paint defect square holograms

[zaero]

hi guys,

i have some serious paint defects on my car that I have no idea how to get rid off.

paint looks perfect in the shade but when looking under direct sunlight I can see what look like square holograms in the paint. these look like buffer holograms but are square in shape about 1/2inch is size and cover the whole bonnet, roof and boot. you really have to look a a certain angle to the sun to see them but once you're looking at the right angle the marks are quite visible.

I have tried polishing by hand to no avail and my digital camera does not seem to capture the defects.

Any help would be much appreciated.

here is a pic of the car but you can't see the the square holograms at all

[RDVT4ME]

We may need some more information.

Has the car been buffed out recently?

Has anything different been done to the car?

What is your normal routine for cleaning?

BTW, that is a really interesting looking car (it's cool!). What kind of car is it?

[zaero]

I purchased the car 2nd hand, the defects were already in the paint.

I was told by the previous owner that the car had "paint protection" applied by the dealer when purchased new, and also that he had hand polished it a couple of times. (not sure if that's the whole truth)

I have not applied any product on the paint, only washed with Mequiar's Car wash.

I suspect the defects are rotary buffer burns in the paint, but I don't know what they're supposed to look like.

I will try to take some photos to show the marks in full sun again.

The car is a NISSAN SILVIA S15, only released in Japan, Australia and NZ. I think you guys in the US got the previous model NISSAN 240SX S14.

[zaero]

I tried to take photos of the marks again but they don't come out at all.

The marks on the paint look more like smudges of irregular rectangular shapes that cover the entire car

Washing does not remove them at all.

[sneek]

we do only ive the S14 in canada but we do have a S15 conversion!

but i dont think anyone can help until you get pics

[Mike Phillips]

Hi zaero,

In order to capture swirls and scratches, sometimes it helps to place the sun on a horizontal panel like this,




Sometimes it helps to give your camera a point to focus on; you'll often see my finger pointing to swirls when I take a photo of swirls and while it appears that the reason my finger is pointing to the swirls is to actually point to the swirls, but the truth be known, I'm using my finger to give my auto-focus mechanism on my camera a point to focus on, which in some cases, not all cases, but some cases, enable you to capture the swirls in the paint.




Hope this helps...

[zaero]

Mike,

thanks for the pics, you have shown exactly what I'm talking about.





I have circled the defects I can see on my paint, less the terrible circular scratches.

[Mike Phillips]

Well the marks and swirls in the finish in the picture are in a Volvo that sat in a garage for 20 years before we restored the finish at a Saturday Detailing class for MG's

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8443

Regardless of how the swirls were instilled, the removal process is the same except for deciding how you want to remove them, by hand or machine.

Here's some reading...

What it Means to Remove a Scratch

How To Remove Swirls By Hand

Using the G-100 to remove swirls with the Professional Line

How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX


If I were you, I would opt of obtaining a dual action polisher and then learning how to use it. Save time, save energy, get professional results even start a part time business making money.

[zaero]

I managed to take a photo this afternoon that shows the marks a lot better thanks to the finger trick

[zaero]

what would be the best process for removing these by hand?

I cannot get DA polisher here in Australia as we're on 240V and I don't think Meguiar's have made them for our Voltage

[Mike Phillips]

Those look like,

Finger Marks


A finger mark is a scratch pattern in the paint imprinted by your finger at the stop and start points of where you're applying a product by hand that is either abrasive or the applicator you're using is abrasive or both.

An example would be if you're using an abrasive product like an old fashioned polishing compound and rubbing it back and forth on your car's paint, at the end of your stroke when rubbing one direction, for a brief moment your fingers stop as you change direction of your hand to go the other direction.

It is at this stop points that your fingers, together with the product and the applicator, will leave finger marks

The cure is the same for removing any below surface defect as I've listed above.

These are extreme Finger Marks

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by zaero
what would be the best process for removing these by hand?

I already listed the hand remedies...

What it Means to Remove a Scratch

How To Remove Swirls By Hand


How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX


Read this first and educate yourself on the basics...

Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle

Step 1 Wash

Step 2 Clean

Step 3 Polish

Step 4 Protect

Step 5 Maintain

[rammsteinmatt]

Originally posted by zaero
I cannot get DA polisher here in Australia as we're on 240V and I don't think Meguiar's have made them for our Voltage

look for a current converter. like if you were going to take a vacation to america where we have 120V and you'd need to plug in something (recharge a shaver, toothbrush, or hair curling iron) they make little adapters from your plug to the foreign plug. here we can get them at stores that specialize in vacationing products

i suspect you could just use on of those with little incident. problem solved

a quick search revealed this: brookstone.com/shop/product.asp?product_code=394809&world_code=4&category_code=39&subcategory_code=497&search_type=subcategory&prodtemp=t1

[No commercial links please; 2hotford]

you just plug the US plug into the back of the AU converter and plug the whole deal into the wall. without going into physics and current loss, it seems like it would work

by the way, that is a very nice silvia

[zaero]

Originally posted by Mike Phillips


I already listed the hand remedies...

Just wanted to make sure that there were no additional steps to removing the marks that's all.

Thanks again
Daniel

[WaspHunter]

Originally posted by rammsteinmatt
look for a current converter. like if you were going to take a vacation to america where we have 120V and you'd need to plug in something (recharge a shaver, toothbrush, or hair curling iron) they make little adapters from your plug to the foreign plug. here we can get them at stores that specialize in vacationing products

i suspect you could just use on of those with little incident. problem solved

a quick search revealed this: brookstone.com/shop/product.asp?product_code=394809&world_code=4&category_code=39&subcategory_code=497&search_type=subcategory&prodtemp=t1

you just plug the US plug into the back of the AU converter and plug the whole deal into the wall. without going into physics and current loss, it seems like it would work

by the way, that is a very nice silvia

Doesn't the slight change in frequency affect motor speed and torque though? I know we have to be careful when designing items connected to fixed speed induction machines from the 'States because of the difference, but I'm not sure how much this will affect a tool like the G-100.

There are equivalents in Oz, they're just hard to find. I'll start a new thread if this is too off-topic, but will using a current converter affect the G-100's warranty at all?