BUFFING

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PC7424 Pad Choices PC Pictures Claybar marring Rotary Rotary Method Water Spots on Paint Water Spots on Glass

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PC 7424

Do this only once or twice a year. It should not be necessary to remove light scratching any more often. If you repeatedly notice fine scratches, then something is wrong with your washing technique or your towels. Whether you call them cobwebs, spiderwebs, swirls, holograms.... they're all just fine scratches. Here's how you get rid of them:

The Porter-Cable 7424 Random Orbital Buffer

1. Wash the car.
2. Clay the car to remove "stuck on" dirt, tar, and other contaminants from the paint surface.
3. Wash off any clay residue.
4. Porter Cable 7424, setting of 5 to 6, orange pad, Menzerna Intensive Polish.
5. Do only a 2' X 2' section at a time. Move the buffer up/down, then left/right.
6. Move at a speed of about 2" per second.
7. After the polish turns clear, stop the buffer. Do not lift the buffer off the paint until it has stopped.
8. Now wipe off using a 50% water/50% isopropyl alcohol solution in a spray bottle and a cotton towel.
9. Inspect the surface. If light scratching still remains, repeat the process. It is common to have to go over any one are 3 times like this with the Porter-Cable, before the surface is acceptable. This is especially true with the Corvette, which has a very very hard clearcoat material.
10. When satisfied that the surface is done, change to white pad.
11. White pad, setting 4 to 5, Porter Cable 7424, Menzerna Final Polish II. Use the same technique as in the above steps. However, you'll see that after Menzerna Intensive Polish, there really will not be any major marring of the surface, so I tend to move much more rapidly with the Final Polish II. The purpose of this step is only to shine the surface and remove any tiny marring induced by the more aggressive Intensive Polish.
12. Done ! You should have a flawless finish.

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Buffing Pad Choices

There really are way too many manufacturers and pads out there -- and all that does is to create confusion that is unnecessary. If you own a Vette, the only pads you're going to need are a Lake Country© orange pad and a Lake Country©white pad. Ok - go ahead and get two of each - so that you can be washing one of them while you're using the other one. You'll use the orange pad as your light cutting pad - to remove significant scratches. You'll use the white pad as a follow-up: after the visible scratching is removed. The purpose of the white pad "finishing" step is to use a milder polish with this soft pad just to "jewel" the surface and enhance its perfection and shine. All the muscle work should be performed with the orange pad, and the PC set on its highest setting, "6".

By the way, if you own a rotary machine, you can use these exact same pads and polishes with the rotary as well.

Autogeek has taken the time to publish an excellent pad comparison chart. It's worth a look, but don't waste time memorizing it - all you'll ever need are the LC orange and LC white pads.

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PC photos - Claybar Marring - Swirlmark Removal

Halo scratches, RIDS, swirlmarks, marring -- these are all just fancy words for "SCRATCHES"! Some are deep, some are superficial. But the bottom line is that you need to abrade (translation = "sand down") the clear coat to make it smooth again, and to thereby make the scratches disappear. Read on if you want to see how to remove any of these paint defects. The approach is the same, but how aggressive you proceed depends largely on how hard the clearcoat is, and how deep the scratches are.

In particular, detailer's clay can cause some serious damage to the clearcoat.

Don't believe the sell that claybars are harmless "gum" that just "pull contaminants out of your paint". That is just a sales LIE - because if anyone told you the truth, most people wouldn't buy it. Clay is an abrasive compound - it is a synthetic polymer with tiny abrasive particles embedded in it, much like sand. Of course detailer's clay is much finer and gentler than sand, but it is still an abrasive product nonetheless. It does not just pull things off the paint. Detailer's clay shears contaminants off the surface, making the surface smoother.

Read Autopia's claybar article, which should answer all your clay questions. After you try it a few times, you'll see that it will definitely cause marring of the surface of your paint. So never clay unless you are fully prepared to buff out the marring afterward. And only clay one small area at a time - when you see how badly it will damage the surface of your paint, you'll be glad if you only tackle one small section at a time.

Clay is currently quite the rage among hobbyists. But I'm not currenly convinced that it has ever done my vehicles a bit of good. Please look at the damage in the photos below before you consider claying. If you're currently happy with the appearance of your paint, then there is no reason to clay and risk this damage. If you are comfortable removing marring and swirlmarks and like to experiment, then try clay for yourself.

Here are some photos of claybar marring that was nicely corrected with a PC7424 and Zaino PC fusion as my abrasive polish.

Claybar marring, before correction.

More closeup photos of marring caused by clay. Click to enlarge. Because of this problem, you should never clay unless you are fully prepared to buff out these scratches afterward.

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The Process

Even though this looks quite horrible, and guys have gone on killing rampages for less, in fact this horrid appearance is due to very superficial scratching of only the top of your clearcoat. This kind of defect is perfectly suited for the PC and Zaino PC fusion. For deep scratching, you'd have to resort to the rotary, and a more aggressive polish like Menzerna Intensive Polish. But again,for these fine scratches, even on the hard Vette clearcoat, Zaino PC fusion will do well.

1. Zaino PC Fusion
2. PC7424, speed 6
3. Three complete passes, until polish broken down each time.
4. wipe off with cotton towel and inspect

Tape off :

It's always helpful to tape off a section. Then work on one small section and compare with the untouched part. When you find the process that works for your one small test section, you'll know what is needed for the rest of the car. Also, you'll want to tape off any body seams, like the cracks between panels, so that your debris and dust does not get packed into the cracks. This will save you a lot of cleanup time later. Most definitely tape off the edge of your cloth top - if polish gets on the fabric, it will be impossible to remove.

