Menzerna Hell

[Largebore]

Today I did just the hood of my black car.
Started 6 hours ago and need to take a mental health break.

[1] The car is a 2006 Jet Black BMW with paint in pretty good shape. The hood is bad due to road rash, stones and some kind of speckled bits that no one can identify. Anyway I wanted to really do over the hood today full process..
[2] Outside temp was 80 degrees and the humidity was up. Detailed in the garage but with the door open.
[3] Process. Wash, Clay, Menzerna Power Compound: Yellow pad, Menzerna Super Intensive: White pad, Menzerna Nano: Black pad, Menzerna Glaze: Blue pad and then Souveragn paste with black pad.
[4] Used a Porter

All went well until the Nano... then when I wiped it off it got blotchy. I could wipe a section off and then white blotches would show up a few minutes later. Sometimes as streaks sometimes as blotches. The surface was a bit oily so I wiped with alcohol. Not much better as some of the blotches became even more prominent.
Any time a rag was a bit wet or had a taint of dampness to it I would get all kinds of streaks. Not sure if my sweating on to the finish hurt any thing but it was warm.
Anyway,after 10 microfiber towels the surface looked clean enough to glaze.
The glaze went on fine and when I wiped it off new blotches appeared uggh
I finally re-did the surface with SIP, Nano and then Micro polish just for fun.
I wiped the surface again and again. The random blotch or thick streak would disappear and a new greasy one would suddenly appear somewhere else...
The blotches and streaks are essentially greasy and whitish in color... Like a greasy hazy blotch... I am typing away now as I rewash all my rags to see if I can get the finish looking ok to re-do the glaze.

Help is definitely appreciated....

[ScottB]

did you work the polish till it broke down and became an almost talc or powder look versus the original wet paste ?? What your describing is something I have never seen and used all those polishes several times without issue and PC.

[tripperfx3]

^^^ Agreed. I've never had this happen with any of these products using my UDM. It seems like it may just be the oils in the polish. Did you shake the polish before you used it? Sorry to ask a stupid question, but that may be the problem. Also I notice the car seems oily after a polish and I will either wash the car or use a QD between each polish if its bad enough.

[Lumadar]

Try a full WASH with normal soap and water. Be through in the before and after rinses. Keep us posted. :Picture:

[ScottB]

Menzerna is not typically known for using heavy oils in its polishes, sounds like something from prior reacting with the polish but cannot guess why/how.

[Largebore]

I re-did the hood last night after completely washing all of the towels.
I also cleaned the paint after each polish application with CM.
All was good and the problem solved. I think that for some reason the towels [ which looked perfectly clean to me ] had a bit of something on them from a previous panel. dunno but the combination of CM and perfectly clean towels worked.
I mean clean towels because if i use them twice I find that i will get smears again...
One more other point on towels. I have some blue towels that were not Cobra. Everytime I use them i get little fiber specs mixed into the finish and if i rub hard i can get them to move or disappear, but once i hit the surface with the towel again they are back... I guess just crap microfiber. The problem did not happen with the Cobras. BTW the best Cobra for taking off the polish in my opinion is the Indigo ones with no binding. I got them free but they are really good.

[Lumadar]

I'm glad to hear you got it all taken care of! :righton:

I found when working with Menzerna 106ff that I would switch towels much more frequently than with other products. The black 350z I did used about 25 towels for the paint polishing step alone.

[Largebore]

Yes, thanks.
I think that the towels make a more significant difference than I ever thought. down with crappie towels is my new motto!

[lethalxls1]

I use nothing but Cobra micros- I figure-I am spending all this money on quality products to get rid of swirls and pinnacle wax why not spend a little more and use a quality micro? Cobras make the job so much easier IMO. I use them on my guitar as well!

[TOGWT]

Silicone Removal:

Surface preparation- if previously applied products containing silicone have been used, apply a silicone oil and / or wax remover (Hi-Temp Prep Wash, DuPont PrepSol, Menzerna Top Inspection or Swissvax Cleaner Fluid) to remove as much of the silicon as possible before polishing

Polishing - when a silicon-free polish works on the paint surface it uses aluminium oxide particles, suspended in water and hydrocarbons and a mechanical process (polishing) to abrade the paint surface to the base level of the scratch. Silicon cannot be removed by mechanical means (polishing); silicone can only be removed with chemicals (solvents). If it is not removed the silicon mixes with the paint dust and polish powder and it creates a smear on the paint.

Menzerna quote: “It is impossible to remove silicon from a painted surface without using a chemical process so aggressive that it dissolves the paint. Wax and grease removers will chemically remove one layer of silicon off at a time but are unable to completely remove all the silicon. Tests by Dr Michael Hauber at Menzerna using a spectroscope showed the layers become thinner but the silicon remains.

Removing silicon completely can take place over time and involves a lengthy process of oxygen, chemicals, time and sunlight."There is a need to differentiate between swirl marks in the silicon layer and swirl marks in the paint surface underneath. Some polishes may appear to remove the swirl marks in the paint but are really only working on the layer of silicon, so the swirl marks in the paint surface remain unaffected by polishing".

Use Hi-Temp's Prep Wash to prepare a paint surface for polishing, compounding, wax and / or polymer sealant application (especially if changing from a wax to a polymer product) this is a water-based paint cleaner designed to remove all traces of silicone, oil, and buffing residue from any exterior paint surface, residue from polishing products accumulate in crevices, around handles, wiper arms, on trim, luggage racks, and aerodynamics. Hi-Temp's PrepWash flows into these hard-to-reach areas and dissolves the build-up.

Hi-Temp's PrepWash can be used to cleanse the finish before painting, and you can use it after buffing or levelling applications. It prepares the surface for the proper bonding of waxes, glazes and paint sealants. If this is not done properly, applied products may not bond, which will cause heavy streaking. It may be diluted, but is always used sparingly at any strength. Mist a cloth or sponge and wipe over the surface. Wipe dry with a clean micro fibre towel.