what am i doing wrong?

[swanicyouth]

How did you fix this it keeps happening to me and can't not figure it out?

While I'm not the OP, I can tell you how I do it. You need to have a few polishes & pads on hand of various levels of aggressiveness. Ideally, you want a few different brands, both DAT & SMAT. However, I know that it isn't realistic for everyone to spend hundreds of dollars just on pads and polishes.

So, what I would do is pick a line of polishes that use quality and proven abrasive technology, a line of polishes where there isn't like 40 different choices. Examples are Optimum, Wolfgang, or Rupes (if you have a Rupes). Then, pick 3 different types of pads from the same line: cutting, polishing, and finishing. Get a few of each type.

Now, and this is quite important. You have to be able to SEE the defects to SEE if you are correcting them. Since most dudes don't have Paul Dalton's light set-up, a sunny day is mandatory. Do a test spot, masking off an area. Polish with the least aggressive method first (within reason) and view your results in the SUN.

*** I can not stress how important it is to be able to see what you are trying to fix. If you can't see it while / or immediately after you are working - you will have no idea if you corrected the defects and may waste a whole lot of time polishing, but achieving little or nothing.

This is the only real way for the average guy to check their work. It can look great in the garage, but many have pulled the car out of the garage only to see flaws they couldn't see in the garage. Nothing is more frustrating than doing it twice. Ask me how I know...

Then you have to figure out if you:

A. Did it perfect -Yeah! Your a detailing guru.
B. "Under polished" - not aggressive enough
C. "Over polished" - too aggressive, or a finishing polishing step is needed.

They are usually your only 3 results. Either the defects weren't removed, the surface has hazing/micro-marring from aggressive polishing, or the surface looks close to perfect. Once you figure out which of the 2 "problem possibilities" you have, adjust your product/technique from there.

That's how I do it anyway.

[sayroger]

I went from V36 to Ultimate Compound using a orange pad, I found the my D/A polisher was spinning to fast on setting 5 i could not slow it down with 10 lbs of presser so i backed my speed down to 4 and slowed my arm movement down. It only took 4 passes to get what i was looking for. Then i polished with Chemical Guys Pro Polish Nano 3n using a white pad. Topped if with 2 coats of jet seal 109 and one coat of NXT GENERATION® TECH WAX® 2.0. Used some 1000 Watt Twin Lamp Halogens make all the difference in the world you need to see what is going on with your efforts.

[GreatAvalon]

^thanks for the update!

I am thinking about getting some LED work lights. Are LED work lights good to see what your doing/defects or is halogen the better way?

[Mike Phillips]

mike you are doing to good of a job on you how to videos making it look too easy.

That's one of the goals of doing a video, doing a demonstration or live instruction... make everything look easy...

got it figured out. Thanks

I found the my D/A polisher was spinning to fast on setting 5 i could not slow it down with 10 lbs of presser so i backed my speed down to 4 and slowed my arm movement down.

Thanks for the update, the results in the pictures you attached look great!

[BrianMcLeod]

Swanicyouth so compound the area and polish it out and try test spots with different pads? Will m105 and m205 be fine?

[swanicyouth]

Swanicyouth so compound the area and polish it out and try test spots with different pads? Will m105 and m205 be fine?

Well, IME it depends how bad the defects are. Compounding may or may not be necessary. I'll try a good polish like WG TSR on an aggressive foam cutting pad, before I use a compound.

You can alter the aggressiveness of your set up by 3 ways: technique, abrasive liquid, or pad. For me, a polish (opposed to a compound) will finish better on an aggressive foam pad than a compound on an aggressive foam pad. Of course, sometimes you need a compound and using a polish may take more time and passes.

I use a tape line (test spot) to see if the defects are removed. That way, I can tell if I'm looking a polishing haze or the original defects - as it becomes apparent when the tape is removed. You will either see the original defects stop and a haze - or the original defects still there. Best case scenario: no defects / no haze.

If the defects are still there - you need to do *something* to make your work more aggressive: technique, polish, or pad. Or if it's haze, you need to do a finishing step. Finishing may be easy on harder paints, soft paints may require a few combos or trial and error.

Hopefully, I answered your question. I have no experience with M105/205. I generally use Optimum, WG, Menzerna, or Rupes' polishes. M105 seems too aggressive for the type of stuff I generally do, & M205 isn't ultra fine enough for my last step based on what I'm trying to achieve.

BTW, most of what I'm telling you I generally credit learning from Mike P. I certainly didn't invent or discover it.

[DetailingNoob]

I went from V36 to Ultimate Compound using a orange pad, I found the my D/A polisher was spinning to fast on setting 5 i could not slow it down with 10 lbs of presser so i backed my speed down to 4 and slowed my arm movement down. It only took 4 passes to get what i was looking for. Then i polished with Chemical Guys Pro Polish Nano 3n using a white pad. Topped if with 2 coats of jet seal 109 and one coat of NXT GENERATION® TECH WAX® 2.0. Used some 1000 Watt Twin Lamp Halogens make all the difference in the world you need to see what is going on with your efforts.

Great to know Meg's Ultimate compound fixed it for you. I will be using the ultimate compound and ultimate polish combo on mine.