thickness" microfiber towels from chemical guys with the tags removed for each step to make sure i was not inflicting any more swirls via wiping. I still have very fine swirls. I am just wondering if the paint can be so hard it needs a very aggresive technique to remove swirls and scratches but still have swirls inflicted when buffing product. Also if i have missed any info feel free to ask. I would like any advice and helpful hints (and sorry for the long post :xyxthumbs:) would post pics but cant seem to get the jpeg to upload

[GSKR]

you need some sonax products.chemical guys polishes are not that great,however they make some good stuff.Sonax cutmax or cut and finish with the right pad.micro would probably be your best bet to go around the car first. Then refine with foam with there polish.Sonax is all I use nothing else and i do hundreds of cars per year.But don't listen to my suggested idea,try it your self and change those pads. They don't have enough bite.

[dlc95]

You want those defects gone after the initial step. Polishing can remove light defects, but is intended to bring up gloss.

Compound - Remove defects
Polish - Maximize gloss
Wax - Protection.

I normally use Meguiar's Products. M100 on that green pad is my first option (light, but firm pressure, speed 5 or 6. Clean pad after every section). If for some reason tgat doesn't work I use a microfiber pad. The orange and yellow pads just don't seem to work for me.

You could also simplify everything, and get a system actually designed to address the situation.

Meguiars DA Microfiber Correction System 5 Inch Starter Kit, paint correction kit, dual action polishing kit (http://www.autogeek.net/da-microfiber-starter-kit-5in.html)

[Collin04]

Sorry i beleive i mislead you by saying "polishing". Still new to all of this. But the v32 and v34 are my compounding steps, i then moved on to the v38 polish. I tried stepping back to a white pad with v38 and this produced a lot more swirls. And i didnt have issues removing any deeper/heavier scratches with my combination of products however you guys are thinking the swirls i can see are deeper than the scratches removed? I know i can get the m100 without ordering online so I can grab that and give it a shot with a micro fiber. Appreciate the suggestions! I also already have the ultimate compound, would that be more or less aggressive than m100? Better or worse?

[Mike Phillips]

Hi Collin,

Welcome to AutogeekOnline! :welcome:


Here's a tip... when typing for a forum or anything really, don't type in large chunks of text. People won't read it because it's too hard for the human eye to track from the end of once sentence to the beginning of the next sentence without struggling and here's the deal...

People won't struggle to read

Therefore they'll simply >click< away.

Here's what you wrote,



I recently began learning the detailing process and have a couple questions regarding machine polishing black paint. To start ill explain whats going on. I have a brilliant black 2004 audi s4. I will admit that before a couple months ago i didnt really know the proper washing/paint maintanance process. Now after learning a bit about detailing i dont know what i had been thinking all of those years! So i wanted to fix all of those scratches and swirls, first on the s4 then on my samurai. So i researched a lot, purchased a kit which included a TorqX DA polisher, full line of hex logic pads, chemical guys vline polish plus a few other goodies. I started on my test spot with an orange hex logic (medium-heavy) and v36, this didnt do the job. Moved up to orange with v34, didnt do it. On to orange with v32, didnt do it. Anyway, worked my way up to yellow (heavy) and v32, this finally removed the deeper defects. I took this to mean that the paint was quite hard. Although i did keep in mind that it was a DA polisher. After this i moved to a white hex logic pad with v34 to soften the aggressive swirls from polishing. I then tried the white pad with v38 to finish it off (i thoroughly washed each pad before switching to a different compound and re-contitioned each time.) The white pad and v38 left a lot of swirls in the finish so i decided to move on to a black pad with the v38. This produced a great finish but not excellent. I thought i would apply the Blacklight glaze and a coat of wax to see if this helped at all. It did but ever so slightly. I used brand new "monster extreme thickness" microfiber towels from chemical guys with the tags removed for each step to make sure i was not inflicting any more swirls via wiping. I still have very fine swirls. I am just wondering if the paint can be so hard it needs a very aggresive technique to remove swirls and scratches but still have swirls inflicted when buffing product. Also if i have missed any info feel free to ask. I would like any advice and helpful hints (and sorry for the long post :xyxthumbs:) would post pics but cant seem to get the jpeg to upload


Here's an easier to read version, all I did was hit the old [ENTER] key 2 times once in a while.





