[SubieNewbie]

I spent about 4 hours last night claying the car until it was as smooth as glass when you do the sandwitch bag test.


This morning I dawn washed/dried the car to get it ready for some polishing.

So I started polishing a small area using the 3M polish for light cars. After I polished the small area, out of curiosity, I did the sandwitch bag test and to my suprise the area that I just polished was rough again like it was before it was clayed?

Is that supposed to happen or am I polishing wrong? Iam polishing by hand and its a pain!

Another thing I noticed was that after I polished with the 3M and then went over it with the 3M Glaze, the surface was smooth once again, but not completely as if it were clayed.

Should I just skip the polish and glaze? I feel like the polish isnt doing much because its not even removing small scratches and the polish says that its a swirl remover. I dont have many swirls because I keep the car really clean. You cant really see them unless its really sunny outside because the car is white.

Please excuse the poor grammar, I really dont feel like proofreading right now. I only got about two hours of sleep last night and all I have been doing is detailing.

Thanks

[Nachos Libres]

Yes, polish is a little abrasive, which would cause the grainy feeling. I can't tell you what the proper procedure is for applying polish and wax or sealent since I just use Zaino.

[DARKSTI]

You may not be breaking the polish down enough. A random orbital such as a Porter Cable will help. You also may have not wiped the polish completely off.

[SubieNewbie]

Yea I thought the same as well. I tested another little area and that time I polished until my arm gotten tired. And yet the area was still rough.

I think Iam going to go ahead and just polish anyway and hope that the webs dont show up again when the sun comes out.

I feel like the polish isnt doing anything. Maybe I think that because the car is white, and even under the flouresant lights in my garage, I still cant see the webs that I do under bright sunlight.

Before my next major detail comes up, I think Iam going to invest in a Porter Cable. Thanks for the info.

[DARKSTI]

Yea, that makes a huge difference, sometime you just need a polisher

Originally Posted by SubieNewbie

Yea I thought the same as well. I tested another little area and that time I polished until my arm gotten tired. And yet the area was still rough.

I think Iam going to go ahead and just polish anyway and hope that the webs dont show up again when the sun comes out.

I feel like the polish isnt doing anything. Maybe I think that because the car is white, and even under the flouresant lights in my garage, I still cant see the webs that I do under bright sunlight.

Before my next major detail comes up, I think Iam going to invest in a Porter Cable. Thanks for the info.

[MKIVSupra]

Hmmm, do you park outside? I don't know if one day is going to make a difference but when you clay the finish you are removing all coatings and stuff on the paint, which leaves it vulnerable to the elements. Maybe it was enough to allow contaminants to embed themselves back into the paint. When I clay I immediately follow up with polish and wax.

[LosGatosSTI]

I have a Black '05 STi. I only use Menzerna products...especially on dark colored cars.

Sounds like some of youy swirl marks may be too deep to get out by hand. I would stay with a dual action orbital polisher like the Porter Cable 7424. make sure you get the velcro pad holder (I think they call it the 6 inch hook and loop pad holder) and get the correct pads. You most likely will need Orange, Red and White pads. They have different cutting abilities. A lambswool pad has the most cut. I prefer to be safe and only use an orange pad with the intensive polish. Get the 7 1/2 inch constant pressure pads.

The procedure I use with the Porter Cable 7424 is listed below:

• wash with a high quality lubricating soap and fresh microfiber wash mits
• Clay bar (using Pinnacle Poly Clay bars and a good clay bar lubricant)
• Intensive Polish (with a Orange Pad on the Porter Cable) You could use a lambswool pad but that is pretty risky unless you really know what you are doing. People burn paint off of sharp corners all the time with lambswool and a regular rotary polisher.
• Final Polish II (White pad on the Porter cable)
• (this step is optional) Glaze with Menzerna Finishing Touch Glaze
• Apply a Polymer paint protectant like Menzerna FMJ

Buy a bunch of microfiber towels from Costco. Don't wash them with other clothes or towels and nevr use fabric softner on them.

Check out the Menzerna Products here: http://www.properautocare.com/menzerna.html

Here is the menzerna kit I bought: http://www.properautocare.com/mecarcakit.html

Check out the Porter Cable Polisher here: (I think they are having a sale on these right now)
http://www.properautocare.com/basporcab74p.html

And no i don't work for these guys.....although I wish I could get a kickback.

Let me know if you have questions. A nice show quality finish takes lots of hard work.

Scott

[munky69]

i got a question... you want to detail my car ? i got a very reflective shine,but i do have some swirls

[SubieNewbie]

Originally Posted by LosGatosSTI

I have a Black '05 STi. I only use Menzerna products...especially on dark colored cars.

Sounds like some of youy swirl marks may be too deep to get out by hand. I would stay with a dual action orbital polisher like the Porter Cable 7424. make sure you get the velcro pad holder (I think they call it the 6 inch hook and loop pad holder) and get the correct pads. You most likely will need Orange, Red and White pads. They have different cutting abilities. A lambswool pad has the most cut. I prefer to be safe and only use an orange pad with the intensive polish. Get the 7 1/2 inch constant pressure pads.

The procedure I use with the Porter Cable 7424 is listed below:

• wash with a high quality lubricating soap and fresh microfiber wash mits
• Clay bar (using Pinnacle Poly Clay bars and a good clay bar lubricant)
• Intensive Polish (with a Orange Pad on the Porter Cable) You could use a lambswool pad but that is pretty risky unless you really know what you are doing. People burn paint off of sharp corners all the time with lambswool and a regular rotary polisher.
• Final Polish II (White pad on the Porter cable)
• (this step is optional) Glaze with Menzerna Finishing Touch Glaze
• Apply a Polymer paint protectant like Menzerna FMJ

Buy a bunch of microfiber towels from Costco. Don't wash them with other clothes or towels and nevr use fabric softner on them.

Check out the Menzerna Products here: http://www.properautocare.com/menzerna.html

Here is the menzerna kit I bought: http://www.properautocare.com/mecarcakit.html

Check out the Porter Cable Polisher here: (I think they are having a sale on these right now)
http://www.properautocare.com/basporcab74p.html

And no i don't work for these guys.....although I wish I could get a kickback.

Let me know if you have questions. A nice show quality finish takes lots of hard work.

Scott

I never said I had crazy swirl marks, they were very minor. I think you must have misunderstood me when I said that the polish I was using didnt even remove certain scratches, but I didnt mean that statement as a complaint because I did know that I was using a mildly abrasive polish.
But thanks for all the good info you posted, I think on my next detail I will use a Porter cable so its much faster.


Mkiv, I park my car inside a garage by itself and there was only a two hour gap from when I clayed and polished, because I took a nap.
Plus after I clayed, I dawn washed and blow dried with a 2hp shop vac that I purchased especially for that reason. And after I did the plastic bag test again and it was still smooth.
I will never go back to drying with a chamois or microfiber again.



I just dont understand? How does the polish make the freshly clayed surface rough again?
I finished the whole process yesterday and I noticed that after the polish, no matter how hard or well I rub, the surface will become rough again, but then when I go over the polished area with glaze, it will become smooth, but not as smooth as when it was freshly clayed.
But then when you apply the wax, the surface becomes sooo nice and smooth, but then again thats what the wax is made to do. Obviously.

I just threw on my RA flaps, I hope they will prevent all the dirt that the rear tires kick up on the trunk and bumper.

Thanks for all the info everyone.