Dplus

I have a black '95 porsche 993 cabriolet. The car has always been garaged and has only seen rain two or three times in 16 years. The car was my father's since new, now mine since Sept. 2010 (34,000 mi.). It spent the last 10 years in Palm Springs and as a result it has minor road rash on the front bumper, lower portion of the hood and above the clear protectors in front of the rear wheel wells. The road rash appears to be from sand and is VERY small chips but they're visible in the sun as tiny white specks about the size of a pinhead and smaller (light color primer underneath?). There are also some light swirl marks probably from improper washing/detailing/drying with terry towels.

The car is in Sonoma now, is always garaged and never sees bad weather. I have polished it once by hand using Meguire's Swirl X, a micro fiber applicator and microfiber towels and waxed by hand using Meguire's Gold Class. This removed the haze and some of the swirls but there is still a lot to be desired.

My goal of course is a smooth, glossy deep black that looks great in direct sun, or as close as i can get.

My plan is to use Dr. Colorchip for the road rash, clay, mask everything, polish using a Porter Cable with 1Z Paint Polish and wax with 1Z Glanz Wax. For the top, wash with Rag Topp cleaner and finish with Rag Topp Protectant. The rear plastic window is clear but does have some minor scratches. I haven't purchased the products mentioned or the Porter Cable so I'm wide open to other products too.
My questions are:

What order should I do those steps in? Are there steps I'm missing? Other products I should use? Or am I completely off-base here?

Also, I use quick detailer and several microfiber towels almost every time before and after it's driven (two to three times a week, weather permitting)because it shows so much dust. Is this too much? Would a car duster be better?

This is the first time a mechanical polisher will be used on the paint, as i said before, I polished it by hand once so I don't think paint thickness is a concern.

I apologize in advance for the long post and appreciate any advice received,

Thanks,

Darell (never owned a black car before)

Marine Blue

Personally I would choose a Meguiars, 3M or Menzerna product before 1Z. I have the 1Z paint polish and was not even remotely impressed. In fact I still have some sitting in the cabinet and you're more than welcome to have it if you pay for shipping.

It would help to see some pictures of the car to determine which products you'll need. I think you have the right approach regarding the Dr. Colorchip but again it would help to see close up pics.

As far as wiping the car down after a drive, I would suggest using a California duster first and then follow it with quick detailer and microfiber. Don't use the same microfiber for the wheels, keep them separate. I have used this same method to keep my concours car which I drive 2k miles/year in show condition.

Dplus

Thanks Marine Blue, this is the kind of info I'm looking for. I realized I should post some pics after the fact. I see if I can get some up today; the flash REALLY shows the imperfections even the paint looks great under flourescents. Should I do the chip repair before or after the polishing?

Darell

speedfreak81

I would suggest checkinig out autogeek's website. Take a look at Lake country CSS smart pad page. Grab a purple foamed wool pad, an orange cutting pad, and a white finishing pad. That will get you everything you need for a multi stage correction job.

Next, pick up a bottle each of Meguiar's M105 Ultra cut compound, and M205 Ultra finishing polish.

Wash the car, run the clay bar over it as you stated, then rinse to remove any residue left from the clay bar. Tape off all your seams, door jambs, trim, and plastic/rubber molding. I like to throw a beach towel over the cowl/windsheild wiper arm/windshield to help keep dusting off of it, because the M105 WILL dust.

Begin working the 105 with PFW (purple foamed wool) with the Porter cable. Do a couple passes, wipe, and check your results. It helps to use an IPA wipedown (get a spray bottle and fill it with a 50/50 mix of distilled water/isopropyl rubbing alcohol. Spray onto a microfiber and wipe down your panels, this will remove any filling or hiding of imperfections that may have happened during the compounding process. If imperfections remain, keep going. Once the swirling is gone it's time to start stepping down to really bring out the shine, and to remove any buffer trails you may have left with the wool.

Grab your orange pad, and do a few passes with the 105. IPA wipedown and inspect your work. At this point you should be pretty much defect free and ready to move to your 205. Grab your white pad and start working with the 205. The 205 will REALLY finish things off and bring out the shine. At this point do an IPA wipedown and inspect. You should be looking at a smooth, glasslike surface that is defect free. I normally pull the car out and give it a quick wash to remove dust and compound that may have been slung during the polishing.

