Running out of 3M SMR, is there anything better out there?

Polaris -



I don't think all polishes leave hazing if used in the correct manner. I only have hazing if I induce it on purpose.



I don't even get any hazing from a compound, I just have small swirls that the compound wont remove, it requires another product.
 
Polaris,

I use DACP, 9 and 7 with a PC. For DACP I use a cutting pad, and for 9 and 7 I use a polishing pad. For all three steps I usually start at around 4, then ramp it up to 5.5 or 6 (max) at the end. That's just my technique, though, others may differ, but it works for me. Each step gets easier and easier to break down the product.



P21S goes on great over 7.
 
joed1228 said:
Polaris -



I don't think all polishes leave hazing if used in the correct manner. I only have hazing if I induce it on purpose.



I don't even get any hazing from a compound, I just have small swirls that the compound wont remove, it requires another product.
Click to expand...



I agree. The only time one MIGHT get hazing or swirls is from compounding or cutting your clear. This will require one to do another step...the swirl-removing/polishing step.....which is sometimes not even necessary if the compounding was light or if your technique was really good. However, for the ultimate shine, it's still best to follow up the compounding step with a good, filler-free swirl-remover/polish.



Oh, and in answer to the original poster's question, 3M PI-III Machine Glaze is a great product, a bit stronger than the SMR but leaves just as shiney a surface.
 
For those of you that don’t think that even a fine polish causes some hazing



Take your mildest polish, GEPC or whatever, and your softest microfiber towel. Check one of your outside rear-view mirrors to see if it is plastic of glass by touching it with your fingernail. If it’s glass there will be a small space between your nail and the reflection, and if it’s plastic your nail will appear to be touching the reflection. If your mirror is glass go find another car. We want a plastic mirror for this (and most newer cars have plastic outside mirrors) because the plastic mirrors have the silvering on the front surface and it is only topped with an extremely thin coat of clear.



Start polishing in one corner of the mirror and continue until you see the very first dark spots start to appear. Then look closely at the area where you’ve been working (sunlight and a magnifying glass help) and you’ll be able to see the very fine lines in the silvering.



Think about sandpaper for a moment. You start with a low number paper, then go to progressively higher numbers to remove the marks made by the coarser paper. Each step up leaves finer and finer marks until they are not perceptible with the naked eye. It’s the same way with polish made for your paint - except there aren’t as many steps at the high numbered end.

When you use polish it’s sort of like if you start on one side of a room and go exactly half way to the far wall, then repeat from there and go half way to the wall again. Now you’ve traveled 3/4 of the distance and have 1/4 to go. Half way again and you still have 1/8 remaining. Again and you have 1/16 remaining. You’ll get really close to the far wall, but you will never get all the way! If you use finer and finer polish you will remove the marks (or haze) left by the previous polish, but you’ll never totally eliminate the very fine hazing - - not even if you use jeweler’s rouge for your final polishing. That is why after polishing a glaze is needed to fill the almost imperceptible haze left by GEPC or whatever.
 
My previous post may have sounded as though I was saying that you should strive for perfection. I was not! But, if you have excellent black paint and polish a spot with GEPC, SEPC, or whatever good quality abrasive polish you choose, then thoroughly clean the area with Dawn to remove the oils (and possibly fillers) you will see that the area that you polished appears to have lost some of its blackness. With a very bright light at the right angle the polished area will appear to be gray in contrast to the surrounding deep black.



Those of us with BMW’s soft Jet Black paint often have to learn these things the hard way - I know that I did!:)
 
You make a very good and technically correct point Nick, but surely you must agree at some point that the paint becomes practically haze-free because it is undetectable to the human eye?



Also, if the paint is that perfect already (as in your proposed test) then one should not be using an abrasive containing product anyway. Polishes/cleansers are most often used on paint that needs it for one reason or another, like complete overhaul due, previously applied stronger polishes, mild neglect, etc. in which case the surface would be improved from its previous condition, not degraded.



Is using something like GEPC a really fair test on a plastic mirror? Isn't plastic softer than paint? :confused:



No flames, just healthy, democratic debate. :D
 
4DSC said:
(1) You make a very good and technically correct point Nick, but surely you must agree at some point that the paint becomes practically haze-free because it is undetectable to the human eye?



(2) Also, if the paint is that perfect already (as in your proposed test) then one should not be using an abrasive containing product anyway. Polishes/cleansers are most often used on paint that needs it for one reason or another, like complete overhaul due, previously applied stronger polishes, mild neglect, etc. in which case the surface would be improved from its previous condition, not degraded.



(3) Is using something like GEPC a really fair test on a plastic mirror? Isn't plastic softer than paint?
Click to expand...
You’re right on all points DSC. :up



1) At the point that the surface is acceptable to you - no visible hazing - you stop polishing and top with IHG just to make it a little better.



2) Of course most people would not polish an already perfect finish, but I’m not most people. In my almost futile attempts at chasing that ever elusive “best� finish I do a lot of experimenting.



3) Yes, the clear coat on plastic mirrors is much softer and thinner than the clear coat on your paint. That’s exactly why I chose it for testing.
 
Okay. :) I think you make an interesting point about fillers/oils too, now that I think about it. I have noticed that some of the best detailing routines often involve some product that fills slightly, either a glaze with carnauba waxes, or layerable sealants like Klasse SG, Zaino, BF, etc. I imagine they smooth out the last, tiny microscopic flaws that mechanical abrasives simply can't.
 
fortunately clear coats are harder than plastic, othewise we'd all be in trouble



as for plastic, stick with quality microfiber
 
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