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  1. #1
    Fishing's Avatar
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    Tail light improvement thoughts.

    I have GG perfecting cream and GG One Step. I was thinking of using the GG Perfecting Cream on my GG DA to polish the tail lights. Does this sound like a wise decision ? LOL LOL Thnx for ANY suggestions. I just dont want to make things worse. They aren`t real bad just wanted to clean them up.
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  2. #2
    dansautodetailing.com Stokdgs's Avatar
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    Re: Tail light improvement thoughts.

    Quote Originally Posted by Fishing View Post
    I have GG perfecting cream and GG One Step. I was thinking of using the GG Perfecting Cream on my GG DA to polish the tail lights. Does this sound like a wise decision ? LOL LOL Thnx for ANY suggestions. I just dont want to make things worse. They aren`t real bad just wanted to clean them up.
    The plastic of tail lights is hard.. I clean those really bad ones up with Meguiars 105 with a Rotary all the time.. They always come out beautifully clear, and glossy..
    You will be fine with those great Griot`s products.. Yes, always take the less aggressive route first, then if not good enough, throw in a little of the harder stuff...
    Dan F
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  3. #3
    Sizzle Chest's Avatar
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    Re: Tail light improvement thoughts.

    ^^I agree with this!
    Scott Harle
    www.autodermatology.com
    Autodermatology
    Serving Naples and SW Florida
    Instagram: www.instagram.com/autodermatology
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  4. #4
    Fishing's Avatar
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    Re: Tail light improvement thoughts.

    Stokdgs & Sizzle Chest- Thank you both for helping me,,,thats just the information/help I was looking for.
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  5. #5

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    Re: Tail light improvement thoughts.

    Quote Originally Posted by Stokdgs View Post
    The plastic of tail lights is hard..
    Huh, interesting. I`d never noticed that with mine, maybe it`s another thing that`s different about more modern cars.

    I clean those really bad ones up with Meguiars 105 with a Rotary all the time.. They always come out beautifully clear, and glossy..
    So the M105 finishes out OK? Even on Tail Lights, M105 has always left issues for me even if they`re not visible without some effort.

  6. #6
    dansautodetailing.com Stokdgs's Avatar
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    Re: Tail light improvement thoughts.

    Quote Originally Posted by Accumulator View Post
    Huh, interesting. I`d never noticed that with mine, maybe it`s another thing that`s different about more modern cars.



    So the M105 finishes out OK? Even on Tail Lights, M105 has always left issues for me even if they`re not visible without some effort.
    Happy New Year, Hermano !

    Yes, Meguiars 105 makes all plastic tail lights and headlights in my experiences in the Shop, beautifully clear and glossy..

    Of course, if the plastic is not the scratched, perhaps other lighter cut, or polish products might work also..

    But I don`t have time to be experimenting - I have to get it done perfectly, and within the time set with the Client...

    I look at the defects, determine how much downward pressure to apply, always less to start, than too much, and do the work..

    I even use Meguiars 105 with a soft cotton finger mitten under all door cups and it cleans them up quickly and leaves a great gloss..

    And of course, I always add a little moisture to the product before I use it and have never had problems using it that way..
    Dan F

  7. #7

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    Re: Tail light improvement thoughts.

    Stokdgs- I might be looking for problems I wouldn`t otherwise know I have, but *every* time I`ve ever hit an M105`ed surface with the SunGun I`ve found micromarring. Every time, well...except for metals, but on paint/plastics I always see it even though it`s seldom visible under normal conditions.

  8. #8
    dansautodetailing.com Stokdgs's Avatar
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    Re: Tail light improvement thoughts.

    Quote Originally Posted by Accumulator View Post
    Stokdgs- I might be looking for problems I wouldn`t otherwise know I have, but *every* time I`ve ever hit an M105`ed surface with the SunGun I`ve found micromarring. Every time, well...except for metals, but on paint/plastics I always see it even though it`s seldom visible under normal conditions.
    El Accumulator`-- I look at my work with the Scangrip 1st Generation LED lights , = 2 on the awesome Scangrip stand, and the really nice CAT yellow hand size LED lights, and I see no micro marring using Meguiars 105, etc...
    As with all products I use with my Makita, I keep it just moist enough to allow me to work it until it is all about gone and the pad picks what is left all up.. There is always hardly nothing left to wipe off..
    Dan F

  9. #9

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    Re: Tail light improvement thoughts.

