Not Getting the Usual Results

[Fierce5]

Couple of weeks ago I was polishing my father's car but I wasn't getting the results I'm used to. The car had major swirls and after I made a pass in a one by one area, those swirls were replaced with smaller ones! I started with the SHR first and the orange pad, then I tried SHR and the yellow pad (yes I still have a new one) and same thing. I tried a different area on the car and same thing, I just couldn't eliminate those swirls, only replaced them with smaller ones. I also tried fine machine polish on those little suckers and nothing. My pads are clean as always. What am I doing wrong?

[egott_91]

Could be that it's extremely soft paint.

 

I remember there being a post a little while back and the person was dealing with extremely soft paint and they actually had to use a black pad with FMP to finish down, I believe.

[Marylander]

What kind of car are we talking about?

[Chris@Adams]

Did you follow up with white pad & PFP or FMP?

[camaro2ssblack]

Overworking aka dry buffing. Make sure your pad is primed and do only three section passes of your cutting polish with moderate pressure. Should take about 1 minute. Remove the residue and inspect.

[Kingsford]

Don't think you're going far enough with it. The SHR gets rid of swirl marks but will leave micro marring. The micro marring is then corrected by FMP or Finishing Polish.

 

The Yellow Pad in this case will only make it worse. The yellow pad is intended for single deep scratch removal or extremely bad water etching.

 

Make sure you're finishing with foam pads. They finish down better than MF.

Edited June 14, 2014 by Kingsford

[Fierce5]

I followed up with the white pad and fine machine polish. I also clayed the car before polishing. I have been doing the same process for 3 years on many cars and always great results, this time around not so much.

[Fierce5]

The car is a 2007 Chevy impala

Edited June 14, 2014 by Fierce5

[Fierce5]

Could be that it's extremely soft paint.

 

I remember there being a post a little while back and the person was dealing with extremely soft paint and they actually had to use a black pad with FMP to finish down, I believe.

That's very interesting. I will try again this weekend

[Kingsford]

I agree. I finish down with a black pad all the time. 

 

Maybe try new pads that are fresh out of the plastic.

Edited June 14, 2014 by Kingsford

[dipolley]

Try using a yellow foam pad with fine machine or paint correcting polish and use 3-4 squirts of Detail Spray and step down to about 4200 OPMs. You may need to "half step" it. A stiffer pad combined with a finer polish may give you better results. The extra detail spray will add a bit more lubrication. This method has work for me on many many vehicles.

 

Also, make sure you are removing any residue from the pad. After you cause the polish to flash, spray the pad down with detail spray and wipe clean with a utility MF towel.

Edited June 14, 2014 by dipolley

[Adam]

We came out with the Microfiber Polishing Pads and Paint Correcting Polish for that very clear coat!   Hard to get perfect easy with foam, and the Orange Microfiber & Correcting Polish really do the trick on that hard GM clear coat...

 

Give at least the new Micro pad a shot, even with the old S&H, and I bet the results you are looking for will materialize!

[Fierce5]

I will try the suggestions guys, thanks. I have the microfiber pad though and I also tried that and same thing those small swirls still won't go away, I will try the black pad next.

 

Thanks

[The Guz]

An impala at this year typically has hard clear.  I agree with Adam.