Jeweling a new car w/ Factory Paint?

**birdog** · 07-31-2013, 04:03 PM

I tried searching the forum for an answer to this but I kept getting an error. I think it's time for a new computer. My question:

Can you jewel a new car with factory paint to a show car finish, or is the clear coat to thin? Thanks.

**zmcgovern45** · 07-31-2013, 04:05 PM

Jeweling is the absolute least aggressive type of polishing you can do, therefore it will almost always be safe no matter how thin your paint is.

I am assuming you were mixed up on your terminology and were really asking if you can safely correct factory paint? If so, the answer is yes... unless for some reason your paint has been sanded down and/or heavily compounded and polished beforehand in which case it has a chance of being too thin... although that is unlikely.

Typical OEM paint seems to range between 100-160 microns - typical maintenance polishing will not remove more than a few microns. Heavier compounding may remove more material, but still typically less than 8 microns or so from my experience.

**birdog** · 07-31-2013, 04:18 PM

Originally Posted by zmcgovern45

Jeweling is the absolute least aggressive type of polishing you can do, therefore it will almost always be safe no matter how thin your paint is.

I am assuming you were mixed up on your terminology and were really asking if you can safely correct factory paint? If so, the answer is yes... unless for some reason your paint has been sanded down and/or heavily compounded and polished beforehand in which case it has a chance of being too thin... although that is unlikely.

Typical OEM paint seems to range between 100-160 microns - typical maintenance polishing will not remove more than a few microns. Heavier compounding may remove more material, but still typically less than 8 microns or so from my experience.

Thank you for your reply. I guess I am asking if I can correct facoty paint. Can I start with a polish like M205 or Pinnacle or should I start with the M105 or something along that line then progress to M205? I'm not good at detecting slight imperfections in new factory paint.

Mike Phillips · 07-31-2013, 04:21 PM

Yes.

Even though it's brand new, be sure to wash it very well and get all loose surface dirt off the car and out of all the cracks and crevices as the air current of a spinning pad can pull loose dirt out of cracks and crevices and cause swirls.

You need to work surgically clean, besides a clean car you need to clean you pad often, like after each section you buff.

At the end of the above video I also show how to clean the face of a foam pad using a microfiber towel and explain why.

Normally I hold the rotary buffer against the top of my knee, not up high but held it a little higher to make sure the technique could be seen on camera.

I also use terry cloth towels for doing this it just depends on the type of foam and the product I'm trying to remove.

**birdog** · 07-31-2013, 04:45 PM

Originally Posted by Mike.Phillips@Autogeek

Yes.

Even though it's brand new, be sure to wash it very well and get all loose surface dirt off the car and.....................

Yes to the M205 or the M105? Sorry, I worded my question kinda weird. I'm not an english major> LOL :-)

**Harry Da Hamster** · 07-31-2013, 05:59 PM

Always start with the least evasive approach and work from there. If your vehicle only needs a light polish, there's no point to using a compound like Meguiars 105.

**Old Tiger** · 07-31-2013, 06:37 PM

Originally Posted by birdog

Yes to the M205 or the M105? Sorry, I worded my question kinda weird. I'm not an english major> LOL :-)

If you are jewelling, you want a Finishing polish and a non abrasive pad. I use LC Gold on a 6" flexible BP. I prefer Sonax Nano Finishing or Menserna 4500 polishes. I start @600rpm with my Dewalt 849X or 400 on my light rotary, FesTool ShineX. After a few passes I up the speed 200 rpm and do a few more passes. I keep this up until I hit 1200 or even 1400. Then I ramp back down. Mike's method is a hell of a lot easier. I will try it next time!
I forgot, I use 5.25" Red Buff & Shine Red pads on the FesTool.

**Wes Bremec** · 07-31-2013, 07:08 PM

I would do wg finish glaze or menzerna sf 4000 on a grey or white pad
Start high speed and idle it down for the last couple of passes. If your more of a megs kind of guy I would recommend m205 on those same pads

if those two options don't give you good results you might have to use a more aggressive approach.

**birdog** · 07-31-2013, 07:14 PM

Originally Posted by Old Tiger

If you are jewelling, you want a Finishing polish and a non abrasive pad. I use LC Gold on a 6" flexible BP. I prefer Sonax Nano Finishing or Menserna 4500 polishes. I start @600rpm with my Dewalt 849X or 400 on my light rotary, FesTool ShineX. After a few passes I up the speed 200 rpm and do a few more passes. I keep this up until I hit 1200 or even 1400. Then I ramp back down. Mike's method is a hell of a lot easier. I will try it next time!
I forgot, I use 5.25" Red Buff & Shine Red pads on the FesTool.

I was planning on using my PC DA polisher to achieve the results I'm wanting. According to this forum, it's my understanding that it can be done. I was planning on using a LC CCS Red pad 5.5" for large surface areas and the 4" in the same pad for smaller and tighter areas. What polish would you recommend with this setup?

**Wes Bremec** · 07-31-2013, 07:20 PM

Well if your trying to pull out reflection and depth go with your red pad and menz sf4500 but you have to keep in mind you might not be pulling out defects such as marring and slight swirl marks. Unless your paint is mad soft menz sf 4500 on a reds ccs pad with a pc is not going to do to much correction.