`03 Lexus... Removing spiders on hood pre-Zaino?

[HybridKOOP]

Hello everyone...



My Zaino (among $200 worth of other cleaning supplies :D ) will be here this weekend.



I do not own a PC, and I have not ordered any abrasives for the car. My vehicle is a 2003 Lexus IS300 in a very deep, dark metallic blue. The dealership that I bought it from a few weeks ago was so kind to include some spiderweb scratches on the hood :argue



My question to all of you is... should I just be content with "filling" these in with the Z5 once it arrives... or should I go ahead and try to actually remove these before starting my entire Dawn/clay/wash/polish process?



If you recommend that I do get rid of these... can it be done by hand? What products would you suggest? ALSO... I had a nasty pile of bird crap on the hood 2 weeks after buying it which INSTANTLY damaged my clear. I`ve tried Meguiars fine cut cleaner (#2) to get it out... and it didn`t do anything really... all it did was leave some hazing around where the bird crap was. So I have the spider webs PLUS this haze from the cleaner... what do you all recommend to get the hood of my car in perfect shape before applying the Zaino? Thanks everyone... here is the color:



http://www.endlesstrance.com/images/isfront1.jpg

[HybridKOOP]

Just wanted to add one thing... before taking a trip 2 weeks ago, I threw on a quick coat of Megiuars #7 and a coat of #26 to protect me on the highway... and I just took a look at the hood in direct sunlight -- everything good niiiice. When I applied these two coats, it was at night before the trip so I never really looked at the results.



I guess what I`m trying to say here is that if the Zaino Z5 will "hide" whatever imperfections on the hood as good as, if not better than the very small amount of #7 I used, then I will be content with that... I just didn`t want to simply "cover" light damage on a new car that should possibly be removed prior to me beginning to stack coats of Zaino...



- Louis

[rstype]

Get your paint as perfect as possible before Zaino. Even Z5 is clear, and therefore it`s ineffective in hiding defects. Polishes like Meguiar`s #7, DACP, etc. contain fillers that aren`t compatible with Zaino.



I highly recommend investing in a Porter Cable 7336/7424, or at least meet up with a nearby Autopian who has one. I`ve spent hours trying to remove swirls by hand with minimal success. I`ve rubbed non-stop on a 6x12" surface trying to break down abrasives... it just doesn`t work.



That`s why Scottwax amazes me. He removes swirls by hand on a constant basis.

[Stl_GT]

If you are going to do it yourself, then by all means invest in a PC of machine polishes. BUT, you just bought a NEW Lexus. Take it back and demand they fix the paint, I have heard that Lexus has great customer service. After all the car should be perfect from the factory.



Just one thing, have them take to a shop of your choice. Dealer shops can make things worse, do some checking around or talk to fellow autopians in your area.

[HybridKOOP]

I think that if I brought the car to Lexus and showed them the spiderwebs on the hood, they`d laugh... there was probably like 4-5 very very very light scratches that you could only find in direct sunlight... and now since I have #7 and #26 on there, I would be hard pressed to find them at all. I just wanted to clear them completely off before going Zaino.

[Stl_GT]

Ok then I get ya, IMO it`s worth a try though. If you are doing it yourself I can`t recommend enough getting a PC. When I saw what it could do on my 2 month old paint I nearly fainted, honestly though it was incredable.

[rstype]

Originally posted by Stl_GT

Ok then I get ya, IMO it`s worth a try though. If you are doing it yourself I can`t recommend enough getting a PC. When I saw what it could do on my 2 month old paint I nearly fainted, honestly though it was incredable.



You nearly ainted from the incredible results? Or something else?



PC 7336/7424 are perfectly safe. They do not create enough heat to burn through paint, and are random orbit... they don`t spin in a circle the way rotaries do.

[HybridKOOP]

You guys are KILLING MY CHECKING ACCOUNT!



GRRR! I`m off to Lowes to pickup a 7424 dammit! :xyxthumbs



Now... what do you all suggest that I use on the PC BEFORE I Zaino the car? I hear Zaino is very easy to apply, and using the PC to apply it is a waste.



Obviously you guys are encouraging me to get one to add a step before the Zaino... but what is it? DACP? SMR? Like I said, the webs that I do have are very very very thin... I don`t want to go ripping clearcoat off of a brand new car if it`s not necessary. What`s the lightest product out there that will remove the spiderwebs with the PC? If I do this... my process will be:



1. Dawn wash

2. Z18 (claybar)

3. Z7 (wash)

4. DACP

5. Z7 (wash)

6. Z2 (polish) x2

7. Z6 (gloss enhance) x1

8. Z5 (filler) x1

9. Z6 (gloss enhance) x1

10. Z2 (polish) x2

11. Z6 (gloss enhance) x1

12. Z5 (filler) x1

13. Z6 (gloss enhance) x1

14. Z2 (polish) x2



The bold signifys the only thing I`d use the PC for...



I know it`s alot of steps there, but what do you all think? Any changes you`d make? Is the SMR more or less aggressive than the DACP? Like I said... I don`t want to remove clear coat if it`s not "needed". Thanks for all of your input!



- Louis

[Alexaris]

Remeber that you can only apply 3 coats in 24 hours. I think it is going to be better if you apply1 Z5 then Z6 then Z2 then Z6 and the one more of Z2, Next day you could do it again.



I think the best results are 1z5 and 2z2 in the 24 hours period.

I think maybe start with SMR and give it a try, if not working try DACP.

[HybridKOOP]

Ok so the 3M SMR is less abrasive/agressive compared to the Meguiars DACP?

[imported_Infamous]

Yes but has fillers in it. I would personally get merguiars #9 SMR.

[imported_garyo]

Originally posted by HybridKOOP

Ok so the 3M SMR is less abrasive/agressive compared to the Meguiars DACP?



Yes

[JAGOWNER1981]

dude use 3M SMR for dark cars then just dawn wash afterwards. use the yellow CMA pad. DACP isnt that great imo.

[Stl_GT]

Ha, just an exageration as you might expect. It was really impressive though, took the marring off and left a very deep shine.

[Accumulator]

HybridKOOP- One of the problems with SMR`s that leave fillers is that you don`t always know what you have until you wash the fillers off (as in, "ARGGH, gotta work it some more!"). Beside the #9, you might consider PI-III MG. It doesn`t have fillers and it works well. *IMO* it`s more likely to leave a ready-to-Z finish than DACP, which many people follow up with a milder product.