polishing plastic body coloured trim

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ohms69

New member
Hi all,



Yet again I've been in the garage expreimenting and think I've come up with a combination that satisfies for the moment. I've washed the roof and clayed it, and have been testing out different products and applicators to see which combination is going to give me the best results.



3m PI-III machine polish followed by PI-III finishing glaze topped with P21s carnuba is simply breathtaking!



I had no idea white could look quite so........WET!



Anyways, I had a go at applying my combo to the body coloured plastic roof spoiler and it hasn't quite gone to plan.



After applying the machine polish the finish(which incidentally is orange peel crazy) seems to have hazed slightly and looks to have taken on more of a matt finish than the slick gloss I had been hoping for.:nixweiss



I'm a little bit puzzled by the whole thing because I followed exactly the same procedure with the roof as the spoiler.



Any suggestions?:wavey
 
I inadvertently closed this thread while doing some forum maintenance; sorry for the confusion.



I don't have a good answer for your question, but I seem to recall a post long ago mentioning that parts like spoilers and bumper covers are often painted separately from the body of the car, sometimes with a slightly different paint mix, or even with paint from a different mfr. That could account for the different results you had on that particular part. Also, I believe the paint on some plastic parts has flex additive mixed in, which can alter how paint reacts to polishes (I'd think that more likely with bumper covers than your roof spoiler, though).



Sorry I can't offer a more definitive answer; my only suggestion would be to try a milder abrasive on the spoiler following the macine polish to try to bring up the surface gloss before glazing and waxing.



Good luck,

Tort
 
~One man’s opinion~



TortoiseAWD is correct about the “flex� agent in so called ‘aerodynamic’ parts (spoilers etc).



But I have as many questions as answers.



Q: Is this original paint (orange-peel may be caused by lack of a ‘flex’ agent if it’s been re-painted.



A: I use Zymol Detail on aerodynamic parts as it contains a ‘flexing’ quality in the wax (their claim) but it works for me.



I’m sure someone better qualified then me can answer your buffing question.





Experience unshared; is knowledge wasted…/



justadumbarchitect
 
After talking to my body shop guy, he tells me Flex has a HUUUGE Myth to it. He told me:



Flex, when mixed with the paint, does nothing but leave the paint "open" for the initial 48 hours after the paint has dried. When the paint is dry after painting/clearcoating, flex allows it to not begin the curing process. With this, it allows the installer to put the piece back on the car and bend it and such to make it fit without risk of chipping paint. After the 48 hour period, flex does NOTHING. The paint then cures reguarly.





ohms69: May sound like a dumb question, but how is the weather where you are? Humid? Could this be the problem or the actual paint is hazing?



I had a problem with my rear bumper like that. It was a repaint from the previous owner, and after being observed by my body shop guy, he concluded it was not the "normal" clearcoat used. He used another name, but its cheaper and doesnt last long. It a completely different type. Shops use it to cheap out. Do you know if the spoiler is from the factory? Even if it is, it still may be painted separate or something of the sort.



My advice: Bring it to a good body shop to see what they have to say. They usually can look at these things and know right away. Good Luck.
 
Thanks guys,



The spoiler is definitely from the factory and yes it is very humid here, but not in the garage...With the heater we experience a very summery 23 degrees C!



It's definitely painted seperately from the body at the factory so this must be why.



I think I will give it some autoglym and see if this rectifies the situation...Failing that looks like a re-paint could be on the cards! DOH!!!!!
 
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