Looking for polishing advice
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 81
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Looking for polishing advice Hello,
I own a PC7424 buffer and some Sonus polishes but am having trouble with a few spots on my car I was hoping for some advice. I tried searching but got a server error so I'm guessing the search isn't working at the moment.
Basically I have what appears to be some water spots on my wing and hood (flat spots). The car has a great luster at a distance but under hard light at the right angles I can see the etching from the water drops and it drives me insane. I've tried using the PC7424 with the heaviest Sonus polish I have and it didn't really do much to the etching (if anything).
Is it possible that these defects are under the clear coat and I'm screwed? Or should I just try a stronger polish/pad? Any suggestions?
Thanks a lot.
I own a PC7424 buffer and some Sonus polishes but am having trouble with a few spots on my car I was hoping for some advice. I tried searching but got a server error so I'm guessing the search isn't working at the moment.
Basically I have what appears to be some water spots on my wing and hood (flat spots). The car has a great luster at a distance but under hard light at the right angles I can see the etching from the water drops and it drives me insane. I've tried using the PC7424 with the heaviest Sonus polish I have and it didn't really do much to the etching (if anything).
Is it possible that these defects are under the clear coat and I'm screwed? Or should I just try a stronger polish/pad? Any suggestions?
Thanks a lot.
The PC has it limitations. It is a great tool and very user friendly, but it can only do so much. Without seeing the spots you are talking about I would say your next step is a rotary buffer. Be careful, the rotary will burn your paint very fast if you do not know exactly what you are doing. Not sure where you are from but here we have "hard" water with lots of minerals and calcium in it. If those water spots are not taken care of they will etch in the clear coat. Sorry not alot of help, but I think you have reach the limits of the PC. There may be a detailer in your area that post here that could help you out??
It's possible the clear coat is etched, but here are some other things you can try:
-Mike
- 50/50 distilled water and white vinegar mixture. I use this a lot for stubborn water spots.
- Claybar
- 50/50 distilled water and alcohol mix
- WD-40. Works great on water spots
-Mike
Try the above ^
If those dont work for you I would wetsand with 2000 grit and that most definately will take out the water spots that have been etched into the clear. If you dont feel safe wetsanding your car you can take it to a local body shop where they should be able to give you a reading in mils on the thickness of the clear in the spots that you need to wetsand. Once you wetsand in that area you will have to work your way up through the polishes to bring back the shine but it should be good as new.
P.S. at 120 degrees you start removing the scratches and at 130 you start putting them back in so when you start seeing a shine get off the surface and check your work. 99% of the time when you see swirls after a freshly buffed car it is because they are heating up the paint too much and putting very fine scratches back into the clear.
If those dont work for you I would wetsand with 2000 grit and that most definately will take out the water spots that have been etched into the clear. If you dont feel safe wetsanding your car you can take it to a local body shop where they should be able to give you a reading in mils on the thickness of the clear in the spots that you need to wetsand. Once you wetsand in that area you will have to work your way up through the polishes to bring back the shine but it should be good as new.
P.S. at 120 degrees you start removing the scratches and at 130 you start putting them back in so when you start seeing a shine get off the surface and check your work. 99% of the time when you see swirls after a freshly buffed car it is because they are heating up the paint too much and putting very fine scratches back into the clear.
if you wet sand it yourself, you will need more than a PC to polish it out .. repolishing after wetsanding will require a rotary buffer.
there is a fine line between getting the water spots to a point where you can live with them, and getting it perfect, which, more times than not, will require extensive effort, like what has been mentioned above.
there is a fine line between getting the water spots to a point where you can live with them, and getting it perfect, which, more times than not, will require extensive effort, like what has been mentioned above.
