Help needed with 1995 Mitsubishi 3000 GT oxidation

[BlackHawk]

Hi! I hope you can help. This isn't my car and I really could use some advice on this project. I'm not sure if this car was repainted or it originally was a single stage paint, but it has a good bit of oxidation on it. I taped off the rear spoiler and the hood to show the difference. Pictures provided below. The results so far is with 2 applications of just Ultimate Compound. Below is how I plan on tacking this car. Your feedback/help is greatly appreciated!

Step 1. Using a Griot's 6" random orbital I will apply three coats of Meguiar's Ultimate Compound. After some experimenting I will skip the clay step I normally do because I see no need for it since I'm taking a layer of paint off anyway. Do you disagree with this thinking?

Step 2. Meguiar's Mirror Glaze #7 Show Car Glaze/Pure Polish ( I'm going to put 1 to 2 applications of this product on) I remember one expert saying to leave this soak into the paint overnight to "nourish" the dry paint, but I mostly read people say to wipe it on and almost immediately wipe it off. Which is right in this situation?

Step 3. Wax: Collinite Liquid Insulator Wax #845

Do these 3 steps seem ok or do you recommend something else?

What tips and tools could be used to get in the very hard to reach areas under the spoiler or is this a "by hand work only" area? Pictures provided below of the spoiler area. I thought about putting Ultimate Compound on a toothbrush and rubbing it in to the hard to reach places? Bad idea?

Is the Griot's red pad on par with the Meguiar's W8207 Soft Buff 2.0 Foam Polishing Pad or the Meguiar's W7207 Soft Buff 2.0 Cutting Pad? I ask because the Griot's red pad seems to be a bit more firmer and more aggressive than the Meguiar's yellow. I never purchased the Meguiar's maroon pad before because many have said that it's too aggressive and it will leave scratches/swirls. Is this really the case? I am tempted to try one. I am pleased with the results that the Griot's red pad gives, BUT it wants to slip off center while using the random orbital which worries me. Because of this I keep going back to the Meguiar's yellow 2.0 pads, but I hate to say it... they don't seem to do as good of a job as the Griot's red pad.

After using Ultimate Compound there remains what appears to be some etched spots here and there (acid rain?) and some faint white blotches on the hood that can only been seen under artificial light, not under natural sunlight. I am guessing I won't be able to get these out unless it is wet sanded and or a rotary buffer used on it? Or neither and this really calls for a new paint job? What is the ultimate "back to black" type product out there? Thank you so much!

[BlackHawk]

Re: Help needed with 1995 Mitsubishi 3000 GT oxidation

I made a mistake and meant to say Griot's Orange Foam Polish Pad and not their red pad. Sorry about that!

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Help needed with 1995 Mitsubishi 3000 GT oxidation

Hi! I hope you can help. This isn't my car and I really could use some advice on this project. I'm not sure if this car was repainted or it originally was a single stage paint, but it has a good bit of oxidation on it. I taped off the rear spoiler and the hood to show the difference. Pictures provided below. The results so far is with 2 applications of just Ultimate Compound. Below is how I plan on tacking this car. Your feedback/help is greatly appreciated!

Looks like you're making excellent progress so far! How are you applying the UC - tool speed, size of work area, pressure, speed across the paint, etc? It may be a situation where a bit of a tweak to your technique can take you from 3 applications of UC to just 2.

Step 1. Using a Griot's 6" random orbital I will apply three coats of Meguiar's Ultimate Compound. After some experimenting I will skip the clay step I normally do because I see no need for it since I'm taking a layer of paint off anyway. Do you disagree with this thinking?

If the paint feels rough you should clay before compounding. Sure, the compound will remove some of the bonded contaminants, but in doing so it reduces the effectiveness of the polishing process and in the long run could actually be slowing you down. Claying is a very simple and straightforward process, so don't skip it.

Step 2. Meguiar's Mirror Glaze #7 Show Car Glaze/Pure Polish ( I'm going to put 1 to 2 applications of this product on) I remember one expert saying to leave this soak into the paint overnight to "nourish" the dry paint, but I mostly read people say to wipe it on and almost immediately wipe it off. Which is right in this situation?

If the paint looks really, really good after UC and you want to boost the gloss even more, then M07 is a great second step on single stage paint. But if the UC and your pad choice leaves any sort of micromarring you'll want to follow it with a less aggressive liquid and less aggressive pad. That means something like Ultimate Polish or M205 on a finishing pad at speed 3 to 4 to maximize clarity before waxing. If you do the UP or M205 you may find that you no longer really need the M07 - that's up to you to decide based on how the paint reacts, the customer's expectations, etc.

Step 3. Wax: Collinite Liquid Insulator Wax #845

If that's the wax you like, go for it. Wax is a very personal choice so use what suits you and the car.

Do these 3 steps seem ok or do you recommend something else?

What tips and tools could be used to get in the very hard to reach areas under the spoiler or is this a "by hand work only" area? Pictures provided below of the spoiler area. I thought about putting Ultimate Compound on a toothbrush and rubbing it in to the hard to reach places? Bad idea?

