jlanka

I've got some sort of embedded water spots on my pup. I need to polish.

Question: What is the mildest polish pad for my orbital polisher I can get? Also, does the level of abrasiveness have anything to do with color? I've got some orange pads if that's any help.

Thanks in advance.

Jeff

LexVan

Try less aggressive first. Have you tried clay? Quick detailer?? Your favorite wax???

Yes pads are important. I think a blue pad is better. Orange is more aggressive. Red more aggressive again. Please check my info.

Homeles

Try autogeek.net They have a white pad that's about the least abrasive I've found.

jlanka

Is clay less aggressive than polish?

LexVan

Yes.

As for pads, per Detailer's Domain:

Blue Polishing Foam - Coarse
The cell structure of this foamed plastic intensifies the cutting capacity
of the abrasive pastes utilized, markedly speeding up procedures.

Green Polishing - Medium
Material suited for universal use; in many applications, it allows for
the “one-step” mode, in that it maintains good cutting capacity, while
permitting quality finishes.

Yellow Polishing - Fine
Very fine cell structure and medium-stiff consistency; obtained from
precious resins, this material intensifies the “gloss” level of the abrasive
pastes used, while maintaining good cutting capacity in any case.

White Polishing - Ultrafine
Very fine cell structure and soft consistency, designed for the “ultra gloss”
paint finish. In combination with some products, a reduction in the
speed of the two-step machine may be advisable, in order to improve
the action of the additives normally added to the finishing pastes.

jlanka

What I'm trying to avoid are the circular swirl marks

LexVan

You always clay before you polish, regardless. Give it a try first. It may remove your hard water marks.

If not, reevaluate, and do paint correction.

If the clay alone works. You still need to seal the finish with wax or sealant.

Lastly, you need to investigate what caused the marks in the first place. Your water? Your car washing and drying technique? Both? May need a deionizer.

Money2536

Jeff, the swirl marks won't come from an orbital. You are only about an hour away from Phil's shop at Detailer's Domain in Norwood, NJ. Why not spend the $500 and go have them do it for you? I could tell you what to do to the get the water spots out, but I wouldn't want to learn on a BLACK 911. They also have paint correction classes.

jlanka

Thats what is baffling. At the recommendation of Moe Mistry I went to Detailing Dynamics in Mineola and spoke with Eddie. He asked me if I have lawn sprinklers, I almost fell over laughing (no fault of his). I never let the car sit in sprinklers, it's always in the garage. I did get caught in rain twice, but he said rain wouldn't do this.

AFA how I wash, I use a deionizer and I always dry it with a leaf blower. I can't fathom how the spots got there.

I will try the clay first and see how that works. Thanks for the tip.

Jeff

Money2536

The problem with clay on black is that the micro marring may be visible under sunlight. You will most likely need to use at least a finishing polish after clay to remove the marring. Porsche paint is pretty hard, so it still might turn out okay after clay. It can't hurt to try, but water spots are usually etched into the paint and not just debris attached to the surface. You'll probably need to remove some clear to get them out.

Here is what I would do:

Wash
Spray the car down with Iron Out and let sit for a few minutes
Rinse
Auto Scrub or Clay the entire car
Dry/Blow-Off
Tape off all of the jams, trim, rubber, emblems
Try a spot with either Menzerna SF4000 or Sonax Perfect Finish 4/6 and a Detailer's Domain Orange (Polish) Pad.

If this doesn't get them out, you're going to want to compound the car. As long as you don't compound the car five times a year and you do it every couple of years, you won't remove enough clear to matter.

Compound on setting 6 with Menzerna FG400 and Mequiar's MicroFiber Cutting Pad. FG400 actually finishes very nicely.
Since it's black I would most definitely want to jewel with a finishing polish.
Finish with Menzerna SF4000 and a Blue Detailer's Domain pad.

I had planned on using Swissvax Concorso on my 911, but have been so impressed with Sonax Polymer Net Shield sealant that I decided to save my $350 and use the PNS. I'll bet the Sonax will prevent any future water etching. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you want me to talk you through it.

I promise you will have a really, really, really hard time messing up the paint with a random orbital. I'm assuming you have Griot's or Porter Cable. If you have a Flex, that may be a different story.

Matt

addysdaddy

Depends on the pad manufacturer - unfortunately different colors can mean something different across different lines. Lake Country, Buff & Shine and Meguiars all make quality pads. it is also machine dependent. If your using a DA (dual action polisher-put aside that orbital unless you know what your doing) than let me recommend Lake Country Pads.

For a mild polish, Menzerna 4000 or Sonax 3/6 do really well on German paint - both have a cut level of 3 on a scale of 1-10 (with ten being the most aggressive). Another excellent mild polish readily available from you local auto parts store is Meguiars M205. Do a small test area first to make sure you have the right pad and polish combination. Least aggressive combination first, then step it up if that doesn't work.

Do yourself a favor and buy some quality MF (micro fiber) towels. Microfiber Madness sold exclusively at carpro-usa.com are the hands down best towels on the market and won't scratch your paint. http://www.carpro-us.com/microfiber-madness/ If I had to do to over again, I would only buy their towels. Waverunner for drying and Yellow Fellow for removing polish.

addysdaddy

Hey Matt, good advise. I'm not family with Phil's pads and I like to stick with the name brand over the generic for that, but I've heard plenty of people use DD pads and are satisfied. And like I said in my post, the color schemes are different and I'm very familiar with the LC system so I stick with what works. His MF towels though don't hold up. If you haven't tried the Microfiber Madness towels, you really missing out. German made and fantastic quality.

Love your choices of polish and though I don't have first hand experience with Swissvax, it's a little difficult to use because of all the prep that's involved from what I've read. For newbies I typically recommend a liquid wax or something like the Sonax Net Shield or Blackfire Crystal Seal which is a wipe on, walk away type of sealant. Super easy to use and you can "wax" the entire car in 15 minutes. BTW, I have and use the Flex 3401 and it's a DA with forced rotation so you really can't burn the paint. Also have a PC but honestly, the Flex is the TTS of polishers. Once you get that in your hands, there is no going back. haha.

Money2536

I need to try these out. Much cheaper than others too.

chuckbdc

Is it worth it to try cutting fine polish (or mild compound) with liquid wax and trying that before going to more aggressive treatments. That is start with he least abrasive possible and work up to what removes the etching?

Money2536

If your car has never been properly polished, chances are it needs one. My car needed it right off the truck from the factory. I'm not sure why everyone is so afraid of using a M105/205 or FG400 or whatever other new polish floats your boat. The abrasive technology designed for a DA or Flex is so much better than polishes of the past. Removing a few mils isn't going to matter.