Next you'll want to apply a sealant to protect your newly resurfaced paint. I am a big fan of HD Poxy. Apply it in a very thin even coat and let it set up, then buff off. You can layer a second coat for even better results if you wish.

If you have any other questions feel free to ask!

I didn't mention the cleaning of wheel wells, wheels, glass etc because those are all givens that you will do anyway.

-Brian

Dplus

Thanks Speedfreak, I was worried that the m105 would be too abrasive so was trying to start mild. Would you recommend doing the roadrash repair before or after polishing?

Refinishing the wheels, cleaning the wheelwells is also on my list as well as replacing the lugs (no longer black) as soon as i get a set of flattop stands and jack that'll fit under the car.

Thanks again,

Darell

speedfreak81

Personally, I would do any sort of paint work after the detail. Running a buffer over areas that you've filled in with touch up paint can actually remove the touch up paint.

Also, don't be afraid to get aggressive, you're using a PC so it's not like you've got a rotary buffer in your hand. Also, mask off some different areas on the horizontal panels as test areas. Try out a few different combos and see how the paint reacts to it. You may find that the orange pad with 105 works great and you don't even need wool. That would be great because you now are working with a 2 step instead of a 3 step and thus will save time.

-Brian

Dplus

Thanks again Brian,

I was also thinking paint repair after polishing but needed confirmation.

Thanks for all your input,

Darell

speedfreak81

No problem at all! Always here if you need any additional help or guidance, feel free to PM me.

-Brian

SeattleAllroad

Agree that you should check out Autogeek. I have a 1998 black C2s that I'll be using the following on:

Wash = Griots Garage Car Wash with an ounce of Optimum No Rinse per gallon
Clay = Griots Garage clay bar with Optimum No Rinse at QD concentration
Polish = Meguiars M105 followed by M205
Finishing polish = Klasse All in One
Sealant = Klasse SG x 3 coats
Wax = P21s 100% Carnauba

speedfreak81

I would skip the Klasse AIO if you're using 205.

Marine Blue

Agreed.


Too add to what has already been noted, buy at least two or three cutting pads, they fill with product and paint very quickly and you will need to change them frequently to maintain the same level of paint removal.

Go easy on the 105, it's prety strong and can burn through the paint if you let it.

SeattleAllroad

Thanks for the input...I may skip the AIO or the M205 depending on how everything looks after the M105 pass. And yes, I've heard that M105 is relatively aggressive. I'm going to do a couple test patches to see what works best. By the way, I'll be using a Portal Cable 7424XP DA and Lake Country CCS pads for a fair amount of this. I "practiced" with the PC on the Subaru and Lexus and found the PC to be pretty foolproof.

speedfreak81

He's usinig a PC not a rotary. Don't think he's got too much to worry about.

You would be well advised to use that 205 after the 105. There is a reason it is recommended as a 2 step combo. You are short changing yourself, and will not get the results you are after if you do not finish down after the 105.

Marine Blue

Having used M105 a bunch of times with a cutting pad I can state without a doubt that it is a strong abrasive even when using a PC. Granted I'm running at full speed and compressing the pad slightly but for someone who isn't used to using the equipment it is better to be cautious.

I agree that the M205 is a must after 105. 105 will leave a haze on the paint and 205 will make it look glass smooth if used properly. 205 is an amazing final polish, very impressed with its capabilities.

Good luck!

brad@tirerack.com

My "go - to" on black cars is:

Our Griot's DA polisher.

First time through:

Gloss-It Orange Fast Cut Pad
Gloss-It Extreme Cut

Second pass:

Gloss-It yellow mild cut pad
Gloss-It Evolution Cut

Final Pass:

Gloss-It Evolution Polish
Gloss-It Gloss-It Green Pad

I'm a big believer in his stuff, because it lasts a long time and doesn't break down/flash nearly as fast as 105 does. Tried 105, hated it....

All of these are done on the above combo :