First attempt to polish, looking to improve...lots of pics

[Tarpon87]

Finally moved into a place with a garage so I started working on the car. This is my first attempt and I definitely made an improvement but Im looking for further advice.

The before shots: 2001 Pontiac Formula Firebird

car was washed with dawn, 2 bucket method. Clayed with Pinnacle clay and ONR as lube, then re-washed

front bumper, lots of bugs

water spots all over car

18x10 LG motorsports World Challenge, not very shiny

Looking down thru the Ttop glass

passemger quarter panel

rear bumper

interior is dirty

door jam condition

paint mark driver side front bumper

dirty engine shots

 

[Tarpon87]

After some work

cleaned up engine bay with DP engine degreaser and various brushes, dressed with 303 Aerospace

Clay after 1 panel (this Pinnacle clay was a pain to work with, I like blue magic much better)

50/50 on rear wing after M105 on a 4" Cyan pad and 205 on 4" Tangerine pad

 

[Tarpon87]

More 50/50 shots on rear wing, some sunshots...still getting used to taking pictures

Shot of driver side hood, after cleaned, not corrected

shot of passenger side hood after 105/205 on 5.5" pads *probably redo on 4" pads to see if it gets better

50/50 on hood, tape line not cleaned up yet

1 last 50/50 wing sun shot

 

[Tarpon87]

Its hard to capture in the pics but in the sun there is still a ton of tiny swirl marks. Should i try another pass of 205 / Tangerine or a finer polish or 205 on maybe a LC white pad? Any thoughts, comments, critiques? Its all appriciated.

-Adam

 

[jono20]

If there are swirl marks remaining, they were either induced during the polishing process, or they are much deeper than all the swirls that were removed. You can either do another pass of 105 followed by 205, or live with it. I'd probably go with the latter option unless they really bother you.

 

[Tarpon87]

Not so much that they bother me, although Id like to get them out. Im just wondering if im doing everything correctly. Wiping off the residue after the 105/205 makes me nervous. The 205 isnt too bad but there are spots here and there that I have to put a little muscle behind to get off. Dont know if im working polish too long, or not enough. I move pretty slow in each area with a good amount of pressure on the PC at speed 6 and do 2 passes, 1 going across and the other up and down. I get a good bit of dusting from the 105 as well.

 

[jono20]

M105 dusts a lot. I usually wash the car after using it. If I'm using a PC for correction I run it on 6 and basically sit on the thing to get anything done. I go through pads like nobodies business but it means I don't have to spend four days doing a $200 job on someones car.



Increase your section passes from 1-2 to 6-8, it takes a lot of work to get a good correction out of a PC. Make sure the product isn't drying out completely though. The pad should remain moist throughout the polishing process and you should be able to see residue flowing from behind the PC as it moves, not dry spots.

 

[Accumulator]

.. Im just wondering if im doing everything correctly. Wiping off the residue after the 105/205 makes me nervous...

I *always* use a spritz of M34 when buffing of the (abrasive!) M105 residue, helps mimimize micromarring from that stuff.

The 205 isnt too bad but there are spots here and there that I have to put a little muscle behind to get off. Dont know if im working polish too long, or not enough. I move pretty slow in each area with a good amount of pressure on the PC at speed 6 and do 2 passes, 1 going across and the other up and down. I get a good bit of dusting from the 105 as well.

Yeah, do more like 6-8 trips across the area, working the product until it's almost, but not quite, dry.



I bet you oughta work smaller areas than whatever you're doing now.

Its hard to capture in the pics but in the sun there is still a ton of tiny swirl marks. Should i try another pass of 205 / Tangerine or a finer polish or 205 on maybe a LC white pad?

Wonder if those are micromarring from the M105 residue :think:



I would *NOT* go milder than the M205. While some other products might bring up the gloss a *TINY* bit, on GM clear M205 is soooo gentle that it's hard-pressed to fix much, so I'm pretty confident that it oughta finish out OK.

 

[Tarpon87]

2 passes with the 105 and it dusts bad, no way to get 6-8. Not even on the 205, i could maybe do 3 passes with the 205 but anymore and its completely dried. Should i use more product? I put a circle around the outter edge of the pad and a drop in the middle. My sections are probably about 18" x 18". I could make them smaller and get more passes out of the polish. Or maybe im moving to slow with the PC

 

[jono20]

Do a smaller section, increase speed a little, maybe use a little more product. Also, I KNOW it's very frowned upon on the DA community, but if it's very hot and dry where you're doing the work, consider giving the pad a spritz with QD to increase the work time of the M105.

 

[Tarpon87]

Thanks ill try it . Its very hot and dry here, mid 90s, even tho im polishing in the garage. Thanks guys

 

[Accumulator]

2 passes with the 105 and it dusts bad, no way to get 6-8. Not even on the 205, i could maybe do 3 passes with the 205 but anymore and its completely dried. Should i use more product? I put a circle around the outter edge of the pad and a drop in the middle. My sections are probably about 18" x 18". I could make them smaller and get more passes out of the polish. Or maybe im moving to slow with the PC

I'd work a considerably smaller area than that.



Yeah, you need more product and you need to distribute it more evenly throughout the pad (look up KBM method, Kevin's method of priming pads for use with M105/M205 is great and can make all the diff). In most people's experience, M105/M205 simply don't work right when used like "regular"/diminishing-abrasive products; they take their own, slightly different, technique to work best.



Oh, and if you're spreading the product before you "do the real polishing", quit doing that. Put the polisher on the paint, set the speed to six, turn it on and do the work until it's almost dry (which won't take long).