Frustrated!!

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I'm sorry, I don't have any pics but I'll try my best to explain my problem. I have a 2006 black Infinity G35. I've had it since October. I did my best to keep the paint looking good but somehow the car got some swirl marks and marring.



This didn't bother me, because I got a PC for xmas along with some polishes, glazes and waxes. I was actually glad my car was swirled because I wanted to try out all my new toys.



Here is the process:

Wash (2 buckets, new wash mitts, grit guards, all that stuff)

Clay (I used pinnacle poly clay from Autogeek)

Optimum Polish w/Orange Light Cutting Pad - I squirted the recommended amount on the pad and then touched the pad in different places on the panel. Then I turned the machine on speed 4 and worked the polish in. I worked the polish all over the panel moving the machine vertically and horizontally. Once the panel was covered, I increased the machine speed to 5 or 6 and worked the polish until it was just a slight haze.

Klass AIO w/white polishing pad

Klass Sealer/Glaze with black finishing pad



Then I waited a week and did another wash. Then I pulled it into the garage and applied another coat of Klass SG and let it sit overnight.



The next morning I used Mothers Showtime QD to get the dust off and then applied a coat of Souveran by hand.



All products were buffed off with soft, well stored, clean, and in some cases brand new Cobra microfiber towels.



Now, four days later I got out of my car this morning and noticed SWIRL MARKS AND MARRING!



It's not obvious, but when the sun shines directly on the paint, you can see the swirls. They are only visible for about a two to three inch radius around the spot where the sun hits the car directly.



What did I do wrong?



What's the secret to using the PC? What speed? How much pressure? How long do you work the product into the paint? Should I try a yellow cutting pad? What about another polish like Menzerna?



I'll try to get some pics soon
 
Sounds to me like the orange pad+OP left the marring you see. KAIO will clean the surface well but was unable to remove the marring left from your previous step. Try a finishing polish and pad with less cut than the orange (white, black...assuming your using LC pads) prior to your AIO/SG application.
 
Thanks,



Now that I've done the 2 coats of KSG and the Souveran, I'm not about to go polishing again right now. The car still looks pretty good. I'm going to wait a few weeks then I'll start from scratch again.



So I'll try a finishing polish and a white pad. What is a good finishing polish to use? I thought AIO was supposed to serve this purpose. I have some Mother's Power Polish, I also have some Mother's Pre-Wax Cleaner. Will either of those work?



I'm not sure that Orange Pad + OP is to blame. I didn't really inspect it too closely before I polished and I didn't take any before/after pics to really do a comparison. You may be right but just in case, what else could be problem.



Should I try Optimum Compound? Should I try OP or OC with a yellow pad? What about a wool pad? Is there a better polish out there? Any special tips on PC technique?



Like I said, I'm not going to try again for a little while, so I'll take this time to collect any and all ideas, buy any necessary products, and take pics before I do anything next time.
 
Sounds like it may have occurred during the wash or the wipe down with the QD. I have a black Mercedes E55 AMG I've been trying to "perfect" over the last several months and it just won't happen. I bought all the right products, etc. and try to practice all the right techniques but I think the reality is that any time you touch the paint through washing, wiping, or QDing, you may be rubbing fine particles against the clear coat which always seem to show up when your car is black. I am not giving up on keeping the car up but I have gotten cynical pretty quickly. Black is a *****. It looks the best of any color (IMO) when it's freshly polished and when in indirect sunlight, but put it out in the sun and you'll drive yourself crazy by looking for flaws. Enjoy the challenge!!
 
In the future, make sure you work in adequate lighting conditions to inspect your work while polishing before you move on. With optimum I've been able to work in direct sunlight, or even better work indoors with a bright work light, just make sure you know you've actually taken out the swirls before you move on. From my experience with optimum, it can take an extremely long time to make any progress on harder clear coats, but I don't know what the paint on your car is like specifically. I also found that OP was pretty light duty, and it will likely take OC in order to remove the swirls, and then follow with OP to get out the marring. I personally gave up on using optimum because the results were coming super slow for me by PC... if possible, you should try to get your hands on some samples of different polishes like #83, or the menzerna line and see if that makes any difference. Good luck.
 
Try using a finer polish than OP, or at least do OP with a white LC pad, and let it work a LONG time. The OP might not have broken down fully, or the orange pad could have been too harsh for you cars clearcoat. K-AIO isn't really a polish, more of a paint cleaner, and won't (in my experirance, anyways) remove marring left from LC orange pads on my car. I have found that Optimum's polishes work better by rotary, they take too long to break down via PC. If you've got the cash, maybe spring for a finer polish.



Hope this helps,



Pete
 
Black is a very frustrating color - I'm a big believer in glazes, as they hide minor marring from one polishing session to another, and really add a lot to the paint. CG's EZ Creme glaze is my personal favorite, but if you need more swirl hiding, One Grand's Omega and Clearkote's RMG come to mind.
 
I hate to tell you to buy more products but You could try OC or work the polish a little longer or pick up some FPII. The FPII always looks good on black.
 
PC's just don't have alot of spunk when it comes to correcting paint. So far, I've found that using the scratch resistant clear coat polishes work best with a PC. You might want to give Blackfire Scratch Resistant Compound with a yellow LC pad a try for the swirls, then follow up with two rounds of Menzerna PO106FF with a green LC pad for the final polishing. Those two products will provide you with just about the best correction you can get with a PC.



A quick trip to Home Depot for a couple of Halogen lights might be considered, too. It's much easier to tell how your correction is coming along if you work with the halogens illuminating your work area.
 
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