Black '09 Corvette C6

[acannell]

Black '09 Corvette C6

Bought the following detailing setup:

Porter Cable
assortment of "hex logic" foam pads (red, blue, black, white, orange)
Chemical guys nano, and scratch and swirl remover .
Chemical guys pad lubricant.


Very unhappy with results. However, I am not blaming the products. I'm 99% sure its my technique and skill level.

I am able to easily remove bird etchings and water spots, but millions of short little "C" shaped scratches are left, even if I use the black pad (no cutting) and the nano polish (very light diminishing abrasives), and plenty of "pad lubricant".

SO: im thinking of getting the meguiars W8006 & W9006 pads, and the #80 speed glaze, since apparently beginners are having good luck with it.

Anyone agree with this plan? I am trying to remove water spots and light swirl marks from the entire car.

[wifpd4]

Re: Black '09 Corvette C6

I wish I could offer some advice, just a bit jealous about a black Corvette. I can only imagine it will look great when you finish.

Being one of those beginners you mention, I needed to look up a description of M80 and this is what I found on one of the vendor's web site:
"Meguiar’s Speed Glaze is a shortcut that cleans and polishes in one simple step. You will quickly remove light scratches, stains and environmental contaminants."

It sounds like a great product and would handle what you have, but I wonder if your imperfections might benefit from a fairly traditional approach of the famous trio of ColorX, SwirlX and Ultimate Compound and a test spot.

If you could post some pictures, it would help the wise ones on the list who will jump into the discussion very soon.

Good luck with the method and products you choose to use.

[fredcandetail]

Re: Black '09 Corvette C6

did you clay the finish first? if not you would simply be polishing on dirt and it could cause more/additional swirls
megs pads are not any better from any others...imo - but you may want to step it up on the cutting power ... try 105 on a polishing pad and if you dont get the results you are after go to a cutting pad and then finish with 205 or 151

[acannell]

Re: Black '09 Corvette C6

Just bought the following from autogeek:

W8006 pad
W9006 pad
105
205
80

Total was $54 shipped.

I think what I have is typical "scouring/marring/hook-shaped marks left by the PC".

Tonight I used the chemical guys nano polish on a black pad (no cut), on a panel that had never been polished or touched in any way by a machine or compound greater than mild cleaning wax, and it left the little J/C/Hook shaped scratches all over. I used plenty of chemical guys pad lubricant (stuff was spraying all over) and used the PC on setting 5 until things got very clear (but not dry), with mdoerate pressure. I forgot to watch the pad to make sure it was rotating it (I marked it).

The paint has been clayed and washed with dawn, its very clean.

I will report back once I try the above purchased goodies.

We'll get this down guys...i'm not gonna leave out details either. We are figuring out black corvettes once and for all, and the precise, nitty gritty details of exactly how it is done with a PC will be known to all for eternity.

[acannell]

Re: Black '09 Corvette C6

Pad/polish recommendations for black '06 vette:
*Link removed

How to use M105/M205:

*Link removed

[Markus Kleis]

Re: Black '09 Corvette C6

Pad/polish recommendations for black '06 vette:
*Link removed

How to use M105/M205:

*Link removed

Hi acannell,

Just so you know, our forum rules ask new users to reach 30 posts before posting hyperlinks to outside sites.

Sorry for the hassle that may have caused, but thanks for your understanding and welcome to MOL!

Mark

[wifpd4]

Re: Black '09 Corvette C6

...

We'll get this down guys...i'm not gonna leave out details either. We are figuring out black corvettes once and for all, and the precise, nitty gritty details of exactly how it is done with a PC will be known to all for eternity.

Wow, I'll call some stone cutters. Not sure the internet is one of those "for eternity" means of communications; could be, not sure I'll be around to judge!

Waiting for photos...

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Black '09 Corvette C6

First off, the C6 is notorious for having very hard paint. We've come across one or two that really weren't that bad, but they can be very difficult to correct.

We are a bit concerned about the little "pigtail" type marks you're getting in the finish though. Are you being very cautious to keep your pads very clean? You might want to back off on the pad lubricant too, it shouldn't be needed all the time, just for an initial priming of the pad and quite honestly, on a D/A even that is rarely called for. Continued use (over use) of such a product is only going to diminish the ability of the correction product you're using.

When the M105 and other products show up, give it a go with the W8006 pad, but use the M105 sparingly. Get the surface of the pad primed, but then cut way back, applying only a few pea sized drops of product to the pad for each section you work. Apply a good bit of pressure on the pad, and work very small areas at a time, moving the tool slowly over the paint. An initial test spot is highly recommended so that you can dial in a process. After doing the M105 test spot, follow with M205 on the W9006 pad in the same spot. You should be left with a very clear, highly reflective and glossy finish - and a game plan for the rest of the car.

[acannell]

Re: Black '09 Corvette C6

The pigtail marks are only visible with a bright light, they arent "rock in the pad" type marks, not really pigtail shaped either, more like C's. When viewed in the sun they appear as circular swirl marks that everyone is familiar with. I'm not sure why they look like C's in the garage with an artificial light. The pads are new, cleaned after every use with pad cleaner, and kept in a clean plastic box used only for clean pads.