Results:
	After a few passes, wipe off with your cotton towel, inspect and compare to the section that still has not been polished. This result is a good indication that you're on the right track. Now you know exactly what is needed for the rest of the marred sections.

	Final appearance. Click for larger image.
	Click for larger image. This shows the super-clean, finished surface offered by Zaino PC fusion, without the need to "step down" to a finer product. You're ready to apply your sealant layers now.

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THE ROTARY BUFFER:

The Porter Cable 7424 is a fine tool. It creats a rubbing motion on your paint that really is random, and therefore no appreciable heat is generated. As a result, you cannot remove any measurable clearcoat with it, under normal usage, and therefore it is extremely safe. You cannot possibly burn your paint, nor cause clearcoat failure with a PC.

The Makita 9227C What the Big Boys use !

It's strength is also it's weakness, however. Because it is so gentle, you'll find that on a car with very hard clearcoat such as the Vette, that you cannot get much accomplished. It can take 4 hours to truly reduce the appearance of swirlmarks just on a Vette hood and trunk, using a PC7424.

Fortunately there is a faster way: enter the Makita 9227C rotary buffer.

Rotary buffers simply cause the pad to spin in a circle. This can generate LOTS of heat. As a result, you will be able to get rid of those same swirls in 30 minutes, which would have taken 4 hours on a PC. BUT this tool is so aggressive that can EASILY burn your paint, or totally erode the clearcoat. So this tool is not for beginners. Be sure to get some instruction before using one. But when used properly, you'll see why it is the workhorse of the pro Corvette detailer.

Using the Rotary will make this much easier, but with some risks. You can use Menzerna Intensive Polish with the rotary to remove the scratches.

Check with Coastal Tool.com where you'll usually find the best deal on the Makita. Also click on the image to see some other price comparisons from Pricegrabber.com. Once you get your rotary, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it!

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My Rotary Buffer Method

1. Menzerna Intensive Polish.
2. Makita 9227C, set at 1500 RPMs.
3. Meguiars "Soft Buff Foam Polishing Pad 8006", a 6.5 inch pad, with 5" "W64 Meguiar's Rotary Buffer Backing Plate".
4. Keep the machine moving - you'll be able to go faster than with the PC7424, perhaps 2" per second or more.
5. Use the same up/down, then left/right technique.
6. Keep the pad TOTALLY FLAT WITH THE SURFACE.
7. You'll see, as I did, that if you tilt the pad, or if you work the polish until the pad is drying, that you will get BUFFER HOLOGRAMS.

So remember, to avoid holograms:

1. Keep the pad totally flat always.
2. As soon as your polish turns clear, stop the buffer, wipe off and inspect.
3. If the scratches are still there, apply more polish and start again, but do not keep buffing polish that starts to dry on the pad.

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Water Spot Removal

This is an example of how well you can do by hand if you are really motivated. For several years I'd been trying everything I could think of to remove these water spots from my wife's car. This is an '03 Mercedes ML350 that stays outside. So it has been exposed to unending hot summers and rainstorms. I'd neglected it and almost never waxed it during the first two years. The result: these horrible water spots. This first picture was taken AFTER a very careful washing, removal of all wax with Dawn, after trying a vinegar "acid bath", and drying completely with a microfiber towel. So the horrible finish you see is NOT dirt, and is NOT removable by any normal means.

  This paint defect is permanent and unremovable, because it is BELOW the surface, where the minerals in the water have actually etched tiny holes into the clear coat.

  To remove this etching, you need a moderately aggressive abrasive product. I chose 3M product #39002.

 

The Process

1. Wash the car with Dawn dishwashing liquid. It will remove all coats of wax and get you down to bare clear coat.
2. Rub on the 3M #39002 rubbing compound with moderate pressue, about a 2' X 2' section at a time, until you feel the compound going dry. I used a terry cloth towel.
3. When you feel it drying, get a new towel, and buff off the residue. You'll be delighted at the smooth clear look.
4. I actually went over the entire hood 4 times before I felt the job was done.
5. Then go over the job with one application of the 3M #39009 swirl mark remover. This is often not necessary, but will remove any haze or tiny scratches caused by the #39002.

You can use this approach following situations:

1. light scratch marks that do not expose metal.
2. water spotting.
3. after application of touch up paint, if you have used the standard wet sanding technique to level your paint "blob". See the bettercarcare.com article for the best how-to on this procedure.

BUT NOTE: this is LOTS of work !!! You can save yourself hours of effort if you use a buffer instead!. So now is a good time to read up on the use of the Porter-Cable 7424, and the rotary machine.

BEFORE:	AFTER:

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WATERSPOTS ON GLASS

The Same problem will occur on your windshield, or, in this case, on the back window, if the car is left under a sprinkler. Similarly, NO amount of washing with car shampoo, Glass Plus, Windex, vinegar, or anything else could remove my water spots from the glass. It really becomes unsightly, taking attention away from an otherwise clean car.

Autogeek turned me on to DP Glass Restorer, and it lives up to all its claims. By hand, with a cotton terry towel, it took all the spots off. See below. Everyone should have at least one bottle of this stuff. Click on picture to order from Autogeek (one of my favorite places to get detailing info and buy detailing products).

BEFORE	AFTER
AFTER

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