What did I do wrong? Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish

[cpmatthew]

Hey Folks,

So last night I decided to try my hand at using Blackfire's Gloss Enhancing Polish on my '12 Corvette. I washed and clayed it, then used the orange side of the German Polish Applicator to work the polish in. I wiped it clear with a dry MF towel and then waxed with Blackfire's Midnight Sun Wax. It looked really good when I got done, but this morning when I got to work, there is polish residue all over the car. So 2 questions.

1. What did I do wrong?

2. What do I do now?

I am heading out of town this weekend, so taking it to a pro will have to wait, but I would rather fix this myself so I can learn what I did wrong.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[Mike Phillips]

Hey Folks,

So last night I decided to try my hand at using Blackfire's Gloss Enhancing Polish on my '12 Corvette. I washed and clayed it, then used the orange side of the German Polish Applicator to work the polish in.

That's aggressive foam. Nothing wrong with using it to apply a product but normally you would choose aggressive foam for removing swirls and scratches, that is when you need some bite.

I hope it didn't mar the paint.

I wiped it clear with a dry MF towel and then waxed with Blackfire's Midnight Sun Wax. It looked really good when I got done, but this morning when I got to work, there is polish residue all over the car. So 2 questions.

1. What did I do wrong?

2. What do I do now?

If there's polish residue all over the car, that means you didn't wipe all of it off.

Here's an old saying,


Like dissolves like...


Reapply the gloss enhancing polish to the affected areas and IMMEDIATELY wipe it off.

Then re-wax and it should be and look fine.

[cpmatthew]

Thanks Mike. I'll give that a try when I get home.

From your response, I am guessing I should have used the gray side or an MF applicator pad?

[Mike Phillips]

Thanks Mike. I'll give that a try when I get home.

From your response, I am guessing I should have used the gray side or an MF applicator pad?

It's just the orange side is an aggressive foam foam formula and I would use it with a lot of downward pressure and a fast rubbing action to actually remove paint i.e. remove below surface defects and this means using it with some type of abrasive product like Meguiar's Ultimate Compound.

I wouldn't apply a non-abrasive paint cleaner using an aggressive foam cutting pad unless the paint was really oxidized or had surface stains. A white polishing type foam would be a better choice.

The gray side would work to. Always think in terms of aggressiveness. Match the aggressiveness of your,

• Product
• Application material
• Process

To the "condition" of the surface you're working on.


I hate to assume because it tends to bite a person in the rear but I assume since you're working on a brand new Corvette that the paint is actually in good condition not severely neglected.

Here's an article I wrote on this topic,


Factors that affect how aggressive or non-aggressive a product is

[cpmatthew]

Thanks Mike. Yes, the paint is pretty good condition. I appreciate you taking the time to help me learn what I am doing.