I only started using lubricant once I found that I couldnt get rid of the C's, so I know it didnt make it worse (or better). The lubricant instruction say to "spray generously on the pad", but it was so messy I cant imagine doing it that way on the whole car.

Ive seen posts on here mentioning that some kind of lubricant can help to prevent the C marks, so thats why I tried it.

I'll try the combo you suggested and let everyone know how it works out.

thanks

[RDVT4ME]

Re: Black '09 Corvette C6

Welcome to the world of Corvette paint. Those pigtails are quite common with this paint. It will give the paint a bit of a haze to it. It will shine, but just have a bit of haze to it.

Try finishing the job with M205 and a finishing pad.

[acannell]

Re: Black '09 Corvette C6

Will do. Just waiting for my stuff to get here....

Again, the marks im seeing arent "pigtail" shaped. Just short C shaped curves.

I'll take pictures once I have all my stuff and try it out.

[Black1]

Re: Black '09 Corvette C6

Another tip would be to wipe down each panel with the microfiber cloth just before you start polishing.... use light pressure and wipe in one direction to get any dust or product residue (from polishing the panel next to it) off the surface so it doesn't get stuck under the pad.

We LOVE pictures here, so post some up!

[acannell]

Re: Black '09 Corvette C6

Another tip would be to wipe down each panel with the microfiber cloth just before you start polishing.... use light pressure and wipe in one direction to get any dust or product residue (from polishing the panel next to it) off the surface so it doesn't get stuck under the pad.

We LOVE pictures here, so post some up!

To be clear, the section I tested my methods on was spotless. I only did the top of a fender, after it had been washed with dawn and then wiped clean with a totally clean white 100% cotten towel. My methods (pads/compounds) have been leaving the exact same marks since they were new, so I am close to 100% sure that this is not dirt or anything else on the pad or paint.

Pictures as soon as I try plan B, I swear.

[Black1]

Re: Black '09 Corvette C6

To be clear, the section I tested my methods on was spotless. I only did the top of a fender, after it had been washed with dawn and then wiped clean with a totally clean white 100% cotten towel. My methods (pads/compounds) have been leaving the exact same marks since they were new, so I am close to 100% sure that this is not dirt or anything else on the pad or paint.

Pictures as soon as I try plan B, I swear.

I understand... I just thought I'd throw that tip out there. It's always good to do on a black car. You'll find, once you get about halfway through polishing the whole car, there is quite a bit of dust and residue floating around.

[acannell]

Re: Black '09 Corvette C6

Latest update:

Received 105, 205, 80 polishes today.

Received W8006 and W9006 pads today.

My setup for tonight:

W9006 pad with 205 polish, and porter cable.

Sprayed pad from about 1 foot with 5 spritzes of Chemical Guys pad conditioner. Then squished pad together to spread it out.

Then drew an X on the pad with 205 polish, then rubbed it in with hand. Added a few more pea sized drops of polish to fill in the dry spots and then squished the pad to get it all even.

Then placed four pea sized amounts on pad, and spread polish on the fender, an area about 6" by 24", at setting 3.

Then turned it to 5 and used moderate pressure.

Did about 6 total passes, first three with moderate pressure, last with little pressure.

Wiped off resiude with microfiber.

Inspected with flourescent shop light.

The "C" shaped marks are FAR, FAR less than with the CG Nano and Hex logic pad combo, but there are still a few. I may say that there is 90% less, maybe more.

I then switched to a different panel and repeated, but with much less pressure and more passes. The polish did not seem to break down. I think that may be because there was too much on the pad. It just looked the same after each pass.

Nevertheless, I wiped it clean and inspected. The difference was dramatic. The "C" shaped marks were very few, maybe 95% less than my other methods.

To see if I could get things even better, I took the pad off the DA and began polishing with it in a circle over the area I had just done. I did this for about 30 seconds.

There were even fewer "C" shaped marks. I wiped the area with IPA and reinspected. Looks pretty much the same.

My microfiber was no longer "extra extra clean", and I could see some extremely light scratches in straight lines i think were left by it. If your goal is to literally have ZERO scratches, anything that touches the paint needs to be ABSOLUTELY CLEAN.

I had taped off a section of the hood so I could see before and after.

On the left, is the "before". This was some combination of porter cable, hex logic orange or white pads, and chemical guys nano or scratch and swirl. Sorry I dont know exactly which combo, it was awhile since I had done it.

On the right is the 205 with W9006, as described above.

This picture and the above description may be a BIT MISLEADING, since all I did was polish out marks left by my previous polishing, instead of polishing out defects AND leaving no traces.

What I really need to do, now that I think I may have a method, is move to a fresh panel that has never been polished, and still has water spots and normal scratches and swirls on it from 25000 miles. If I can get rid of all the defects and not leave hazing, scouring, holograms, swirls, or "C" shaped marks, I think we have a winner for black corvette paint polishing and defect removal.

Ill keep you posted. I'm hoping 205 can remove defects, if it cant, Ill try speed glaze 80 with the W9006 as a first step. The 105 has a cut level of 12!! (top of the scale) so Im going to avoid it if at all possible.

I may also try my chemical guys polishes using the new meguiars pads.

Lots of interesting info to come!