I recently began learning the detailing process and have a couple questions regarding machine polishing black paint.

To start ill explain whats going on. I have a brilliant black 2004 audi s4. I will admit that before a couple months ago i didnt really know the proper washing/paint maintanance process. Now after learning a bit about detailing i dont know what i had been thinking all of those years!

So i wanted to fix all of those scratches and swirls, first on the s4 then on my samurai.

So i researched a lot, purchased a kit which included a TorqX DA polisher, full line of hex logic pads, chemical guys vline polish plus a few other goodies. I started on my test spot with an orange hex logic (medium-heavy) and v36, this didnt do the job. Moved up to orange with v34, didnt do it.

On to orange with v32, didnt do it. Anyway, worked my way up to yellow (heavy) and v32, this finally removed the deeper defects. I took this to mean that the paint was quite hard. Although i did keep in mind that it was a DA polisher.

After this i moved to a white hex logic pad with v34 to soften the aggressive swirls from polishing.

I then tried the white pad with v38 to finish it off (i thoroughly washed each pad before switching to a different compound and re-contitioned each time.) The white pad and v38 left a lot of swirls in the finish so i decided to move on to a black pad with the v38.

This produced a great finish but not excellent.

I thought i would apply the Blacklight glaze and a coat of wax to see if this helped at all. It did but ever so slightly.

I used brand new "monster extreme thickness" microfiber towels from chemical guys with the tags removed for each step to make sure i was not inflicting any more swirls via wiping. I still have very fine swirls.

I am just wondering if the paint can be so hard it needs a very aggresive technique to remove swirls and scratches but still have swirls inflicted when buffing product.

Also if i have missed any info feel free to ask. I would like any advice and helpful hints (and sorry for the long post :xyxthumbs:) would post pics but cant seem to get the jpeg to upload






:)

[Collin04]

Will do, thanks:xyxthumbs:

[Mike Phillips]

I also already have the ultimate compound, would that be more or less aggressive than m100? Better or worse?




They are about the same as far as aggressive goes, just formulated for different application methods although most people use them any which way they want and still get great results.

I would get a clean pad and redo the entire car with the Ultimate Compound. It uses really good abrasive technology. I read a lot of experiences here on this forum about getting perfect results using CG compounds and polishes. I don't know what they use for abrasive technology but abrasive technology IS the most important aspect of polishing paint. It's not technique as so many thing it is. :laughing:

Also, if you have not marked the back of your backing plate to make it easy for your eyes to see pad rotation then do so.

The pad MUST ROTATE in order to remove anything. There's a bunch of detailing gurus in the blogosphere that have tried to tell me they can remove swirls while a pad is stalling or simply ONLY vibrating against the paint but I never believe them and better yet... no one has ever proved it. :laughing:


Read these two articles....

Mark Your Backing Plate - Makes it easy to see Pad Rotation (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/tricks-tips-techniques/48919-mark-your-backing-plate-makes-easy-see-pad-rotation.html)

DA Polisher Trouble Shooting Guide (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/37769-da-polisher-trouble-shooting-guide.html)



Watch this video...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulWXODgg8V4


In most cases I'd say the Hex Logic pads are,

1: Too thick

2: Too large in diameter


My guess is the TorqX is going to struggle to maintain pad rotation. You might be better off getting THIN pads to use this too.


Check out the thinness of these pads as compared to what you're trying to turn and churn...

5.5" SUPER THIN FOAM PAD OPTIONS for your Dual Action Polisher (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-mike-phillips-your-detailing-questions/102347-5-5-super-thin-foam-pad-options-your-dual-action-polisher.html)



Super thin 5.5" foam buffing pads

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/watermark.php?file=106315


:)

[Collin04]

Yep i actually read those articles and watched that video (along with a few others of yours) before joining the forum. Very helpful, so thanks!

Luckily I will not have to re-do the entire car as I have only done a test spot at this point. However I will give the ultimate compound a shot! Thanks for the pad suggestion!