Black paint is a curse...

YNOT

YNOT

Poorboys Rules!
Okay...I spent two hours the other night washing my new ride and as usual, it looks flawless in the sunlight...but when I bring her into the garage, under the fluorescent light the hood looks pretty bad.

First off, here are the good pics. As you can see...she looks great in the sunlight...I couldn't be happier with it...until I see it under the fluorescent light and then I get sad and discouraged.

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706_shiny_hood_1.jpg


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I washed it from top to bottom with Meguiars Gold Class car wash, dried it with my Meguiars waffle weave towel using straight swipes, using an Absorber for the wheels and then I went over the entire body with a different Meguiars MF towel and some Meg's Quick Detailer to get rid of the few pesky water streaks...then hit the wheels with a new Microfiber towel (from Detail City). Used Stoners on the glass which I was quite impressed with and then, with my RIDGID Vac, vacuumed the interior and some of the exterior to eliminate the dreaded after-drips (mirrors, badges, etc). Also note that I claybarred the hood last weekend and hit it with some Meguiars #9 by hand, but haven't had time to do any more than that.

Anyway...she looks pristine out under the sunlight...I was happy as a clam.

But then check out these pics from under the fluorescent lights. The pics aren't the best and are a bit washed out...but you can see the swirls on the hood as well as a sort of hazy look to it where I had applied the Megs #9. It's almost like I didn't get all the #9 off of it...but I rubbed and rubbed lightly with a MF towel and this is what I'm gettin'. I don't see all of this in the sunlight...just under the fluorescent light.

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706_swirly_hood_2.jpg


I've got a bit of custom painting skills, so I think I'm going to lightly hit the hood with some wet 2000 grit paper and then hit it with some 3M Perfect-It compound. Do you guys think that will help to eliminate the fine scratches and swirls? At that point I will put a good coat of wax on her and hopefully she'll stay clean now that I'm learning proper washing/drying techniques.

This car is brand new...only had it about two months, but I want to do whatever I can to get it perfect (or as close to perfect as I can). It wasn't until after I bought it that I found this site, so I'm new and I'm ready and willing to learn all that I can!

Thanks!
 
Dude

From a fellow black paint car owner you are beating yourself up over something that is going to be impossible to keep straight.....My car looks like glass in the sunlight but in the garage under the lights I can see hair line scratches....I've learned to live with it and also know that my car is better looking 7 years old than most new cars.


One thing that might help you is after your polishing use a hand glaze product this will help fill the little real minor swirls in and then seal and wax over that.....I do and I really don't feel bad about it, takes care of allot of those hair line swirls
 
billyboyb said:
Any sealer in particular that you can apply over a glaze??
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I've used two PB EX and WG sealant all by hand this helps allot to fill in if that's what you are trying to do...on a black car its almost essential....I'm not one to cut corner but on black and the real dark colors its real hard to take all the swirls off and to keep them off with daily drivers...the glaze that I use is FK1 hand glaze
 
I use a Porter Cable Random Orbital buffer, it’s a lot easier with it then by hand. Something you can think about.
 
FK1 OK Thanks.........i wonder what causes swirls on a black car to just appear???? a real mystery to me....always has been......
 
Sparkie said:
I use a Porter Cable Random Orbital buffer, it’s a lot easier with it then by hand. Something you can think about.
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I'm sure he has one, but sometimes its easier to just cover up especially with a losing battle color as black.....as beautiful as a black car is, the swirls however minor they are will drive you crazy, and what mystifies me is that no matter what you do or what precautions you take,they still show up......
 
Sparkie said:
I use a Porter Cable Random Orbital buffer, it’s a lot easier with it then by hand. Something you can think about.
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I suggested the last two steps by hand because they will fill the swrils in the machine will not do as good a job on that part..
 
billyboyb said:
FK1 OK Thanks.........i wonder what causes swirls on a black car to just appear???? a real mystery to me....always has been......
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Because black is so hard to get perfect or near that you can see every imperfection in it.....you have the same on lighter colors its just not as evident but they are there none the less....washing is one culprit then drying the car off.....I've developed this on black to a science my car looks as good as any new car on the road and I get told that all the time
 
Ynot I now you paint and stuff but..as you look at some of the threads you'll seeSome of the best painter make the worst detaiers.. now I'm not knocking your job but after claying you need to polish it out with a machine... one step just will not cut it with black.. I know my nephews black car is a beast of my own i need to deal with. I'm sure you just didn't brake down the 9 enough..

meg's 9
Swirl Remover 2.0 is a deep gloss cleaner/polish. It removes fine scratches and swirl marks, while providing a dark, dramatic shine. Formulated to reduce splatter and make application and wipe-down easier.
 
