Best approach to soft Jet Black paint?

[rmccall6]

I like to clean the tires and wheels all at once (most of the time) to save time and simplify things. I really like EF Hi but am running low. I definatelly would buy it again until i read DavidBs review of the Sonus stuff, saying that it kicks some serious ass. So, even though its only a 16oz bottle, i would definately buy it if it can be used to clean up the tires as well from grime, brake dust and oxidized rubber. What do you think?

[Bobby G]

EF Hi-I and SONGEL are two totally different types of cleaners. EF Hi-I is a general purpose, hi-strength detergent. It`s great on rubber, plastic, engines, wheels, vinyl... It handles a wide range of crud.



SONGEL was designed specifically for wheels and cutting brake dust. I have not yet tried to use it as a tire cleaner. I will be doing that soon. I suspect it will work fine. However, I do not believe SONGEL could be used as a good grease cutter.



I allowed SONGEL to dry one my wheels to see if it would easily wash off. It did, and I did not see any discoloration. The product seems to be very gentle. EF Hi-I is not gentle, and you need to be careful how you use it.



db

[clocke49]

Hello everyone. First time poster, long time visiter. Between here and Autopia, I`ve been trying to gather as much helpful information that I can to maintain my car. It is a 2003 Hyundai Sonata which was repainted Jet Black in July of last summer... Looks great, but what a hastle!

The paint was perfect while under my washing regime, although I`ve recently upgraded to the ONR + 2-bucket method to be more on the safe side. However, I came out to find my car cleaned one day, and asked my father about it... Turns out he washed it with an old dirty stiff-bristled brush... It was so bad that my buddy, who knows nothing about swirls and the like, said "What happened to your car? Looks like a spider attacked it." I could have cried.

Anyway, back to the main part of this thread. I recently purchased a Porter Cable 7424xp with the M105/M205 package, and I currently have 2 6.5" white pads, 2 orange pads, and 1 black pad of the same size (I know, 5.5" would`ve been better, but I messed up and don`t want to blow any more money for now.) Question is, what would you say is the best approach to this soft paint?

I had about an hour of spare time to try out the polisher in my friends garage, so I cleaned and prepped the trunk lid and went at it with some M205 on the white pad. The results turned out great for my first time, although thinking back on it I didn`t use enough pressure. Some swirls/scratches were still evident, but it was definitely noticecably better.

Once I get another sunny day, I`ll take pictures of the condition of the paint for you more experienced guys to judge, but for now I just want to get an idea of what to do when I finally get time to get cracking at the entire car.

Sorry for the big writeup, but I could go on forever right now, hahah.

Also, here`s some pictures of the car from last summer... (Excuse license plate and lack of tire shine, ran out and didn`t realize and don`t know how to do that blurring of the letters I see people doing.)





Thanks ahead of time!

[gmblack3]

Just move up to M205 with the orange pad. You might need to follow with M205/black.

[imported_glfahlc]

Just move up to M205 with the orange pad. You might need to follow with M205/black.

and if that doesn`t do it for you , go to 105 and the white pad... then folow with 205/black pad

[bmw5541]

and if that doesn`t do it for you , go to 105 and the white pad... then folow with 205/black pad

+1 on that.

Also, welcome to TID. It`s nice to have you here.:thumbup:

[Todd@RUPES]

Welcome to TID!

My wife has a 2003 Sonata as well (although she is eyeing the new one); luckily hers is white, and easy to maintain!

You had mentioned that the clear coat was soft, but I am curious as to what leads in this direction? Even the most hard, and difficult, scratch resistant clear coats are going to look murdered after a run in with a stiff bristle brush! There are cases when dealing with extremely soft paint (were a clean microfiber towel scratches the paint) or extremely hard paint (ask forum member Brian Brice about the Countach we detailed) were different measures are required to correct or finish the paint, but in most cases the same techniques are used on the majority of paints with great results at the enthusiast level.

If you are able to maintain a perfect finish while frequently washing your car, I would rule out the paint being extremely soft.

Start with the least aggressive method, which theoretically would be M205 on the black pad. However, this may be a waste of time, as the scratches from a brush will likely need more firepower.

I would have started with M205/White pad as well. Used properly you should finish very nicely while still having some cutting power. However if the marks are deep and you are not noticing a reduction in the swirl marks, the next step up would be M205 on an orange pad.

You should see an increase in swirl removing capability from the orange pad, but you may notice very fine, very tiny swirl marks that are visible in a haze when you are done. Using an orange pad with M205 often means using a two step process, requiring a follow up with a less aggressive pad.

Should M205/Orange not get you there it would be time to step up to M105. M105 is going to work differently then M205 in that it works faster and can dry a little quicker. You can attempt use either a white or orange pad, with orange being more aggressive. If M205/Orange didn`t work fast enough, I would probably for-go M105/white and go to M105/Orange.

Keep in mind that the more aggressive you go, the more likely the chance for instilling swirl marks created from the step into the paint. These are normal, but it can be hard for a beginner to differentiate the two.

Since you are new to polishing however, I would focus more on technique, pressure, product amount, and arm speed, then moving up the aggressive ladder. Truth In Detailing is a great resource when it comes to machine polishing advice and we would love to help you get better and achieve the results you are after.

Some more good advice:

Meguiar`s M105 and M205 Polishing Process- www.properautocare.com

[clocke49]

Perfect, thanks for the good replies fellas. I`ll have an attempt at it again either this saturday or the next, so I`ll let you know how it turns out... Hopefully I`ll remember a camera.