Should I even bother anymore?

Prometheus

Prometheus

Perfectionist in Rehab
So, I'm just going to lay it out, and let people voice their opinions. I am a college student, with a decent job (still doesnt pay enough to support this habit though :D ) and I like to think a pretty decent set of skills. I joined Autopia a little more than a year ago shortly after I got my car, which is black and looked like crap due to all the swirls and marring. I was looking for a place to teach me now to clean it up.



A year and couple hundred bucks later, I ended up with a PC, SSR 1 and 2.5, PB EX, Megs #9, 16, 81, a set of propel pads, and a whole bunch of other stuff. I got the PC this past winter, and was excited to finally try it out this spring/summer. I started during Spring break with the hood, some SSR 2.5 and a polishing pad. Turned out pretty nice, and moved on to the passenger side of the car. Again, pretty good, not perfect, but I was happy with it.



This brings us to today. Spring break was awhile ago, but I had higher priorites (finals). So, now that school is out, I was working on my car today. I had gotten some marring since break, (probably from my washing) but nothing bad. So, I washed the car (with a modifed version of Accumulator's extreme process), dried it, and was going to put on some 81 and EX just to make it look nice for a while. Then the sh!t hit the fan.



I pulled the car in the garage, and applied the 81 like the bottle says with a clean terry towel. Brand new, just out of the washer and air dried, and had been sitting in a rubbermaid tub for about a month or two. Applied the 81, and looked great in the garage. Today is an insanely (almost painfully) sunny day, so I pulled it out of the garage to check out how it looked before I put on the EX. I almost puked. THe hood was literally almost worse than when I started out on spring break. I still dont get why it happened. So, half hour later after a quick pass with the PC and SSR1, the hood looks acceptable again, and I put onthe layer of EX and said forget the rest of the car. I am just supremely frustrated right now. I feel like anything I do always backfires, and never looks good for more than a day or two. I still dont feel like I'm polishing quite right, at first I though I was using too much of teh SSR, and now I'm not sure if I'm using enough.



I guess my point here is, that I almost never feel satisfied, no matter what I do. Yeah, my car is probably the best in the parking lot, but still, I'm not happy. Should I be so concerned? Will I ever get black paint on a daily driver to a point with no obvious marring from say 3-4 feet away? I feel like I can't win. Even after the SSR1, if i look really close I can see marring, but it is really small swirls, which might be from using too little polish, but I got the same thing when I thought I was using too much. I'm just feeling frustrated and desperate.



So, enough of that crap. Sorry for the rant/vent, and if I seemed :sosad , but I'm almost at the point of giving up. I hate having my car look like crap, but I am feeling so frustrated right now that I dont know what to do. I've shown/told other people about it (namely my parents) but they dont see anything wrong with it. Figured maybe a bunch of Autopians could relate. Anyways, sorry for the long post, I'm just about at my wit's end here. So, I guess if you have any tips for applying #81, I'd appreciate it.



Thanks in advance.
 
That really blows when you can't get perfection on your car. I know what your going through, i've had my PC for about a year and it seems recently its really been having a hard time removing anything. Yesterday I worked on my mom's van, I wasn't going crazy just a good polish/wax, but since I had time I figured I would try getting some scratches out. I worked in DACP and ASR with a yellow cutting pad and got nowhere with it. I know people get good results with PC, but I think I'm going to step my game up and take the rotary plunge. Sorry for hi-jacking your rant with my rant :o
 
I know how you feel. I have a black 2003 Silverado that sits outside 24/7. It looks much better now than it did when I got it from the dealer. Went the same route as you. Purchased a lot of products and PC 7424. As i got better with the PC the better the results. Although it was never perfect. It was always something.



It is hard to get perfection. The more experience you get with the PC the better the results. There is one drawback to experience. That is to say the more you learn and experience the better your eye becomes to the imperfections.



IMHO keep striving for perfection. Perfection is hard to attain. The results from the process will reap rewards of gratification that are both immediate and long lasting.
 
I dont know what 81 is, is it a glaze?



Anyways, Megs MF applicator pads are great for glazes.



I have 50/50 black-silver on my truck. I can find slight swirls after a few months...thats just the way it goes.



I decided to glaze and EX-CMW the black. Alot better.
 
Prometheus- That's gotta be really frustrating! Since my "extreme washing techniques"/"marring free S8" and other such [stuff] probably cotributes to your frustration, let's see if I can help out a bit with this. Long-winded post follows:



Note that wash techniques like I use really only work when the vehicle isn't too dirty. You might've left dirt in/on the finish. Note also that I almost *always* clay before I polish or reapply LSP. This gets any residual dirt. Any that you *miss* can cause marring when you apply/remove product.



Sounds to me like it was the terry applicator for the #81. Yeah, Meg's recommends that, but plenty of paints just won't take it without marring. The bad news here is that you'll have to repolish to get the marring out/reduced/livable (as you did with the SSR1). The good news is that maybe I can help make it a little less frustrating.



Since the #81 is basically nonabrasive, there's a real limit to what it can do for you. I never liked it/got decent results with it myself even though others swear by it.



Don't be too hard on yourself, it's a learning process like any other. You learned (the hard way, I'm afraid) that terry cloth, #81, and your car don't mix.



