What Am I doing Wrong?

[jw]

I'm polishing my Black Porsche 911 and i'm having troubles getting most of the swirls out. It looks great under flourescent lighting, but when i turn the halogens on I see tons of scrartches and swirls still. Here's what i've tried.



I started with Makita rotary and tried 106ff with a white. I then tried the 106ff on a orange pad. I then tried SIP on a white pad. I then dropped down to Megs 105 on a white pad and still wasn't removing most of the swirls and scratches. Everything except 106ff left a ton of compounding marks, once I used the 106ff it got rid of the compounding marks but still left the swirls and scratches. What am I doing wrong. I spread the polish on setting 1 and then move up to a 2 or 3 for a few passes and then finish back on 1. Porsche paint is super soft, I've seen other people on here use 106ff on a white and their results look much better than mine. Am I doing something wrong?

 

[Atlantic Euro]

The LC white pad isn't very aggressive. I'd go back to the orange, and make sure you are thoroughly working the product.

 

[Accumulator]

I'm polishing my Black Porsche 911 and i'm having troubles getting most of the swirls out. It looks great under flourescent lighting, but when i turn the halogens on I see tons of scrartches and swirls still...

OK, you've learned to not trust the fluorescents for inspection.

Here's what i've tried.



I started with Makita rotary and tried 106ff with a white.

Way too mild. Don't expect correction from something that gentle. And use the 106FF until things are basically perfect (if only because of the chance of concealing).

I then tried the 106ff on a orange pad.

Bad combo IMO, too aggressive a pad for that mild product. I only do stuff like that with M205.

I then tried SIP on a white pad.

I woulda tried that with an orange pad.

I then dropped down to Megs 105 on a white pad and still wasn't removing most of the swirls and scratches.

I woulda used the M105 with a more aggressive pad, at *least* a Griot's orange or a LC tangerine. Actually, I would just use it with a LC orange or some other light cut pad.



IME the M105/polishing pad combo is over rated. BUt if the paint were as soft as you think it is, it still woulda done a *lot*.

Everything except 106ff left a ton of compounding marks, once I used the 106ff it got rid of the compounding marks but still left the swirls and scratches.

And the 106FF tends to conceal minor issues so you can't really trust that.

What am I doing wrong.

Wrong product/pad combos and maybe the wrong technique.



Note that M105 should be used in a very different manner than the diminishing-abrasive products you mentioned.

I spread the polish on setting 1 and then move up to a 2 or 3 for a few passes and then finish back on 1.

Don't do that with M105. You don't spread M105.



And I somehow suspect that you're a) working too-large areas and/or not breaking down the Menzerna stuff properly.

Porsche paint is super soft,

Maybe it's not all *that* soft if the SIP didn't correct it. But then I dunno about trying the SIP with that white pad. BUT....I haven't worked on a Porsche since forever, and the last 911 I did was my C4 back in the early '90s, so I'm sure no expert on that paint :nixweiss

I've seen other people on here use 106ff on a white and their results look much better than mine...

I wouldn't go by what other people say/post. I sure wouldn't expect the 106FF/white to solve your problem if it didn't do that right away.

Am I doing something wrong?

Well, yeah. But it's hard to say *what* :think:



I'd see if M105 on a proper pad fixes the serious marring, leaving only compound haze/micro marring behind. It should.



Then use something to eliminate that haze/micro marring, and *not* 106FF. Maybe the SIP.



Then maybe burnish/jewel the finish with the 106FF to bring the gloss up to where you want it.



Sorry those aren't better, more certain suggestions...