After doing some reading through the forum, I decided to pick up the package deal from 3D which included the PC with their cutting, polishing, and finishing pads, as well as a bottle of HD Uno and HD Poxy. This appeared to be a great start to taking care of a few minor scratches on a black 2008 Chevy Silverado I bought back in April, in addition to providing superior wax application. I even picked up a Meguiars clay bar kit in order to try and clean the paint before polishing/waxing, as recommended.
I have to say, everything worked fantastically and was very pleased with the results. Two weeks ago, after washing the truck with some All Free laundry detergent (seemed to make sense in lieu of dish soap) and claying the paint, I used the PC with the polishing pad (~5,500 RPM) and Uno and was impressed with the results. In the areas with fine scratches I was trying to remove, I went back with the cutting pad (~2,500) and Uno just to try something a little more aggressive, since I've read about the typically hard clearcoat that GM products have. Worked like a charm. Scratches that had irritated me since day one of buying the truck were no longer visible, even when I pulled out into very bright, direct sunlight to inspect. I was amazed. After pulling back into the garage, I made sure the paint was cool again before starting the Poxy application with the finishing pad (~1,500 ? RPM). Applied the Poxy, let each panel set up for at least 20 minutes before buffing with a MF towel. The truck literally looked brand new. Water marks were gone, irritating scratches were gone, the paint looked clean and deep, I was ecstatic.
Fast forward two weeks to yesterday, and that's when the rain finally moved back into our area. No big deal I thought, I'll just watch the water bead up on my shiny new super-wax job, and at least some of the dust would get washed off. And then I walked out to my truck after work. That's when I noticed that all of those scratches had reappeared. I was devastated. Not only had the scratches reappeared, but other old scratches (around the gas tank door and a few other spots where careless folks usually scratch up their paint, namely the previous owner) had now surfaced. I am 100% confident that I did not cause the other scratches now visible since they aren't in any kind of a pattern that would suggest they were caused during washing/polishing/waxing.
Here's where I need some advice. What am I missing? What did I do wrong? Is this to be expected after every rain, or every time the paint gets wet after washing and waxing? If I apply some more Poxy, will the scratches at least be covered up again? I'm at a loss and just hoping some of the wisdom here can rub off on me.
I have to say, everything worked fantastically and was very pleased with the results. Two weeks ago, after washing the truck with some All Free laundry detergent (seemed to make sense in lieu of dish soap) and claying the paint, I used the PC with the polishing pad (~5,500 RPM) and Uno and was impressed with the results. In the areas with fine scratches I was trying to remove, I went back with the cutting pad (~2,500) and Uno just to try something a little more aggressive, since I've read about the typically hard clearcoat that GM products have. Worked like a charm. Scratches that had irritated me since day one of buying the truck were no longer visible, even when I pulled out into very bright, direct sunlight to inspect. I was amazed. After pulling back into the garage, I made sure the paint was cool again before starting the Poxy application with the finishing pad (~1,500 ? RPM). Applied the Poxy, let each panel set up for at least 20 minutes before buffing with a MF towel. The truck literally looked brand new. Water marks were gone, irritating scratches were gone, the paint looked clean and deep, I was ecstatic.
Fast forward two weeks to yesterday, and that's when the rain finally moved back into our area. No big deal I thought, I'll just watch the water bead up on my shiny new super-wax job, and at least some of the dust would get washed off. And then I walked out to my truck after work. That's when I noticed that all of those scratches had reappeared. I was devastated. Not only had the scratches reappeared, but other old scratches (around the gas tank door and a few other spots where careless folks usually scratch up their paint, namely the previous owner) had now surfaced. I am 100% confident that I did not cause the other scratches now visible since they aren't in any kind of a pattern that would suggest they were caused during washing/polishing/waxing.
Here's where I need some advice. What am I missing? What did I do wrong? Is this to be expected after every rain, or every time the paint gets wet after washing and waxing? If I apply some more Poxy, will the scratches at least be covered up again? I'm at a loss and just hoping some of the wisdom here can rub off on me.
