Scratches???

[Desertstealth]

Hi,

 

Well, I finally had time to do a complete detail on my wife's 2013 2SS Camaro blue ray metallic convertible.  We've owned it a year with plenty of "failed" detailing (lol).  Lots of light scratches.  I am now using pretty much all Adam's products and recently purchased the Cyclo.

 

Washed the car with Adam's car shampoo followed by detail spray and clay bar.  Then I used the machine (set for number 6) with foam applicators (and then switched to micro fiber applicators).  Polish #1, then polish #2, then Brilliant glaze (all on top of each other).  Buffed off the brilliant glaze and hand applied Americana Wax.

 

Results:  The car looks fabulous.  Everything looks brilliant and perfect.  Except, under certain lights and at a certain angle, you can see lots of scratches all over the place.  Likely scratches from many previous poor wash jobs before I took over the process.

 

I could ignore the scratches.  Unlikely they would be noticed by most anyone.  But, they are there.  Did I use the Cyclo incorrectly?  Is it even possible to remove these "light" scratches?

 

Thanks

Marcus

[camaro2ssblack]

I'll ask two questions:

 

Did you do a test spot?

How long did the polishing process take you?

 

I'm willing to bet the answer to the first question is no. The purpose of the second question is to make sure you fully worked the polishes and didn't just "spread them".

[mc2hill]

Marcus, this sounds like what I did the first time I used my polisher and Adam's pads/polishes.  My truck looked better, but there was room for improvement.  

As Chase asked "Did you do a Test spot?".  That is what I did not do my first time, I just worked the pads and polishes following the directions on the bottle.  Now I always to a test spot - a 2 ft. x 2 ft. area, sometimes marked off with painters tape.  Work that area until you are satisfied with the results, then you know the 'formula' for the rest of the car.  Sometimes that 'formula' is multiple section passes of an abrasive polish/pad combo, followed by a section pass of the finishing polish/pad combo.  Sometimes it can just be multiple section passes of the finishing polish/pad combo.   When you are ready to tackle the car again, try this method.  

And remember start with the least aggressive method (pad/polish combo) first!     

[03blackSSS]

I can understand as I went through the same thing on my first polish. Like others have said, how much did you work the polish? With  buffing new paint and clear on a restored truck I did, I had bad experiences with buffing. Burning through the clear is not a good feeling. So I was afraid to polish as long as I needed. 

 

Polishing is a different animal, as we are not removing nearly as much clear as one would believe in reaching a desired shine. 

 

The polish has a flash time, in which it needs to be worked until the polish's life has expended. Test sections are the best, as others have mentioned, to get the right formula as every car is different.

It's definitely learning by practicing.

[Granite State]

Exactly what do you mean by Polish # 1 and Polish # 2 ? What color are these polishes that you used? The only Adam's Polishes labeled #1 and #2 are the metal polishes. I am hoping that you used Paint Correcting Polish (orange color) and Paint Finishing Polish (white color).The Paint Correcting Polish and Paint Finishing Polish should have removed the fine scratches, unless you did not spend enough time on each section.

[Ricky Bobby]

The paint correcting (orange) polish should remove most of your scratches you can visibly see, the finishing polish (white) should remove the fine swirls and minor scratches and smooth the surface down, LSP ready.

 

These things have a working time you know, its not like wax on wax off haha.  A few passes and sometimes a couple minutes of working time per section are needed for large defects.  remember, keep your arm speed slow, most turn up the polisher to max and move it too fast.

[Desertstealth]

Thanks everyone for your helpful comments.  I guess I simply went to fast.