Here's what I'd do, based on what I did with a black rent-a-Suburban. That thing was a real mess, but I was able to bring it back (should've documented it).



Get some Meg's #80 Speed Glaze. Yeah, I know, "buy more products" but I'm serious. It sounds tailor-made for what you're dealing with.



If you feel like it, go over the car sorta quickly with the SSR 2.5. Don't shoot for perfection. Think "once over". If you're just plain too fed up then only use the #80. With both products- on with the PC, off with a MF. No terrycloth. #80 is simple- work it until it turns from brown to clear. If the residue you wipe off is brown you need to work it longer. Foolproof if you work it long enough.



Inspect your work after each panel, using a trouble light (just a cheapie that takes a regular light bulb) if you don't have a halogen set up. You'll be amazed at how good it looks with the #80 after your SSR 2.5.



That approach will work, at least to a *great* extent. It'll be a lot better than it is now and better than I could do with the sorta similar products (#9, #81) that you have now. Quicker, I think, than using the SSR stuff, but I can't say for sure because I haven't tried it.



Put the #16 over the #80. Enjoy being out of school.



Don't worry about perfection. Note that I can only now keep *some* of my vehicles perfect (and that's for practical purposes, no vehicle that gets driven will ever be 100%). And I'm a retired guy who can spend ages on this, keep the good cars in the garage for weeks or even moths without driving them, and who has a purpose built detailing shop and 30 years of experience. When I was in college my vehicles (many of which were black) often looked *awful*, especially when I actually applied myself to my studies. You just gotta prioritize, but that doesn't mean you have to chuck the whole idea of having a nicely detailed car.
 
Just a couple thoughts on the #81, I haven't used it so I'm shooting in the dark:



I know you pulled the car in from the sun but was it still hot when you started?



How large an area did you work at one time?



Was the polish dry and dusting when you removed it?



Are you sure they're actually paint swirls and not product smearing? Was the application towel 100% cotton, made in USA? Did you try a foam applicator or mf towel?





PC.
 
I find the PC to be a great cleanup tool, only after the rotary use. Yes, i know that it alone will do a pretty good job, but the rotary might be needed for your application. Borrow one from a friend and give it a try with your SSR 2.5. I did my mothers 2003 camry that had alot of swirls with the PC and it wouldnt touch them, then i switched to the Rotary and the same cleaner DACP, wow what a difference. One i was finsihed i went over the car again with the PC to get rid of the Rotary swirls. The car turned our great.



Good luck,

Sellncars
 
Oh, I forgot to add, I think #81's name "Hand Polish" may either have been from before when the PC came out or perhaps a way to remind "professionals" not to use it with a rotary.



You can apply it with a PC.





PC.
 
Thanks guys,



I know I'm a little anal and everything, but I was just frustrated. I'm inclined to agree with Accumulator about the terry cloth being the problem, but I have no real way of knowing. Guess all my terry's are going to be relegated to interior cleanup now. I had done 81 and 16 previously, and thought it looked awesome, which was why I was anxious to try the EX over it. Thats half the fun right, trying new stuff? I have been trying to just do 2.5 and then do the cleanup with 1, but who knows, maybe 80 will work better. I really dont mind buying more stuff, I dont have *a ton* yet (yet being the key word there) , so that'll probably be my next stop.



PC,



The car was cool, had just washed it in the shade and pushed it directly into the garage from there. Did the hood in quarters using about a quarter size of #81, a little goes a REALLY long way as it is very liquidy. The marring appeared after the 81 and terry were used, and i believe the terry was made in the USA, but I dont have the package anymore so I really dont know. I did end up cleanin up the marring with SSR1, and its about back to where it was now. But yeah, the SSR had cleared out and was just barely starting to dust when I wiped it off.



Anyways, thanks for all the support you guys. I really do appreciate you taking the time to help and support me. Coming from people who understand, it means a lot that you take some of you valuable time to help me. Thanks a million.



OH yeah, I'll have to try the 81 by PC, but I dont how how/if it will help. The instructions say to wipe on and rub in, then wipe off, dont know if the PC would truely be appropriate or not... oh well, one more test to run :D
 
I think sometimes we do get a bit carried away with the perfect car. I have learned to accept imperfection on mine cause I know that some of the scratches in my car I just can't get out. Sure, I could try, but I don't want to take off all the mils of clearcoat it would take to do so.



As for terrys, yes I use them.....:eek: , lol. I use them only to remove products, cause they give me the bite I am looking for while my selection of MFs don't. I believe it is possible to use them without marring, depending on your car and methods of course. Just check behind yourself with a light, like accumulator said. This allows you to check immediately to see if you have any marring, believe me it works great.



Yes, you should bother, but since it is a daily driver, parked outside, and such, you should plan accordingly with the appropriate products and such.



Try to be more happy that your car looks better than everyone else's, than worrying about the smallest scratch that won't even be noticed by a non-autopian. After all, we don't look at your car everyday, lol. :D



Seriously, stressing over small things will drive you mad. Your car still looks great, enjoy it.
 
I recently went through the same thing. I used IP and FPII. I thought all was fanatstic until it hit certain light. Now I think I'll have to go over it again and work my prodcuts longer. Its just a long learning curve!! Some times I ask if its all worth it too!!!:nixweiss
 
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