Hard VW Paint

[h8dirtycars]

Ok, so I finally got my DA's, A GG 6" and 3". Went to work on my wife's black 2012 Tiguan.

Wash and decon yesterday, Meguiar's Car Wash Plus, Sonax Fallout, GG Synthetic Clay w/ Speed Shine.
Went to work with 6.5 inch orange foam pad and Correcting Cream. First time out using it. Been doing all the reading, and yes read DA Polisher troubleshooting Guide.
Think I got the hang of it, had to do the hood twice, but most swirls came out. The machine is on setting 6, with pressure on the varying to what I think I need.
I moved to the door, and I only got out some swirls, I think, am checking with a Surefire led flashlight, don't have a swirl finder light.

Anyway, my question is, is VW paint pretty hard, and is this the reason I'm having a hard time? I know I'm new at this, and probably have to refine some technique, but I'm thinking the paints pretty hard. I've been reading the most German car brands have pretty hard paint. I marked the backing plate, and have full rotation when working. I want to get this done, so I was going to the auto parts store to get some Meg's 105 to use with the GG orange pads. I have enough pads to do like two panels per pad. I know sometimes it takes different combinations of pads/creams to get a desired outcome.

So will this do the trick with what I have to work with now? I think this store has pads, but wanted to wait till my next order to see what I need.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Oh, and sorry no pictures, tried but can't really see what I'm talking about cause I'm a crappy photog.

[ski2]

Two VWs here and both have hard paint--07 Passat Wagon & 12 Golf (black). I started with the GG6 and haven't had any problems, but I changed to a 5" backing plate and 5.5" pads from day one--highly recommended. Rarely go over speed 5. I wouldn't get 105 if I were you--it's not the most forgiving polish to work with. You might need to move to something a little more abrasive though like HD Cut or Griots Boss Correcting Cream or Fast Correcting Cream if the finish is really bad. If you want to buy something locally better off getting Megs Ultimate Compound at Walmart--it's the consumer version of 105-a little less cut, but much more user friendly. I've never had to use a polish stronger than HD Polish + on a Buff & Shine orange pad.

Off Topic--I'm waiting on the new Tig to replace my Passat wagon.

[Desertnate]

I'm not familiar with the Griots products your using, but VW paint is rather hard from my experiences on my black 2014 GTI.

In order to remove swirls, I've always used a 5.5 white Lake Country Flat Pad and Blackfire SRC Compound, or the orange 5.5 pad if I used the Blackfire SRC Polish. Both finish out really well. The last time I polished the car I tried out a 5.5 inch white LC ThinPro pad and it corrected much quicker than the thicker flat pads.

The two recommendations I'd make is move to the smaller 5.5 backing plate/pads and use a slightly more aggressive product. You may not need to jump all the way to the most aggressive compound, but something in between a compound and a finishing polish.

[h8dirtycars]

So maybe I'll return the 105 I just bought. Would the Megs Ultimate Compound have a little more cut than the GG Correcting Cream? I mean until I get the 5.5 inch backing plates and pads.

And what do you mean about not the most forgiving polish? If I follow up with the GG Correcting Cream, wouldn't I be ok?

[ski2]

The Megs Ultimate is a couple of steps up in aggressiveness from the correcting cream. After using UC you wouldn't use Griots Correcting Cream as it's a mild compound--you'd want to use a finishing polish (HD Polish, Griots Perfecting Cream, Megs Ultimate Polish)--if you even needed it as the Ultimate Compound may finish well on the VW paint. If you eliminated the UC and used Griots Correcting Cream it would definitely finish well enough on VW paint.

105 tends to be finicky when working with it-shorter work time--dusting etc.

Here's a list that shows the relative aggressiveness of most polishes and compounds: https://www.autopia.org/forums/paint...mparison+chart

[ski2]

I'm not familiar with the Griots products your using, but VW paint is rather hard from my experiences on my black 2014 GTI.

In order to remove swirls, I've always used a 5.5 white Lake Country Flat Pad and Blackfire SRC Compound, or the orange 5.5 pad if I used the Blackfire SRC Polish. Both finish out really well. The last time I polished the car I tried out a 5.5 inch white LC ThinPro pad and it corrected much quicker than the thicker flat pads.

The two recommendations I'd make is move to the smaller 5.5 backing plate/pads and use a slightly more aggressive product. You may not need to jump all the way to the most aggressive compound, but something in between a compound and a finishing polish.

Good advice!! Smaller, thinner pads allow the GG6 to work more efficiently transferring more correcting ability to the paint. And, the Griots correcting cream is just what Desertnate was suggesting -- in between a compound and polish.

[h8dirtycars]

Ok. So things being what they are right now, if I use the Megs UC on my 6.5" pads until I get my 5" backing plate and 5.5" pads in the mail, I should be good to go, correct? I ordered the LC 5.5" flat pads. Would thinner pads be better, or am I good with those?

[h8dirtycars]

Oh, and congrats on the Tiguan. Great cars!

[lawrenceSA]

Yes VW's tend to have harder paint so don't stress if it seems harder to get the results you expected initially.

Good advice so far is to reduce from 6.5" pads down to 5.5" - this will help increase your cut. As will a) reducing your arm speed b) reducing your working area c) increasing machine speed d) increasing pressure e) increasing the pad cut f) increasing the cut of the polish being used g) decreasing the 'thickness' of the pads you are using.

Hell some of the trashed VW's I get in need a very heavy cut with SHC300 and a wool pad and even then there is often still a lot of below surface defects left in the paint, necessitating a 2nd pass with the same combo.

[h8dirtycars]

Thanks. So the Lake Country Thin Pro Pads are acceptable for the GG 6" ?