XMt #3 not abrasive enough for my new car?!!?

[darksparkz]

I just got an 07 Toyota Camry Black SE.

I've used the PC before on previous cars, but this is my first black colored one.

First day, I notice some swirls, well less of a swirl and more of straight lines all around the car. So I assumed the dealer used their automatic washes and it made it look like this.

So first I used XMT 2 on an Edge Orange pad to try to get rid of some, it barely did anything. So I was like wow, then I move up to the XMT 3 with an Edge Yellow Pad, worked it for the typical 7-8 minutes at speed 6, helped, but still some noticeable ones left. The marks were pretty big and still noticeable. There was also quite a bit of dusting, I kept the pad sprayed well with XMT Pad Conditioner, but it still dusted.

Am I doing something wrong? Is the new Toyota's really that hard to polish? Or is it really that bad that I need XMT 4 or maybe a compound? Any ideas, this is somewhat frustrating on a new car.

The car was ordered straight from Toyota, with only 3 miles on it, maybe the paint is still "new" because the built date was April 2007, should I let it cure for a month or so?

All of the above is seen under a halogen light by the way.

Edit: Also, is any of this actually harming my clear coat? Would too much of this polishing actually reduce my clear coat?

And do I need to move onto XMT 1 after finishing off with XMT 3? Or can I go straigth to the XMT Glaze from XMT 3?

[budman3]

I just got an 07 Toyota Camry Black SE.

I've used the PC before on previous cars, but this is my first black colored one.

First day, I notice some swirls, well less of a swirl and more of straight lines all around the car. So I assumed the dealer used their automatic washes and it made it look like this.

So first I used XMT 2 on an Edge Orange pad to try to get rid of some, it barely did anything. So I was like wow, then I move up to the XMT 3 with an Edge Yellow Pad, worked it for the typical 7-8 minutes at speed 6, helped, but still some noticeable ones left. The marks were pretty big and still noticeable. There was also quite a bit of dusting, I kept the pad sprayed well with XMT Pad Conditioner, but it still dusted.

Welcome to owning a black car. Some swirls are going to be too deep to safely remove and being a new car I wouldn't advise going this aggressive. I would just live with it for a little bit and then get aggressive a few months down the road. Just get it protected. Just remember that black will show everything and that you may have to live with some swirls...

Am I doing something wrong? Is the new Toyota's really that hard to polish? Or is it really that bad that I need XMT 4 or maybe a compound? Any ideas, this is somewhat frustrating on a new car.

You aren't doing anything wrong, but IMO you shouldn't be this aggressive on a new car... I did a 2007 Black Camry that had some light swirling and all I used was Poorboy's PwS (an AIO). So my findings are that the paint is thin and soft.

The car was ordered straight from Toyota, with only 3 miles on it, maybe the paint is still "new" because the built date was April 2007, should I let it cure for a month or so?

The car is baked at the factory- so no need to worry about cure time.

All of the above is seen under a halogen light by the way.

Edit: Also, is any of this actually harming my clear coat? Would too much of this polishing actually reduce my clear coat?

Yes it is. You are getting pretty aggressive and everytime you polish you are removing clear coat. There is not way to sugar coat that... just the truth. Did it harm the CC? No, not yet. Over time if you keep being aggressive, the clear will reach a point where it isn't thick and will begin to fail. In all reality though you shouldn't be that concerned.

And do I need to move onto XMT 1 after finishing off with XMT 3? Or can I go straigth to the XMT Glaze from XMT 3?

It's up to you. Most likely you'll have micromrring using a strong pad and polish combo so yes, but XMT1 is very weak so you may want to try XMT1 and a polishing or finishing pad. Then go to whatever LSPs you want.

[scottgt]

yes you need to do xmt 1 after that

[darksparkz]

Hm, I guess I'll just do the rest of the car with XMT 2 on an orange pad and moving to a LSP product after that. Thanks a lot for the answers, the swirls aren't all that noticeable in sunlight, so it's fine.

[ltoman]

Post some photos, por favor!!