cloudy hazy look under fluorescent lights help

slammin86

New member
I noticed last night that my whole car looks cloudy and hazy under fluorescent lighting. In the sunlight, the car looks great, and in every other lighting this is not visible, apparantly just under fluorescent lights. I believe this is probably the result of the 3m 39009 smr I used by hand on the whole car last weekend. What can I do to eliminate this cloudyness? I need options that I can do by hand if at all possible.

Thanks in advance.

My car is Phantom Black Metallic btw.
 
I used 3M SMR and noticed that it made a black car look darker. You can try to polish a car again to see if the cloudiness disappear. I personally use 1Z PP to polish and follow with NXT.

Good luck
 
slammin86 said:
I noticed last night that my whole car looks cloudy and hazy under fluorescent lighting. In the sunlight, the car looks great, and in every other lighting this is not visible, apparantly just under fluorescent lights. I believe this is probably the result of the 3m 39009 smr I used by hand on the whole car last weekend. What can I do to eliminate this cloudyness? I need options that I can do by hand if at all possible.

Thanks in advance.

My car is Phantom Black Metallic btw.



If you did not follow the 3M SMR with a product similar to 3M's Imperial Hand Glaze (available at any PepBoys) to return surface gloss, that would more than explain your problem. After something like the 3M SMR, you still need something to return the surface gloss to its original luster.



Remember, the 3M SMR ever-so-slightly abrades away defects in the clear coat and as such needs to be followed by a gloss-returning/enhancing product. The 3M IHG (perhaps preceeded by an extremely light polish like Klasse AIO) will return surface gloss, as that seems to be what you're talking about.



Hope this helps :xyxthumbs



NOTE: Personally, I use 3M SMR followed by Klasse AIO, then SG then Pinnacle Souveran.
 
ExplorerXLT95 said:
If you did not follow the 3M SMR with a product similar to 3M's Imperial Hand Glaze (available at any PepBoys) to return surface gloss, that would more than explain your problem. After something like the 3M SMR, you still need something to return the surface gloss to its original luster.



Remember, the 3M SMR ever-so-slightly abrades away defects in the clear coat and as such needs to be followed by a gloss-returning/enhancing product. The 3M IHG (perhaps preceeded by an extremely light polish like Klasse AIO) will return surface gloss, as that seems to be what you're talking about.



Hope this helps :xyxthumbs



NOTE: Personally, I use 3M SMR followed by Klasse AIO, then SG then Pinnacle Souveran.



After the 39009 I used zaino detail spray on the whole car, then followed that with 2 coats of z5 and one coat of z2. This should have been just as effective as the 3m hand glaze correct?
 
slammin86 said:
After the 39009 I used zaino detail spray on the whole car, then followed that with 2 coats of z5 and one coat of z2. This should have been just as effective as the 3m hand glaze correct?



I am not very familiar with the Zaino product line, so I can't really answer that question properly.



As far as an appropriate follow-up polish to 3M SMR to restore surface gloss and prep the paint for wax/sealant, I would suggest any of the following:



- Klasse AIO (the best of them all in my personal opinion and the one I use)

- Menzerna Finishing Touch Glaze

- Blackfire Gloss Polish

- Pinnacle Paintwork Cleanser

- P21 Paintwork Cleaner

- Meguiar's Show Car Glaze



Hope that helps :xyxthumbs
 
ExplorerXLT95 said:
I am not very familiar with the Zaino product line, so I can't really answer that question properly.



As far as an appropriate follow-up polish to 3M SMR to restore surface gloss and prep the paint for wax/sealant, I would suggest any of the following:



- Klasse AIO (the best of them all in my personal opinion and the one I use)

- Menzerna Finishing Touch Glaze

- Blackfire Gloss Polish

- Pinnacle Paintwork Cleanser

- P21 Paintwork Cleaner

- Meguiar's Show Car Glaze



Hope that helps :xyxthumbs



Do any of the products you listed contain abraisives to help bring the shine back?
 
slammin86 said:
Do any of the products you listed contain abraisives to help bring the shine back?



Each of the products I listed are adequate products for restoring the gloss after a polish. The majority of them are paint cleansers and are usually the prep step to any wax/sealant that goes on.



:xyxthumbs
 
ExplorerXLT95 said:
Each of the products I listed are adequate products for restoring the gloss after a polish. The majority of them are paint cleansers and are usually the prep step to any wax/sealant that goes on.



:xyxthumbs



Thanks for your help. I will try some of the hand glaze and see what resulte I get.

Have you ever used the 39009 by hand? If so, what kind of applicator did you apply it with?

I used a terry cloth applicator and am thinking maybe I should have used a foam one.

Also, how long do you continue to rub once this stuff turns powdery?
 
If your trying to polish swirls away by hand, then most likely you will not or will add some light surface marring...unless your really good at hand techniques like Scottwax was/is. Try seaching hand methods with DACP and folded terry cloth.



Also, those lights can be very unforgiving of the slightest flaws, so don't think you screwed up a lot. Try the 3M HG but it will more likely fill more then remonve tiny defects. Unless it really bugs you, why not leave well enough alone and if you can't see the defects unless under "special" lighting conditions then you should be happy. Try the light polishes as stated above and remember it's better to have MINOR defects and a good clear coat thn to level away your finish. Perhaps light polishing over time will slowly solve the problem areas. Sorry I can't help more then just encouragement.
 
slammin86 said:
Thanks for your help. I will try some of the hand glaze and see what resulte I get.

Have you ever used the 39009 by hand? If so, what kind of applicator did you apply it with?

I used a terry cloth applicator and am thinking maybe I should have used a foam one.

Also, how long do you continue to rub once this stuff turns powdery?



If you're trying to decide amongst the ones I listed, my personal choice is the AIO. It's arguably the best paint cleanser and prep polish there is. I do have a bottle of the IHG, though it's collecting dust.



As far as the hand application, I'm sure others will agree that doing 3M SMR by hand usually doesn't work very well. I did it by hand until others on here suggested that it was not an ideal choice for removal of swirls by hand. I was told that Meg's DACP is better suited for hand application. That being said, I noticed a pretty significant difference once I switched to using my PC and foam pads with the SMR.



Unfortunately, it's been so long since I tried applying 3M SMR by hand that I don't remember what I used to use. Maybe some others on here will have an idea. Oh and usually (with the PC) when I start to see powder/dust, that means stop. So it sounds like you did it to right about the right time.



Again, hope that helps man :xyxthumbs
 
a PC and some propel pads will make your life a whole lot easier. Its just too much work to get good results by hand when you can have a machine do it.



I used SMR by hand only for slight stain removals on the paint, I buff it with a foam pad and remove with a MF.
 
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