Micro-marring on black paint

[Osnapman]

For the life of me I can't figure out why I'm getting micro-marring after polishing/compounding.

I have a 2013 VW Golf with black paint that has lots of swirl marks on it, so I decided to finally try and fix it. I bought a harbor freight DA polisher and compounding and polishing pads from there as well.

First I cleaned and decontaminated the car (claybar, two bucket method etc..) I then used a compounding pad with Turtle Wax Premium Polishing Compound. And I used Meguiars 205 to finish after compounding. (Everything I used is linked below)

After compounding and polishing I did an IPA wipe-down with microfiber towels. I've noticed that this combo gets rid of the cobweb looking swirl marks pretty well, but when I pull my car out into the sun I can see marring all over it (Or at least that's what I think it is)

Post below is what I'm talking about, I shined a flash light on it in pitch black so you can see what I'm talking about. I don't think the problem was the IPA and microfiber towels, since the marring isn't straight up or down.

So I figured it was just because I was not finishing fine enough, so I picked up a meguiars 6" finishing foam pad and used it with m205, and it still did not fix the problem.

I'm a complete beginner so I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. Any help is appreciated :)


Here are some images below (I had to link a couple of them since it wouldn't let me directly upload for some reason)


https://i.imgur.com/nI7bl5H.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/N08Q1Kw.jpg



Competing websites removed -Mike Phillips


:)

[Mike Phillips]

First....

I found your post in the Moderation Queue - that's because in your first post you included links to an outside website. Spammers usually do this so our software is set up to move new member's post like it did.

I just found it at the end-of-day and approved it so now it's showing up for everyone to see.



Second

I hope you don't mind, but I took you single block of text and broke it up into several sentences and paragraphs to make it easier for others and myself to read.


I also edited and did my best to fix your images. It's tough to make pictures show up on a forum.



And, welcome to AutogeekOnline!


:welcome:

[Mike Phillips]

Here's a couple of stabs at the issues you're seeing,

When working on clearcoats, because they are scratch sensitive, this means the scratch EASILY. Everything that touches them must be clean and un-contaminated. This means towels and pads.


To me, in my experience and my opinion, the MOST important fact is the abrasive technology. I've never used the compound you've listed but I have NOT seen or read good things about it in the past.


Abrasive Technology - THE most important factor when it comes to polishing paint (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/2018-new-car-detailing-how-to-article-by-mike-phillips/120326-abrasive-technology-most-important-factor-when-comes-polishing-paint.html)


So it could be, and this is just a guess, the compound is micro-marring the paint and the M205 is now powerful enough to remove the micro-marring?

Just a guess. I'm really not sure that would be the problem but when troubleshooting, you look for the ROOT CAUSE.



Root causes,



Contaminated towels or pads - if the compound is bad then anything that's touched it is now contaminated.



Maybe others will have some ideas or suggestions?


I'm pushing away from the keyboard for the day, been typing since 9:00am on other hot projects. I'm a work-a-holic by nature but I don't want to get divorced.


:)

[Mike Phillips]

Check out pictures here,

Pictures of Micro-Marring - DA Haze - Tick Marks - Compounds - Polishes - AIOs - Clearcoat Paints (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-to-articles-by-mike-phillips/123669-pictures-micro-marring-da-haze-tick-marks-compounds-polishes-aios-clearcoat-paints.html)


:)

[Mike Phillips]

I removed all the links to HF, Amazon and whatever else you had in there. :laughing:

We're very tolerable around here but what the heck, here's the forum rules for moving forward.


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:)

[Osnapman]

Yep wasn't trying to advertise anything, just trying to show people the products I was using :xyxthumbs:

[PaulMys]

Yep wasn't trying to advertise anything, just trying to show people the products I was using :xyxthumbs:

It is the product linking that is a no-no.

It is ok to say "I bought a HF polisher" or "I bought some towels on Amazon". In fact, PBMG (AutoGeek) is the seller of some products sold on Amazon.

But other than that, you will never find quality products like the ones sold here on AutoGeek on most sites.

[vobro]

I never could get M205 to finish down right on soft black paint, I have had better results with Optimum Hyper Polish and Griots Perfecting Cream. I’m sure it’s discouraging for you since this is your first time but soft black paint can be a challenge. Also if you change technique or get a different polish make sure you do a test spot to see if your process is working to your liking instead of doing the whole car then finding out your not happy

[dpevans]

I have never used Turtle wax polishing compound but you said you used it with a compounding pad,(looking at Harbor Freight web site maybe you got the orange foam pad which is a aggressive cutting pad, i sure hope you didn't get a wool pad) Turtle Wax states this polish will remove oxidation which tells me it's aggressive. I have used M205 and have never marred. I would try using the M205 with a pink pad or a yellow pad but try a small area and see if that works. You also have to really take your time and not rush it. I also use plush micro fiber for removing product. Go to the "how to section", another great resource is Mike's how to book, it has everything you need to know.

