Not quite getting the results I want. Help?

[Zingledot]

I'm trying to get out type II water spots and fine lines on my newish black miata, but it feels like 2+2 isn't adding up to 4.

Last year I joined up here when I got my new car, and it wasn't until after I got it home and washed it that I found out the paint was murdered with swirls and scratches. It was brand new, but the dealer said 'tough luck'.

So I bought the 7424XP kit, and ended up getting megs UC, and while it took out the holograms and brillo-pad looking swirls, it didn't quite get it where I wanted it - still a lot of random lines throughout the vehicle. Then I didn't wash it right once and water spots everywhere.

The orange pads + UC just weren't getting it out. I recently bought some MF pads and they actually work pretty well and got the water spots off, but when I'm done it still leaves behind little lines and imperfections. But maybe my pad had crap in it? Maybe my MF towel is doing it since they're kinda cheap?

I'm trying to get it near-perfect, so I can opti-coat it and then try to take care of it from that layer up. But one concern I have if I keep on working on it, and keep on apply UC, is that I'll run out of paint to work with. I don't know what the dealer left me with after their buff-job, and I don't want to wear it down too far.

Thoughts? Comments? Concerns? I can afford to buy a few more things if I'm missing pieces to actually complete this procedure correctly.

Thanks!

Aaron

[VP Mark]

Pictures would help. Sounds like you might he having trouble getting rid of some RIDS combined with needing to use a finish polish to refine the gloss. Sound close?

Sounds like you need to grab a couple of optimum polishing MF pads and a bottle of optimum hyper polish. With hyper polish you can directly apply OC with no further prep as long as you are happy with the state of the correction.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using AG Online

[Zingledot]

Pictures would help. Sounds like you might he having trouble getting rid of some RIDS combined with needing to use a finish polish to refine the gloss. Sound close?

Sounds like you need to grab a couple of optimum polishing MF pads and a bottle of optimum hyper polish. With hyper polish you can directly apply OC with no further prep as long as you are happy with the state of the correction.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using AG Online

It does sound pretty accurate. I wish I could provide pictures but I don't own a decent camera, nor decent artificial lighting. I just check my work by changing my viewing angle on the car so the sun reflects into whatever I'm looking at. Its kind of a pain to work with most polishes in the sun because of drying, but its where I'm at with it.

There are a lot of products on the market, just wondering what makes you choose those two over others, if you don't mind me asking?

[Iamonaboat]

You might actually be leaving behind micro-marring from the MF pad. How often are you cleaning it? How is your pressure? What speed do you have your PC going at? There are a lot of variables that could be the reason why you are still seeing blemishes. Pictures would help. A camera phone with flash can normally provide decent enough pictures for us to help. One thing to keep in mind too is, remember when you are correcting, you ARE removing clear coat. I know your car is newer and you want it to be perfect, but at what expense of chasing a scratch here and there. Flashlights also can work for artificial light in a pinch. And speaking for the above poster as to why he recommends those products, my assumption is, he's used them, and they work. There are a lot of products on the market that all claim to do the same thing. Some swear by them, others think they are meh. With all of the different paints, clear coats thickness etc, there isn't one products that works on everything and performs better than others. Best is to find something that YOU are happy with, and stick with it.

[Zingledot]

Another quick question: With the 7424, better to go smaller 4.25" pads,or go 5.25?