95 Porsche ... no clear coat? Help needed ...

vjd3 · 06-29-02, 01:45

Today was my day to try out my new PC and Zaino ... but I've hit a snag. The subject is my "new" 1995 Porsche Carrera 4 coupe in Guards Red.

I Dawn-washed the car, then clayed it. which went fine. The car has some swirling in the finish, but nothing major, and some fine hairline scratches in the roof, looks like someone was guilty of putting things up there in the past.

I used 3M Swirl Mark Remover on a white CMA pad with the PC. I chose a small section of the roof first, because of the visible swirls and fine scratches. I applied a few drops of SMR to the pad, applied it to the area, and began to buff with the speed at 5. The SMR buffed right in and after just a minute or two the paint as shiny again. I stopped the buffer, turned it over and noticed that the grey SMR residue was now a dark red.

I'm assuming this means there is no clear coat on Porsche Guards Red ... I know that was true on older 911s (up to at least 1989), and I had just assumed that by 1995 Porsche had starting using it, but it looks like that's not the case. The car has not been painted; the paint is original.

The SMR appeared to take the swirls right out but didn't touch the scratches, which I can't feel with my fingernail. Do I need something a little stronger and should I just work those by hand?

So ... my questions:

1) Is the 3M SMR still good to use on a non-clear coat car? Do I need to take additional steps or be more careful as a result, or is it more forgiving this way?

2) What can I use to get after those scratches? I also have 3M Imperial Hand Glaze and P21-S Paint Cleanser, but I would think they would be finer than the SMR.

3) I have the Zaino Z2 (polish for clear coats) and Z5 (polish for swirl marks and fine scratches). I am assuming that instead I need a bottle of Z3 since I don't have a clear coat, but is the Z5 still applicable? The website only mentions Z5 in conjunction with Z2 and the description of Z3 says it contains iingredients to lessen swirls and scratches.

4) How can I clean the paint and polish off this new pad?!

My plan for today is to just slap a coat of Blitz wax on it and call it a day for now until I can get the proper ingredients. Grrrrr.

Thanks ...

Vic

bretfraz · 06-29-02, 02:22

Quote:

Originally posted by vjd3
Today was my day to try out my new PC and Zaino ... but I've hit a snag. The subject is my "new" 1995 Porsche Carrera 4 coupe in Guards Red.

I Dawn-washed the car, then clayed it. which went fine. The car has some swirling in the finish, but nothing major, and some fine hairline scratches in the roof, looks like someone was guilty of putting things up there in the past.

I used 3M Swirl Mark Remover on a white CMA pad with the PC. I chose a small section of the roof first, because of the visible swirls and fine scratches. I applied a few drops of SMR to the pad, applied it to the area, and began to buff with the speed at 5. The SMR buffed right in and after just a minute or two the paint as shiny again. I stopped the buffer, turned it over and noticed that the grey SMR residue was now a dark red.

I'm assuming this means there is no clear coat on Porsche Guards Red ... I know that was true on older 911s (up to at least 1989), and I had just assumed that by 1995 Porsche had starting using it, but it looks like that's not the case. The car has not been painted; the paint is original.

The SMR appeared to take the swirls right out but didn't touch the scratches, which I can't feel with my fingernail. Do I need something a little stronger and should I just work those by hand?

So ... my questions:

1) Is the 3M SMR still good to use on a non-clear coat car? Do I need to take additional steps or be more careful as a result, or is it more forgiving this way?
The SMR is a fine product for single stage or multi stage paint jobs. Really, the techniques and such between the two are the same. I'd think that on a car like a Porsche you have more room to work with as the paint thickness and quality is better than on, say, a Honda.

2) What can I use to get after those scratches? I also have 3M Imperial Hand Glaze and P21-S Paint Cleanser, but I would think they would be finer than the SMR.
Lots of people will throw out suggestions but its honestly hard to say without seeing them. You can certainly try a product like 3M Finesse-It II Machine Polish or Meguiar's #2 Fine Cut Cleaner. Don't forget that you are removing layers of paint to get out the scratches. So the real issue IMO is, how much paint are you willing to remove to get to the scratch and can you just live with it as is?

3) I have the Zaino Z2 (polish for clear coats) and Z5 (polish for swirl marks and fine scratches). I am assuming that instead I need a bottle of Z3 since I don't have a clear coat, but is the Z5 still applicable? The website only mentions Z5 in conjunction with Z2 and the description of Z3 says it contains iingredients to lessen swirls and scratches.

4) How can I clean the paint and polish off this new pad?!
I hand wash them in the sink using laundry detergent. Get the pad wet, dribble a little detergent on it, work it by hand, rinse thoroughly. In the future you'll want to have several pads for various products to avoid contamination.

My plan for today is to just slap a coat of Blitz wax on it and call it a day for now until I can get the proper ingredients. Grrrrr.

Thanks ...

Vic

Ira · 06-29-02, 02:56

You can use Z-2 on non-clear coat paint, but when I asked this specific question the answer was better to use Z-3 on clear coat than Z-2 on non-clear coat. Given that, I would pick up a bottle of Z-3 as soon as it's convient.

Ira