Nothing really that epic or amazing, and the car is now gone unfortunately, but I got to try a few things for myself on this 1993 Subaru Legacy before she was taken away!
So first up, headlight polishing - turns out 2 passes of M205 and a PC XP/LC white 4" pad was all that was necessary to satisfy me.
As is (completely clean however)
First pass of PC XP/LC 4" white/M205
Second pass, and i'm happy!
Night shot of results
Next up: scratching! More specifically, scratching up my brother's car! MAN, did this ever feel weird! I got a couple spots right through rather badly, and did some light ones and everything in between with about 6 consecutive scratches.
Panel before scratching:
Scratched!
2 passes of M105/PC XP/LC orange 4" pad:
Wetsanding (only got a chance to do 1 mild run, 2000 grit only used):
Buffed out - pretty much as gone as they're going to be in my mind:
Good reflection:
And finally, did a quick test to get a feel for how many passes might start to get through the clear (4" LC orange/PC XP/M105) assuming the pad was kept flat.
Unfortunately, no paint gauge...
First, I did 8-9 passes on the same concentrated spot. Looked great, no issues.
Getting a little impatient, I did three 30-second spurts of the pad sitting on ONE spot with pressure (slight movement, ensuring pad was spinning etc). So, a minute and 30 seconds in total on ONE spot with pressure!
Quick wipedown, and the paint still looked like new! And i've heard the Subaru clear is usually on the soft side...
I feel a little safer about doing a 3rd or 4th pass on a client's car to get things a little better now...although don't get me wrong, I know I still need a paint gauge...
So first up, headlight polishing - turns out 2 passes of M205 and a PC XP/LC white 4" pad was all that was necessary to satisfy me.
As is (completely clean however)
First pass of PC XP/LC 4" white/M205
Second pass, and i'm happy!
Night shot of results
Next up: scratching! More specifically, scratching up my brother's car! MAN, did this ever feel weird! I got a couple spots right through rather badly, and did some light ones and everything in between with about 6 consecutive scratches.
Panel before scratching:
Scratched!
2 passes of M105/PC XP/LC orange 4" pad:
Wetsanding (only got a chance to do 1 mild run, 2000 grit only used):
Buffed out - pretty much as gone as they're going to be in my mind:
Good reflection:
And finally, did a quick test to get a feel for how many passes might start to get through the clear (4" LC orange/PC XP/M105) assuming the pad was kept flat.
Unfortunately, no paint gauge...
First, I did 8-9 passes on the same concentrated spot. Looked great, no issues.
Getting a little impatient, I did three 30-second spurts of the pad sitting on ONE spot with pressure (slight movement, ensuring pad was spinning etc). So, a minute and 30 seconds in total on ONE spot with pressure!
Quick wipedown, and the paint still looked like new! And i've heard the Subaru clear is usually on the soft side...
I feel a little safer about doing a 3rd or 4th pass on a client's car to get things a little better now...although don't get me wrong, I know I still need a paint gauge...