Need help removing haze...part two and still no luck!

K

KWANG-SEOK

New member
Here's the story -- I removed some swirl marks on my red Corvette using 3M SMR. Unfortunately, the SMR left a very fine haze which could be seen as horizontal "rays" of light emanating from the reflection of a point source of light (like the sun or a flashlight). I'd done a pretty good job toning down the haze with Z-5 and IHG, but I want to eliminate it. So, last night I applied PPCL by hand with a foam pad in a back-and-forth direction and examined the results. The haze was back, big-time! However, instead of the "rays" of light being horizontal, they were now vertical (a result, it seems, of my back-and-forth polishing).

How the heck can I get rid of this haze? It wouldn't be that noticeable if not for the fact that adjacent areas on the car <em class='bbc'>don't[/i] have it. I've got a PC polisher on order and it should arrive tomorrow; I'm really hoping that its random action will eliminate the directional swirls I'm seeing. However, what product should I use with the PC? Since even the hand application of PPCL left fine, fine scratches (as evidenced by the vertical rays I saw reflected from a flashlight), it seems I need an even finer product...perhaps a pure polish with no abrasives like Meguiar's Show Car Glaze. Or should I start over with the PC and SMR? Or how about the PC and PPCL? I really want to take care of this problem and I think the PC is the ticket, but I don't know which product to start with.

I can't be the first and only person to have had this problem...surely someone has seen this and fixed it on a red car before. Help!
 
What you saw was the PPCL stripping down the Z5, hence, returning the haze. i still think multiple coats of Z5 will probably fill it in nice. Use Z1 first, then Z5, then layer on 2-3 more coats of z5 waiting at least 24 hours between coats. My acura is VERY finicky with abrasives too, and that is what I had to do after using SMR on it and hazing up the finish. Please use 100% cotton towels and a decent wash mitt too to reduce the presence of future swirls.
 
...then why did the direction of the reflected "rays" of light change after the PPCL was applied? In other words, the initial haze looked different than what I saw after the PPCL was applied...almost like the PPCL introduced new scratches.

Is there a way I can <strong class='bbc'>eliminate[/b] the haze using my PC and some type of polish/glaze rather than just covering it up with Z-5?
 
DK-



Sorry to pound this into the ground, but your opinion is that SMR will work okay with the PC (i.e. will alleviate the haze) but not by hand? In other words, you think the SMR-and-PC combination is the ticket to clear up my haze? From what I've read, it seems that this may be the way to go since SMR contains "diminishing abrasives" which probably aren't properly activated with a hand application. Also, I've found Meguiar's SMR 2.0 in my area which seems to have received favorable reviews...I might give it a shot instead of 3M SMR...what do you think?



I think the overall process I will use will be to apply the SMR (using the PC technique documented in detail here) followed by an application of PPCL by PC. If that doesn't work, I give up.
 
Thanks carguy. I planned on using your procedure to fix my problem -- it seems like it should work okay. I'm still at a loss as to why the PPCL left haze/fine swirls (when examined with a flashlight)...I applied with a foam pad...hmmm. Well, hopefully the use of the PC will mitigate that problem. I'm just very leary of using any type of abrasive, so I might start with the PPCL and PC combination first then move up in abrasiveness if that doesn't produce the result I'm looking for.
 
you will most always get better and more consistant results with it when using abrasives. SMR is so mild though, it usually works well by hand. A few people have had trouble with hazing when using that product. I suspect the problem is in the clear coat itself. Perhaps it was under or over catalyzed at the factory. Most cars I use SMR on, yields great results. My black acura responds similarly to your corvette when using the product on it. I just used a few coats of Z5 over the haze and it looks great. I am surprised that PPCL did not help. Perhaps before you use the PC, try another application of it (PPCL) and wash the car with dawn before evaluating....that stuff is VERY mild. If I could see the car it would be easier to diagnose............
 