Is the Griot's red pad on par with the Meguiar's W8207 Soft Buff 2.0 Foam Polishing Pad or the Meguiar's W7207 Soft Buff 2.0 Cutting Pad? I ask because the Griot's red pad seems to be a bit more firmer and more aggressive than the Meguiar's yellow. I never purchased the Meguiar's maroon pad before because many have said that it's too aggressive and it will leave scratches/swirls. Is this really the case? I am tempted to try one. I am pleased with the results that the Griot's red pad gives, BUT it wants to slip off center while using the random orbital which worries me. Because of this I keep going back to the Meguiar's yellow 2.0 pads, but I hate to say it... they don't seem to do as good of a job as the Griot's red pad.

After using Ultimate Compound there remains what appears to be some etched spots here and there (acid rain?) and some faint white blotches on the hood that can only been seen under artificial light, not under natural sunlight. I am guessing I won't be able to get these out unless it is wet sanded and or a rotary buffer used on it? Or neither and this really calls for a new paint job? What is the ultimate "back to black" type product out there? Thank you so much!

OK, we understand that you're using the Griot's orange pad for correction so from here on we'll assume that's the pad we're talking about for your defect removal and for any comparisons to our pads.

That orange pad may be just a tick more aggressive than our yellow pad, and if it's working for you then stick with it. But don't overlook the backing plate. If you're using the Griot's tool and their pad we can only assume you're using their backing plate, so you should be perfectly fine there. But technique is critically important in this game, so the questions we asked above will help us determine if you're doing anything that might be adjusted to maximize your results. Otherwise, keep doing what you're doing.

Our maroon cutting pad is quite aggressive, and when used on a DA there is a high probability of hazing the paint so we don't really recommend using it on that tool. That doesn't mean you should never use it on a DA, just be aware that it may cause some hazing that needs to be cleaned up with a second step. If you can avoid it, you should.

Any deeper defects that remain after using UC may or may not be so severe that another process is called for. Without seeing these spots, and without seeing your technique, it's very difficult to say for sure. It could be that you just need to concentrate on these spots a bit longer, or maybe something like our DA Microfiber Correction System is called for. But age of paint, severity of defects, etc all come into play here.

You're almost always going to find some spots that require hand work, like under the spoiler on this car. But skip the toothbrush and stick with a foam wax applicator pad for this type of close quarters work. A toothbrush is likely to do more harm than good, and it won't really be a good interface for the compound. Stick with a small foam applicator pad.

Finally, for any exterior black plastic trim, we recommend a thorough cleaning with a good all purpose cleaner and then applying our Ultimate Black sparingly to the surface.

This looks like a fun car to work on - enjoy it, and by all means document your progress with some good pix if you can and post them up here when finished.

[BlackHawk]

Re: Help needed with 1995 Mitsubishi 3000 GT oxidation

Issue posting with quotes. Sorry. Gotta figure this out. Will make another post.

[BlackHawk]

Re: Help needed with 1995 Mitsubishi 3000 GT oxidation

Looks like you're making excellent progress so far! How are you applying the UC - tool speed, size of work area, pressure, speed across the paint, etc? It may be a situation where a bit of a tweak to your technique can take you from 3 applications of UC to just 2.


If the paint feels rough you should clay before compounding. Sure, the compound will remove some of the bonded contaminants, but in doing so it reduces the effectiveness of the polishing process and in the long run could actually be slowing you down. Claying is a very simple and straightforward process, so don't skip it.
If the paint looks really, really good after UC and you want to boost the gloss even more, then M07 is a great second step on single stage paint. But if the UC and your pad choice leaves any sort of micromarring you'll want to follow it with a less aggressive liquid and less aggressive pad. That means something like Ultimate Polish or M205 on a finishing pad at speed 3 to 4 to maximize clarity before waxing. If you do the UP or M205 you may find that you no longer really need the M07 - that's up to you to decide based on how the paint reacts, the customer's expectations, etc.

If that's the wax you like, go for it. Wax is a very personal choice so use what suits you and the car.

OK, we understand that you're using the Griot's orange pad for correction so from here on we'll assume that's the pad we're talking about for your defect removal and for any comparisons to our pads.

That orange pad may be just a tick more aggressive than our yellow pad, and if it's working for you then stick with it. But don't overlook the backing plate. If you're using the Griot's tool and their pad we can only assume you're using their backing plate, so you should be perfectly fine there. But technique is critically important in this game, so the questions we asked above will help us determine if you're doing anything that might be adjusted to maximize your results. Otherwise, keep doing what you're doing.

Our maroon cutting pad is quite aggressive, and when used on a DA there is a high probability of hazing the paint so we don't really recommend using it on that tool. That doesn't mean you should never use it on a DA, just be aware that it may cause some hazing that needs to be cleaned up with a second step. If you can avoid it, you should.

Any deeper defects that remain after using UC may or may not be so severe that another process is called for. Without seeing these spots, and without seeing your technique, it's very difficult to say for sure. It could be that you just need to concentrate on these spots a bit longer, or maybe something like our DA Microfiber Correction System is called for. But age of paint, severity of defects, etc all come into play here.

