How to fully remove scratches from black paint ? ?

[SunnyD]

I did my first detail on a black car today I used uc a g110 and 7 inch megs cutting pad but It only removed most of the swirls it still has alot of scratches every where fine scratches that should have been removed by the uc ? I applied uc to the pad by making a x so good amount of prouduct added more when needed kept the pad flat speed 5 applied a good amount of Pressure but it still did do as much as it's suppose to why ???

[Mike Bones]

Re: How to fully remove scratches from black paint ? ?

Hey SunnyD! How was the car prepped? Did you clay first?

[Allen750]

Re: How to fully remove scratches from black paint ? ?

If your paint is soft, then try a less aggressive product and slower speed (1-3). I'd recommend Ultimate Polish with a black pad. Least aggressive to most aggressive....

[SunnyD]

Re: How to fully remove scratches from black paint ? ?

Yeah I clayed then uc with cutting pad d/a speed 5 then after making it look decent I moved on to 21 it still turned out ok coustomer was happy but I wanted it to be scratch free at least 95 % I managed about 80%

[SunnyD]

Re: How to fully remove scratches from black paint ? ?

Car was a 2006 Benz e350 so Mercedes black mattalic paint

[wifpd4]

Re: How to fully remove scratches from black paint ? ?

One of the things Meguiar's recommends is working on a test spot before proceeding to the whole car. It gives you a good feel for what is needed to remove the defects on your car.

Starting with the least aggressive method and proceeding to more aggressive if the least doesn't work inside the test area is very helpful.

Many factors can affect the effectiveness of a process, both diminish or improve. Pad size being one, too large a pad reduces effectiveness. Pad type, pad speed, arm speed and arm pressure are other important factors affecting effectiveness. In addition to the very huge variable of condition of paint.

I see Mike and Allen have made some excellent recommendations. I'm just echoing what they have said. Starting with a clean car and clay it really helps all following processes.

[jaymz]

Re: How to fully remove scratches from black paint ? ?

7" pads are awfully big to use with that g110. Faster/better results with 6" or 6.5"

Jim

[CHzo6]

Re: How to fully remove scratches from black paint ? ?

Furthermore, Meguiar's does not recommend using their cutting pad with a dual action polisher.

[SunnyD]

Re: How to fully remove scratches from black paint ? ?

it fits the plate and seems to work a little better than yellow so i just use it but thanks for the info

[wifpd4]

Re: How to fully remove scratches from black paint ? ?

Furthermore, Meguiar's does not recommend using their cutting pad with a dual action polisher.

SunnyD,

Here's one of many recommendations to which CHzo6 refers and of course as always, your mileage may vary:

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/sho...46&postcount=5

Re: Meg red pad Q'

We really don't recommend using our W7XXX cutting pads with a D/A and what is often a closely related topic, the use of speed 6 with any pad. Now, we know you didn't specifically ask about speed 6, but eventually the topic comes up so we thought we'd address both points here and now.

First of all, though, any hazing of the paint that may occur with this pad on a D/A is usually pretty minor, really, and can be cleaned up quickly with a W8xxx pad and a mild paint cleaner. But this is a very stiff and aggressive pad and you may find yourself running into other issues with it because of this. Trim, plastics, etc don't like this pad very much, for example.

But the real issue is that the hook and loop attachment system comes under tremendous stress when a D/A is run at speed 6. If you've ever turned one of these tools on at max speed without having the pad firmly on the paint and had the pad fly off, you know that the tool is always trying to throw the pad. That's because of the "random orbital" action of a D/A - it's constantly changing direction and the pad is hanging on for dear life in the process. At speed 6 this means the hook & loop mechanism is being pulled on with surprising force, and a lot of heat is being generated. We've measure temperatures in excess of 200F at the backing plate/back of the pad when doing this. And that is just something these pads are not designed for. Nobody's pads are, really, as you can find threads of pad failures from other companies when they're used like this.

Now, when you add the extra drag created by the aggressive foam of a cutting pad, the forces are just magnified and the heat can really spike up. This can even happen with prolonged running at speed 5 with a cutting pad, due to that extra drag. So now that pad is really hot (not the part that touches the paint, mind you, but on the back side) and then you're using a lot of pressure - and something is likely to go wrong. Not always, but there is a high probability of it.

What we see too often is problems arising because people are under the impression that it is impossible to do any damage with a D/A, and that simply is not true. While it is very rare that we do see any issues with damage, when it does happen it's almost always from very aggressive use of the tool. The above scenarios constitute very aggressive use.

Now, with all that said, you'll notice that we don't state that you can never use a cutting pad with a D/A. But we want you to be very aware of the potential downside and only use it for very specific situations, and just for short term use if no other option is available. No other option means you don't have a rotary, you can't step up to a more aggressive liquid, even repeated passes with a lot of pressure and slow speed (watch the heat!!!) aren't removing the defects, etc.

Quite honestly, if you can get rid of 95% of the defects using a yellow pad, odds are you really don't need to step up to a cutting pad. It probably won't really save you any time since you'll have hazing to get rid of with a follow up step, and it does open you up to some potential pitfalls.
__________________
Michael Stoops
Internet Technical Specialist
Meguiar's Inc.
(800) 854-8073 xt 3875
mstoops@meguiars.com

[STG]

Re: How to fully remove scratches from black paint ? ?

So far, nobody has addressed the specific topic in this thread:

How to fully remove scratches from BLACK paint.

As usual, there are plenty of suggestions, but the OP needs to understand:

1. Removing scratches from black paint is no different from any other color.

2. Unless he's dealing with single stage paint, he's removing scratches from CLEAR COAT.

3. Putting aside differences in paint type and hardness, removing scratches from clear coat, black or any color paint involves exactly the same process.

I continue to be amused by this never ending belief that pigment somehow affects process. By not addressing this, you guys just perpetuate the myth.

LOUSY RESULTS ON BLACK AND GOOD RESULTS ON LIGHT COLORS JUST MEANS YOUR PROCESS IS LOUSY. BLACK JUST SHOWS DEFECTS BETTER THAN OTHER COLORS.

I'm surprised Mike didn't address this in his post.

[2011Murano]

Re: How to fully remove scratches from black paint ? ?

Furthermore, Meguiar's does not recommend using their cutting pad with a dual action polisher.

Please give me more details, What did I miss? The new system includes a cutting pad with, and I thought I saw a lot of post regarding the use of cutting pads ? Not challenging you , just need to know what I don't understand about your comment
Thanks