    Stokdgs- You folks who don`t get micromarring from M105 leave me scratching my head, but I`m glad it works out that way for you. If M105 touches something other than a hard metal, I get it.

  10. #10
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    Re: Tail light improvement thoughts.

    Quote Originally Posted by Accumulator View Post
    Stokdgs- You folks who don`t get micromarring from M105 leave me scratching my head, but I`m glad it works out that way for you. If M105 touches something other than a hard metal, I get it.
    Me too. I don`t know about plastic, but in my experience, M105 has always left a finish that "needs more work". Just like a lot of classic compounds do.

    Speaking of lenses, do those of you that regularly do this chore worry that you are cutting away at the OEM protection on the lens? Sure, if it`s hazed or yellowed, then polish and seal it. But if a lens is shiny with a few rids, should it be left alone?

  11. #11
    dansautodetailing.com Stokdgs's Avatar
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    Re: Tail light improvement thoughts.

    Quote Originally Posted by WaxAddict View Post
    Me too. I don`t know about plastic, but in my experience, M105 has always left a finish that "needs more work". Just like a lot of classic compounds do.

    Speaking of lenses, do those of you that regularly do this chore worry that you are cutting away at the OEM protection on the lens? Sure, if it`s hazed or yellowed, then polish and seal it. But if a lens is shiny with a few rids, should it be left alone?
    I have a great friend in Seattle, who is the best boat Detailer up there..
    He has been cutting gelcoat with only Rotary Power for decades..
    He only uses compounds and polishes after, to clean up gelcoat.
    He routinely wears out the best DeWalt Rotaries and has been an advisor to DeWalt to help improve their Rotary products..
    He never gets micromarring, etc., in his work either..
    His work on any black boat rivals the best work on Jet Black paint.. I have seen many boats he did and they are all amazingly clear and glossy.

    Since there are so many variables to account for when doing any correction, which one may need more work ? Which one needs a different pad/s ? A different compound, polish, speed, pressure, technique?

    I ask myself these questions, everytime I go to work out there..

    Regarding taillights ---
    I have never in all the decades of polishing them or looking at them, seen any taillight with sun damage like I see all the time with plastic headlights...
    Perhaps in sun-only states, there may be such a thing as sun-damaged plastic taillights, I don`t know about that..
    Dan F

  12. #12

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    Re: Tail light improvement thoughts.

    The tail/side/marker/etc. lights (i.e., the colored-lens ones) on both my Tahoe and `93 Audi were so oxidized that they were crusty-textured and frosty-white looking. Worse than the headlights on both vehicles. Corrected OK and stay that way, probably because I don`t park in the sun much and use OCW on such stuff at every wash. They Tahoe was previously in WY, the Audi spent all its time in OH and...here`s the culprit IMO...FLA.

    WaxAddict- I`d leave `em alone for the exact reason you were wondering about. Whatever UV protection something has, it seems like it`s invariably concentrated in the top-most layer of the material (clearcoat/headlight coating/etc.) and I`d hesitate to thin that over purely cosmetic concerns. But then I take an awfully long-term view of such stuff. As with clearcoat, just because it`s now *so* easy to correct stuff that doesn`t mean it`s a good idea, and (WARNING, Autopian Heresy follows ) marring doesn`t really matter, at least not in the functional sense, even though some of us (myself included) make a big deal out of it.

  13. #13
    dansautodetailing.com Stokdgs's Avatar
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    Re: Tail light improvement thoughts.

    WaxAddict ---
    Here is an idea..
    How about finding some ppf pre-cut pieces for your tail lights? Perhaps someone makes them..
    Then, correct the lights, apply the ppf, and enjoy...

    I had ppf applied to the lights on the front of my Grand Cherokee 10 years ago, and they are perfectly clear, and bonus, no chips, dings, scratches, etc...
    Dan F

  14. #14
    Fishing's Avatar
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    Re: Tail light improvement thoughts.

    Does anyone put a LSP on the tail lights after polishing them ? thnx for any help comments.

  15. #15
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    Re: Tail light improvement thoughts.

    I usually use a compound and a megs cutting pad on taillights. I have found that using megs cutting pads and CarPro Essence will do a good one step job on plastic lenses too. I usually coat the lenses with whatever coating I using on the paint with no problems.
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