2007 Mustang GT - Black Paint Help Needed

[Truckguy24]

Hey everyone,

I have learned a lot over the years from reading here as a lurker, but today I really could use some help.

I have a 2007 Mustang GT I purchased a few month ago. Clean car but the paint was swirled bad in direct sunlight.

So having been a hobbyist for the past 10 years or so, I figured I could tackle it and prepare it for a nice Ceramic Coating.

My process was:

- 2 Bucket Method (always do this)
- Meguiars Mild Clay
- Iso wipe down
- Ultimate compound on Adam's Polishes Blue Pad
- Ultimate polish on Adam's White Pad

My DA is a Meguiars 110V2 and I have been suspicious of it having some issues with speed. Well we confirmed it is not working properly and would struggle spinning with basic hand pressure.

I am now left with what I believe is micro marring and buffer trails.

The paint doesn't have the spider swirls anymore and is much cleaner, but the scratches are everywhere and I am so disappointed and really hoping I can fix this.

My LED shop lights and flashlight appeared to not show the marring, but I was wrong as soon as soon as I pulled it outside in the bright sun.

I frequently clean my pads just an as fyi.

I have a Griots Garage G9 on the way along with regular 5.5" AND 3.5" LC orange, white, black and yellow foam pads. I use a 5" and 3" backing plate

I have Ultimate compound, ultimate polish and Meguiars 105/205 on hand. I have an older bottle of Meg's Color X. D300, and Swirl X as well.

I do have Meguiars Microfiber System Compound and Polishing Pads on hand as well as older but clean, Soft Buff 2.0 4" and 7" Black Finishing and Yellow Polishing Pads. I got away from using these as I found them too large for the G110V2. I still have some of the black and Burgundy Microfiber System pads.

My buddy works for a detailing company and loaned me his Adam's Swirl Eraser DA with 5.5" backing plate for the time being.

Today I did try M205 on the white Pad and after buffing with clean Adam's towels, the marring was gone. However once I wiped with Iso/water, they reappeared.

This is my first black vehicle and on other colors I have felt my results are good, but this is a different story. Black show everything.

After Wash and Clay


Test Panel - seemed decent after Ultimate Compound. Bottom is where I had corrected



After Ultimate Polish



Sun showing Marring



Hood after trying M205 on White Pad



Any help would be appreciated - especially with trying to use what I have on hand/coming.

[Truckguy24]

So I have an update.

I tried Chemical guys V36 on a white pad. On parts of the hood it cleaned up nicely.

I then tried it on the door and it had all the DA tick marks.

I took a clean white foam pad and hit the same spot with Ultimate Polish. It removed the tick marks but still has the fine scratches like holograms.

Is my black paint just incredibly soft and needs and even softer pad then a white foam? Say a black or even blue from Lake country?

This car is killing me and I'd sincerely appreciate any help.

[Sizzle Chest]

Ford paint of this vintage is pretty soft. Not super finicky in my experience.

I'd like to say that this is due to your 'broken/not working properly' machine/polisher. If it doesn't rotate the pad with minimal downward pressure you won't get the correction you are looking for if anything at all.

I'd like to see you wait for your G9 (a fine piece of kit IMO) and take it from there using: The least aggressive method That is: start with your least aggressive pad/polish combo and see what that does for you; then ramp it up with polish/compound/pad.

Keep us posted and don't get too frustrated and quit, you can handle this!

[Truckguy24]

Scott thank you for your thoughts on this. I am thinking you may be right.

I tried two smaller areas with Ultimate Polish and my failing meguiars on 4 black" foam pads on max speed pushing down, and even though it obviously isn't working correctly, man did those light swirls go away quite a bit.

When my pads arrive I have my buddies Adams Swirl killer so I can use my new 5.5" pads on there when they arrive and see if it makes a difference. Seems like black could do the trick or possibly one step lower if there's still some light swirling.

I'm excited for the G9 , it has excellent reviews and I think would be a very worth replacement.

I will keep this updated.

[Truckguy24]

At this point I'm beyond frustrated and need a break. I ordered Poorboy's black Hole. 3 weeks full of this all weekend. I'm just beyond burnt out.

The paint looks phenomenal under my shop lighting and LED phone light. The halogen shop light reveals the scratches under the right angle. You can see the shop light clear as day looking straight on. There are microscratches I cannot get out as you can see in the pictures.

For now I just need to drive my car - this was supposed to be a daily driver for me - not a mental breakdown LOL!

I'll just seal it up with my trusty Collinite 845 Insulator Wax.

I have tried: Orange pad M205/ White Pad M205/ Black Pad M205

Orange pad Ultimate Polish/ White Pad Ultimate Polish/ Black Pad Ultimate Polish

Same result - super clear paint once cleaned up with 4-5 passes and medium to light pressure on 4-5 speed. Just will not remove those fine swirls.

The Iso wipedown appears to have been scratching my paint I noticed. I went and used the Adam's surface prep from my ceramic kit and additional scratches were not added.

[Desertnate]

Just a couple thoughts.

Do you know Black Hole is a glaze which will just fill the flaws and not correct them? It's a great glaze and looks amazing, but the flaws will re-appear over time. Just asking, because some people don't know.

Since you are getting a G9 polisher, you might want to try some Griots BOSS polishes or similar too. I've used the Meguiars Ultimate Polish/Compound for a while and I'd rate them as "passable". They work, but I get much better results from other products.

[Truckguy24]

I am aware of that, I just figure since I wax clay my vehicles every 6-8 months with Collinite 845, the black hole will likely be protected underneath for awhile. It's just to give me some sanity back and get this thing out of my garage and driving.

I have read good things on Griots Perfecting Cream.

I'm just confused as to what step should get these micro scratches out. Is it a polish or compound? I want to be careful of the paint since I already did the car once and realized outside it wasn't where I want it (due to the faulty polisher.)

I had a nitrile glove on last night, and it actually scratched my paint. It appears to be very soft paint.

[Matador]

It sounds like your paint is super duper soft.

Since your paint is so soft, an IPA wipe down (I am assuming 50/50 with water mix) may be marring the paint. Hell--have you also looked at using different towels with less 'bite'?

I've read some detailers use different blend of MF towel for softer paint and another blend of MF for harder paints.

Could be towels too?

Don't mean to throw more your way. Soft paint is really hard to deal with...

[Craig Encinitas]

Something you may think about for the next time you go through this process, consider doing a long-term ceramic coating. I would not want to deal with this type of paint every 6 to 8 months, as you have stated.

[Truckguy24]

Thank you for the thoughts guys.

The towels are from reputable companies - it seems Ultimate Polish gets me as close as you can see, but no better.

In regards to ceramic coating - that was my intention. But there's no way in hell I'm locking in paint like this unless it's perfect.

The Blackhole will be here in a few days. I'll finish polishing with the Ultimate Polish to get it as best I can without killing myself, then use that. I'll top with Collinte 845.

This car is proving to be a hassle, and where a professional detailing would be invaluable for in person guidance. I'd like to try again eventually, but I'm burnt out and sick of spending money on this for subpar results.