Rookie needs help with paint correction

[oregonduckman]

have had my Cayman for about a year and have been using the 2 bucket method for washing on a weekly basis. I have also clayed the car several times and waxed it about 6 times with P21S. I use only microfiber towels for drying (after using a chamois) and wax removal.



As shown in the attached pics the paint has swirl marks and other scratches that I would like to remove but I haven`t a clue how to do it or what products to use so I am looking for some advice from seasoned veterans.



I tried uploading some pics but the upload failed every time.

[zaxjax]

You will need a PC at the least to do any sort of paint correction

[Accumulator]

have had my Cayman for about a year and..the paint has swirl marks and other scratches that I would like to remove but I haven`t a clue how to do it or what products to use so I am looking for some advice...



Welcome to Autopia!



I dunno if Caymans have hard or soft clear..Porsches seem to be all over the map in that regard these days. Cool car BTW.



To remove the marring you need to abrade the paint...it`s like sanding a piece of wood to remove scratches in that. While you don`t want to overdo such stuff, doing it now and then won`t be a problem. The trick is to do it in a way that`s both effective (problem solved, or at least diminished to your satisfaction) and efficient (this stuff can take a lot of time and effort). Well, the *real* trick is to then avoid reinstilling that marring, which is almost always wash-related. THAT is a lot easier said than done, but anyhow...



It seems that most people find polishing to be a lot tougher than they expect. I don`t mean to scare you off the idea, but I do want you to have realistic expectations. The bad news is that attaining near-perfection is often a pretty tall order; the good news is that merely effecting a major improvement is usually pretty doable. If your goal is "much better", instead of "like new", you should do OK.



Polishing via machine is *infinitely* more effective and (especially) efficient, and that really is the way to go. Gotta buy the machine (and pads for it) though. No, no, you won`t mess up your car...just gotta get the right machine (e.g., Flex, Ultimate Detailing Machine, Cyclo, Porter Cable, etc.). Given the Cayman`s curves, I`d lean towards a Flex or the UDM.



Working by hand will greatly limit what you can accomplish, but it`s not like it`s utterly pointless. And it`s cheap. You do have to use products that work OK by hand though, and those are few and far between. The 1Z line of polishes is about the only way I`d ever consider polishing without a machine, but what to recommend depends on how hard/soft the clearcoat is. But you`d have to lower your expectations quite a bit compared to working by machine.



So- give the machine idea some thought and see if somebody here who`s worked on Caymans can comment on how hard/soft the paint is.

[Thomas Dekany]

If you live in Oregon, I`ll perfect your finish as soon as we move to Portland.



Where do you live? :)

[soccerjunky]

You will need a PC at the least to do any sort of paint correction



what would be a good set of pads to go with the PC?.... i need a couple of polishing pads and a buffing pad....



Also what are velco backed pads?



thanks

[BigAl3]

:welcome oregonduckman !



here`s a great site to get you started...

Paintcare & Detailing - Enthusiasts guide to detailing (http://paintcarendetailing.com/)

[akimel]

Oregonduckman, Meguiar`s is releasing three new polishes in their consumer line that should be of real interest to you:



SwirlX (http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28335)

ScratchX 2.0 (http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28333)

Ultimate Compound (http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28334)



They are formulated for hand application and D/A application. They sound quite promising and should be quite helpful for newbs like you and me. I imagine that Auto Detailing Solutions will be carrying them.



Cheers,

Al

[Accumulator]

what would be a good set of pads to go with the PC?....



Specific recommendations are dependent on the vehicle in question, but the general version runs along the lines of:



-two yellow cutting or orange light cut pads in 4" for major correction

-two green or white polishing pads in either 4" or ~6" for light correction and following up the previous step

-perhaps a finishing pad for applying the LPS (wax/etc.)



If you want to apply AIO-type products or a glaze via machine you`ll also need a mild pad for that.




Also what are velco backed pads?



Most pads attach to the machine`s backing plate(s) via velcro, so the pads have velcro glued to their back sides to facilitate this.



The exceptions are the old "booted" pads for the Cyclo polisher and the newer Edge system with uses a hex-drive attachment system.