You're almost always going to find some spots that require hand work, like under the spoiler on this car. But skip the toothbrush and stick with a foam wax applicator pad for this type of close quarters work. A toothbrush is likely to do more harm than good, and it won't really be a good interface for the compound. Stick with a small foam applicator pad.

Finally, for any exterior black plastic trim, we recommend a thorough cleaning with a good all purpose cleaner and then applying our Ultimate Black sparingly to the surface.

This looks like a fun car to work on - enjoy it, and by all means document your progress with some good pix if you can and post them up here when finished.

Ok. I can't figure out how to post the way you did in sections so this is the best I can do...

Thanks for the reply Michael! It is *greatly* appreciated! Yes so far it's coming along well... the oxidation is coming off. I figured I would do 3 applications of UC to go the extra mile I guess. In person the paint looks worse than the pictures and I am finding it definitely needs 2 applications to get it all out... at least how I am doing it. I have no training... I am a novice. Who knows... maybe someone with more experience could get the job done with 1 application. My application... the yellow Megs pad or the orange Griot's pad, UC, and the Griot's random orbital I am varying the settings... I first spread the UC out and then vary the speed settings from 4 to the max which I believe is 6. I am applying light to moderate pressure with my passes. With the speed setting on 6 I am applying very little to no pressure. At that setting I am mostly just guiding the random orbital along and letting the very high speed rotation do the work. I am working small sections at a fairly slow pace making overlapping vertical and horizontal patterns I guess is the way to describe it. This all may be wrong so please speak up if that's the case. I wish I was nearby so I could take a course from you guys. Any classes in PA ever?

I did two test spots with clay and it really didn't seem to make much of a difference. The paint is rough though. I mean the oxidation feels rougher than the areas I corrected of course. The paint doesn't have any adhered particles that I can feel though. I guess it's "smooth roughness." LOL! I see your point about the effectiveness coming in to play though. I have many Meguiar's products, but no Ultimate Polish at this time. A friend recently gave me a unopened bottle of Mother's California Gold Pure Polish Step 1 that may be in the same class as Ultimate Polish? I could try using the Mother's after the UC step, but before the M07? And using it may allow me to skip M07? I never used this particular Mother's product so I have no idea.

Well I haven't used Collinite in YEARS, but I picked up a bottle this summer locally on sale and thought... it may be good to use on this car because I remember it's a long lasting wax, but also difficult to work with. I normally use NXT or Megs cleaner wax, and just this year I tried Megs Ultimate Wax. I like all three of those for the ease of use and very good results. I do however wish they lasted a little bit longer.

Note: I have both the Griot's backing plate and the proper Megs backing plate for the Megs pads of course.

Gotcha... so if I try the maroon pad and I do get hazing, which is likely, I will need to follow up with something like Ultimate polish I take it?

Ok I see. I will try some other things and work that area more/longer. I wish I could get the new DA system. Right now I just can't. From everything I hear, it cuts time even more than the other pads.

Thank you. Now I know what pad I need and what to do.

I have a huge jug of APC in both formulas so that's not a problem. I don't have UB so I will see if I can find it locally. Thanks Michael! Thanks a million! I will get some more pictures.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Help needed with 1995 Mitsubishi 3000 GT oxidation

My application... the yellow Megs pad or the orange Griot's pad, UC, and the Griot's random orbital I am varying the settings... I first spread the UC out and then vary the speed settings from 4 to the max which I believe is 6. I am applying light to moderate pressure with my passes. With the speed setting on 6 I am applying very little to no pressure. At that setting I am mostly just guiding the random orbital along and letting the very high speed rotation do the work.

OK, this is what's slowing you down and maybe even holding you back a bit. You definitely need some pressure here to get the job done. Your technique is great when using a rotary buffer, but this is a DA so it requires a very different approach. You shouldn't have to run the tool faster than speed 5 (the Griot's tool has some very good power) but you do need pressure. You might want to put a small piece of masking tape on the back of the backing plate for a visual reference, but apply enough pressure to almost stop the rotation of the pad. At this point it becomes even more critical to keep the pad as flat against the paint as possibles since any tip onto the edge will stop rotation. You won't hurt anything, but you'll lose cut and diminish your results.

If you haven't yet read through D/A Buffing 101 - An Introduction to the G110v2 and similar tools you should. We discuss many of the common mistakes in technique that hold people back, including this pressure aspect:

This is how the pad looks with just the weight of the tool, and it is usually insufficient for defect removal.


This is a heavily compressed pad - you may or may not need this much pressure.


Sometimes you need a lot of pressure, sometimes you don't - it all depends on how the paint is responding, how bad the defects are, etc. But for the serious defect removal you're faced with, you definitely need some pressure. Keep the pad moving over the paint, slowly of course, and you don't need to worry at all about burning the paint. When you move to a finishing polish you can ease up on the pressure and slow down the tool speed.

Try this and we're confident you'll see a big improvement in defect removal.