Polish for Hard New Paint???

[the_invisible]

I just had my hood repainted and I am not satisfied at all with the gloss and depth. There's no defect or issues with the paint. Orange peel is very minimal and the paint does not need to be wetsanded, although I will do that next year (when more defects are created by winter driving; wetsanding a brand new decent surface seems like a waste). Like most new paint, the paint is VERY shiny and the color matches nicely to the rest of the body.

I realize that the newly painted surface is very hard. After less than a week of the paint job, the paint appears to be as hard as the paint on the BMW. I am quite impressed by that. However, that poses a problem for polishing. I tried hitting the hood with M105 and a LC orange pad and it doesn't seem to touch the clear whatsoever. I then tried using M205 and SwirlX with a LC white pad with no effect. I want to enhance the gloss and glow of the hood, but I can't seem to do so.

Here's a picture without any polish/wax:


I understand that applying any sort of LSP will undoubtedly enhance the gloss and depth of the paint, however I want to achieve ULTRA gloss before LSP. I have done it before on the factory paint. This new paint is just very hard. And it was painted in less than five days ago. The quality of the paint job is superb, albeit the minimal orange peel compared to factory. The orange peel gives me room in the future for further scratch and swirl correction.

[SHYNEMAN123]

Re: Polishing New Paint?

Do you know what brand of paint and clear the shop used ?

Remember paint cures from the outside in.And a week is not much time.

Did the shop flash bake ?

[the_invisible]

Re: Polishing New Paint?

I really have no idea. They just say they use a paint that exceeds ALL OEM standards and one that is used mainly on European cars. The car was baked in the booth with a particulate vacuum floor. Flashbaked or not, I am not too sure.

I have just did the left side of the hood:
M105 with LC orange CCS 5.5" pad @ 6800rpm
SwirlX with LC white CCS 5.5" pad @ 6800rpm
No M205 because if M105 doesn't even touch the paint slightly, using M205 would simply be a waste of money...
NO LSP

There's no difference whatsoever between the left and right:
I kept the lighting low to let you see the reflection. Again LEFT side is treated, right side is not:






50/50 Shot...




Am I having too much time on my hands???????

[the_invisible]

Re: Polish for Hard New Paint???

I have just clayed the hood using the Meguiar's Smooth Surface Clay, the weakest clay I can find aside from Zaino, Mother's, Meg's mild clay. Here's what it looks like after I clayed the hood

This picture is of just claying, no polish or LSP after the claying process. There was slight contaminant on the hood... but it was clean nonetheless compared to the rest of the car.

I *THINK* the clarity has enhanced very marginally. That could be the making of the Last Touch 1:1 clay lubricant, but I don't know. The clay seems to have enhanced the depthness very slightly. However I am still not getting that ultra slick glossy look.

Is there a powerful enough polish for harder paint, that is very easy in cut? I have tried M105 and SwirlX to sharpen the paint slightly, but that doesn't seem to do anything. Is wetsanding my only option in enhancing optical clarity and gloss? If so, is 3000 grit the best paper for the job? Aside from wetsanding is there any polish that's suitable for enhancing gloss?

Does it look like the paint has been compounded and polished by the bodyshop after the fresh repaint?

Thanks.