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Details:
- 1991 BMW e34 5 series, Alpine Weiss II (Alpine White II)
- I'm the second owner, with 8 years under my possession.
- 85-90% of the car is original paint. RRQP repainted.
- To my knowledge car has never been machine polished.
- I have waxed the vehicle 1 or 2 times/year by hand (Megs Gold Class).
- Paint condition - swirls, and in some areas light to medium scratches.
New Process:
After reading and seeing some of the awesome results here and on other forums I was inspired to rejuvenate my auto paint finish more thoroughly, then previous years. I have invested in a Porter Cable (PC) 7424, and 6 inch Lake Country (LC) Cutting Pad (Yellow), Polishing Pad (White), and Finishing Pad (Gray). I have Megs #2 Fine-Cut Cleaner, Megs #9 Swirl Remover, Megs #26 Hi-Tech Yellow Wax.
I tested a section on the rear trunk lid, by sectioning half the area off with painter tape to see the before and after results.
I started with the LC yellow cutting pad and Megs #2 with the PC set to 3 for spreading and then moving it up to #6 to break down the polish, which is VERY hard to know or see on white paint finishes...arrrgggh. As per video and written instructions on various forums. I then wiped the area clean and changed to LC white polishing pad with Megs#9 ( PC set to 3-5)and finally with Megs #26 (PC set to 2-4).
Results - The color of the paint has definitely changed, it is more white and not yellowish compared to the untreated section, This could possibly be due to many years of oxidation and contamination buildup. The light to medium surface scratches are softer but still visible. The image reflection/mirror is poor, seems very hazy and blurred when viewing reflected images. Almost looks the same if not very slightly worse than the untreated side. Could this be due to the Megs #2 and cutting pad? If the cutting pad is causing this hazing, then why won't the Megs #9 polish that out?
In an attempt to get that wonderful mirror like reflection I see so often on this site, I tried the Megs #2, 3 or 4 times more, and finally with Megs #9, 2 or 3 more times. I simply cannot get that wonderful mirror like reflection.
I contacted Meguiar's customer info line for some info. They told me that it could be that my paint is worse than I suspected, and that I should try a more aggressive process such as; a rotory buffer with Megs #83 and possibly a wool pad with Megs #80. The rep told me that the products I have are good and should work, but...I also asked him, that if simple hazing is so difficult to polish out with a PC how do people polish out wet sanding marks with a PC after fixing stone chips. He said it can't be done reliably and the results are not good, unless you use a rotary buffer with wool pad...so if a PC can't polish hazing out, then what can a PC do other then apply polish and waxes evenly?
I have searched far and wide here and other forums, I have come to the conclusion that a white auto finish is typically harder than most other colors, due to the Titanium Dioxide used as the base components, not to mention that German auto paint is typically harder in general than other mfg. I have also read, but I can't confirm that some white paint finishes DO NOT have a clear coat. Could this be why I can't get that mirror reflection?
QUESTION:
Is the PC the wrong machine to use when polishing white color paint, do I need to buy a rotary buffer?
How do I get that wonderful mirror like reflection everybody shows off on my white paint? Is this just wishful dreaming?
Are the products, procedure, or equipment wrong?
- 1991 BMW e34 5 series, Alpine Weiss II (Alpine White II)
- I'm the second owner, with 8 years under my possession.
- 85-90% of the car is original paint. RRQP repainted.
- To my knowledge car has never been machine polished.
- I have waxed the vehicle 1 or 2 times/year by hand (Megs Gold Class).
- Paint condition - swirls, and in some areas light to medium scratches.
New Process:
After reading and seeing some of the awesome results here and on other forums I was inspired to rejuvenate my auto paint finish more thoroughly, then previous years. I have invested in a Porter Cable (PC) 7424, and 6 inch Lake Country (LC) Cutting Pad (Yellow), Polishing Pad (White), and Finishing Pad (Gray). I have Megs #2 Fine-Cut Cleaner, Megs #9 Swirl Remover, Megs #26 Hi-Tech Yellow Wax.
I tested a section on the rear trunk lid, by sectioning half the area off with painter tape to see the before and after results.
I started with the LC yellow cutting pad and Megs #2 with the PC set to 3 for spreading and then moving it up to #6 to break down the polish, which is VERY hard to know or see on white paint finishes...arrrgggh. As per video and written instructions on various forums. I then wiped the area clean and changed to LC white polishing pad with Megs#9 ( PC set to 3-5)and finally with Megs #26 (PC set to 2-4).
Results - The color of the paint has definitely changed, it is more white and not yellowish compared to the untreated section, This could possibly be due to many years of oxidation and contamination buildup. The light to medium surface scratches are softer but still visible. The image reflection/mirror is poor, seems very hazy and blurred when viewing reflected images. Almost looks the same if not very slightly worse than the untreated side. Could this be due to the Megs #2 and cutting pad? If the cutting pad is causing this hazing, then why won't the Megs #9 polish that out?
In an attempt to get that wonderful mirror like reflection I see so often on this site, I tried the Megs #2, 3 or 4 times more, and finally with Megs #9, 2 or 3 more times. I simply cannot get that wonderful mirror like reflection.
I contacted Meguiar's customer info line for some info. They told me that it could be that my paint is worse than I suspected, and that I should try a more aggressive process such as; a rotory buffer with Megs #83 and possibly a wool pad with Megs #80. The rep told me that the products I have are good and should work, but...I also asked him, that if simple hazing is so difficult to polish out with a PC how do people polish out wet sanding marks with a PC after fixing stone chips. He said it can't be done reliably and the results are not good, unless you use a rotary buffer with wool pad...so if a PC can't polish hazing out, then what can a PC do other then apply polish and waxes evenly?
I have searched far and wide here and other forums, I have come to the conclusion that a white auto finish is typically harder than most other colors, due to the Titanium Dioxide used as the base components, not to mention that German auto paint is typically harder in general than other mfg. I have also read, but I can't confirm that some white paint finishes DO NOT have a clear coat. Could this be why I can't get that mirror reflection?
QUESTION:
Is the PC the wrong machine to use when polishing white color paint, do I need to buy a rotary buffer?
How do I get that wonderful mirror like reflection everybody shows off on my white paint? Is this just wishful dreaming?
Are the products, procedure, or equipment wrong?
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