Question About Swirls In Paint After Detailing Jet Black M3

[jmenadmd]

I tried to remove some fine scratches from the hood of my Jet Black M3 yesterday. I am somewhat disappointed with the results.

Here is the sequence that I followed:

1. Wash with Sonus Shampoo solution

2. Clayed with Sonus Clay

3. Wash again then dry using quality microfiber towels

4. Poor Boy`s SSR2 with Sonus SFX yellow pad on PC at about 4000rpm

5. Poor Boy`s SSR1 with Sonus SFX blue pad on PC at about 4000-5000rpm

6. Poor Boy`s Glaze with Sonus SFX white pad on PC at about 4000-5000rpm

7. Poor Boy`s EX-P Sealant by hand

8. Pinnacle Souveran by hand.



Swirls are still quite visible in direct sunlight. Although some of the scratches are gone, the paint still has a lot of imperfections. Do you guys have any advice on what needs to be corrected?



Attached are some pictures.



http://img382.imageshack.us/img382/3341/swirls2nt3.jpg



http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/4793/swirls1we4.jpg



Thanks

[Anthony O.]

So you`re using a PC for all this correct?



I only ask because "rpm`s" is misldeading....it should be "opm`s".



Also those are not "swirls" as I define them but more like marring left from the cutting steps....perhaps even some pitting within the paint.



I don`t work with a PC but I am guessing that a yellow pad may have been a bit too aggressive for your paint condition. Did you try a polish pad and finer polish first?



I also haven`t worked with SSR2 in a long time so another may correct me here please, but it may be that the SSR2 with the yellow pad left marring behind that the following steps were unable to completely remove.



My suggestion would be for a first step to be a rotary with an orange pad then a white Lake Country pad and rotary. From there you should be able to finish out with the PC and something like OP or FPII..or both, the OP first and the FPII last.



Good luck,

Anthony

[jmenadmd]

So you`re using a PC for all this correct?



I only ask because "rpm`s" is misldeading....it should be "opm`s".



Also those are not "swirls" as I define them but more like marring left from the cutting steps....perhaps even some pitting within the paint.



I don`t work with a PC but I am guessing that a yellow pad may have been a bit too aggressive for your paint condition. Did you try a polish pad and finer polish first?



I also haven`t worked with SSR2 in a long time so another may correct me here please, but it may be that the SSR2 with the yellow pad left marring behind that the following steps were unable to completely remove.



My suggestion would be for a first step to be a rotary with an orange pad then a white Lake Country pad and rotary. From there you should be able to finish out with the PC and something like OP or FPII..or both, the OP first and the FPII last.



Good luck,

Anthony



Yeap, should have been OPM`s. I used a blue pad first however, it did not remove the scratches.

[Accumulator]

Noting that I`ve never used the SSR line, I`d make sure the finish is pretty much the way you want it *before* moving to the finest of your polishes, much less the glaze/LSP step. No point waxing over marring that you`re gonna go back and work on some more ;) Make sure you have good lighting so you can inspect your work as you go.

[holland_patrick]

what is the glaze your talking about .. Polish with carnuba???

[Big Leegr]

I think you went too fast for the pads. As per the Sonus pads` website description:

SFX1-WARNING: This pad feels soft but can be aggressive when used at speeds in excess of 700 RPM (rotary) or 3000 OPM (dual-action). To prevent paint burns or removing excessive paint film thickness, work at slower machine speeds. Keep machine moving and check your work often.

SFX2- WARNING: With heavy polishes, this pad may be aggressive when used at speeds in excess of 1,000 RPM (rotary) or 3500 OPM (dual-action). To prevent paint burns, work at slower machine speeds. Keep machine moving and check your work often.

As mentioned by others, try going over it again, but this time go slower, and maybe try using SSR2 with a blue pad before going to SSR1, just to help with a "middle step" between SSR2/SFX1 and SSR2/SFX2.

[imported_Picus]

That`s hazing, no question. How you clean that up will depend on the paint itself, like the others if I had to guess I would say you need a step in between the yellow pad and the finishing pad; like SSR2 on a polishing pad to help clean some of the hazing up, then the finishing pad/SSR1 to finish it off. This is a pretty common problem when using a yellow pad on soft paint with the PC; unfortunately cleaning up the hazing can be as tough as removing the marring you initially intended to correct.



As BigLeegr mentioned it will be imparative that you move *very* slowly when trying to clear the hazing without inducing more. The abrasives need to break down under the pad before you move it along the surface.

[Bigpoppa3346]

As the others have mentioned, the paint looks really hazy. If you have scratches, use something a little more agressive than SSR2. Then, try hitting it with some Optimum Polish, as I find that it corrects well on a polishing pad, yet leaves a clear LSP ready finish on IMO finiky BMW paint. Move the machine very slowly with many overlapping passes at full speed. If hazing still remains, hit it up with something finer (FPII). If you still have it, then I really don`t know what to say.

[jmenadmd]

I just spent 4 hours fixing the problem. In the hands of a novice, no matter how careful, the lesson learned is:

SFX-1 Pad + Jet Black Paint = Trouble



I washed the car again then, cleaned paint with Klasse AIO. I used SSR2 on the SFX-2 Pad, then SSR2 to get rid of the marring followed by the usual polishing and waxing steps. About 90% of the marring is gone. Defects in the paint are noticeable only if staring at the reflection of the sun in the hood itself. I`ll try to post pics tomorrow. Thank you guys for the advice.

[Accumulator]

Glad to hear you`ve improved things. That last 10% can be a real bear, so don`t beat yourself up about stuff that you have to work to spot. I often think that this site encourages unrealistic expectations and I bet your car looks great.