Professional Help Needed

[Nick776]

I'm using the DA Polisher with Ultra Compound to try to remove minor "swirls" (probably more like towel marks) from my car. The thing is, nothing is happening. It's almost as if my clear coat is made of steel or something. I'm using the correct pad (yellow "polishing" pad) and am applying moderate pressure. I've turned up the speed all the way to 5 but still same result--the swirls are not even moderately diminishing. The car is only about 2.5 months old (2011 BMW X3 3.5i, Vermillion Red Metallic). The swirls are only visible in direct sunlight; however, they bother the HECK out of me when I see them.

It was my understanding that the Ultra Compound was the most aggressive "consumer" polish on the market. Do I need to move up to some sort of professional grade solution? If so, what? What is the liklihood that such would damage my paint (I would rather live with the swirls than damaged clear coat or some other catastrophic happening).

Yes, I've read all instructional posts, watched videos and basically tried everything under the sun to solve my problem. I would greatly appreciate any assistance.

[MaxT]

Re: Professional Help Needed

Have you clayed the surface before trying this?

[CHzo6]

Re: Professional Help Needed

Check out some of the videos on using Ultimate compound. You may need to increase your pressure and slow down your arm speed even more. Some clear coats are hard as glass and can require a bit more effort to get good results.

[jaymz]

Re: Professional Help Needed

When using the DA, is your pad rotating? If not, you're not getting the correct action to remove swirls. The old Porter Cable machines had lousy torgue, and it was easy to stop the pad from rotating. I bought a new Griots DA and it has so much more power, so I can use more pressure before the pad stops. I would also try a different pad than yellow...like an orange or green (polishing) or even white. The less aggressive pad will rotate easier. You also might try #105, but it is more difficult to use until you get the hang of it. Make sure you are traveling SLOWLY over the work area; too fast doesn't help much.

Jim

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Professional Help Needed

Try increasing your pressure until the pad stops rotating, then ease up just enough to get it rotating again. It will rotate very slowly, and that's fine. A bit of masking tape on the back of the backing plate can help visualize the rotation a bit easier. Slow your arm movements waaaay down at the same time. Move very slowly over the paint and keep your work area down to the size of a microfiber towel.

BMW paints are all over the map, ranging from quite soft to pretty darn hard. MOL member greg0303 just replaced his BMW X3 with a 2011 X3 so it would have been built in the same factory as yours. He just recently polished his to darn near perfection so we're sure he some insight into what your paint is (probably) like to deal with. We'll shoot him a note and have him chime in with his experiences.

[greg0303]

Re: Professional Help Needed

Hi Nick,

My 2011 X3 is 2.8i Deep Sea Blue Metallic and like yours it has been assembled in Spartanburg, SC. The clear coat is definitely hard but workable. I found Ultimate Compound with yellow polishing pad on my G110v2 speed 5 to provide enough muscle to deal with below surface defects, like swirls.

As Mike suggested, apply moderate down pressure and move your arm really slowly over the paint surface. Concentrate on small sections at the time and clean your pad frequently to remove any particles which could decrease your cut ability. This correction step with Ultimate Compound is gonna take the longest time of all detailing steps. Don't try to rush it and you're gonna see fantastic results and total defect removal.

Claying, if needed, after washing your X3 would be helpful as well.

Use good quality microfiber towel, like Meguiar's Supreme Shine, to wipe off compound. Poor quality towels can inflict some swirls.

[Nick776]

Re: Professional Help Needed

Yes, I've play around with the pressure a bit. The pad is rotating (I marked it with a black marker). I sometimes get to the point, though, where I am concerned that I may damage the paint by applying too much pressure. I've been considering using M105 and then following up with M205 (as a last resort). Do you guys think this is a good or bad idea? I also clayed before starting the polishing process.

[greg0303]

Re: Professional Help Needed

Working with a DA polisher is safe. No burning through.

Your vehicle is brand new so I would just give it another treatment of Ultimate Compound with moderate pressure and slow arm speed, concentrating on small areas at the time, keeping buffing pad flat on the surface and maintaining pad rotation.