Honda Fit Rotary Work

[Chasedog]

Hi All,

I'm working on my 07 Honda Fit with the rotary and I've come across some interesting things that I didn't encounter with previous rotary work on other cars.

Before:




Then I used a megs polishing pad on the makita with fine-cut cleaner first, then a fresh polishing pad with swirl remover 2.0.

Both running at around 1200-1500 RPM.

I'm seeing fine scratches that are only visible in the sun, but they concern me:




I'm wondering if I removed more of the fine scratches and now the slightly deeper scratches are standing out more, or if I introduced new scratches into the paint.

Also, I'm getting paint transfer onto my pads, even with these less aggressive products. I've heard previous discussions about Honda Fits having single-stage paint, but I'd find that hard to believe.




I'm at a full stop right now until I get more information and feel more comfortable proceeding.

Thanks for any input.

[Michael Stoops]

We've had two Honda Fits come through Meguiar's Garage in the past year and both had some of the most delicate paint we've seen in a very long time. Both were black, not sure about model year, but neither had single stage paint, that's for darn sure. It is possible that the car you're dealing with has single stage paint (obviously with your pads pulling color that would be a definite tell tale) but it is quite rare to find single stage paint on a new car these days. Perhaps rarer still is a tinted clear, but that's also a possibility. As a caution though, you should research that a bit more.

Regarding the scratches you're seeing now, it is very common that once heavy swirls have been removed the RIDS (random isolated deeper scratches) are revealed - as long as this is what's happening you shouldn't be terribly concerned. But if you're instilling fresh marring due to the paint being so delicate, then you might want to rethink your process overall.

On the two examples we've seen recently even ScratchX by hand with a foam pad would mar the surface. We ended up getting great results with a G110, W9207 Soft Buff 2.0 Foam Finishing Pad on only a moderate speed and either D151 PRC or M66 Quick Detailer, both essentially being very effective cleaner waxes. Some of those present prefered the look of D151, others M66 - the process to achieve the finish was the same. And that is a very gentle approach.

Now, it has to be said that just because we worked on a couple of these cars and you are too, that does not automatically mean the paint is the same. Paints can change even within a single model year.

[Chasedog]

Thank you Michael for all the detailed info. I'm trying to find official data on this model's paint. I'm going to skip the rest of my paint correction for now and protect this sensitive baby with some NXT 2.0 wax.

Cheers,
Josh

[ClearlyCoated]

This question has been brought up on my Accord forum several times. Honda's Taffeta White and Milano Red are both single stage paints on all models.

[Ganesa]

wow, single stage paint...
think it would be most safely to use a DA :]

[Michael Stoops]

Originally Posted by Ganesa

wow, single stage paint...
think it would be most safely to use a DA :]

Oh, it's safe to work on with a D/A, but it's how you work on it with a D/A that counts. As previously mentioned, the clear coated Honda Fits we've worked on have been super delicate - it's quite possible this single stage is equally delicate.

But very delicate paint requires a delicate approach, and sometimes it feels counter intuitive to do this, especially for those with somewhat limited experience dealing with delicate paint. Generally when you buff on paint and most, but not all, of the defects are removed you have the tendency to make a second pass. If the defects are still there you tend to make a third, or step into a more aggressive liquid or pad because you assume your current combination just isn't cutting it (no pun intended). With delicate paint the reality is that you're just trading out one set of defects for another, and no matter how many times you buff with your current combination, you will continue to inflict new marring as you remove some of the old.

Stepping down to less aggressive combination will allow you to remove the current defects without inflicting new damage in the process. It's knowing how to tell that the new defects are just that - new - that can trip up a less experienced detailer.