bigbwb

Hello guys,
Just bought a 2007 Porsche Boxster in red and am attempting to remove some of the swirls in the paint. Looks as if the previous owner took it through automatic car washes. The paints in good condition but i am struggling to remove some of the really fine swirls that you can see in the right lighting.

So far I have tried my porter cable (white pad) with Poorboys 2.5 then zaino products afterward. I am hesitant to get more "agressive" in fear of causing paint damage. I do feel comfortable using the PC but need some direction, maybe a more agressive polish?

So if I can get some suggestions on a different polish and if I am using the right pad for the job.

Thanks,
Brandon

ArmyofOne

I would start with a good clay. Then, Polish up with some Meguair's #205 on an orange pad, then #105 on a less aggressive pad.

Then follow that with the glaze/sealant/wax of your choice.

bigbwb

Did you mean start with the Meguiars 105 then 205 with a less agressive pad? I think the 105 is an agressive compound then follow with 205 which is a finishing one right?

I was leaning towards this approach too

varcity64

iTrader: (2)

105 first then 205 to finish it down. i havent tried this method but have heard nothing but positive reviews about these products used together

ArmyofOne

Yes sorry, I am deployed to aghanistan and it has been a VERY loong day...if you know what I mean

Bingo

bigbwb

No problem, good luck to you, stay safe!

I just ordered the 105 & 205 with a yellow LC pad. Hoping this does the trick!

bigbwb

I forgot to ask one question. I did order a yellow pad to try but in combo with the M105, might that be too harsh for just swirls?

Should I maybe consider the orange or white pad with the M105 first?

Just trying to play it safe here

ArmyofOne

I would go with the orange first, I only use yellow for deep deep scratches/buffing out touch up paint.

jfelbab

I advise trying the 205 approach first. 205 works longer and has less tendency to dry and dust. It might be a strong enough polish to do the job. Its best to not take off more paint than needed, hence I'd try a less aggressive polish first and move up to more aggressive pads and polishes only if needed. I'd suggest doing test spots to see how the paint and pad/polish combo perform.

bigbwb

In your opinion, since I already tried the Poorboys 2.5 (which is more aggressive than the 205), would I be better off trying the PB2.5 with the yellow pad first over the 105 on an orange pad?

When I tried the PB2.5 the first time, I used it on a white pad.

Sorry for all the questions

Brandon

jfelbab

205 is a different kind (SMAT vs DAT) of polish so I'd still try that first. This is why I recommend doing test spots. This will show you what combination of polish and pads works most effectively on your particular vehicle. No two vehicles paint is the same. I find differences even from the same manufacturer. Some paint is soft and some is hard.

In all cases it is good to keep in mind when polishing, that you are removing paint and there is precious little there to start with. Modern factory paint is VERY thin and getting thinner every year as the manufacturer finds ways to apply less and less. Your clear coat is about as thick as a couple sheets of newspaper or a sheet of 20 lb. printer paper. You can only safely remove about 25% of that and even in so doing, you will be removing the hardest and shiniest part of the clear as well as much of the UV protection. Using aggressive polishes and pads can remove unsightly swirls but they are also removing something you can't see and this can have negative long term effects for your paint.

The clear coat on your car is where the UV protection is and most of that UV protection is concentrated near the surface of the CC layer. Also consider that the clear coat is denser near the surface and this is where it will be the hardest and the shiniest. If you remove too much clear coat your paint will fail early and its protection and gloss will be reduced.

IMO, way too many think that the more aggressive the polish the better. In reality, using a more aggressive polish than needed just removes more paint which is paper thin to start with. Often using an aggressive polish like 105 will leave marring of its own and require even more polishing with a finer polish/pad to remove. I would rather make a couple more passes with a finer polish than one heavy cut and a few light cuts afterwards. This will remove less paint.

It is important to remove as little paint as possible and still achieve the correction you want.

Back to the question. I'd start doing test spots with a fine polish and a finishing pad. Do a couple passes on a test spot and examine the result, preferably in direct sunlight or with a swirl finder lamp. If needed, step up to using a polishing pad and the same polish, next a cutting pad and that same polish, then step up to a stronger polish and go back to a finish pad, polishing pad, and cutting pad, etc., examine the test spots as you go to see which is delivering the results you want.

At some point, you will need to ask yourself if you are going too far to achieve perfection and will going forward be advisable. If you want to preserve your paint you might want to consider achieving that last 10% by using a glaze to hide the remaining marring. Glazes will fill and hide some minor marring but are short lived, usually a month or so. Yet they do so without paint removal. If you plan is to keep a vehicle 10 or more years it might be a choice to consider rather that grabbing the PC and polish every month or two.

Finally, if you achieve that perfect polish, you might consider a coating product to protect it and to mitigate future marring damage. Products like A-Quartz, C-Quartz or Opticoat 2.0 all leave a thicker permanant coating, almost like a second clear coat. These coatings will take the marring and preserve your paint. This along with paying particular attention to anything that touches your paint should keep your paint in top condition for years and reduce the amount of paint removal in the future.

bigbwb

Thanks Jim!
I started off trying the 205 on a yellow pad with ok results. Then I moved onto the more agressive 105 with a white pad and had excellent results! I was able to remove the majority of swirls in my opinion without too much clear coat ( I was very careful and applied little pressure). after completing the car with 105 I went over it again using a blue pad with 205. I am now onto using my Zaino waxes for protection.

I bought the car used and now that I have the finish like I want it I should not have to go this route ever again! I am very careful washing( 2 bucket system) and can use probably just the zaino stuff going forward.

The meguairs stuff worked darn good.

Thanks for the help folks,
Brandon