Newbie with a hologram - Need Advice

[Viper1973]

Not my preferred circumstances for joining an online community, but here's the scoop:

Purchased a brand new crimson red 2017 Buick Enclave at the end of February - nicest car I've ever owned. Less than a week after purchase we got hit with a freak hail storm and my 'baby' got pelted. Over $4k in damages. I was sick

Bodyshop did a fantastic job of eliminating all of the numerous dents and through just luck didn't have to repaint anything or replace any panels except a few chrome moldings. I truly can't find a single dent anywhere. I'm now a HUGE fan of PDR!

Weather here in Indiana has finally started to get sunny and the other day I noticed - right in the middle of my hood - was what I learned through research was a hologram (picture attached). Thankfully it's just one and there are none elsewhere. My guess is that it happened in the detailing process after the fixed everything.

I'm a TOTAL newbie and haven't ever done anything other than hand wash and wax my cars before.

On the advice of a co-worker in one of our other offices who's a Corvette nut, I ordered a Griots 6" dual-action polisher, Lake Country CSS pads (Orange, White, Blue), and Wolfgang's Autobath, Clay Kit, Swirl Remover, Finishing Glaze and Paint Sealant intending of fixing this myself since the car needs washed and waxed again anyway for Summer.

Now I'm having second thoughts....

Is this within the fixable realm of a total newbie or am I way over-my-head? I thought about taking it back to the bodyshop. However, I know they're swamped with 200+ hail damaged cars and they already messed it up once. If possible, I'd rather just fix it and move on. With what they're dealing with right now I can easily see how it happened.

Thoughts? I don't want to screw it up worse or ruin something.

I've been reading through the forum and watching you tube videos so I think I'm on the right track. However, having never done something like this before I know things can look way easier in video than they are in real life.

[Rsurfer]

Should be an easy fix with your Griot 6. Have your co-worker give you a hand or search for 101 DA buffing.

[Powerwheels]

Just bought a Griot's 2 weeks ago, that's simple. Try a mild polish first. From what I've learned in 2 weeks I'd feel perfectly confident that you can get that fixed in 1 minute with your DA and no more than something like ultimate compound, try a milder polish first.


On second look I'm almost sure a mild polish is all you need.

I had some bad holograms on a fender of my black car, even by hand with swirlx and a foam pad they came right out.

[Viper1973]

Should be an easy fix with your Griot 6. Have your co-worker give you a hand or search for 101 DA buffing.

I WISH he could give me a hand! He works in our office in Oklahoma.... So it's either find a professional or attempt this myself.

[Eric@CherryOnTop]

First off, good on you for realizing that if the body shop didn't do it right the first time, they probably won't do it right the second time. Sadly, this type of thing is common with body shop detailers and paint porters.

The good news is that holograms are a very SHALLOW below surface defect, so they don't take that much effort to remove. I think you made very good product choices and this is well within the realm of what somebody who has never used an electric paint polisher before can fix. Peruse the forums here in the "how to" section and you should find all the information you need to make your car look right again.


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[Viper1973]

Just bought a Griot's 2 weeks ago, that's simple. Try a mild polish first. From what I've learned in 2 weeks I'd feel perfectly confident that you can get that fixed in 1 minute with your DA and no more than something like ultimate compound, try a milder polish first.


On second look I'm almost sure a mild polish is all you need.

I had some bad holograms on a fender of my black car, even by hand with swirlx and a foam pad they came right out.

Powerwheels,

You honestly think that I'll be that easy?? Like I said, total newbie here so I'm a little nervous about it.
Any cautions?

[Viper1973]

Just for scale of reference, the hologram - in real life - is confined to about a 1' square.

[custmsprty]

I WISH he could give me a hand! He works in our office in Oklahoma.... So it's either find a professional or attempt this myself.

Dive in and do it yourself. It's the only way you will learn and you really can't do any harm with the GG6.

There are plenty of how to videos available here:

Auto Detailing Facts, auto detailing Tips, How to detailing Guides, how to polish, how to wax, DIY detailing, do it yourself guides

Download free detailing handbook guides, how-to videos, free wallpapers, and free screensavers!

Porter Cable Polisher How To Video Archive

Dual Action Orbital Polisher Guide: how to remove swirls, scratches, & oxidation with an orbital buffer. Porter Cable 7424, foam pads, backing plate,

[Rsurfer]

I WISH he could give me a hand! He works in our office in Oklahoma.... So it's either find a professional or attempt this myself.

The Griot polisher is super safe because of the dual action. Practice on an older car to gain your confidence.

Start with Ultimate Polish and a white polishing pad. Doesn't look like you need a compound.

Go on Utube and search for dual action polishing. Mike P should have some good vids here on AGO. Good luck and have fun.

[Powerwheels]

I'd set the DA on 1 to spread around the polish in about a 2 by 2 area or slightly larger. About 5 pea sized drops on an unused pad. Spread that around on 1 then bump it to 4 and work a crosshatch pattern for several passes, probably 45 seconds then shut the buffer off before removing it to prevent slinging and polish. You don't need to put pressure on the machine, just the weight of the DA or a very slight bit more.