2011 535i - Black - Need help! Finishing tomorrow

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

As far as I can see, those look like scuff marks. Please get a few pictures in the sun so we can better diagnose the problem.

[Matador]

This is the best I could do. It's not a scuff although it may look like one...it shifts when I move and is very very light.




Little holograms see on the hood. They've lessened with the pf2500 but they're still there.
Thanks for the help so far!

[Matador]

OK....so I don't know what the hell to do now. lol

Somehow...the water spots came back or I didn't polish them out how I thought or I didn't see it??

Anyway--I just said screw it and left them as is after my ton of passes with a terry cloth pad, FG400 and A TON OF PRESSURE...it's clear they didn't go anywhere.

I applied Menzerna powerlock after passing through the whole car with PF2500 and that green pad. The paint looked great from what i could tell...but the day was ending by the time I was finishing up.

Pics of the waterspots...yuck.





I am assuming they probably need to get wet sanded out?

Anyway--I just need to clean the exhaust pipes and the outside is set!

Will try to have pics later today or tomorrow. Depends on how late I have to stay at work.

Thanks again, everyone!

[octane]

OK....so I don't know what the hell to do now. lol

Somehow...the water spots came back or I didn't polish them out how I thought or I didn't see it??

Anyway--I just said screw it and left them as is after my ton of passes with a terry cloth pad, FG400 and A TON OF PRESSURE...it's clear they didn't go anywhere.

a Ton of pressure on a GC won't produce much since it will stop pad rotation, draw a line on your backing plate to see the pad rotation.

IMO you need to start from the beginning, do a test spot and work on it until you are satisfied with the results, then you apply the same sequence to the rest of the car

[irvsmith]

My hunch is the heavy pressure with a slightly dirty pad is what led to the holograms but again that is just a hunch.

My reason for replying at the moment is in relation to the statement, "I have some 'knicks' in the car that I am going to try to go at." I assume you don't mean rock chips or heavy scratches and by heavy I mean being able to feel them with a fingernail.

When I started this hobby, obsession, I thought I could go after every scratch equally. In my experience with my daily driver in a very urban environment, Oakland CA, many of my knicks would require Dr. Colorchip to get effective results. If you think of a rock chip or knick as a valley - the only way to eliminate a valley is to fill it with something or abrade the sides sufficiently to make the valley smooth(er). In the latter case that is removing a lot of paint for the sake of one valley.

For those forum members with a LOT more experience than me - if I am incorrect let me know.

[The Guz]

What terry pad are you using with FG400?

Also how many pads are you using? Are you cleaning the pads between each use?

[Matador]

a Ton of pressure on a GC won't produce much since it will stop pad rotation, draw a line on your backing plate to see the pad rotation.

IMO you need to start from the beginning, do a test spot and work on it until you are satisfied with the results, then you apply the same sequence to the rest of the car

Thanks! I did the 'line' trick already on the pad. It's rotating...I'm just putting a good amount of pressure on it!

My hunch is the heavy pressure with a slightly dirty pad is what led to the holograms but again that is just a hunch.

I think you're right. I will try it again and report back hopefully this weekend.

My reason for replying at the moment is in relation to the statement, "I have some 'knicks' in the car that I am going to try to go at." I assume you don't mean rock chips or heavy scratches and by heavy I mean being able to feel them with a fingernail.

No rock chips. Feint 'slashes' in the paint that didn't come out with the pad/PF2500.

When I started this hobby, obsession, I thought I could go after every scratch equally. In my experience with my daily driver in a very urban environment, Oakland CA, many of my knicks would require Dr. Colorchip to get effective results. If you think of a rock chip or knick as a valley - the only way to eliminate a valley is to fill it with something or abrade the sides sufficiently to make the valley smooth(er). In the latter case that is removing a lot of paint for the sake of one valley.

Thanks! What's Dr. Colorchip? And yes--this car has a ton of rock chips on the hood and bumper...as you'd expect cause of highway driving.

For those forum members with a LOT more experience than me - if I am incorrect let me know.

Thanks for the insight, Irv!

What terry pad are you using with FG400?

Meguiars terry pad.

Also how many pads are you using? Are you cleaning the pads between each use?

I had 2 in rotation. I did the 'terry cloth' clean after each pass. Kept the pad nice and clean, only thing showing up on the pad though was the spark clear. The pads themselvs were pretty clean outside of the 'sparkles'/flake lol

[irvsmith]

Maybe post some pictures of the faint slashes so we can get a better sense of the strategy for tackling those.

Dr. Color chip is a paint repair kit sold by Autogeek which is supposed to reduce the complexity of filling in rock chips in comparison to OEM paint and clear coat solution.

Best of luck and keep us updated.

[The Guz]

Meguiars terry pad.

I had 2 in rotation. I did the 'terry cloth' clean after each pass. Kept the pad nice and clean, only thing showing up on the pad though was the spark clear. The pads themselvs were pretty clean outside of the 'sparkles'/flake lol

I don't see a terry pad. Is it a microfiber pad?

Perhaps a photo of the pad would help. Terry is pretty aggressive.

[Matador]

Maybe post some pictures of the faint slashes so we can get a better sense of the strategy for tackling those.

Dr. Color chip is a paint repair kit sold by Autogeek which is supposed to reduce the complexity of filling in rock chips in comparison to OEM paint and clear coat solution.

Best of luck and keep us updated.

Thanks! Dr. Color Chip sounds interesting...may have to use it on Mom's car because there are like 1 or 2 rock chips to the metal.

I don't see a terry pad. Is it a microfiber pad?

Perhaps a photo of the pad would help. Terry is pretty aggressive.

Sorry--I meant I used a terry cloth towel to clean the foam pad every pass.