One Shot - Wanna Get It Right

[DuMouixe]

I may only have one shot to do this right the first time. Need to clean the clear coat while keeping as much of it as I can on the car and polishing it up. I saw a booth with Mezerna's IP and AIO once and that was one K-A combo, truely.

The paint is a dark grey metallic.

Will be doing it by hand until I understand the vehicle better. May have to involve machines, but I'd rather not.

Here's what I'm dealing with. Bought last years model, a years worth of water spots on a new vehicle, pretty bad, 2 days of dealer detail a complete disaster with buffing wheel swirls and dents, upon repairing dents via paintless dent repair and a clear-in, they spray over almost entire car with clear coat, right over the bad detail job. Clear coat was very soft, now pretty brittle. Spots of overspray where they had taped off. I believe it can be polished out to brilliance. I'd insist they do it, but they are, umm, how do you say?, not qualified to be bowling pins. At least I will know what I have and can take it from there.

Point is, there is alot of decent quality paint and clear coat on the vehicle that may be salvagable with CORRECT polish and/or CLAY. But I want to look at it as a one shot deal,
do it right the first time. I'll give myself about 3 days to deal with it and have a good time.

Almost amusing in a sad way how the car looks so bad, but then once it's done it will
look soo soo good due to all the hard work and good elbow grease.



notice how every single panel is giving off a different hue above, I'm thinking much of this will be solved by cleaning up the clear coat contamination.



shiny, but sticky, brittle and murcky

Waiting 2 weeks from today to go for it, 45 day wait, I did do a panel with PI-dark this week, (cause it's what I have lying around) after putting #7 on entire car. Got about 85% of the surface clean without too much marring. That's the idea, but I'd like to see it a little cleaner.



PI and #7

Bottom line: my question: Mezerna's or Poorboys?? But I can even live with the 3M results if need be.

I will also pick up some clear coat clay, ((red stuff)) from Clay Magic.

I know this is sort of covered elsewhere, but this seemed like a mix of the two other threads.

This car will look good.

[Mad iX]

Menzerna and Poorboys should both be able to do the job.
However, it sounds like you've got a fair bit of overspray to deal with, so you'll need to clay a lot and level down the paint as well. This pretty much means you'll need to get a machine. I don't even know if a DA will be enough unless you're willing to put in a lot of time and effort.

[Accumulator]

I wouldn't worry about taking off too much clear. Do what you have to do to get it the way you want it and then just keep it that way IMO you can get away with one major correction of a Mazda's clear without any problems.

[DuMouixe]

I would pay someone local for their opinion of the vehicle finish and what is needed. The 3MPI-foaming for dark got the bulk of it on just the one panel. Hoping Mezerna'sIP is just as good but better. Sounds like I will have to strip the old polishes/glaze/wax before starting.

Read on another thread that SSR2.5 leaves micromarring as opposed to IP. The red hood panel I saw with IP/AIO at the car show a few years ago was pretty darn spiff.

I do recall hearing about and seeing Red Machine Glaze and it's counterparts working well on dark Volvo paint. Less extreme a method, maybe!?

Key word - less marring - Gonna bit the bullet and place an order maybe by tonight for some upgraded supplies. Grit guard, WW, polishes, stuff. Finally figured out to lubricate my discharge towel - doh - that was a big breakthrough.

Budget around $50. - a couple good polishes and a waffle weave pack and accessories.

[Accumulator]

I wouldn't consider a low/non-abrasive route like the RMG until you've eliminated all the problems as best you can.

[Accumulator]

OH, and the overspray clay is Meguiar's C2100. Got that from Superior Shine's post on another forum.

[DuMouixe]

I remember the auto body shop guy saying the clear coat he used was a ceramic type. Guess I should have stated that up front, but still reeling from the whole experience, forgot. Sounds like a bunch of bunk to me, maybe upselling the value, but you never know.

The paint is still changing, on the slightest scale, a little different, here and there, morphing. Not in a bad way, Kind of good I'd think, cause it would mean things are still workable.

After about a week it did get real hard, not before a couple rock chips in the rocker panel area while things were real soft, not too bad, since it's a textures area, I can prolly just fudge it in without too much fanfare. See 3 day rock chip thread. LOL.

I found Megs C2000, in a tub, about $25 worth, my Autozone guy is good, and into this so he can order me most stuff and actually knows what things are. Didn't see the C2100 or MagicClay's Red yet. But I'm sure it should be easy to come by. thanks.

I might want to try ClearKotes compound also. I think I've already been mushed away from the Moose series though. Oh, so many choices

And I found Menzerna's PO106FF, clear coat polish, compared to FP, FP has 3 parts abrasive, this stuff has 7 parts... sounds good on paper, but darn expensive. I still want to give IP a shot. Will do the PO106FF with IP if I can find it all at one shot.

http://store.yahoo.com/classic-motoring/pofornececlc.html

http://store.yahoo.com/classic-motoring/mengetackit.html

Well, might as well ask, Pinnacle Paint Cleansing Lotion?? I usually use Protect-All, but not on this car yet, until after 2 months of cure in. PPC is more or less a glaze????

[DuMouixe]

Second link, Can 6oz. of IP handle an entire Mazda6???

I'd think 16oz to play it safe.

[DuMouixe]

Maybe 2 'get acquainted packs'? That way I pick up some plush polishing clothes too???

[Accumulator]

The Pinnacle is a mild paint cleaner with almost nonexistant abrasives (functionally nonabrasive on many paints and most b/c) and maybe some light fillers. I haven't used it since it was reformulated years ago.

Six ounces of polish should be more than enough to do a Mazda 6.

[DuMouixe]

the #7 over 3M39009 is still holding up nicely, sparse on protection though, so Menzerna-s is seeming imminent, kinda of scared of the Klasse, but I guess ALL acrylics will need to be maintained. So it's keep it up or lose it time, maybe?

FMJ v. AIO

The gloss depth seems so negligable between the two, I don't think that would be my biggest concern.

Is FMJ easier to maintain than Klasse AIO?

I've heard AIO needs a monthly boost to stay sharp?

Mainly I have gotten on this tangent because I saw this PO106FF for sale and am thinking the
PO106FF would be a more apt compliment to IP, then FMJ.

I'm going here because alot of what I'm dealing with is clear coat cleaning, yes there are some Dewault swirls below the clear here and there, hoping the IP gets that stuff.

Talked with a sales professional, a relative, who said that the car was prolly embedded with acid rain before I bought it.

Does 3M have agent that continues to work, lifting out contaminations to the surface?
Am I just tripping here? Would IP have similar agents?

Sorry, so befuddled here? Wanna get ducks is a row, that's all. Thanks in advance.

(would really rather use PO85RD but not avail )