Strange light reflection after compound and polish?

[l0aded]

I washed and clayed a pretty swirled black hood and the proceeded to compound with meguiars ultimate compound using an orange LC pad with DA at setting 5. Most the swirls gt out and then finished with a green pad and Mrguiars 205 finishing polish. It looks good except for some reason the light seems to reflect strangely off the hood with lines now.. Any ideas on how to fix this or what I did wrong? Thanks!

[zmcgovern45]

I washed and clayed a pretty swirled black hood and the proceeded to compound with meguiars ultimate compound using an orange LC pad with DA at setting 5. Most the swirls gt out and then finished with a green pad and Mrguiars 205 finishing polish. It looks good except for some reason the light seems to reflect strangely off the hood with lines now.. Any ideas on how to fix this or what I did wrong? Thanks!

Is there any way you can capture this in a photo?

It could be light marring caused by wiping away the product with your towel. Would you say your paint was particularly soft? Were you using good quality, premium microfiber? Are you certain the towel was clean?


It could also be residual oils on the paint. Did you wipe the area with CarPro Eraser or IPA afterwards to remove any remaining oils?


Do these "lines" go away if you polish the area lightly again?

[l0aded]

Is there any way you can capture this in a photo?

It could be light marring caused by wiping away the product with your towel. Would you say your paint was particularly soft? Were you using good quality, premium microfiber? Are you certain the towel was clean?


It could also be residual oils on the paint. Did you wipe the area with CarPro Eraser or IPA afterwards to remove any remaining oils?


Do these "lines" go away if you polish the area lightly again?

I'll see if I can capture on camera later (it is my friends car and he is currently at work). I did not clear any residual oils on the paint with IPA, I only washed with ONR beforehand, and clayed with Meguiars 34 as lubricant. Is there any other reason that could cause these light streaks? Between compounding and polishing I did not wash it with anything but Meguiars 34 again and a microfiber, could this have caused a problem?

I did try hitting it again with a green LC pad and M205 ultra finishing polish but it did not get rid of it 100%. We started losing sunlight so was not sure how much help it did. This is on a relatively new car (less than 1 month old) that was pretty darn swirled from sitting on the dealer lot for months, not sure if that matters at all.

[zmcgovern45]

I'll see if I can capture on camera later (it is my friends car and he is currently at work). I did not clear any residual oils on the paint with IPA, I only washed with ONR beforehand, and clayed with Meguiars 34 as lubricant. Is there any other reason that could cause these light streaks?

Did you see these streaks/lines after this process & before the correction phase?

Between compounding and polishing I did not wash it with anything but Meguiars 34 again and a microfiber, could this have caused a problem?

From what I understand, #34 is not a surface cleanser like IPA or Eraser. According to AGO product page, #34 contains gloss enhancing properties and therefore must leave its own residue on the surface. I suppose it is possible this created streaking, but it certainly should have been removed if you polished this area again.

I did try hitting it again with a green LC pad and M205 ultra finishing polish but it did not get rid of it 100%. We started losing sunlight so was not sure how much help it did. This is on a relatively new car (less than 1 month old) that was pretty darn swirled from sitting on the dealer lot for months, not sure if that matters at all.

Are they deeper scratches that were not removed with compounding?

Sounds like you should've noticed this during testing and evaluated your process then.

[l0aded]

Did you see these streaks/lines after this process & before the correction phase?



From what I understand, #34 is not a surface cleanser like IPA or Eraser. According to AGO product page, #34 contains gloss enhancing properties and therefore must leave its own residue on the surface. I suppose it is possible this created streaking, but it certainly should have been removed if you polished this area again.



Are they deeper scratches that were not removed with compounding?

Sounds like you should've noticed this during testing and evaluated your process then.

It was after compounding I first noticed it and assumed it was from compounding leaving behind an uneven surface and that the M205 finishing polish would take care of it. I then hit it with the M205 and it did not so I assumed I just did a bad job and tried again. Still nothing =/. I will try giving it an IPA wipe down and hit it again with the M205 and green pad and see if it helps.

[zmcgovern45]

Try to get a photo... that will help a ton.

[l0aded]

Try to get a photo... that will help a ton.

I swapped cars with him. Here is a pic, I put arrows at the streaks. Thanks!


Too large for forums:

http://i.imgur.com/UQ0h6d2.jpg

[l0aded]

The light beams move as you move around inspecting the car. Does this mean that it's an uneven coat problem?

[zmcgovern45]

Here is the photo for others to see...




Are you using a DA or rotary?


It is difficult to tell from that distance... upon close inspection with an LED light do you see micro marring left from the compounding portion (or even the polishing step if you have soft paint)?

Have you wiped with IPA to ensure you have a clean, residue free surface?

[l0aded]

Here is the photo for others to see...




Are you using a DA or rotary?


It is difficult to tell from that distance... upon close inspection with an LED light do you see micro marring left from the compounding portion (or even the polishing step if you have soft paint)?

Have you wiped with IPA to ensure you have a clean, residue free surface?

After reading into it it seems I have this: http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...ick-marks.html

Rotary Buffer Swirls.

I used a DA. I did not use IPA to wipe down before polishing. Upon close inspection I cannot find any kind of scratches. If it is "rotery buffer swirls" from using a DA, would polishing again with a lighter polish help?