YNOT said:
I think I'm going to lightly hit the hood with some wet 2000 grit paper

This car is brand new...only had it about two months
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These two statements make me a little nervous.
Two months old and already you are wetsanding. Seems like a pretty drastic move on a new car.
How much paint will be left if you keep the car for several years?

FWIW, I've switched to Meg's #80 for swirl removal.
On Meguiar's abrasive scale from 0 to 10, with the higher numbers being more aggressive, #9 is a 3 and #80 is a 4.
Also, I was one of the ones that rarely ran the PC over 4.5 to 5. Kicking it up to 6 made a big difference.

Charles
 
Don't wetsand an OEM finish. It's Black and you'll have to learn to live with it. Caring for 110% of your paint starts from when it gets painted. Ensure proper transportation, preparation, and protection. ClearBra/Decontamination/Maintenance who knows. It's an endless spree.
 
I agree with the former posters about trying to buff them out before getting into wet sanding. Poorboy's 2.5 and 1.0 are an great polishes and they won't stain your trim. Good washing/drying techniques go a long way in preventing swirls. Always use a back and forth motion when ever you touch the car whether it by washing, drying waxing or whatever. A foam gun if you don't already have one would be a good investment for you as it allows you to pre-soak the car in foam that clings to the car and loosens up the dirt while the lubrication in the wash soap allow it to slide off without scratching the paint. That will greatly reduce the amount of surface dirt that you will be having to have direct contact with with your wash mitt. Just my 2 cents. Good luck. :)
 
Woah! No need to wetsand. Your finish looks easy to fix with a PC and a rotory alone with a finishing pad and FPII with remove them... They seem to be a lot of light light scratches and marring than medium swirls. I owned a jetblack BMW for almost a year and it was a great teacher in car detailing.

No NEED to wetsand.

If you lived close I would be willing to detail it for you for free, granted you would help and knock back a few. I have done that many tiems for fellow DC members.
 
joyriide1113 said:
Woah! No need to wetsand. Your finish looks easy to fix with a PC and a rotory alone with a finishing pad and FPII with remove them... They seem to be a lot of light light scratches and marring than medium swirls. I owned a jetblack BMW for almost a year and it was a great teacher in car detailing.



Ditto! I agree 100%.

I'm a fellow black paint owner, and FPII, Menzerna Po85RD, or BF Scratch Resistant Clear Finishing Polish all work OUTSTANDING.
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I found SSR2.5 & Light Cutting pad does a hell of a job. I come to tolerate and except a lot of imperfections managing a black car. The only + is that when detailed by artist such as ourselves our cars the most beautiful on the road. I'd say set aside the wet sander and try a couple of more combo's 1st.
 
Like others have said do NOT sand it. What I see in that picture can be easily corrected. Once you get it looking nearly perfect you need to learn how to wash and dry it. I have three Black vehicles when I wash them I use the two bucket method and dry with a leaf blower. The less you rub on the surface the less chance of marring it.
The surface looks like you didn't work the polish enough to break it down.
You need to buy a pc if you are going to be anal about the look you will never get it looking like you want doing it by hand.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll hold off on wet-sanding for now. I'm trying to get a few more side jobs to pay for my PC...otherwise I may use my Dad's DeWalt rotary with some Meg's #9 (or #80) for now and see if that'll work the scratches out until I can afford to get my PC.

I can't wait to get a PC so I can do the whole car and get her really shined up and waxed.

I hit the whole car this morning again with some Megs quik-detailer/MF towel and I just love the shine on her under the sun.

Thanks everyone!!
 
black bart said:
The surface looks like you didn't work the polish enough to break it down.
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Question...How do you break the polish down better by hand??? Rubbing it more while applying it...or rubbing it more when removing it? Also how hard should I be pushing as I apply and remove and swirl remover?
 
YNOT said:
Question...How do you break the polish down better by hand??? Rubbing it more while applying it...or rubbing it more when removing it? Also how hard should I be pushing as I apply and remove and swirl remover?
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Rubbing longer NOT harder while applying it.
Really hard to do by hand that is why you need a PC.
I see you are using MEG. products here is a abrasive chart that may be of some help
#85 Diamond Cut = 10
#84 Compound Power Cleaner = 9
#4 Heavy-cut Cleaner = 8
#1 Medium-cut Cleaner = 7
#83 DACP = 6
#2 Fine-cut Cleaner = 5
#80 Speed Glaze = 4
#82 Swirl Free Polish = 3
#9 Swirl Remover 2.0 = 3
#3 Machine Glaze = 1

!0 would be the fastest cutting but you can cause some over lapping of products with your choice of pads that you use on the PC
I have three black vehicles one is a show car and I take more care with the prep on it.
I have several of the Meg products and have had good results with them.
On my daily drivers I usually just use #80 with a LC white pad and then go to my LSP but if you want to improve it a little more use #3 with a finishing pad to Jewell the surface before applying your LSP
When you wash that car be sure to use the two bucket method
 
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