Need some polishing help

C

capt512

New member
Hey Everyone,



Looking for some correction/protection recommendations. I read through some of the Guide to Detailing threads and gained some useful information.



I am looking for a recommendation on pads/polish/sealer.



Here is what I've got, a 2003 Mercury Marauder that looks pretty rough. The clear coat is failing on the roof, trunk, and hood. No peeling yet, but lots of cracking and some bird bomb etching. Mercury did a horrific paint job on these vehicles so MANY have clearcoat failure, with the failure originating from the primer. Repaint costs due to this are around $10,000 so needless to say that won't be happening.



I have a PC7424 with an edge 2k yellow waffle pads that I've tried some work with but its falling all apart.



So I need pad recommendations for correction, polish recommendations, and a sealant/wax recommendation that doesn't dry white. Since I have the cracks in the paint, if the wax dries white it looks horrific with all of the little cracks white on black paint.



I have had a few of the other edge pads but even with no downward pressure the pads don't seem to spin if they aren't waffle.



Suggestions please??



Swirls and holograms





Paint isn't dirty, all the specks are paint failure and cloudy paint





Clearcoat cracking and cloudiness

 
Sorry, but from what you say about the condition of the clearcoat, you are just wasting your time and money to attempt any kind of correction that might appear OK for a week or so.

You can get a decent repaint for anywhere from $3,000 up to $5,000.

A top of the line, and sometimes the costs for them doesn't make them any better than the $3,000 job, can run up to $8,000.

 
I realize the paint will never look all that great without a repaint, however its not bad enough that it can't look good from 15 feet, that's what I am trying to get. Because of the primer/metal being the issue causing this problem, each panel would have to be removed, chemically stripped to bare metal and start over. This is not to get an exceptional paint job just to get one that will last more than a year or two. I have taken the car to 6 different reputable shops and the lowest quote from any was 9500 and 2 months time. That's unrealistic for a 2003 car with 100,000 miles so I'm just trying to make it better.



I fully realize the bird bomb etching and cracks will always be there and something I just have to accept. :(
 
So compound it and see how it comes out. Use the Wolfgang products. Three steps. If you think the car is worth it. OR bring it to Maaco. Remember, you get what you pay for. Just living with it might be the logical thing to do.
 
The side paint is still good besides the holograms, so at some point I may replace trunk lid and hood with used and get it painted to match. But for a while it will be live with it. I do like Wolfgang products so will go that way, is their sealant a clear dry or do I have to worry about white sealant in the clearcoat cracks?



Thanks
 
Anyone? Want to make sure before I make my purchase through autogeek that I am getting products that aren't going to dry white in the crows feet.
 
I would use the HD Uno, followed by the HD Polish

Then, to get the residue out of the cracks Turtle Wax Ice detailer/fast wax is good for that, as it does not leave a white residue. You may still see a bit but with a little more product it should come out.

I don't work for 3D, but have used these two products and they would be perfect for you needs.

How about that, and I used to formulate car care products before I retired and it was not for 3D.
 
capt512- Fellow Panther fan here :wavey Are you on the Panther forums? I don't post much detailing advice on those as I'm a bit, uhm...off the deep end :o



A few things come to mind...first off, the machine. The PC 7424/7336 are simply not up to the taks of polishing vehicles. Yeah, I know everybody uses 'em but they're not (I've had two of those PCs since the '80s). If you want to use that machine, you need to get a smaller backing plate and do the work with small pads (I recommend 4"). The smaller size imparts less friction so the PC is less prone to bogging down at the lightest pressure. Even though you cover a smaller area, you still get a lot more done for the time/effort.



Use a 4" Meguiar's Microfiber Cutting Disk for the aggressive work. Don't overdo it since your clearcoat is already failing, just do enough work to make things better.



For product selections, I'll defer to Ron Ketcham, who is, uhm....unlikely to be wrong. That spray-wax idea is very good, though I've done OK on compromised clearcoat by using a wax (Collinite) and buffing it off before it sets up in the cracks/etc. That might be a bit tricky to pull off though, so OK on the spray-wax.



But do switch to a 4" (or even 3") setup on your PC and use MF Cutting disks instead of aggressive foam pads if you're doing the work with that 7424.
 
Thanks for the advice guys, sounds like a plan. I just want to make sure that after polishing and getting stuff out of cracks that the new wax/sealant I use doesn't dry white in them? Wanted to get a good clear wax/sealant or black wax/sealant suggestion as well.

I wanted to get a flex at some point but with this paint failing I don't know the purpose in spending that much.

I am a member of both CVN and MM.net but rarely post on CVN anymore.
 
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