Tuxedo Black F150 - Need help removing micro-marring

[Mikem3574]

Tuxedo Black F150 - Need help removing micro-marring



Hi. Thx for the add! Newbie here.

I recently trail rashed both sides of my new to me F150.

I purchased a Chemical Bros kit complete with Torqx DA polisher, pads, and v line compounds and polishes.

I successfully used the V32 compound and orange hex logic foam pad to remove the rash and then used V36 cutting polish and white hex foam pad (unsuccessfully) to remove marring and swirls from the compound.

I was under the impression that a DA polisher would not cause marring??

I did use pad conditioner and 5 new pads per coat along with CB IPA spray when whiping clean.

The truck looked great and the metallic paint really popped but after a few days i noticed the marring once hit with direct sunlight.

I did use cheaper but new micro fiber towels from autozone and was told that that may be the cause...?

Any recommendations on how to proceed from here? Also, i have already applied a ceramic coat of hydro charge to the paint.

Am i stuck with it for now? Does an abrasive polish actually remove marring, or primarily fill it in temporarily?

Should I try to go back over with V36 and the orange pad?

Thanks!!

[Rsurfer]

IMO CG makes the worst compounds and polish. Look into Griots, 3D or Menzerna.

[Billy Baldone]

Welcome

[Mikem3574]

Ive seen some good/bad reviews. Have you used CG b4? What was your experience?

[WRAPT C5Z06]

Optimum Hyper Polish


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mike Phillips]

Hi. Thx for the add! Newbie here. I recently trail rashed both sides of my new to me F150. I purchased a Chemical Bros kit complete with Torqx DA polisher, pads, and v line compounds and polishes.

I successfully used the V32 compound and orange hex logic foam pad to remove the rash and then used V36 cutting polish and white hex foam pad (unsuccessfully) to remove marring and swirls from the compound.

I'm sorry to hear this. I'm also sorry to say you are not the only person that posts an experience like this. Most people see this micro-marring when working on black and dark colored vehicles BUT - here's what I always say,

If micro-marring is happening on black paint it's happening on ALL colors it's just your eyes cannot see it on light colors.


Think about it.

I was under the impression that a DA polisher would not cause marring??

DA polishers do NOT cause micro-marring. The polisher is NOT TOUCHING the paint.

What is touching the paint?

1. The product
2. The pad

So it's either one of these or both of these. It's usually the product unless the paint is very soft. IF the paint is super soft than a pad can cause Pad Haze.

The truck looked great and the metallic paint really popped but after a few days i noticed the marring once hit with direct sunlight.

Sorry to say but the only way to fix this is to re-polish with a different product and new uncontaminated pads. Once the pad have been used with a product that causes micro-marring, I would not trust them to ever be cleaned well enough to use again. Here's why, if any of the previous abrasive technology is trapped in the pores of the foam - when you use them again you'll simply cause the problem again.


I shared your thread here,

Newbee Needs Help !!


See what I posted in the above thread.

[Mike Phillips]

Just to share,

If you look at the winner in this Poll I created,

POLL - What's the number one most important factor when it comes to polishing paint?



You would think I'm wrong when I say the MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IS ABRASIVE TECHNOLOGY.


But according to the majority that posted in the poll.... Technique is the most important factor. When a person says, technique is the most important factor what they are really saying is THEY are the most important factor. But the more time that goes by the more I'm vindicated when I say, the MOST important factor is not US - it's what's TOUCHING the paint.


Abrasive Technology - THE most important factor when it comes to polishing paint

Anyone that's been to one of our classes, (car and boat), or read any of my articles concerning polishing paint, (or gel-coat), knows that I always stress the importance of using products that use great abrasive technology.

Why?

This picture tells the whole story.





In the above picture of my buddy Jeff Bell buffing on the trunk lid of a neglected 1969 Ford Thunderbird.

Here's what you see IN ORDER of what touches the paint.

1: The first thing you see "touching" the paint is the compound.

2: On top of the compound is the buffing pad.

3: Behind the buffing pad is the tool.

4: And the last factor in this process is the person behind the tool.

But for all you guys that think technique is the most important factor - hats off to you for your convictions.

[Mike Phillips]

Any recommendations on how to proceed from here?

You MUST re-polish the entire Ford F150 Truck to remove the micro-marring.

If you use a quality product and NEW foam pads this wont' be so bad.


Send me your shipping address and I'll send you both. I beleive the Torx polisher you have has a 5" backing plate? Correct? Let me know as this is IMPORTANT.

Also, i have already applied a ceramic coat of hydro charge to the paint. Am i stuck with it for now?

See my answer above.

Does an abrasive polish actually remove marring, or primarily fill it in temporarily?

Great abrasive technology has the ability to remove a defects without leaving a defects in its place.

That's the difference between great abrasive technology and all the rest. There is no grey area. A product either works or it doesn't. There's no "kind of works".

Should I try to go back over with V36 and the orange pad? Thanks!!

I would suggest NOT doing that.


See this article, it's one of the most SHARED articles I've ever written and by shared, I mean ME sharing it with others as a way to help them wrap their brain around how thin there car's paint truly is from the factory.


Clearcoats are thin by Mike Phillips


The majority of cars being manufactured today and starting since the 1980's use what's called a basecoat/clearcoat paint system. With this system, a clear layer of paint is sprayed over the top of the basecoat which is also the color coat or the layer of paint that has pigment in it. If the car has a metallic finish then the metallic flakes are also in the basecoat.

