How hard is VW paint?

[PRND[S]]

I am new to detailing and recently bought a PC 7424XP DA to help a friend rid his Lapiz Blue Golf R of swirls and scratches. On Saturday we attacked them with the PC, 5" Chemical Guys Orange Hex Logic pads, and Chemical Guys V36 polish. That didnt improve the situation much, but another friend who stopped by had some V34 compound with him, so we tried that next. The more aggressive V34 did better, but still not nearly as well as I had hoped. We would have tried a yellow pad next, but it was getting too hot and the working time with the compound was just too short to do anything productive (the owners of the car doesnt have a garage).

I spoke with someone from Chemical Guys who recommended a black MF pad to help cut through the swirls. He said the clearcoat on the car appears to be very hard. Next weekend we are going to take another stab at a different location with a garage.

Ive tried researching the current VW paints reputation for hardness but couldnt find much, and I dont know if what applies to Audis translates to their corporate cousins. For those who have worked on late-model VWs (2014 and later), what is your take and what do you recommend for this situation?

[512detail]

do you have any friends with any Poorboys Polishes ? like master cut or any of the SSR lineup?

sun friendly

[ascarbo27]

used to be a cg fan... get the hd speed its better than all the cg compounds imo. or get menzurna i havent gotten to try any poorboys products yet. the menzurna with the cg hex orange pad worked for my 2012 cc. i only used the med cut polish

[The Guz]

Seeing as you are in So Cal, you may want to take a visit to one of the Meguiars Thursday Night Garages if you are near the Irvine area.

[mjlinane]

VW paint is generally on the hard side, similar to Audi. Think cutting MF pads with a good compound (8+ on UPDATED 9/2015: Autopia Polish Comparison Chart) for deeper swirls.

[PRND[S]]

do you have any friends with any Poorboys Polishes ? like master cut or any of the SSR lineup?

I do not, but since next weekends session will be inside a garage, Im less worried about working time.

used to be a cg fan... get the hd speed its better than all the cg compounds imo. or get menzurna i havent gotten to try any poorboys products yet. the menzurna with the cg hex orange pad worked for my 2012 cc. i only used the med cut polish

Thanks, I will look into that. It sounds like the HD Speed with the same orange Hex Logic pads I used was more effective than the V34. That, or the paint on the VW MQB platform models is substantially harder than on the pre-MQB models.

[TroyScherer]

Preface: I have a "16 GTI and a "09 Jetta. I am also on Vortex, MK7Forum.

VW paint that I have worked on is "harder" than normal. I tend to need Megs M105 / Megs Ultimate Compound to do any cutting and sometimes I will need a MF cutting pad as well. I use mostly Megs stuff.

The CG stuff is over rated IMO and not really up to the task. The MF cutting pads are the next level I would look at as well as Megs Ultimate Compound. Megs UC is a consumer version of there pro stuff. The Megs Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish would be my next step before buying new pads.

[PRND[S]]

Seeing as you are in So Cal, you may want to take a visit to one of the Meguiars Thursday Night Garages if you are near the Irvine area.

Thats an option I wasnt at all aware of, didnt know they did this. Great suggestion, I will look into it.

VW paint is generally on the hard side, similar to Audi. Think cutting MF pads with a good compound (8+ on UPDATED 9/2015: Autopia Polish Comparison Chart) for deeper swirls.

Thats the plan for this coming Saturday, a MF pad which I just picked up and Chemical Guys V34 (which is a 9 on that chart) in a garage.

Preface: I have a "16 GTI and a "09 Jetta. I am also on Vortex, MK7Forum.

VW paint that I have worked on is "harder" than normal. I tend to need Megs M105 / Megs Ultimate Compound to do any cutting and sometimes I will need a MF cutting pad as well. I use mostly Megs stuff.

The CG stuff is over rated IMO and not really up to the task. The MF cutting pads are the next level I would look at as well as Megs Ultimate Compound. Megs UC is a consumer version of there pro stuff. The Megs Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish would be my next step before buying new pads.

If the MF and V34 dont cut it (no pun intended), I will try M105. Thanks for confirming that the MK7 paint tends to be on the hard side. Im PRND[S] on Vortex, and the car in question is owned by Vortex member EvoJetta. Pay no attention to the wheels, they are no longer on the car.

[pwaug]

Simply put its hard paint. I have an 07 Passat and a 12 Golf and both clears are hard as nails. Both cars are in very good shape, but to remove minor swirls I still need a B&S orange pad with HD Polish on a GG6 at speed 5.5 with pressure.

You might want to consider the Megs THIN pads or the LC Low pads for long throw machines as they will be easier for the PC to keep them rotating under pressure. If the paint youre working on is in bad shape you might also want to consider 3D AAT Rubbing Compound and 3D AAT Polish--both are now available in 8 oz size and have gotten great reviews here on Autopia.

Here is a recent review of AAT Compound and Polish on VW paint: LINK Review: 3D AAT Rubbing Compound and Finishing Polish

[rlmccarty2000]

I think the advice to go with microfiber pads is sound. Try V36 on a yellow pad to clear up any micro marring. I`ve never used the CG microfiber pads, but the Meguires pads work well for me. I would even use the Meg`s microfiber finishing pad with the V36 after the V34 with the cutting pad. You could even go with the Meg`s x-tra cut if you need more cutting power. Make sure you clean the pads with a pad brush after each section.

[Mike lambert]

M100 on a micro cutting pad is much easier than 105, half the price too!

[m54daboll]

Such an open ended question that relies on so many variables lol. All paint systems are different. Cars could be painted side by side and one could be soft and one could be much harder. It really depends and is a case per case problem. Always start with a test spot and the least aggressive method. As for you, I`d recommend some Menzerna PF 2500 and if that doesn`t work, then bump it down to FG 400. From my experience, VW clear coat is medium hardness, but towards the harder end of the spectrum. Just have to do a test spot and go from there.

[PRND[S]]

Just a quick update on the car...

My friend and I went back to working on the car yesterday. The garage we were hoping to use didn`t materialize, but thankfully yesterday was a rare overcast day in Los Angeles, with early morning rain and a few daytime sprinkles mixed in, so we were able to comfortably work outside.

We started the same as last week -- pressure wash the car and wipe it with a Nanoskin AutoScrub mitten. Then we used the PC 7424XP with a microfiber polishing pad and Chemical Guys V36 to go over the entire car. There were some areas with pretty deep scratches that required extra attention, and we also went over some areas like the piano-black B pillars with the finer V38. We also polished the chrome exhaust tips and headlights, and used an acidic cleaner on the wheels to remove brake dust. After all the polishing, we washed the car again, then applied Chemical Guys Jetseal and topped it off with one coat of Collinite 845.

The car looks absolutely gorgeous, it has a deep luster and mirror-like finish. Except for a few stone chips at the front of the car, the paint is undoubtedly in better shape than when it left the factory. It is free of swirls and scratches, glass-smooth, and well-protected. The owner has promised never to use a car wash again (except the Do-It-Yourself kind).

Unfortunately I can`t post pictures since the car is on some wheels that haven`t been released yet. I`ll correct that as soon as I am able to. I really want to thank all who responded for the helpful advice, you guys were spot-on and helped make my first foray into machine-polishing a huge success.

Cheers!

[TroyScherer]

​Sweet. Glad it worked out for you.