Marine Blue

So last weekend I spent some time removing the fine scratches from the paint. My preferred products for this include a Griots Random Orbital, Griots Orange Polishing Pad and Meguiars Dual Action Cleaner Polish. I use the RO on it's highest speed with enough pressure to compress the pad to 2/3's of it's original height. I only do one panel at a time and will work the polish into the paint until it's nearly gone, this minimizes hazing on the paint.

Before starting the polishing I tape off areas of the car which I know are difficult to clean later including the front door gap, the rear hatch gap and the sunroof seal. You may want to do more taping depending on your patience level for cleaning up the residue after polshing.

I will follow this up with another polish which I will post later. Hope to get it done this weekend.

Here are a few pics after polishing....

Feel free to ask questions

shaaark89

your inspection sticker is expired
glad you're doing what the car really deserves

Marine Blue

Heh yeah, the car is registered but not yet inspected. Actually the past few weekends have been either raining or full of honey do's so I end up working on the car late at night and have yet to get her out for a drive.

Thank you again for taking good care of her for me over the past few years. I wish I could extend the same thanks to the first owner. The car really is a magnificent time warp.

It will take some time to get it perfect but I am sure enjoying it and the final finished product will be awesome.

Randy V

You may also want to post to the Concours and Car Care forum. Lots of 'clean freaks' over there.

928autobahndreamer

Looks great.
LOL my screen is too small. When I got to the 4th picture, I thought "Why the hell did he post an out of focus picture of his riding lawn mower?".

JohanvdWalt

Hi Afshin

I'm a real beginner here so please be patient.

Please explain the proses in the right order, when do you polish, clay, wax, glaze and or seal?
How and when do you remove the seal and then follow it up with what?
What is the difference between Maguiars 80 Speed Glaze and 83 Cleaner / Polish?
What is a duel action polisher, I will most probably not find a maguiars polisher around here - what features should I look for when buying a polisher?

Mongo

Nice finish!

I have a trick that I do by hand. I use Meguiars Fine Cut Professional Cleaner, than follow up with Meguar's Scratch-X to get the swirl marks out. Lastly, I wrap it up with 3M Imperial Hand Glaze, then slap on Meguiar's NXT wax. My guards red paint has never been shinier after that combo. I usually spend about 6 hours when I do this once every 6 months.

Marine Blue

Here are the proper steps in order:
1. Wash car thoroughly
2. Clay the paint from top to bottom (in that order)
3. Wash car again to remove clay residue
4. Wipe paint down one more time with a Microfiber cloth and quick detailer
5. Use a product like #83 Dual Action Cleaner Polish to perform paint correction (essentially removes fine scratches in the paint) This will not remove deep scratches or acid rain marks.
6. Wipe down paint again to remove any residue with Microfiber and quick detailer
7. Use a hand polish like S100 Shine Enhancing Paint Cleanser (available at Harley Dealers) or something similar like 3M Imperial hand glaze
8. Wipe down paint again to remove residue with Microfiber and quick detailer
9. Finish with your favorite wax. I personally like S100 Carnauba but NXT Tech is also great for hiding minor swirls and keeping the paint clean.

Porter cable makes a good polisher which is inexpensive model 7424. Making sure you get the hook and loop (Velcro) backing plate so you can easily connect the buffing pads.

Speed glaze is a glaze, full of oils to hide swirls. Dual Action Cleaner Polish had polishes and cleaners to clean the paint and remove swirls and fine scratches.


Andy,

That is a great combo when trying to do this by hand. If you lived closer I could show you the capabilities of an RO and how much easier and more capable it is with the right products. You should post some pics of the car after finishing all that work!

H2

"Porter cable makes a good polisher which is inexpensive
model 7424. Make sure you get the hook and loop (Velcro)
backing plate so you can easily connect the buffing"

Who sells the velcro backing plate? I have some Groit polishing pads but my electric polisher does not have complementary velcro to make them work.

Thanks,

Harvey

H2

What DOES get rid of acid rain etching?

BTW, Afshin, you have a beautiful 928. I like that color.

H2

greg928GTS

You can't drive that car! What if you hit a bug?

Marine Blue

This comment leads me right into step 2 polishing. When polishing you always start with the most abrasive polish first and finish with a polish that removes any of the hazing left behind by the initial polish. I personally have always loved S100's Shine Enhancing Cleanser which has a fine polish and oils to restore the reflection. As you can see from the pictures, the reflections become crisp after this step.

Here are a few pictures.

Marine Blue

Harvey,

To get rid of acid rain you really need a rotary buffer and a strong polish. If the etching is deep unfortunately you're stuck with it, but if it's shallow strong polish will take down the rest of the paint to the same level as the etching. If you've never used a rotary I would either get lessons, practice or leave it to a professional. You can also polish the area a few times to round out the sharper edges of the etching which will help to hide them.

I'll do a quick search later for the backing, I knnow I saw them somewhere.

JohanvdWalt

Thanks Asfin

Now I know where to start and already feel much more confident, I see you warn against a rotary, I've used pads fitted to my electric drill on my motorhome/RV or what ever you call it, before. I also bought a cheap orbital some time ago but I was disappointed because it was not powerfull enough - when pushed hard against the paint surface it stopped rotating and just had sort of a vibrating action.

Problem with buying an electrical polisher around here is the brands you mention are not available locally, therefor I need to now what rpms and wattage must I look for in a decent polisher.

TOGWT

"When polishing you always start with the most abrasive polish first and finish with a polish that removes any of the hazing left behind by the initial polish".

I'm sure this is a typo, but just to clarify- Always start with the least abrasive polish first before moving up