[Billy Baldone]

Hello and welcome. i think your issues are quality in pads/product. VW paint is a bit harder. If you are willing to invest in some better products, i recommend Sonax CutMax and Sonax Finishing polish 04/06. I also recommend better pads. 5" pads will be best for your machine. Lake Country HDO Blue Orange and Black are what you will need to keep on hand. probably at least 3 or 4 blue and orange and maybe 2 black. These are all products I have had success with on VW finishes in the past

[Bruno Soares]

I don’t know if your Golf has hard paint but I’m guessing maybe it does and when you use a soft pad and 205 it might have just enough cut to scratch it but can’t correct the defects. Try a polishing pad instead of finishing pad and see if that helps.

[Mike Phillips]

Where do you live?

[kttlbll]

I'm not as experienced as some of the guys here but I do work on a lot of soft black paint. I've narrowed it down to 3 things.
A) Your polish is too aggressive and is causing marring
B) Your polish is not aggressive enough and is not removing the marring caused by compounding
C) Your paint is not soft and your compound is not actually removing all the defects

Try this process with the current products you have:
Stage 1 - compound + cutting pad
Stage 2 - compound + polishing pad
Stage 3 - polish + finishing pad

If that doesn't work, try this process:
Stage 1 - compound + cutting pad
Stage 2 - compound + polishing pad
Stage 3 - polish + polishing pad
Stage 4 - polish + finishing pad

If you still get marring that means your polish is too aggressive. Try using a finer polish like Sonax Nano Polish 03-06 or Meguiar's M210 and repeat the process above.

If that still doesn't work then maybe your paint is actually hard and you're not removing all the defects that you think you are. If that's the case then you need a more aggressive compound like Sonax CutMax/UltimateCut or 3D ACA 500.

I followed a similar process on this jet black BMW with soft paint. I think it turned out okay.

Stage 1 - Sonax CutMax + Rupes blue wool
Stage 2 - Sonax CutMax + Rupes yellow wool
Stage 3 - Sonax 04/06 + LC HDO orange polishing pad
Stage 4 - Sonax 04/06 + LC HDO black finishing pad
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200628/451daa73ebb22a1e6c1168a84189f002.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200628/ae798a5a6190ba9cfddc17470308d76c.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200628/d5e6fe118816c9fd6724fd3af3f0f442.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200628/539895c774bf47e9c8ab74a666199404.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200628/a1534bbecf4aee45bae507760c67dfe5.jpg

[WillSports3]

M205 is honestly too aggressive for a lot of applications. What I would suggest is to mix M205 about 50/50 with distilled water then spritz it onto your pad. If it's still marring, then reduce the amount of M205 to 25/75 with distilled water. You can make M205 finish down quite nicely, but it involves playing around with the formula a bit. The other reason could be lack of power from your polisher or you're spinning at too high a speed and causing too much heat.

[TTQ B4U]

[FONT=verdana]

For the life of me I can't figure out why I'm getting micro-marring after polishing/compounding.

I have a 2013 VW Golf with black paint that has lots of swirl marks on it, so I decided to finally try and fix it. I bought a harbor freight DA polisher and compounding and polishing pads from there as well.

First I cleaned and decontaminated the car (claybar, two bucket method etc..) I then used a compounding pad with Turtle Wax Premium Polishing Compound. And I used Meguiars 205 to finish after compounding. (Everything I used is linked below) [/B]

My opinion....you don't have micro marring you just simply haven't fully corrected the paint successfully. Not blaming you or poking at you so please understand that. IMO I've not used a HF product or their pads, but my guess is that it's an entry level polisher and likely is a PIA to correct with. I'm a rotary and forced rotation detailer and use completely different products.

I've owned many German cars and will tell you the paint on the VW is tough. It's going to take more than just 205 to correct it. I've not used TW Compound either. My go-to for German cars is CarPro ClearCut and Essence as the polish. Since you're not using a forced rotation unit, jump to microfiber with ClearCut. It will finish out very nicely and the light haze and marring left will correct with a light cutting or medium polishing pad very nicely.

Unless you're using dirty pads, etc. I'm tossing a new opinion at you but it's one I'm pretty confident in. I do a lot of German Cars, especially black, and it's not uncommon for me to have customers who have tried and given up simply bring me the car to do. In fact it's quite common given my business is mainly driven from car forums and local enthusiast groups.

Good luck and hope to help more where I can.