first time with porter cable- messed up my paint! help

Discussion in 'Compounds, Polishes, Paint Cleaners, and Glazes' started by pistolberserk, Dec 28, 2011.

  1. pistolberserk

    pistolberserk Virgin Detailer

    I thought i knew how to properly use my porter cable, but i guess not. I spent hours watching the videos on this forum and on youtube explaining how to use it. I have a black car.

    Here is what i did:
    wash
    clay
    then i started trying to do paint correction

    I used painters tape to make a little square on my hood. Proceeded to do everything i was told. I only used speed 4-5 with barely any to no pressure at all. Made about 5-6 passes for the one square and then buffed off with a microfiber towel.

    Product used:
    Chemical Guys scratch-swirl b gone
    (Scratch and Swirl Remover)

    with an orange pad
    (HEX LOGIC Car Buffing Pads, Car Wash Equipment, Au)

    Results:
    Left side: after.... Right side: before
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    As you can see.. i messed up badly.

    I continued to make other squares on my car and use different things like less abrasive pads, less abrasive polish (Final Polish by Chemical Guys) with no real help. No combination really worked. The less abrasive pad and final polish didn't mess up the paint like the picture above but it didn't take out the swirls.

    Can anyone please give me some helpful tips or lead me to some guide(s) or videos because this is just unacceptable on my part and i am extremely mad at myself.

    Thanks
     
  2. DirtyWeRX

    DirtyWeRX DB Forum Supporter

    How fast are your arm movements?

    I havent used any of chemical guys polishes before (honestly I dont hear many great things about the polishes) but does anyone know if its a diminishing polish?

    Maybe you should:
    - work at a higher OPM (5-6)
    - work the polish longer till it flashes (turns clear or translucent)
    - apply more pressure

    Those would be my suggestions. I started out using a PC. You want to apply enough pressure to where you hear the motor bog down a little bit. Draw a has mark on the backing plate so its easier to see the pad spinning. Even with pressure being applied, youll get better cut from the pad rotating while its oscillating.
     
  3. Stokdgs

    Stokdgs Detail Master

    Sorry for the problems.

    What kind of car - year and make please ? I can tell its some version of black metallic, but need more specifics.

    What size pad are you using? This makes a difference in how much rotation you can expect to get.

    Do you have any other compounds or polishes ?

    Where are you located? Do you have access to auto parts stores that sell Meguiars Ultimate Compound?

    Tell us how you did this - how many passes, were you using downward pressure on the machine, what did the product do on the paint - did it last a little while and then dry up and turn to dust, etc..

    What are you using to remove the polishes, etc..

    DanF
     
  4. Chaseme

    Chaseme DB Forum Supporter

    How much polish did you put on the pad?
     
  5. pecka13

    pecka13 Birth of a Detailer

    seems like ur pad and polish combination is too strong because it looks like it sanded your paint.
     
  6. Kaban

    Kaban Welcome to Detailing

    Not to repeat what you said, but I was thinking the exact same thing.

    Try a softer pad with a good amount of pressure. Make sure you are easing off the pressure towards the end of a pass.
     
  7. luke093

    luke093 Welcome to Detailing

    Pad and polish are aggressive and are leaving this mess. What car is this? Did you work to polish until almost clear?
     
  8. umi000

    umi000 Any Rag Vehicle Washer

    Might be because you didn't apply any pressure? If you don't apply enough pressure, you'll not get even abrasion of the finish, resulting in more marring.
     
  9. Misha

    Misha Nuba Guru

    kinda looks like subaru black metalic paint with green domination. is it STI?


    looks like when i first detailed my car and used menz powergloss and was wondering why it looked more hazy then it was. most likely like others said you used too aggressive of a combo. maybe you need to start with green or blue pad (or something thats finishing/medium polish type pad and maybe menzerna polish
     
  10. 911Fanatic

    911Fanatic DB Pro Supporter

    That micro-marring is from the polish not breaking down. You didn't work the polish long enough. Your speed is ok although I would suggest speed 5 and not 4. Keep going up and down and then side to side, up and down, side to side, overlapping each pass by 30-50% until the polish goes clear. That means you can tell there is something there, but can easily see your reflection through it. On a 2x2 section, it should take 2-3 minutes. Retry and post pics again. :)
     
  11. v|nsan|ty

    v|nsan|ty Obsessive Detailer

    Lots of great advice has been posted. Take the suggestions and post your new results!
     
  12. freefallin2000

    freefallin2000 Birth of a Detailer

    The polish has not broken down and it looks as if the paint has what we refer to as "micro-marring". This is due to the pad and compound combination being too aggressive for the thickness of the clear coat. Go back over that section with the next softest pad and next aggressive polish (less aggressive than the previous) on speed 6 with longer working time and try to find the prefect pressure point. You always want the pad to spin while touching the paintwork. To ensure this is happening, take a Sharpie and draw a solid line roughly 1"x1" on the very edge of the backing plate but closet to the pad. While you are polishing, watch the be aware that the Sharpie line is spinning and not being bogged down.
     
  13. slanguage

    slanguage OD On Detailing

    Some good advice here guys!
     
  14. obsidian LGT

    obsidian LGT Birth of a Detailer

    I had an obsidian black pearl Subi, and lemme tell you, chemical guys polishes did the same thing to me, it was awful. I had to switch to Griot's garage and menzerna polishes and it worked like a charm. So I will never again use chemical guys polishes!
     
  15. Meticulous-Detail

    Meticulous-Detail DB Forum Supporter

    Post your results when your done.
     

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