C5 Vette - 1st DA Use

[Demon_C5]

Re: C5 Vette - 1st DA Use

Man, sorry to hear that. If we were in the same state I'd pack up my rig and see if we could fix the problem.

The sad fact is, very few "professional" detailers really have the skill and knowledge to perform paint correction. They are good at cleaning interiors and washing and applying wax, but it stops there in most cases.

Surely there is a MOL'ler in your area that can help

I trust that is certainly the case, as what appears to have been done is just a fancy wax job. Which I am quite capable of doing myself. I took the car there with intention of doing paint correction and I made sure he understood that.

I'm working on my local Corvette forum right now to see if anyone in my regional area can help direct me to someone that might be able to help.

[InfiniteDetail]

Re: C5 Vette - 1st DA Use

Man, sorry to hear that. If we were in the same state I'd pack up my rig and see if we could fix the problem.

The sad fact is, very few "professional" detailers really have the skill and knowledge to perform paint correction. They are good at cleaning interiors and washing and applying wax, but it stops there in most cases.

Surely there is a MOL'ler in your area that can help

[Demon_C5]

Re: C5 Vette - 1st DA Use

Bounty has been providing some VERY nice support over the phone, and I really appreciate his advice and input. I dropped it off at this last place against my better judgement even though we both had our doubts. I was hoping that it would turn out, since I was running out of time before this car show.

Boy was I wrong...

He claimed that in his location under the florescent lights they use, it looked perfect. He said it even looked perfect out in the midday sun in direct sunlight. The hood is absolutely covered in hard swirls and spiderwebbing that I can see from 6ft away with a tiny handheld single LED maglight.

[Demon_C5]

Re: C5 Vette - 1st DA Use

Sorry for the delays guys...had some vacation time for a few weeks and have been busy with work.

My DA failed before I could finish it and with the amount of time I had into the car already and being so busy with work...I decided to seek additional help and see if I can get it done locally by a professional.

I had someone lined up to do it, but the day he was suppose to show up he never returned my calls and never showed up. Never heard from him again even though I left several messages.

I found a place in Portland that said they would take it in and I stopped over there with the car and had them look at it a week ago. He was absolutely confident that he could get the swirls/light scratches out and I looked at a few cars on the lot that had been detailed and they looked ok. I was pressed for time, seeing that I have a car show it's suppose to be in NEXT WEEK. I dropped it off, leaving a bit nervous. He said that he wanted to keep it another day when I called him Saturday (dropped it off Fri) because he pulled it out into the sun and he said he could still see some swirl/spiderweb marks. I agreed and said that I will try and pick it up Monday night. It was raining Mon and I had to leave for work for the week (I travel for work) and he said no problem and that he would store it until I could come pick it up.

I picked it up finally yesterday afternoon on an overcast day. The owner that I had been talking to wasn't there, but I was instructed to take the car and he would contact me afterward on what I thought of his work. It was cloud and the car looked FAIR, so I took it on home with the intention of looking at it carefully this afternoon in my garage. I just did so an hour ago.

I am EXTREMELY dissapointed. It looks like NOTHING has been to this car. I got it back in what appears to be the exact same condition I dropped it off in. The hood and front bumper appears to be literally untouched, except maybe a few coats of wax on it. I put my handheld light up to the hood and the ENTIRE hood is still covered in scratches, as well as the front bumper. I find it surprising that he claims that he buffed it at all. I looked at the rest of the car with my light and it appears to be in same condition I dropped it off in as well.

Water spots under the hood where he said he cleaned it, dried water stains on the understide of the hood he said he would take care of, wax dust in the cracks of the car, piece of weather sealing broke loose on the hood seal, wax visible under weather seals, etc. I am not happy.

Called him up and explained to him what I was thinking and seeing and he says that the swirls are just from them and he would clear it up this week if I could drop the car off again. I just want my money back at this point, I'm beyond upset.

So that's the update so far. If I could afford to just get the entire car repainted...I would.

[InfiniteDetail]

Re: C5 Vette - 1st DA Use

The paint on these Vettes reminds me of an oddball situation I had with an '86 Mustang, single stage white. M105 and a wool pad finished up great, but any attempt to enhance the gloss using a milder product on foam pads and the rotary or the PC just hazed the paint. We tried M205, M83, M80 on all different pads and with different machines with no luck.

We eventually found that the paint liked D151 applied with rotary and a wool pad.

Sometimes you just come up against strange paint that doesn't follow the normal rules, and only extensive testing can reveal the right combination.

It's a shame that the first car you worked on seems to fit into this category. Don't let it dampen your enthusiasm - try a few other cars and then come back to your Vette after you have a little more experience and I'll bet you find that perfect combo.

Good luck

[vetterc5]

Re: C5 Vette - 1st DA Use

Hello all,

I'll throw in my two cents before the thread dies.

I have an '02 black c5. I contributed to another c5 corvette thread on the forum 2 months ago and got a lot of good info. The result of the test spot was to use the m105 with the d/a and the yellow polishing pad. It was the minimum needed to cut through the tough gm clear coat. [Truth be told, it was the older version of m105, but it worked fairly well with the d/a] With the g110 set to 5, the m105 did a good job but the clear coat is HARD and scratches easy. It took several passes to make a significant difference in the scratches, water spots and halo/spider webbing with the d/a on 5 and using the yellow soft buffs. I did not have the m205.

Then I read another thread either here or on another forum. An experienced user said the following; [it is not his quote, but it's the jist of it.]

