MnRiverman
New member
OK, I'll make a long story short, but I'll start out by saying that ICI paint is utter crap. Anywho, my younger syster went to LA this semester of college to intern with CBS, so she left her car at my parents house and it's in desperate need of a detail.
Half of the car was repainted, it's a 2000 Beetle, dark blue/purple so the swirls show up big time. She ran into a toll booth (yes a toll booth) and the whole drivers side of the car, including the bumpers was repainted. However, it seemed as if the paint didn't cure right or some other issue, because the finish was awful (swirls, streaks, you name it). After the body shop couldn't buff them out with their rotory buffers, they "recleared" the car. From what I understand, they sanded then buffed and reclearcoated the car. However, this didn't work at all, and the clearcoat is actually peeling in a few places around the cracks on the bumper. So I got the money back from the body shop, but we haven't taken it to get repainted because in a year we will get rid of that car.
So, the swirls are REALLY bad, and my SMR isn't going to cut it. Since I'll be using all 3M products on this car, I would like to start with a 3M compound, but I don't know which one to use. Also, I might as well put a glaze on this, and I remember hearing that 3M has a special "new" glaze for machine application - but I also don't know what that is called.
I am wondering however how the side that has been recleared will stand up to the compounding. Part of me thinks that since they recleared, I technicaly may have more clearcoat than on the other side of the car, but the side they painted sure doesn't stand up as well as the factory paint, although I have yet to see an aftermarket paint job that stands up like the factory paint, I believe it's because the paint can't be cured at the same high temperature that it is from the factory (someone correct me if I am wrong, please). I'm just worried that I'll cut right through their clearcoat since it's already peeling in a few places, and sure doesn't seem very durable. Maybe I'm just being paranoid.... It was painted a year and a half ago.
So, in summary, I'm looking for a good 3M compound to use prior to SMR, and then a 3M glaze for machine application (I'm using a PC 7424).
Thanks a lot guys!
- Anthony
Half of the car was repainted, it's a 2000 Beetle, dark blue/purple so the swirls show up big time. She ran into a toll booth (yes a toll booth) and the whole drivers side of the car, including the bumpers was repainted. However, it seemed as if the paint didn't cure right or some other issue, because the finish was awful (swirls, streaks, you name it). After the body shop couldn't buff them out with their rotory buffers, they "recleared" the car. From what I understand, they sanded then buffed and reclearcoated the car. However, this didn't work at all, and the clearcoat is actually peeling in a few places around the cracks on the bumper. So I got the money back from the body shop, but we haven't taken it to get repainted because in a year we will get rid of that car.
So, the swirls are REALLY bad, and my SMR isn't going to cut it. Since I'll be using all 3M products on this car, I would like to start with a 3M compound, but I don't know which one to use. Also, I might as well put a glaze on this, and I remember hearing that 3M has a special "new" glaze for machine application - but I also don't know what that is called.
I am wondering however how the side that has been recleared will stand up to the compounding. Part of me thinks that since they recleared, I technicaly may have more clearcoat than on the other side of the car, but the side they painted sure doesn't stand up as well as the factory paint, although I have yet to see an aftermarket paint job that stands up like the factory paint, I believe it's because the paint can't be cured at the same high temperature that it is from the factory (someone correct me if I am wrong, please). I'm just worried that I'll cut right through their clearcoat since it's already peeling in a few places, and sure doesn't seem very durable. Maybe I'm just being paranoid.... It was painted a year and a half ago.
So, in summary, I'm looking for a good 3M compound to use prior to SMR, and then a 3M glaze for machine application (I'm using a PC 7424).
Thanks a lot guys!
- Anthony
