Swirl removal & polishing reccomendations - 911 Turbo

[MegatronUK]

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to find the right products to improve the paint finish on my 1993 911 Turbo. It's black with a pearlescent metal flake in the paint - I'm pretty sure it's also clearcoated on top.

Unlike most 911's in the UK it seems to have been used pretty regulary which is a double edged sword; mechanically it's excellent, but the paintwork definitely isn't the best around due to the amount of abuse it has suffered on our salty, gritty, oily roads. I also live in a very, very hard water area.

You name it, this paint is affected by it; swirling, light scratches, water marks etc.
I will probably get a respray in the next couple of years when I can afford it, but until then I'd like to try and improve the painwork as best I can.

I've bought a PC pack with the Sonus-DAS kit (white/yellow/blue pads, polishing mits, clay, flexible backplate)... however I'm unsure what products I should be using to treat the painwork. I guess I need something a little more abrasive than the light polishes to try and minimise the scratches and heavy swirling, then something to bring the gloss back up and then a final glaze or wax?

I was originally going to go for the Zaino ZPC, Z5 and Z2 products to fulfil those requirements (they seem to be rated better for more regulary used cars), but they're rather expensive in the UK. Can anyone out there reccomend suitable alternatives, or anything that would give me a better result on this type of car/paint combination. This is a drivers car btw, definitely NOT a garage queen!

[MegatronUK]

Ok, reading a bit more on the forums and I've gone for the following items:

Meguiars #83 DACP mirror glaze
Meguiars #9 Swirl Remover
Meguiars #7 Show car glaze
Chemical Guys Wet Mirror Finish

It seems that a lot of people are going for the synthetic final coats rather than the traditional waxes on cars that are driven more regulary. I'll give this combo a try and see what it's like. I guess any further work in the future will probably see me dropping the #83 and #9 products once the paintwork has been corrected sufficiently.

Fortunately one of my parents older cars has got some nasty paintwork (1990 Toyota MR2 - faded red)... so I'll try my hand on that before going anywhere near the Porsche

[Accumulator]

MegatronUK- Welcome to Autopia!

Working by PC, you might find that the jump from #83 to #9 is a bit too big. I'd probably use #80 instead of the #9 as the added aggressiveness will be bette suited to dealing with micromarring from the #83.

Dunno if you'll really need the #7, I think I'd skip it and go straight to the Last Step Product ("LSP"), i.e., your wax.

#9 is *so* mild (unless used with a rotary) that it doesn't really do much of any correction, and even the lightest marring will usually require something more aggressive (like the #80).

I wouldn't go the sealant (e.g., Zaino) route on it myself (and I don't mind sealants, I use them on two of our vehicles). It sounds like your paintwork is in imperfect condition, and sealants allow every little flaw to show quite clearly. I'd consider using a "heavy" wax on it, something like One Grand's Blitz (but keep it off black/rubbber/plastic trim). Meguiar's #26 might be another good choice; there's no need to get "exotic" about this stuff, sometimes products that don't sound very special can give great results.

[Maxima9169]

Hey,

not to jack his thread, but a quick question for Accumulator.

I recently got my PC and LC pads, 5 inch. I was using #9 like he was to remove swirls with first a white polishing pad. with not much luck, i then switched to a yellow pad. I think i may either A, not did anything at all, or B, created more swirls.

I then tried some SSR1 that I purchased along with the pads and tried that first with a white polishing pad again. Again, no luck or good results. I then moved up to a yellow cutting pad with the same results, again if not worse due to more swirling.

Am I doing something wrong? Could it be i was using too much product? Bad combo of pads? The car is a newly painted 2002 maxima, but I am not sure how hard the paint is. I think the shop said it was "german," if that even make sense.

What can I do? it was my first time using the PC, but I was hoping to get even a little result from the products/pads I was using. It's a bit discouraging, and I dont want to continue with it anymore until I know what I am doing. Thanks!

-Ryan

[smprince1]

Originally Posted by Accumulator

#9 is *so* mild (unless used with a rotary) that it doesn't really do much of any correction, and even the lightest marring will usually require something more aggressive ....

I agree with Accumulater on this one. Megs #9 with a PC wont' correct much at all.

[Accumulator]

Maxima9169- Sounds like the pad caused some (not so micro)-marring. I'd much rather use a more aggressive product than a more aggressive pad. Think of it this way- many aggressive products break down to where they won't leave micromarring; but a harsh pad never gets any softer, it doesn't "break down" in this sense.

The only time I use LC yellow is with *very* aggressive products and I expect some hazing (which I then clear up with milder products on milder pads).

I'd get some more aggressive products and only use harsh pads when you really need to. I use polishing pads for almost everything except *very* aggressive correction (cutting pads, and usually orange instead of yellow) or *very* mild work (finishing pads, and I seldom need these).

FWIW, I sometimes correct hard Audi clear with the PC/4" Cyclo green polishing pad/aggressive product, and that combo leaves an *almost* ready-to-wax finish. I also use the same combo on softer paints and the only diff is that the job goes faster.

I wouldn't use #9 with anything other than a gentle pad, and I wouldn't expect it to do any real correction unless used with a rotary. It's one of those products that people often (usually?) have unrealistic expectations about, and I blame the Meguiar's product description for that.

[Maxima9169]

Hey,

Thanks for the info. That really put it into perspective for me. what products what you suggest since my SSR1 did not do the job? Or maybe I need to practice more with my white pad and SSR1. But what produts for light/medium swirling, that's it!

P.S. I used the PC on 3-4 to spread the product, then 5-6 for the final buff for 3-4 minutes, does this sound right?

-Ryan

[Accumulator]

Originally Posted by Maxima9169

hat products what you suggest since my SSR1 did not do the job? Or maybe I need to practice more with my white pad and SSR1. But what produts for light/medium swirling, that's it!

P.S. I used the PC on 3-4 to spread the product, then 5-6 for the final buff for 3-4 minutes, does this sound right?

I seldom bother with the low-speed spreading, I usually just crank it up to 6 once the pad has been primed with product, but IMO that's just something you figure out/start doing with experience.

But as for practice/experience mattering with the SSR1/white pad...nah...you'll just waste time trying to get it to do something that's not gonna happen. Sounds like the SSR 1 is simply too mild to do what you're after.

Hard for me to recommend stuff as my faves (3M PI-III RC 05933 and PI-III MG 05937)are out of production and getting hard to find and I dunno from the SSR line Maybe the SSR 2.5 IMO you'll need something more aggressive than you think. The PC is really *VERY* mild and to do much of anything takes both time and a suitably aggressive product.

[MegatronUK]

Thanks guys, I'll see about picking up a #80 as well!

Which would be the best to start with? #80 and then move up to #83 if I find it's not effective enough?

[Accumulator]

Originally Posted by MegatronUK

Thanks guys, I'll see about picking up a #80 as well!

Which would be the best to start with? #80 and then move up to #83 if I find it's not effective enough?

Yeah, that's a time-tested approach. If you do need the #83, follow-up with the #80 for a ready-to-wax finish. FWIW, I find #80 very mild...but then I usually work on pretty hard clear.