Removing water etch with Sonus SFX-1 and PC

T

Truthunter

New member
I recently started the "perfect shine" process on a red '04 Lexus IS300 which has moderate swirls and water etching. I applied Sonus SFX-1 twice with a PC which removed most of the swirls but the etch marks are still uncomfortably noticable. Is it safe to apply SFX-1 one more time? This car has never been polished with an abrasive polish before. I am not sure how thick a clearcoat is on a Lexus. Any advise would be appreciated.

Thanks
 
If the clearcoat is etched, the marks can be deep. All you can do is use an abrasive polish by PC/rotary/Cyclo and hope they come out.

The clearcoat on any modern car is extremely thin, but the amount of paint you remove with most polishes is even thinner. You don't need to worry about removing your entire clearcoat just from a moderate polishing.



If the etchings look the same as they did before using SFX-1 twice, they might be too deep to completely remove (safely).



What type of pad were you using with SFX1?
 
Pretty darn hard to remove too much clear with a PC. And the SFX-1 isn't THAT abrasive (about a 6). So don't worry about polishing a couple more times to see if you can get that etching out. But Whitemax is right, many-a-time I've seen where the etching simply goes too deep.



Make sure you are using a nice firm cutting pad so you can apply a significant amount of pressure to the pad.
 
I'm new to PC use and I also used the SFX with an orange pad and saw little improvement. Until I realized I wasn't using the counterweight on the PC. If that doesn't do the job I'm considering using a wool pad.
 
racingbeat said:
I'm new to PC use and I also used the SFX with an orange pad and saw little improvement. Until I realized I wasn't using the counterweight on the PC. If that doesn't do the job I'm considering using a wool pad.
Click to expand...



The only difference a counterweight makes is to reduce vibration in the machine. It does not affect the swirl-removing ability of the machine.

Wool pads are very aggressive. I'd make sure you're applying enough pressure to the pad and working the polish long enough. Those are the two most common mistakes among beginners.
 
I dont think the Sonus line of polish is very good.



Try again with a Optimum compound or Mothers Power Polish. With an Orange or Yellow pad
 
Thanks for all the input everybody :xyxthumbs



I am using the Sonus Orange DAS pad. I ended up applying SFX-1 a total of four times! The last two times I cranked the speed up to 5.5 on the PC and moved it very slow: 1in/s.

The etch marks are now reduced down, some have been completely removed, but the remnants of some of them are still noticable. I think I'll move on to SFX-2 because I don't want to thin the clear too much. Hopefully, the remaining steps can sufficiently hide the edges of the leftover etch marks... I was planning on 3 layers of SG and then P100 as the final coat.



A little background on the car: In early 2005, it was the only one left in the country with the colors and options I wanted. My local dealer, in Milwaukee, located it at a Lexus dealer in Florida which had it sitting on their lot for 6 months. Now I see what 6 months of Florida rain an sun can do to a cars finish without proper protection. I made sure I included detailed information on the unacceptable paint condition of my "new" car when I filled out the Lexus satisfaction survey.
 
DJ Trackie said:
I dont think the Sonus line of polish is very good.



Try again with a Optimum compound or Mothers Power Polish. With an Orange or Yellow pad
Click to expand...



weren't you the one that was having a bunch of problems with them a while ago? the name seems familiar.



anyways, the sonus polishes are excellent, just like anything else, the way you use the product has a direct result on how easy it is to use.
 
:2thumbs: Well, after 20oz of SFX-1 and about 8hrs combined labor, all the swirls and majority of the etch marks have been completely removed. First time removing swirls and etch marks for me and I going to make sure they never happen again. Now to follow up with SFX-2, and 3...



Also, I used both the 1st and 2nd gen SFX-1 and found both to be equally effective. 1st gen dried faster, harder to remove. 2nd gen smelled better.
 
I have a similar issue with my 2000 SVT Ford Contour. I've got water etching, and after one pass with:



- PC set to 5, and 3MPIIRC FC and a SFX-1 pad

- SFX-2 polish and a SFX-2 pad



The etching is better, but not totally gone. Now that all other marring is gone, the etching really stands out. Would another pass with 3MPIIRC FC and maybe set the PC to 6 be ok? I am thinking yes, because the paint has not been polished that much. :wall



Of course now that I'm hooked on Autopia = :buffing: :getdown
 
yeah i don't know about Sonus Polishes. I used SFX-1 with the SFX-1 pad three times on my MINI's swirls and they are still noticeable. I worked the polish until a haze where you could see the buffing circles. They still aren't out like I said. I put about about a nickel size amount, about .5-.75 of an inch tall in the center of the pad then spread it on the area. How big of space am I supposed to work with? I used the entire center portion of my hood with that amount. I don't know If the problems with my technique or just not using the right polish :waxing: :nixweiss



Mikey
 
ChiliCooperS said:
yeah i don't know about Sonus Polishes. I used SFX-1 with the SFX-1 pad three times on my MINI's swirls and they are still noticeable. I worked the polish until a haze where you could see the buffing circles. They still aren't out like I said. I put about about a nickel size amount, about .5-.75 of an inch tall in the center of the pad then spread it on the area. How big of space am I supposed to work with? I used the entire center portion of my hood with that amount. I don't know If the problems with my technique or just not using the right polish :waxing: :nixweiss



Mikey
Click to expand...



This is what I found worked best: Work on a section no larger than 2'x2' at a time. Be generous with the polish. Set PC speed to 5. Do a quick once over to spread the polish out. Then start going slow (1in/s) and put enough pressure on the pad so it does not spin but just orbits - go over the area twice like this - once horizontal, once verticle. By this time you should see the polich breaking down and staring to flow. Next, reduce pad pressure so the the pad starts to spin and go over the area 2 more times at 1in/s- verticle then horzontal. By now the polish should be completely broke down and turned clear and watery - if not, go over it once more with light pressure.

This should get most of the swirls out but you may still see a runner here or there which will be taken care of by SFX-2. Good luck!
 
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