'When doing any late model corvette with the d/a, I go right for the w7207 cutting pads, m105 and speed set to 6 [ my reaction]. Usually the finish is so good afterwards, i just go to the m21.'

Well guys, I ordered the cutting pads, m105 and m205 [already have m21] and I gave it a shot and really pushed on the g110 and ya know what. It sure was noisy on the plastic fantastic, but it worked GREAT.... Only the deepest of scratches in the clear coat didn't come out, and at the very least they were reduced and softened. Much fewer passes were required, and no matter how hard i pushed, the new da version of m105 and the cutting pad would not micro mar or haze the paint, even on setting 6. The corvette paint is THAT hard. Perhaps with a rotary, it would be a different story, but take it from me, i have really put this combo through its paces over the last couple of months, and the g110 really is idiot proof. Maybe i'm wimpy and didn't really push it that hard, but on 6, to keep that pad from spinning too fast, you REALLY have to put some pressure behind it. That one little thread saved me a whole lot of sweat and effort and i am grateful i found it. I'm sorry I can't recall the posters name so I can give him the credit and a big THANKS.

I firmly believe the only reason i got away with that speed/pad/m105 combo is the extremely hard gm clear coat on late model Corvettes. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, don't jump in like this on anything else if your not sure what you have for paint and clear coat.

That being said, I do have a final question........ I did purchase the m205 along with the m105 and cutting pads. The finish looks so good now that I can only guess as to how much of an improvement it will make and i'm tempted to use the m21 as my lsp. I could do a test spot as i didn't have the m205 when doing the first one many days ago. But i did use m21 over the m105 application and it was beautiful. The car's going out on saturday, and i have friday [tomorrow] to finish it. Should i go for it with the m205 then apply the m21 or just go for the m21 as my lsp



btw. DemonC5, my g110 gave up the ghost after 2 hours of use, but customer service got me a new one pdq, so hang in there, and enjoy your shiny c5.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: C5 Vette - 1st DA Use

i have a PC which UPS dropped off today, i am learning on my ranger (white) but the reason i got it was to get the swirls out of my mustang (black)...hopefully the gt has an easier paint to polish that the C5.

Just be sure to do a Test Spot before going over the entire truck and if you run into any problems start a new thread for the topic.

Probably any paint system is going to be less challenging than most new/modern factory Corvette paints...

[fzr confused]

Re: C5 Vette - 1st DA Use

i am a novice and found a LOT of very good info in this thread alone. i would love to see update/finished pics . i have a PC which UPS dropped off today, i am learning on my ranger (white) but the reason i got it was to get the swirls out of my mustang (black)...hopefully the gt has an easier paint to polish that the C5.

[Desertdawg]

Re: C5 Vette - 1st DA Use

Yeah, it was a fun thread, I hate to see it die without some final pictures...

[cozmo]

Re: C5 Vette - 1st DA Use

Wow! What a read! My G110 should be here in a day or so and I feel fortunate to have found this thread. What a wealth of information for a newbie DA user to shortly be. I would like to thank everyone who contributed here. You guys are more than amazing!

[Desertdawg]

Re: C5 Vette - 1st DA Use

10 days later and no further updates.... ?

[Demon_C5]

Re: C5 Vette - 1st DA Use

Getting a new G110 on the way. Awesome customer support.

Now to get this badboy finished, I made a mess while detailling and have to figure out how to get some dried up residue from the products off the car. Didn't tape it up as well a I thought. Another lesson learned.

[akimel]

Re: C5 Vette - 1st DA Use

Call customer support immediately.

[Demon_C5]

Re: C5 Vette - 1st DA Use

The car is just about finished, all I have left is some detail work and a LOT of cleanup.

One major problem...My G110 DA failed on me just now. It won't start at all. All I have left on the entire car is the hood. Need to get it buffed with M105, apply ColorX, and NXT Tech Wax. I am forced to do it by hand now, and I have my doubts that I'm going to be able to get it done at all. I wasn't able to produce any good results with M105 on my test spot.

So the G110 is out of commission and I didn't even get to finish one car. Maybe it's something simple? I was applying the Tech Wax with it and was just getting the whole car done. It seemed like it was slowing down a bit, so I turned it off and checked to make sure it was still plugged in all the way. It wouldn't start back up. Seems to me that the motor has failed. It was never hot, it never had a smell to it.

Any ideas?

[jmakado]

Re: C5 Vette - 1st DA Use

Give the test spot a spray with some glass cleaner after using your #7. This will remove the oils from #7 and show you the true condition of the paint. If you see the swirls that you saw after you used your foam pad to apply #7 then you know they are *true* swirls. Sometimes #7 won't remove completely and your towel marks in the remaining #7 can look like scratches or swirls. Did that make sense?

You may also see this after using NXT if you don't remove it completely. The product will smear a little and it can look like halograms or swirls in the paint.

I just read through this entire thread by the way. Great read and I'm glad you are getting it all dialed in. Corvettes are indeed some of the most difficult cars to buff in my experience. Very hard paint yet very scratch sensitive at the same time....go figure! I have yet to finish one down with #205 but I remember #9 being one of the few products I could get to finish down marr free with a DA in the past. The first Corvette I did was a black C5. I think I spent over an hour just on my test spot trying to dial in a program that worked.

On a side note, I did just finish an 07 Audi (Way hard paint also) with #205. It took me a little time to get it dialed in but once I did I was amazed at how crisp and clear the paint was. Something I don't ever remember seeing finishing with a DA. Pretty amazing product IMO.

Again, way to stick in there and not give up. The first one is always the most challenging and I commend you for hanging in there on one of the toughest of the tough, Black vette.