The basecoat doesn't offer any gloss or shine and in fact it's dull or matte looking after it's sprayed. The basecoat gets it's gloss, shine, depth and reflectivity by the spraying of the clearcoat layer of paint over the top of it. This is why if a person removes too much clearcoat when buffing and they expose the basecoat it will appear to be a dull round or oval spot on a body panel. The part of the paint system that adds beauty has been removed revealing the dull or matte basecoat layer of paint.



Just how thin is the clear layer of paint on a factory paint job?

The factory clearcoat on a new or modern car measures approximately 2 mils thin.

The average post-it not is around 3 mils thin.





What does this mean?

This means the factory clearcoat on a new or modern car is thinner than a post-it note. The next time you have a post-it note in front of you, feel a single post-it note between your fingers. Like this...





This experience will drive home the point as to just how thin the clear layer of paint is on modern car with a factory paint job.

It should also drive home the importance of using the least aggressive pad, product and even tools to get the job done.

When I say, get the job done, the context of this usually means someone is buffing out a car to remove paint defects like swirls, scratches, water spots and oxidation to make the paint and thus the car look better.

By using the least aggressive products you "get the job done" while leaving the most paint on the car to it will last over the mechanical service life of the car.

If you're working on your own cars and you're reading this you're already ahead of the game by reading the AGO forum and probably being a member so you can ask questions and get help.

If you're working on customer's cars take a professional approach as a service to your customers.


If you're reading this and you're going to do the work yourself or hire a detailer then do some research and make sure you hire a detailer that knows this type of stuff because the factory clearcoat on your car is thin.

[Mikem3574]

Thanks Mike.

What polish and pad combo would you recommend to correct this?

The light micro scratches appear to be in straight line form and large swirls. Very light but visible in direct sunlight. Do I need to go all the way back to the compound stage and start the 2/3 step process over?

Or would a micro abrasive cutting polish suffice.


Thank you.

[Mike Phillips]

Thanks Mike. What polish and pad combo would you recommend to correct this?

The light micro scratches appear to be in straight line form and large swirls. Very light but visible in direct sunlight. Do I need to go all the way back to the compound stage and start the 2/3 step process over?

Or would a micro abrasive cutting polish suffice.

Thank you.

The only way to know for sure is to do some testing. You can pick up Meguiar's Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish just about anywhere and they use great abrasive technology.

The straight line scratches may be a challenge and might require a compound and foam cutting pad.

The micro-marring should only take a Medium Cut Polish and foam "polishing" pads.

I had a Torx 10FX in the garage and gave it to Dr. Beasley's for their mini classes they teach along with about 10 other polishers. I found it to be one of the least effective free spinning random orbital polishers I've used. I say this all the time and here goes again,

In order to remove defects, which means REMOVE PAINT - the polisher you're sing MUST MAINTAIN PAD ROTATION - otherwise you're not doing anything, i.e. wasting time. So mark your backing plate and mark the sides of your buffing pads to make it easy for your eyeballs to see and monitor pad rotation.

How to Monitor Pad Rotation? Mark Your Buffing Pads





Video: Mark your backing plate to make it easy to see pad rotation





We also carry the UC and UP here,

Meguiars Ultimate Compound, polishing compound, rubbing compound, meguiars rubbing compound, meguires, meguiars polish, auto compound polish

Meguiars Ultimate Polish, meguiars car polish, meguiars polishes, mcguire's



And THIN foam pads will rotate best on the Torx polisher.

5.5" SUPER THIN FOAM PAD OPTIONS for your Dual Action Polisher



Super thin 5.5" foam buffing pads






The primary benefit to super thin foam pads is that free spinning orbital polishers are able to rotate and oscillate these pads better than thick pads.


What does this mean to you?

You can compound and polish paint to perfection faster than ever before when using orbital polishers like the Porter Cable 7424XP or the Griot's Garage 6" DA polisher.



Currently Autogeek carries three brands of super thin foam pads,


From left to right

Lake Country 5.5" ThinPro foam pads

Griot's Garage BOSS 5.5" foam pads

Meguiar's 5.5" foam discs









Lake Country 5.5" ThinPro foam pads






Griot's Garage BOSS 5.5" foam pads






The Griot's BOSS foam pads are unique from the rest in that they have a hole in the center of the pad.





Meguiar's 5.5" foam discs





Thinner, smaller pads rotate and oscillate easier simply because they have less mass. Not only do they rotate better because they have less mass but since there is less mass pad saturation is not as influential of a factor as it is for thick pads on dual action polishers.




On Autogeek.com

It's a good idea to purchase a backing plate from the same company you purchase your pads so that way you know you're the velcro attachment system for the pads and the backing plate will match.


Lake Country

Lake Country ThinPro Foam Pad System 5.5 inch


Lake Country 5" Dual-Action Hook & Loop Flexible Backing Plate




Griot's

5.5 Inch BOSS Pads

6.5 Inch BOSS Pads

Griots Garage 5 Inch Vented Orbital Backing Plate




Meguiar's

Meguiars 5 Inch DA Foam Discs

Meguiars Soft Buff DBP5 DA Polisher 5 inch Backing Plate