Honda paint help

[nittanysi]

Wondering what I should do here.. I have an 08 Civic Si, black paint, and I can't get rid of the micro-hazing! I feel like I've tried all of the products at my disposal (I haven't gone and purchased anything heavier than what I have from online, just what I can get at local stores and what I've had in the past). I've tried all kinds of pad combos with my PC 7424 and 105/205, Meg's Ult. polish and compound. Obviously I go lightest combo first, claying beforehand and work my way up and despite all exhausted combos, nothing! The paint looks GREAT directly in the sun, but it's the hazing/hologramming that's "off sun" that really is bothering me. You can see it all as you move your head around and the sun is hitting the paint, but it doesn't show up right on the sun's reflection on the paint. I'm using a two-bucket method, separate mitts for wheels/lower car portion and the rest of the car. I even at times use my foam lance and Maxi Suds II that I reserve for dirtier cars. I have pictures but it really doesn't do it justice, the paint looks clear. Any suggestions would be very welcome!

[Ebg18t]

Post some pics of the marring and tell us the exact pad-polish combos you have used.

[DaveT435]

Wondering what I should do here.. I have an 08 Civic Si, black paint, and I can't get rid of the micro-hazing! I feel like I've tried all of the products at my disposal (I haven't gone and purchased anything heavier than what I have from online, just what I can get at local stores and what I've had in the past). I've tried all kinds of pad combos with my PC 7424 and 105/205, Meg's Ult. polish and compound. Obviously I go lightest combo first, claying beforehand and work my way up and despite all exhausted combos, nothing! The paint looks GREAT directly in the sun, but it's the hazing/hologramming that's "off sun" that really is bothering me. You can see it all as you move your head around and the sun is hitting the paint, but it doesn't show up right on the sun's reflection on the paint. I'm using a two-bucket method, separate mitts for wheels/lower car portion and the rest of the car. I even at times use my foam lance and Maxi Suds II that I reserve for dirtier cars. I have pictures but it really doesn't do it justice, the paint looks clear. Any suggestions would be very welcome!
You've used the 205 on a finishing pad? If so what kind of machine and what speed?

[TuxedoTaurus]

Have you tried a wipe down with a QD or IPA to make sure you are not seeing traces of residue from the polishing oils

[Matt92]

I'm interested to see what the experts say in response to this. This is the exact worry I had about paint correction on my 2015 accord coupe. Everyone says how soft the Honda paint is. Maybe try Menzerna SF4000? Or SF4500?

[Mike lambert]

205 on a finishing pad at speed 3 on a da. Go very slowly and take your time. I do a lot of Honda , if you want to talk feel free to call.

[swanicyouth]

What your seeing is the haze M205 is leaving behind on soft black paint. I'm not sure why you went with this polish combo - but it's probably not ideal for this car.

The reason you only see it at certain times is because the marring is very faint. There are various solutions to this problem.

[Matt92]

What your seeing is the haze M205 is leaving behind on soft black paint. I'm not sure why you went with this polish combo - but it's probably not ideal for this car.

The reason you only see it at certain times is because the marring is very faint. There are various solutions to this problem.

I think the OP already knows that this is haze. Your post didn't really help or suggest a solution... Just pointed out what he already knew.

[nittanysi]

I appreciate all the feedback so far. I've taken pics but you really can't see the hazing outside of the naked eye. I've thought it was residue left behind, but I've used QD on a final wipe and it's still there.

Matt92- I've always had this problem with my Honda paint since I bought it!

I may try a full-on attempt today with m205 and a finishing pad on my PC 7424xp.

[gski]

Check out these tips by Todd Helme for finishing with m205. It worked really well for me.

Tips to acheive a flawless finish with M205 and a DA polisher (http://www.autopia.org/forums/polishing-with-a-da-polisher/36891-tips-acheive-flawless-finish-m205-da-polisher.html)

[builthatch]

i had two 8th gen Sis.

the last one we had from new for almost 160k. it was blue pearl.

the most important thing, once you figure out the correction, is to GET PROTECTION on that paint ASAP. real protection - a coating.

dark colors on the 8th gen Civics are notorious for premature paint failure.

related to that, don't correct too much. don't get to aggressive because the thinner you make the clear, obviously, the less chance it has surviving.

anyway, because it's so so terribly soft, the upside is it corrects very easily. you just have to be careful whilst doing anything (washing, wiping, whatever) because the wrong technique or product can instantly cause marring. once you coat it, ideally, you should have less hassle as real coatings will improve scratch resistance.

sorry, i don't have experience with Meguiar's polish and compound.

i like OPT polishes because you can correct then wipe with an ONR misted towel to inspect, then go RIGHT to coating. less chances in that process for marring before final protection.

so, OHP or OFP and green or gray pad, depending on severity of damage, work it...then wipe and coat.

if you don't want to coat, i find Poli-Seal works really well on that paint as an all in one and it might even work for your slight marring.

[nittanysi]

Appreciate all of the help here. I actually have some CC failure on my roof, which was covered under a TSB that I never received but am working with a Honda dealer to remediate. I think some of the hologramming was a result of residue, the rest maybe due to the soft nature of the paint. Some CG topcoat sealant helped clean things up a bit. It's really frustrating to be so anal retentive about the paint!! I should just drive more and care less!

[DaveT435]

I've used Hyper Polish on a finishing pad on a few black Hondas and Acuras and never had a problem.

[builthatch]

Appreciate all of the help here. I actually have some CC failure on my roof, which was covered under a TSB that I never received but am working with a Honda dealer to remediate. I think some of the hologramming was a result of residue, the rest maybe due to the soft nature of the paint. Some CG topcoat sealant helped clean things up a bit. It's really frustrating to be so anal retentive about the paint!! I should just drive more and care less!

my wife's blue Si was painted several times by Honda. all piecemeal. the TSB for 8th gens wasn't out when i first started complaining. then they came out with the first iteration. then it was revised to include more and more parts. somewhere in the middle there they did the warranty extension, which was the right thing for them to do but imo they were late to the party. i went through a similar thing when she first got the car because of the infamous third gear defect. brand new car had to have it's transmission rebuilt, haha.

the first parts to fail were the hood, front fenders and roof (and roof rails BAD). the roof was the first to show signs, especially in front of the sunroof and the rails, but also near the back window too. it got so bad that the entire paint system popped off the primer on a short trip. when i say short, i mean like two miles. she left here, it had paint. she arrived at her parents' house and the paint was gone.

then the top of the doors started to fail...and the trunk deck lid.

i am very VERY picky about paint, as many are here, haha, so it bummed me out to have rather marginal talent repainting her car, because while they did a great job each time with color matching (that blue pearl is tough), the quality of the jobs were just not that great. however, it's amazing what you will accept when your car is only a few years old and it has paint missing, haha. she felt crappy driving it in that condition and i was happy to see her smile when the car came out with new paint. she didn't care about dirt in the paint or swirls, she liked that it was shiny. and from 10-20 feet, it looked pretty good.

the last time it was painted was right before we traded it in. i actually structured the deal for the trade-in before the car was fixed, haha. i picked the car up from the body shop and drove it RIGHT to the broker i use for trades.

in the end, every panel was repainted on that car except one door and the rear bumper. i think, it's hard for me to remember because it went in for so many separate paint projects haha.

[jmsc]

do you see this hazing after #105?

AND/OR

do you see this hazing after #205?