Weird white 'dashes'

Intense · 12-26-05, 03:15

Background - I just got a PC for Christmas and the first thing I wanted to do for the GF (she gave me the PC) was clean up her car. It's a 2000 Ford Explorer, black. The finish has been taken care of like a typical person's SUV. Lots of hard water spots, scratches and swirl marks all over the place. It's a mess

Anyways, I've read up-teen threads and felt I was ready to take the plunge. I mask off the trim around the fender wells and base of the windshield. Hooked up the PC with the green Sonus pad and Sonus SFX-2 (hey, I don't know any better....yet).

The truck was washed and I started with the hood. Dividing it into quarters. The first quarter was the front passenger side. When I came around the front of the hood, where it slopes down, I'm getting these little white dash looking marks. They're about an 1/8 inch in length and concentrated around the section of the hood where it curves. The best way I can describe this area is the 'leading edge' of the hood. The rest of the flat sections of the hood look OK, more on that in a bit.

For reference, I set the PC at 3 and used light pressure. Certainly not more that 5-8 lbs of pressure.

The said the hood looks OK because, alot of the oxidation and water marks are gone. But there still ALOT of scratches, water marks, and those damn white dashes in the hood (and fender for that matter).

So, my question is, what am I doing wrong here, if anything. So far, I've only made one pass with the PC. I'm afraid to go further and burn the paint. That would really suck for the first time out. Am I not using enough pressure? Should I try a few more passes? Do I need to get a more 'abrasive' polish (SFX-1)? And what the heck are those white dashes.

I'll try to get some pics of the 'dashes' so you can see what I mean.

BTW, I did a search on white dashes, scratches, etc. I'm guessing this has been covered, but I'm not sure I know what to search for....

thanks
mike

Intense · 12-26-05, 03:33

Update: just did a second pass. I figured, how much more damage can I do to the paint with 150K miles on it....

Anyways, the water spots and scratches got better (less noticable) after the second pass. But the white dashes are still very much there.

I found a better way to describe the dashes. They kind of look like lint....from a towel or something. Except their embedded in the paint. On the leading edge of the hood, it kind of looks as if the paint is cracking....if that make sense.

Next round...pics of dilemma!

scottabir · 12-26-05, 03:46

dont be afraid to turn the thing up to 5+ and move it about 1 inch a second across the paint. Put enough pressure on the PC until it stops "spinning" and then back off until it just starts spinning again. Even with this you MAY have to step up the aggressiveness as I am not sure of how agressive the sonus polish is (never used it). the white dashes sound like stress fractures or something of the nature in the clear coat.

Intense · 12-26-05, 04:04

Here's the first one, the flash REALLY amplifies the white 'dashes'

Intense · 12-26-05, 04:24

And without the flash -

Please ignore the paint chip. Like I said, 6 years of neglect

Reflections · 12-26-05, 04:37

I think those are small cracks in the clear coat (I forget the name for them), and they turned white because you filled them with white polish. You'll need to use a cutting compound (sfx-1) and maybe a more aggressive pad too. I'm surprised to see 6 year old paint so heavily damaged, but maybe it has something to do with your climate or what the vehicle has been used for?

Knockwurst · 12-26-05, 04:44

Hi Neighbor

Well . . . it’s understandable the PC didn't solve your problem. This appears to be clearcoat or lacquer checking. Essentially they're micro cracks in the finish that become bigger and more noticeable over time. The only solution is to conceal (as best as possible) or repaint.

Intense · 12-26-05, 04:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reflections

I think those are small cracks in the clear coat (I forget the name for them), and they turned white because you filled them with white polish. You'll need to use a cutting compound (sfx-1) and maybe a more aggressive pad too. I'm surprised to see 6 year old paint so heavily damaged, but maybe it has something to do with your climate or what the vehicle has been used for?

That's what I was afraid you were going to say. I've got the more aggressive pad her, but the sfx-1, I'll have to order. Dang! I was hoping to get this done sometime this week....oh well....

The truck, as long as I've known it, has lived it's life outdoors. With little regard to cleanings or maintenance. In fact, my GF would drive the thing some 15K between oil changes. Which only happened after I had to practically steal the truck from her. She's not an awful person, her schedule just doesn't allow time for 'luxuries' like cleaning and oil changes.

Update: I just went over the same area a THIRD time with the sfx-2 and green pad. It's getting better, but I agree. The sfx-1 and orange pad might be the ticket....

GoodnClean · 12-27-05, 07:15

Definately clearcoat checking. Only way to fix it is a repaint.