SMR didn't seem to do anything for me???>

W

WS6Fury

New member
This is a pretty strange occurence. To start off, I've finally got a PC to use. I wetsanded the hood of my VW today to even the clearcoat out. I used 2000 grit paper. I then followed up with 3M FI-II with the wool pad, then the CMA yellow pad. I kept the speed around 4krpm. I completely broke the compound down. Wiped the car off, everything looked pretty good less a bunch of deeper hairlines in the paint. Went to finish off with the white CMA pad with SMR. Speed was set again around 4krpm. The SMR broke down pretty fast into a clear like oil. Wipe down the results, and to my surprise, it didn't look anything different from my FI-II sequence?? In some sections, it seems like SMR put micro swirls back into the paint??? I then topped off with IHG, the Vanilla moose glaze/polish and then Vanilla Moose wax.



Looks pretty good now, but the hairline scratches are still on the hood :rolleyes:



What can I do here guys??
 
Without seeing your car in person, sounds like you may need a product in between FI-II and SMR-maybe Meguiars DACP which starts off strong and finishes like a swirl remover. Maybe just a more aggressive pad with SMR for a pass and then back to the white pad.
 
If its is Swirl Marks and not scratches, theres very little ive found DACP wont remove.



The bonus is is doesnt induce and NEW swirl marks as long as your careful.
 
A harsh winter of sand and salted roads wrecked the hood of my black bmw with swirls, light scratches, etc.



This weekend it was 55 degrees out and gorgeous, so I spent the weekend detailing.



Used DACP with Yellow Pad, TWICE on each section. Then moved to #9 with white pad, then #7 with white pad, then P21S topped off with a spritz of Pinnacle Crystal Mist.



I was AMAZED with how well the DACP worked. The additional steps of #9 were really not necessary, but I wanted the #7 for sure to fill in/ hide whatever the DACP and #9 didn't remove.



Looks great. Will post pics tonight!
 
Scottwax said:
Without seeing your car in person, sounds like you may need a product in between FI-II and SMR-maybe Meguiars DACP which starts off strong and finishes like a swirl remover. Maybe just a more aggressive pad with SMR for a pass and then back to the white pad.
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From what I understand, DACP is stronger than FI-II. 3M said this has the same cut as 3M SMR (25 cut). :nixweiss



What year VW were you doing this on?
 
BIGkev1001 said:
I thought FI-II was more aggresive then SMR. I have never used SMR I am just going by what I have read here.
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Yeah, but 3M said they had the same cut. I sent a follow up e-mail to 3M about this to double check, but haven't heard back yet. It sure does seem stronger....
 
I believe FI-II is harsher than SMR. I KNOW it doesn't have fillers and SMR does. So in a way, if your goal is to truly take out the scratches, I like FI-II better because I can see the truth. I don't want a filler to conceal scratches from me if my goal is to polish them out. I have also used 3M's "fine cut rubbing compound". The name scared the crap out of me so I tried it on some other guy's car first! Guess what - works faster than FI-II and polishes out just as well. It IS more aggressive - but diminishing abrasives help to deliver a great finish with most of these products provided you work them enough. The only question is how much clear you will remove before you've broken down to the polish stage.



You didn't say if you started with sandpaper coarser than 2000. If so, you might not have sanded THOSE scratches out sufficiently with the 2000 - and then all bets are off. FI-II is supposed to be good for 1500- and finer scratches only.
 
Its a 99.5 Jetta with the dark blue metallic paint. FI-II is definately coarser than SMR, you can tell easily just by doing a little hand wax.



I probably need something a little stronger than FI-II, not sure what though in order to remove some of the residual small scratches the 2000 grit paper left in the paint. It scares me to go stronger though after leveling the paint off.



SMR didn't seem to do anything to the swirls. Maybe its not good or fine enough for the micro swirls??
 
If 3m SMR didn't work for you with a PC and a cutting pad, then step up to DACP with a cutting pad. DACP is definitely more aggressive, but it's perfectly safe. Just make sure you work it in long enough for it to completely break down.



If you get any hazing from the DACP, (I didn't on my black car) then you will need to back down the scale to SMR or #9, and if needed, even a glaze like #7. Then follow with your favorite wax.

Good luck!
 
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