Micro-Marring Issue

Hello, today I was detailing a 2009 GTI in Black Magic Pearl with M205 and Uber Green Pad. Everything looked like it was going good till I shined my Fenix tk35 at it
Note this is before polish

and after


I just dont understand as earlier I did a 50/50 on the fender and checked with Tk35 and Sunlight and it was perfect
Before

After

This micromarring is over 75% of the car and I even tried to hit it with M105 Yellow Uber then finish with M205 Green Uber and nothing changes, please help me as I have never had this issue and do not want deliver the Gti looking like this. If anyone local would like to chime in and help me let me know.

 

possible the clearcoat is too hot and possible you're working too fast

 

The car was polished in the garage with around 60 Degrees F. I spread M205 semi slow on 1-2 speed with Flex 3401 then 2-3 passes on 5-6 speed.

 

Could be a few things. Possibly the mf you are using is a wee bit too abrasive ( not soft ) and is marring the paint. Secondly, if you are wiping the paint down right after polishing, it may be a little warm and thus a bit soft so leave it for a couple minutes after polishing and then go back and wipe down with a fresh, clean mf. I have had this happen, especially after heavy polishing. Are you using a DA or rotary?

 

mmmm maybe the polish gone bad?
I'm just guessing the possibilities :S

 

did you try an IP wipe down after each step.

 

DA, Flex 3401. I did wipe right after polishing...thanks.

Polish was purchased new at Pepboys about 3 weeks ago. Worked wonders on a Black 328i.

As in between M105/M205? I only tried that combo on a 2X2 side panel but did not IPA between steps. The marring is all over the car, aside from that it has improved from the original condition on the paint.

 

I had this issue with a STI, paint got too hot....and I wiped off the polish to soon and combined with being under lights it just marred the paint, went back over it...... turned off the light, waited a minute or so then wiped off very carefully and that seemed to solve the issue..


Atleast for me.

 

The 50/50 shot was just M205.

Car came in like this.



Also noticed something on the windows and sunroof(Thats Black Magic Pearl overspray!)...my client did say he had some bodywork done recently and the bodyshop detailed it:shead: but somehow had scratches show up in the sun about a week afterwards...Filler?

 

Factory VAG paint on the GTI is hard yet easily marring, caused me many issues on my GTI, it will mar up easily from MFs or contamination on pads. Panels should be somewhat cooler when you do a wipedown and something like a cheap QD can help provide some lubrication to help prevent some of it.

Also try something like a very fine finishing polish like 85rd or something on a finishing pad. Less aggrisive than 205 and find it finishes up better on the clears. But try the first suggestions and let us know how hat works..

 

That's the problem, I only have 105/205 :catfight: Maybe someone local can chime in and sell me some. I'll check with this one local paint shop that I hear carries detailing products not sold at Autozone/Advance etc. I wonder if it's because I was only using 1 uber for the whole car?

 

Yeah 1 pad will not be good for the whole car unless u clean it often. I would say at min i go though 5 pads on a car if i dont clean them. One for each side pretty much. You may be getting old polish and crush and causing the marring also if you dont wash them every panel or side. You can finish down 205 with a finish pad but have to remember to keep your pads and MF clean the whole time.

 

Ok...I will clean the uber green tonight as I was going to anyways and try a panel tommorrow along with the other info provided. If I notice the micro marring gone, the neighbors will hear me scream "THANKYOU JESUS!"

 

I was gonna suggest too, have some Distilled water and use that to cool down the panel..... maybe add a touch of IPA to it. So after polishing, mist the panel and let it sit for a few seconds then wipe down. that was the other trick I used with cars with Soft paint.

Yeah, I can use up to 5 pads of varying colors......... sometimes even more. Im very paranoid about dirty pads.......

 

So, you said the marring is over 75% of the car, you only have 1 pad for the entire job. Starting at the beginning point, do you see good work for 25% of the car, and then it starts micromarring?
If so, then you should have been changing and cleaning your pad at that point or sooner.

As has been said before above, you really need a lot of pads to do corrections easier and faster. There is no "exact science" number either, as some paintwork requires more or less work, more time, less time, adjusting for the softness/hardness of the paint, the amount of correction required, paint defects, etc., the list goes on and on.

I just finished a full correction on a White 1990 BMW 735iA with 222,000 miles, probably never before detailed. Talk about dirty paint ! I ended up using 6 - 5" pads to correct and finish it, and I clean the pads after so many passes with white towels. After I throw in the 4" pads for the smaller areas, and a couple of test pads, etc., I ended up with a bucket full of pads soaking in SnappyClean.

Maybe check in on a couple other Forums, Google, and see if you can locate another Detailer in Houston? See if you can get perhaps a few pads on loan, some different polish, etc....

If you were anywhere near me in the Northwest, I would have you covered.

Good luck !
Dan F

 

I sure appreciate it....and what do you mean clean it with white towels? Or thoroughly wash it?(would take forever to dry)

 

When I am polishing, I use a firm brush to gently wipe the pad after each pass. That means after you polish a panel, brush the pad off to remove any residual polish before applying more polish and continuing. It takes a few seconds and will keep you pad clean. That combined with using the appropriate amount of polish should allow you to do a car that size with 2 pads for each polishing step.

 

I have tried the various suggestions provided and still have the holograms. For some reason they show up a lot under Led compared to the sun.

 

mrd0t -

What I mean is to use white towels to wipe off the face of the pad. I like to use white towels because they will show the color of whatever you are wiping off more clearly than other color towels. They sell cheap small white towels at Target, and other places. If you are using something to keep the pad a little moist, then this will also help in wiping off the pads more efficiently.

Dan F

 

Great thread! I'm learning a lot!