What to do, not to do...

B

breakneckvtec

New member
I plan to attack the swirls and imperfections once spring hits. I am going to start mild and go stronger as needed. heres my order of swirl attacking:

3M SMR

3M finnesse it machine polish

3M perfect it fine cut compound

I think that if all else fails the fine cut will take care of all the swirls and minor scratches. The word abrasive really scares me though. I am guessing that the amount of clear that gets leveled down is really small in the overall scheme of how much clear there is on the car. Am I right on this? Someone want to explain it to me?



Also, I plan to clay my car before doing this. I was looking to get pinnacles poly clay. Is this good stuff?



On to the final question, I was going to use the 3M products first for the swirls after the clay. Is this ok? Do I need to prep with something first like a paint cleaner or is it not necessary because I am using a clay bar? I plan to follow with AIO and SG.
 
I can't really help you with the abrasive products, but as for clay, Pinnacle, Mothers, and Zaino clays are good choices. Also, clay after washing, but before swirl removal.
 
Remember that cleaning crud (real "dirt") off with clay is not the same as polishing it. "Cleaners" are not meant to clean off dirt like clay is. Lump paint cleaners/cleansers together in your mind with light polishes. Most are milder than swirl removers. So no, you don't need a cleaner between claying and polishing.



Based on what I hear of FI 2, I'd be more inclined to go right to the Fine Cut if the SMR is too weak. According to 3M, FI 2 isn't supposed to be any more aggressive than SMR.
 
4DSC said:
Based on what I hear of FI 2, I'd be more inclined to go right to the Fine Cut if the SMR is too weak. According to 3M, FI 2 isn't supposed to be any more aggressive than SMR.
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I have a lot of experience with SMR and Finesse It and actually there is a pronounced difference in the abrasiveness between the two. FI has quite a bit more cutting ability.





breakneckvtec:

You are right to use the least agresssive compound necessary for the job. But don't compound the whole car and see how it looks and then decide. That can be a waste of time. Do test areas with the various products and see what gives you the best results then finish using the least agressive (finest) product so you get the highest shine.



Pinnacle clay is great.



You can use AIO and[b/] SG if you like, but after all this prep, AIO, with all it's cleaners, will be a little redundant. You could simply go straight to SG. I did this for years with fantastic results. There is no harm using AIO also, however. Just an extra step. Some people say they see benefits of AIO as a base under SG but I have seen no documented fact of this.



Anyway, have fun.
 
Brad B. said:




You can use AIO and SG if you like, but after all this prep, AIO, with all it's cleaners, will be a little redundant. You could simply go straight to SG. I did this for years with fantastic results. There is no harm using AIO also, however. Just an extra step. Some people say they see benefits of AIO as a base under SG but I have seen no documented fact of this.



Anyway, have fun.
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I agree with that. AIO is a great cleaner but its not really necessary to be under SG. I've applied SG over Perfect It and had great results. If there is a difference then it would seriously take a machine with lasers and stuff to tell the difference. Most people who notice a difference with AIO under SG are people who are primarily noticing how much cleaner their car is since the AIO does such a fantastic job of cleaning. Its not that the AIO itself is so great; its just that the SG on top of a clean surface is pretty impressive no matter what you used to clean the car. I think you'll be ok without it. Its just overkill after Perfect It. Sounds like a lot of work you've got set out for you. :xyxthumbs
 
If you have dark paint with a significant swirl or oxidation problem and really want to attack it, just use the 3M Fine Cut followed by the Finesse It Machine Polish or P21S GEPC + Klasse AIO combo apllied with a PC. I did this myself and followed the P21S + AIO combo up with a few coats of SG and P21s Carnuba Paste...great results. :xyxthumbs
 
Brad B. said:
I have a lot of experience with SMR and Finesse It and actually there is a pronounced difference in the abrasiveness between the two. FI has quite a bit more cutting ability.
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Interesting Brad. I keep hearing this once in a while too, despite what 3M has said. :nixweiss Someone once wondered if it was the "fillerless" aspect of FI2 that does this, but that doesn't make any sense now that I think about it! :p



Any comments on how thoroughly FI has to be worked in compared to the other two products? Last I read, it takes a while by PC. Thanks.
 
4DSC said:
Any comments on how thoroughly FI has to be worked in compared to the other two products? Last I read, it takes a while by PC. Thanks.
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It's true, You can work FI quite a bit longer than SMR before it starts to breakdown.
 
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