2007 Honda Accord: Night Hawk Black

S

stewy

New member
Ok....so this is my first post here. I have a Black Honda Accord. I bought this car about 3 months ago and want to do a great exterior detail. I have some swirl marks and some hologram looking marks on my paint with some light scratches. I know black shows everything and have been told that I should just expect swirl marks and live with it. But, I cant and I dont want to. I take my car to a detail shop and tell them what I want only to get it back looking the same as it did before.

I am registered on driveaccord.net and I have had some help on what I can do to rid of the above said problems.

I am nervous to use a machine to buff out swirl marks and what not because I have 0 experience there and do not want to mess things up.

Here is what I have been told....comes from a very experienced person but I just wanted to get a second opinion.

"For machine polish I prefer Menzerna Intensive polish. I also suggest a sealant like Duragloss #105 as opposed to just wax. That sealant will last for months whereas a wax, with some exceptions, will last 3-4 weeks."

Any ideas?
 
TONS of info here.... Look around read some.

As far as products are concerned, there are tons of great ones. It really boils down to technique, and most of all since you're new patience.

Remember what I like might not be what you or someone else does. Does that mean I'm worng or they are? Probably not. It's what works for me, and what i LIKE.
 
Also, where are you located? We have a lot of helpfull members that would probably show you how to accomplish what you want.
 
I am in Utah. And I appreciate your response. Wow!! there is so much here on this website that it is almost like I dont know where to start!! lol
 
Welcome to DC from Central PA, Here is a good article that covers a lot about removing swirls and holograms. The author is thorough in his writing to say the least. There is also a blue link at the bottom of this article that you can click to find other articles by Mike Phillips. This article might be a good place to start to get an idea of some of the fundamentals of polishing paint. This is not too complicated a hobby and you have all the members here to bounce questions off of. There are very helpful members here at DC.
 
First off, welcome to "The City" from another Utahn. Second thing is that there is some truth to what you've been told about having a black car and some swirling when it's a daily driver. I'm sure I won't be the only person here that will recommend you look into a dual action polisher like the PC or Flex's product. Though any machine when used improperly can burn through paint these machines make this very unlikely and make the job more or less idiot proof.

One other thought here is that perhaps you look into a product with some type of filler capabilities. There is no substitute for a properly prepped vehicle with all swirls removed. That said when owning a black daily driver there should realistically be some type of concession. In order to maintain a completely swirl free finish you can be polishing it every month. There is only so much paint on a car and though it takes a bit of work you can over polish a vehicle. Again a Dual Action polisher will greatly reduce the amount of material removed during normal maintenance.

Since you now know that black cars show swirls and can drive you crazy keeping them down, start of by doing a full detail and remove the swirls. Then have in your arsenal a product you like that has some filling capabilities (Black Hole or other glaze) that will fill swirls for a known period of time. This can be anywhere from days to a couple of weeks. Using a product like this will extend the intervals between full polishes greatly increasing the life of a paint job.

stewy said:
Ok....so this is my first post here. I have a Black Honda Accord. I bought this car about 3 months ago and want to do a great exterior detail. I have some swirl marks and some hologram looking marks on my paint with some light scratches. I know black shows everything and have been told that I should just expect swirl marks and live with it. But, I cant and I dont want to. I take my car to a detail shop and tell them what I want only to get it back looking the same as it did before.

I am registered on driveaccord.net and I have had some help on what I can do to rid of the above said problems.

I am nervous to use a machine to buff out swirl marks and what not because I have 0 experience there and do not want to mess things up.

Here is what I have been told....comes from a very experienced person but I just wanted to get a second opinion.

"For machine polish I prefer Menzerna Intensive polish. I also suggest a sealant like Duragloss #105 as opposed to just wax. That sealant will last for months whereas a wax, with some exceptions, will last 3-4 weeks."

Any ideas?
Click to expand...
 
Your friend probably knows his stuff. I'm new too, and have found the people here very, very helpful. Some of the tri-state area members helped me polish my black 07 legacy with a DA, and he even let me try it out. You'll be fine if you get one as long as you read up on it a little before you use it. I also used black hole glaze and it made the paint look really good. After some polish and glaze, you'll be good to go. Also, a sealant is not a bad idea b/c i twill last longer, and you can test out a carnuaba wax on top of it to see if it gives you a better look.
 
tuscarora dave said:
Welcome to DC from Central PA, Here is a good article that covers a lot about removing swirls and holograms. The author is thorough in his writing to say the least. There is also a blue link at the bottom of this article that you can click to find other articles by Mike Phillips. This article might be a good place to start to get an idea of some of the fundamentals of polishing paint. This is not too complicated a hobby and you have all the members here to bounce questions off of. There are very helpful members here at DC.
Click to expand...
Sorry, I just noticed that I never pasted the link in. :wall here it is.

The Definitive How-To Article for Removing Swirls, Scratches and Water Spots Using a Porter Cable 7424XP, G110v2 or Griot's Garage Polisher - Auto Geek Online Auto Detailing Forum
 
Welcome to DC :howdy. I'm still a newb myself, only been at this for about a year. Tons of good info here, and everyone is very helpful. Like they've said tho, just have patience. I did a nighthawk black RSX as the 2nd car I ever touched pad to paint on. It's worth the time and effort you put into it, I did what I'd call and "OK" job on it, and it turned out a real looker!
 
stewy said:
Ok....so this is my first post here. I have a Black Honda Accord. I bought this car about 3 months ago and want to do a great exterior detail. I have some swirl marks and some hologram looking marks on my paint with some light scratches. I know black shows everything and have been told that I should just expect swirl marks and live with it. But, I cant and I dont want to. I take my car to a detail shop and tell them what I want only to get it back looking the same as it did before.

I am registered on driveaccord.net and I have had some help on what I can do to rid of the above said problems.

I am nervous to use a machine to buff out swirl marks and what not because I have 0 experience there and do not want to mess things up.

Here is what I have been told....comes from a very experienced person but I just wanted to get a second opinion.

"For machine polish I prefer Menzerna Intensive polish. I also suggest a sealant like Duragloss #105 as opposed to just wax. That sealant will last for months whereas a wax, with some exceptions, will last 3-4 weeks."

Any ideas?
Click to expand...

My friend, you are cutting you teeth on one of the hardest colors and paints on earth. I got my wife an MDX and the olny restriction I gave her was No Black. Black (non Metalic) Honda paint is soft and swirls easy. I would reccommend a soft pad (red edge) and PB pro-polish. It worked for me on my Infiniti. You may also want to search Black Hole on here. I use it to hide swirls then I can't remove them or dont have time to polish.

Good luck and I would work on getting a combo that works on one pannel. Once you have the magic combo then do the car. I have made the mistake of polishing the whole car. And after serveral hours I am not happy with the results.

Jeff
 
JSFM35X said:
Good luck and I would work on getting a combo that works on one pannel. Once you have the magic combo then do the car. I have made the mistake of polishing the whole car. And after serveral hours I am not happy with the results.

Jeff
Click to expand...

Great advice !!!!

Think we've all made that mistake.
 
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