2 hours and still no perfection!!!

[bl3ujay07]

So, i recieved my order today! Came home from school super early so I cant test out my new gg6!

Okay, so first i would like to state that the weather is/was in the low 30s today, probably 40ish in my garage. I diluted the ONR, one for clay and one for QD. So i QD the hood, clayed it, and taped it off.

First off, I taped off a test section of my hood and started with swirl x with a 5.5 orange pad. Did six section passes 2 times with swirl x. It made a difference, but i still saw a lot of swirls and scratches (silver car so pretty hard to see imo)! So then i got frustrated, took out the 105 and did a 6 section pass, and it came out great! Could barely find any scratches/swirls except a deeper one. Awesome, so i start using m105 on the hood. Same 6 section passes. Still left slight swirls and scratches. Thought it might be okay since i was going to go m205.

After compounding the whole hood, i jumped to a white pad with m205. I could not get the rest of the swirls and scratches out! I got frustrated, cleaned the hood with IPA and just sealed it with 2 coats of nxt 2.0 and went inside (cold and frustration does not mix well). I didn't use my po85rd or blacklight as it would have been a waste and i was just testing it.

The gg6 is an awsome machine, but i tried tilting it and such when it comes to a rise in the hood, it just stops spinning (speed 5). Most of the scratches and swirls that are left are around the raised portion of the hood.

Can you all help give pointers! Was the weather too cold? Can not washing it with Dawn to strip the old LSP from it be a factor? I really didn't want to compound but swirl x was not doing much. I also think i use a decent amount of pressure (15 lbs). Wont be doing anything more to my car until the weather really warms up.

Thanks

[dougaross]

Since it worked on a test spot you know it works. Make sure to keep your work area small and your arm speed slow.

[mjlinane]

What kind of car?

If you have really hard paint, you might need more cut from pad or polish/compound.

The harder the paint, the slower you have to work. Small areas at a time & making sure the pad it always turning.

[washnwax]

What is a gg6?

[glen e]

check out the meiguars "MF system" on the store... sounds like it'll solve your problem -also set gg at 5 to polish

[PAR Detailing]

Congrats on getting all of your new products. With practice you will hone in your technique. To get deeper RIDS I use a Meg's MF disc and edge my pad. If you think you are going to run into multiple RIDS you could pick up two discs and use 105.

If you search my started threads you will find my write up on it. I would post a link but I'm on my phone right now. Now the edging isn't for everyone but I personally love it and have used the technique on every vehicle I have done. I removed 800 dry sanding marks with the technique.

Another option is to pick up some 3 or 4 in pads. You can get a lot of cut with smaller pads.

Lastly, if it's silver and you can't see the RIDS unless under extreme circumstances and extreme lighting conditions is it worth chasing those select few? That is up to you.

Best of luck my friend.

Jon

[bl3ujay07]

@Dougaross, true, but i went from initially sectioning the hood into 6 areas, then decided to section it to 9 instead because my first test section was 1/6 of the hood and thought it was too big. I think i worked/broke down the product pretty well, couldn't really see much of it left but a very light layer and dusting all over the windshield. I marked my BP with a marker to make sure it was spinning. How fast should it be spinning?

@washnwax, Griots Garage 6 in DA

@mjlinane, 1999 Acura TL, which is/has soft paint.

@glen e, I was waiting for the Optimum MF pads before i ordered, but the 20% plus free shipping was too good to pass up.

@PAR Detailing, I wouldnt really mind if it turned out to be like my first test section, but it didnt. Is it bad to compound more than one time?

Also, would washing and stripping to old LSP help polish easier?

[PAR Detailing]

How do you clean your pads? If your first section was great and it diminished from there could your pad have been clogged up with spent product and abraded clear coat?

And it is ok to compound paint twice. This is assuming you have a healthy amount of clear coat.

[bl3ujay07]

How do you clean your pads? If your first section was great and it diminished from there could your pad have been clogged up with spent product and abraded clear coat?

And it is ok to compound paint twice. This is assuming you have a healthy amount of clear coat.

Didnt really clean the pad since I was just using one new pad for the hood. Put an x on the pad, two spritz of XMT pad conditioner for the first test spot. Afterwards, 3 or 4 pea size drops around the edge.

[PAR Detailing]

That might be your culprit. I clean on the fly after every section I do. When you get to give it another shot clean your pad on the fly. There are various methods you can use but I bet you will see more consistent results.