Polishes & pads for soft, extra soft, very soft, super soft, ultra soft paint

[ZoranC]

There has been a number of discussions on what to use for very hard clears / paints. However, I don`t remember a single one on what polishes and pads are best fit for soft, extra soft, very soft, super soft, ultra soft (you get the idea) clears and paints, and it was a soft clear that was kicking me upside down this weekend.



So, contributions to this subject would be highly appreciated.

[Danny318]

What happened with the soft clear this weekend?

[Accumulator]

When I had a fresh repaint that was incredibly soft (ist was RM brand b/c, maybe a week old...#80 marred it something *awful* and #9 wasn`t strong enough to correct it) I used Griot`s Machine Polish #3 of all things! It was the only thing I had that would correct that paint without marring it. I used it with a finishing pad.

[ZoranC]

What happened with the soft clear this weekend?

I know that my experience still has a long way to go, but as things stand right now it seems BF SRC FP and Danase 5" white CCS pads were still leaving swirls here and there. I was working in shade (under canopy) and car was not hot but day was hot so I thought that could be contributing factor ("Menzerna" is meant for shop environment), that I need polish like M80, but M80 was even worse. I completed car with BF SRC FP but now I want to learn the lesson for next time.

[ZoranC]

When I had a fresh repaint that was incredibly soft (ist was RM brand b/c, maybe a week old...#80 marred it something *awful* and #9 wasn`t strong enough to correct it) I used Griot`s Machine Polish #3 of all things! It was the only thing I had that would correct that paint without marring it. I used it with a finishing pad.

Accumulator, thank you for the valuable pointer. Do I remember correctly you were suggesting 1Z MP PRO for soft paints? If yes is PRO version same as consumer one or they are different?

[Jngrbrdman]

Polishing isn`t an exact science. You have to experiement to see what works best with what you are dealing with. That is the exact same advice I just read in a foam pad kit that I got from Autogeek. The important thing is to check your work frequently. I have a pair of 500 watt halogen lamps that I use to check my progress. Don`t go to the next panel unless you are satisfied with the work you have done on the one before. You shouldn`t be getting done with the car and then realizing that you haven`t made nay progress. If what you are doing isn`t working, or if it is making matters worse, then you need to find that out sooner rather than later. If the pad and polish combo that you are using isn`t working, then change it up and see what works better. There are just an infinate number of combinations to work with and it isn`t a question that anybody is going to be able to answer for you. All we can do is tell you what has worked under entirely different circumstances from what you are working with. No two jobs are the same even though the same process might work well for multiple jobs. Sound confusing? Like I said... it`s not an exact science. :)

[Accumulator]

Accumulator, thank you for the valuable pointer. Do I remember correctly you were suggesting 1Z MP PRO for soft paints? If yes is PRO version same as consumer one or they are different?



The differences between the Pro-Line MP and the consumer stuff are a) Pro has a little more cut and b) Consumer has more wax (carnauba as well as the sythetic that`s in the Pro).



Another option would be their WaxPolishSoft.



Note that these 1Z polishes leave stuff behind that could do some concealing.

[SpoiledMan]

The super soft stuff for *me* simply doesn`t work using a DA polisher. They all seem to leave the little "hook" in the paint from the pad action. Oddly enough, the rotary was the answer. Nice finishing polish, rotary and that white pad should take care of you.

[Accumulator]

The super soft stuff for *me* simply doesn`t work using a DA polisher. They all seem to leave the little "hook" in the paint from the pad action..





Yeah, I`ve heard that and it might be a real PIA for people with just a PC. It doesn`t seem to be a problem with the Cyclo, at least with the products I`ve used.

[SpoiledMan]

Accumulator, I`m talking paint so soft (jet black Bimmers) that if you simply apply light pressure with your finger you have to polish away the marring that will remain. That stuff is unforgivingly soft.

[imported_DennisH]

My black 39 Ford has soft soft paint I use RMG. If I need a little more cut I will mix VM and RMG or maybe YM and VM. I also use my PC and Blue or Black pad. I also can use 85rd on white or blue and reduce the amount of pressure to just the weight of the machine for the final passes.

[NickelPlated.45]

Accumulator, I`m talking paint so soft (jet black Bimmers) that if you simply apply light pressure with your finger you have to polish away the marring that will remain. That stuff is unforgivingly soft.



You are talking about newer ones right? My jet black `03 has really hard clear.

[SpoiledMan]

I`ve found the soft paint in `04-`06 BMW`s and the `07 and up are the **stupid** soft ones.

[Accumulator]

Accumulator, I`m talking paint so soft (jet black Bimmers) that if you simply apply light pressure with your finger you have to polish away the marring that will remain. That stuff is unforgivingly soft.



Guess I didn`t realize it was *that* soft. My heart goes out to you pros who have to deal with such [nonsense], if I had a car that was that soft I`d simply get rid of it; it`d drive me nuts.



Sounds like BMW went from one extreme to the other, sorta like they did with some other aspects of their cars (the same company that sold the original M3 now installing i-drive in everything).



DennisH- the Clearkote stuff is a good idea. I didn`t try it on the soft-paint issue I mentioned because I only had VM on hand and it was too soon to put a "wax" on it.

[imported_rydawg]

For super soft clears, I will finish with 106ff on a megs soft finish pad at 800-1000 rpm via rotary.