More help needed, new issue after contamination issue

[AudiOn19s]

Guys...looks like there will be more than one lesson learnred in this ordeal for me...Lesson 1: No matter how busy you are it's not an excuse to let required maintenance slide. I'm often times too proud to let anyone else work on my cars for anything as I prefer to do all of my own work. With my schedule I need to learn to pay someone else to do the work when my schedule doesn't permit...you'll see my hosed wheel in one picture that will be a reminder until I can get the spare (curb rashed) rim on the car.

Enough of that moral. Found the FK system relatively close to me and drove an hour to go get it. Tried it on the car and while it took out alot of the contamination it did not clear up the rear bumper and trunk like I had hoped. Sooo...onto the wetsanding option. I don't have much experience with it...for me it's too much of a liability to do on customer cars so I just don't do it. My "buddy" who does paint work said to come down to his shop and he'll show me how it's done.

I get there and observe as he wetsand the roof, rear bumper, trunk, and rear fenders that still had minor contamination issues. He wetsanded with 1500 grit 3M paper, then followed with 3M rubbing compound on a 3M white waffle pad on the rotary at around 1600 rpm. Under the florescent lights in his shop the car looked good. I told him that I'd take care of the remainder of the finishing work when I got home and went on my way.

The next morning when I got the car out in the sun I see the disaster that really was left behind and now I have to fix another mess.

Here are the shots of the current condition of the car...tell me what needs to be done.

In my opinion from researching the wetsanding should have been finished with 3000 grit...and likely a sanding block as well. BUT then again alot of this looks like it could be rotary induced. I attempted to use my rotary with a cutting pad and everything I own (OHC, PG, SSR2.5, SSR3) and all I've manged to do is dull the surface and not take out any of these markings.

Sooo...do I need to get a sanding block and some 3000 grit and start over?...or should this come out with the rotary. Keep in mind this is Audi clear hence it's not exactly easy to work with.

Thanks for any additional help. I will come out of this a better detailer in the end with and expanded skill set...I'm determined to get it right. Luckily I have you guys to leverage for knowledge unlike the issue I'm having with a stored procedure this morning at my "real job".

Andy
during:


Picture of roof. Wetsanded with 1500 and polished with white waffle weave 3M pad and 3M rubbing compound. Untouched by me at this point.


Picture of Trunk Lid. Drivers side where it's dull I've attacked with nearly everything I own with very little progress.


So that you guys don't think that I'm crazy...this is what the remainder of my 140,000 mile paint looks like...not perfect but not bad either (excuse the fact that it's a little dirty this morning).

[ebpcivicsi]

Wow, that's awful. I would really be careful doing any more sanding--though that may be necessary to remove the marks.

I would personally try two products if that mess came to me. The Hi-Temp extreme cut or the 3M PI-III extra cut rubbiing compound. I would first try these with orange pads on the rotary at 1500-1700 RPM's and see where that gets you. If that doesn't work, try with a twisted wool pad.

IME, removing 1500 grit sanding marks from factory clear can be really difficult. I wouls almost bet that you may have to get some Meguiars unigrit 2000 and 3000 grit papers to finish the job.

If you need any of the products hit me up, I buy the EC by the gallon and could you send you enough to get the job done.

[themightytimmah]

Audi paint is ROCK hard, you might need to use 2500 grit unigrit papers with a block and then Meg's #85/wool pad. Or you could try 3000 and HT EC/foam pad. I wetsanded a bunch of spots out on a customers Audi with 2000 grit, never again. It took PG and a twisted wool cutting pad to get them out.

[Accumulator]

Hope the Pros don't mind my amateur's $0.02

I've removed 3K scratches from Audi clear without all that much trouble, even did some of it by hand. IMO 1500 is just too much to correct on that paint (and as noted 2K is pushing it), but I can't tell if the problem is all wetsanding or some rotary-issue stuff too :confused Some of the marring even looks like it might be from wiping off compound that wasn't broken down.

Wonder which 3M compound was used on it, they make a scad of different ones...

I'm not experienced with wool pads, so if it were mine I'd use the 3K paper and then a product I'm familiar with (I'd try PI-III RC 05933 and only try PI-III EC 05936 if I really had to).

ebpcivicsi- Heh heh, one more post from you about the H-T EC and I'll probably break down and buy some Could you compare/contrast it with the PI-III EC 05936?

[AudiOn19s]

I think that I'm going to give 3K paper with a block and then follow with what I know works.

I have no experience with the 3M line of products nor their waffle pads that were used on the paint. For refrence it was the 3M PI-III RC 05933 that was used with the 3M white waffle pad.

I've read many threads here recommending the Meguiars Unigrit paper...what about a foam block...are they all pretty common?

Andy

[ebpcivicsi]

Originally Posted by Accumulator

ebpcivicsi- Heh heh, one more post from you about the H-T EC and I'll probably break down and buy some Could you compare/contrast it with the PI-III EC 05936?

The 3M works better for me on some *really* hard clears, but it seems to me like it cuts longer than the EC. The EC cuts fast and uniform, but then it stops and you are left with a beautiful finish. The 3M PI-III ECRC seems like it just keeps cutting--it's really pretty scary stuff on "regular" clear. The EC is IMO easier to use, but perhaps that is because I use it more frequently, I have really learned how to use it. In any case, the EC is definitely more forgiving and I only pull out the 3M as a last resort(like that last Z06 that I did that was like polish granite).

Does that make sense?

[themightytimmah]

Originally Posted by AudiOn19s

I've read many threads here recommending the Meguiars Unigrit paper...what about a foam block...are they all pretty common?

Andy

They make foam grit blocks, but I've never used one. I buy the paper by sheets and I cut them to fit a 3M sanding block that sandpaper locks into. Cheaper that way, IIRC the foam sanding blocks are like 20 bucks and they're only equivalent to one sheet of paper surface area wise. You can pick up the 3m sanding block in pretty much any Wal-Mart or auto parts store bodyshop section (with the touchup paints, bondo etc). 3M makes paper too, but Meg's paper is *that* much better and cuts significantly more uniformly. For finishing out there is no competition, 3M often leaves tracers for me that take some heavy duty cutting to take out.

[Accumulator]

Originally Posted by ebpcivicsi

The 3M works better for me on some *really* hard clears, but it seems to me like it cuts longer than the EC. .. The 3M PI-III ECRC seems like it just keeps cutting--it's really pretty scary stuff on "regular" clear. The EC is IMO easier to use, but perhaps that is because I use it more frequently, I have really learned how to use it. In any case, the EC is definitely more forgiving and I only pull out the 3M as a last resort(like that last Z06 that I did that was like polish granite).

Does that make sense?

Yeah, that makes perfect sense, thanks for explaining. I too find the 05936 sorta scary, even on Audi clear, so I usually end up spending forever using 05933 instead. Always worried about instilling some issue I'll have trouble resolving (I like to think of it as knowing my limitations ).

Any must-know tips for the H-T EC?

AudiOn19s- I've used the 2K Meg's block. I like it and sometimes wish I had a 1500 one too. For the little they cost I'd get one. They last longer than you might expect. My first one was a broken fragment that my painter gave me, even it worked well.

And themightytimmah isn't kidding about the difference in performance between the Unigrit stuff and the 3M paper.