PedroNole

HELP, HELP, HELP, HELP

Black 993 owners. Please give me your procedure for deep/medium scratch removal all the way through to the Rejex. For example, what product do you use to take the scratch out (how abrasive) then what do you use to do the next level (not so abrasive) and so on.

I know that most of you are perfectionists like I am. Please tell me how I can get this done right so I can sleep at night.

mrsullivan

einszett products always worked best for me for medium scratch removal....

www.detailersparadise.com (no affiliation at all)

Matt Vaughan

Do some reading on http://www.autopia.org.

mac993

The process I use which is works pretty well (I'm still not happy but everyone else says it looks better then new, Oh well) is Dawn wash, clay bar,3m's rubbing compound, 3m's polishing compound, dawn wash again, rejex, let cure, rejex again, let cure then finish off with a detailing spray. All this is done with a DA or an orbital. It is an all day project but thats the life of owning a black car. BTW nothing looks better then a black car when it's done right. Just MHO of course.

24FPS

wow. i'm disturbed that you're disturbed & are losin' sleep. ---- 1st be happy we have porsches to wax! 2nd get ready to rub!

i simply use 'griots' products... from the clay to the 'best in show carnuba wax' also, have a line of polishes 1 thru 3... they have removed some deep scratches for me, including an attempted keying. (luckily had just waxed it, so it was slippery) ... (no aff'l. yadda ya w/ 'griots')

remember some scratches are just part of battle... what's key is to use (whatever quality product you choose) properly and get the light to reflect the paints most clean & clear shine possible. the trick is to get the paint to reflect so it will actually hide some scratches, i.e.: the deep ones.

re: polishing & scratch removal----->once in a blue moon i'll use the orbital, but have been able to get better results (have more control) by hand using fine-sponge pads for polish application. remember to rinse & use a diff. sponge & micro-fiber towel for each grade of polish. & change towels freq. (btw: cheap yet very good yellow micro-fiber towels can be had @ 'costco').-----> take each panel of the car on @ a time & before you know it, you'll be fini! & then you can start waxing/glazing etc....

btw: i occasionally play games w/ myself & reward myself w/ a nice pint of 'london's pride' or a short snog w/ the girlfriend @ the half-way point.

whatever the case.... have fun.

cheers & bol to being sans scratches

PedroNole

Guys-

thanks for the responses, but what I'm really looking for is more specifics.

A) What products (most abrasive) do you start with. For example Sratch-X, etc.
B) What's the next product you go to....something less abrasive, maybe a swirl remover. Again, what's the product?
c) What type of polish
d) what type of wax.

BradB

With black paint it is usually at least a two step process. 3M makes, by far, the best quality compounds on the market. They are the most consistent (important to achieve uniform results and avoid making more swirls) and reliable.

There are many compounds and abrasives on the market. I have at least 35 varieties in my cabinet. 3M Finesse It II and 3M Swirl Mark Remover are the two most important products you can have in your detailing war chest. You can solve 90% of your paint finish problems with just these two products. Finesse It (FI) is the more aggressive of the two and you use this first. You follow up with Swirl Mark Remover (SMR).

Best results can be had with a buffer. A Random Orbital Buffer is the best bet for a novice. But is is possible by hand. It just takes longer. Check out these tips.

Keep in mind that many products used in these tips are there because the host sells these products. But the methods are sound.

As far as claying, Claying sucks/shears embedded debris out of the surface of the paint and makes for a silky smooth surface. I has no effect at all on scratches or swirls.

The reason for washing with Dawn diswashing detergent is because it is a strong alkaline wash and it will safely strip all old waxes off your car before you start your new prep work. This is a one time deal. Don't do this every week.

There are many types of waxes/sealants to choose from. Far too much to go into here. In general it comes down to your personal goals and choices. Polymer sealants are extremely durable and will last many months. Zaino, Klasse, Meguiars #20 are a few. Variations on that theme such as NXT and Rejex have recent popularity here. Carnaubas have been around forever and offer hundreds of variety. Everything from $2 Turtle wax $100 Zymols. (and you would be amazed how similar and different some of these can be!) Here is some info on waxes.

Hope this gets you started.

Paul in Chicago

Pedro,
I'd agree with BradB's advice except, always start with the least abrasive compound. If it does the job, there is no need to be more agressive. If not, then try the more abrasive compound.

Dudley

Pedro,

Can't add much to BradB. If redundancy emphasizes the solution, then get a DA polisher if you own a black car.

Dave

BlackCar

I also agree with what everyone says.

When black paint is properly polished,, it looks superb. But breath on it the wrong way and scratches show. Also, every spec of dirt shows...at least to me. By contrast, my silver A4 can be dirty, but not show it as much.

My wife gave me a porter cable 7424 polisher for Christmas, then I got the pads I wanted and a couple different types of Menzerna polish for my birthday. Of course, if you get into the challenge of maintaining the black, treat yourself. Autopia.org is the best source of advice and product info.

PedroNole

Brad and everyone else, thanks for the posts. I have tried several things with the most recent being the following process done today:

Take a look at these products and order of use and let me know your thoughts.

Started with 3m Finesse-It II
Then used Meguiar's Swirl Remover 2.0
Then used Meguiar's Glaze/Polisher
Then 3m wax

All products put on with an orbital machine (different applicators for different products). When I put the halogen bulb on it (at this point I wish they had never invented halogen), I still see some haze in the black paint reflection and a few swirl marks.

How perfect can I really get my black car?

JPS

Here's VERY specific about what I did:

http://www.autopia.org/forums/showth...threadid=26911

nman413

I do not know if I should post this but here goes....

We were at the track this weekend, viperbob, mooth, pin, wreck me otter, jeff 96tt and oleg. I had a spin in turn 8 of Thunderhill and subsequently picked up a few paint chips and a nasty scratch that go al the way through the primer. Ouch. I'll post a picture of the damage later.

24FPS

sorry pedro-----> but imho.... griot's will polish a hole in meguiar's... so will '3m' sorry.

the reason you see haze is b/c the paint is not clean... happens when wax is applied over a not-yet-ready to wax surface.

also, i'd stick to all '3m' product if that's what i started with... why mix? ---a co's product line was formulated to work together.

also, rather than using 'dawn'... i wash as normal & use 'griots' wax stripper/spray to remove the wax completely w/ a towel... some use 'dawn' b/c it's cheap & it contains petroleum-distillates (which desolves wax)... but i feel a product specifically designed to remove car wax fits my needs best.

you may not be starting w/ a perfectly wax-free surface.

high noon sun is the best way to check the surface... my triple black '97 has a mirror like finish & no swirls using these tips.

bol.

ps---- btw: there's always paint sanding......

STLPCA

JPS - very nice Autopia write up.

Pedro - I use 3M Finesse-It II, then 3M Swirl Mark Remover (dark), followed by Pinnacle Paint Conditioner (which removes any haze) before Zaino (or most recently a trial run of RejeX). All done w/a PC + whatever pads, microfibers, etc. my home-boy Brad B told me to buy. Every time I talk to that guy I'm sending off for another $50 of stuff I never knew I needed.