I planned on using a white foam polishing pad on the PC with the PPCL. However, I used a yellow foam pad yesterday when applying the PPCL by hand and I'm wondering if maybe that's part of the problem. Do you think I should use a gray finishing pad (I ordered the PC Accessory Kit from CMA) with the PC instead of the white one I planned on using?
 
I'm just ecstatic!! I used my new PC (which arrived today), a white polishing pad, and the new Meguiar's Swirl Remover 2.0 on the haze mentioned above. This combination was PERFECT. It totally removed the haze and left a clean, swirl-free finish. I'm so excited...I was beginning to lose hope!!
 
In spite of all the input you have received, perhaps it is time to really see what was done.



Take a small area and some IPA, (rubbing alcohol) and really clean a small area, make sure your "fingers squeak" when you push them against the cleaned area.



Then, using the 30X lighted magnifier we have discussed in earlier threads, from Radio Shack, after learning how to use it, look closely at the cleaned area.



What do you see?



Do you see marring? Marring, light scratches, etc that you did not see before stripping the surface?



Take it from there, you figure out, did you put on "make-up" or did you actually repair the "concern"?



Just a thought,



A "show car" , a "trailer queen" is easy, but a vehicle you drive everyday, have to have operate in the "real" world, that is different.



Ketch

:eek:
 
Gee, thanks for bursting my bubble, Ron. ;)

Seriously, what would you recommend? I've tried damned near everything and only the Meguiar's #9 seems to have worked for me. I had poor results with 3M SMR by hand, so I tried to use something different.

FWIW, I did what you suggested...namely, I wiped down one of the recently polished areas with rubbing alcohol...three times. I then wiped down an unpolished area. Although I don't have a 30X magnifying glass, the polished (clean) area looked a HECK of a lot better than the unpolished area...i.e. swirls vs. no swirls. The Meguiar's must be doing <em class='bbc'>something[/i]...and let's fact it, if it takes a 30X magnifying glass to see the flaws in the polished area vs. flaws I can see with a plain eye in the unpolished area, I'll take door #1. I examined these areas with a Mini-Mag Lite, so I did have a point source of light with which swirls are fairly obvious.

Bear in mind that I bought my 'Vette off the lot, so it has probably seen the ravages of an errant dealer "detail" guy with a buffer. In fact, it has several spots on it that were obviously buffed (probably at the factory, according to my Corvette sources). Perhaps I would have noticed more of a difference after performing your experiment if the car had "virgin" paint.

FWIW, my 'Vette is not a daily driver, only on the weekends. I thought of that. :D

The only solution proposed to me was to fill in the area with Z-5. I wanted the problem gone, not filled in. I guess you're telling me that the problem is probably not really gone, but if the swirls didn't return after three wipes of isopropyl alcohol, I'm fairly satisfied.
 
You did right, and that is that.



It is damned difficult to remove minor marring with out resorting to a high speed buffer first and following with a dual action.



My hat is off to you, if you got what you wanted in regards to the finish, then damned straight, that is what makes the difference.



Ketch

:up
 
Ron, just out of curiosity, I wiped off a different area with alcohol and took a look. In the second area (which was also polished), minor marring was a bit more evident, but it was still waaaay better than what I saw in the unpolished area. I just covered up this second spot with some Z-5 to fill it in.



Unfortunately I don't have the skills or the money to have the car buffed with a high speed buffer (heck, I've only had it for six weeks). But, the thing is now my haze is gone, and I'm satisfied. I'll let you know if I'm still satisfied in a few months.
 
Thanks DK. I was in a hurry to get the car done tonight so I just slapped a little Z-2 on it after removing the SR 2.0 as best I could with terry bonnets. I know I need to do the Dawn wash, but I just wanted to get some protection on there until I get a chance to touch up the remainder of the swirly spots.



I'm pretty stoked that the car responded so favorably to the SR 2.0. I was beginning to lose hope after all of the products I applied by hand weren't giving me the results I wanted. I suspect the PC was the key.
 
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