Polishing Out Compound Haze

[Luke]

I am new to polishing and I am learning on my 2016 Mythos Black Audi A6 (that is a slightly metallic paint). It has 50k miles and the previous owner definitely took it through car washes so the paint definitely has some swirling. I have watched countless YouTube videos from very experienced detailers and I have tried to follow their directions to a T. I have a standard 6” dual action polisher with an 8mm throw. I bought the new spray compound and the traditional white polish to pair with the microfiber cutting pad, blue foam pad, and the white polishing pad respectively. I also bought another red pad made by another company for applying waxes. I washed my car with the strip wash using the 2 bucket method and a foam gun. Then, I followed with the clay mitt. The paint was bare and I began polishing on the hoof with the blue foam pad and the spray compound. I wasn’t getting the results I wanted so I decided to move up to the microfiber cutting pad which worked great. I noted after some online digging that Audi’s typically have extremely hard clear coats so it does not surprise me that I had to make about 5 passes (going over 4 times each pass on speed 5 with a light amount of pressure on the head) with that pad and the compound just to remove the medium level scratches and water spots from the paint. After this I made one pass with the blue foam pad which left the paint with light spiderwebs instead of cutting the haze from the microfiber pad. I stopped at 1 pass for the blue pad and picked up the white pad which helped cut down the haze and some of the scratches left by the blue pad. It did not, however, fix any of the spiderwebbing (lots of 3-4 mm light scratches in every direction imaginable) that I felt like we’re caused by the blue pad even after 3-4 passes. This alarmed me because I was expecting the paint to be like glass after the white polishing pad. I tried the red waxing pad with the polish which lead ironically to some minor swirling and no differences in the 3-4 mm spiderwebbing after using an IPA and microfiber to remove the polishing residue. I corrected the swirling with the white pad after another 2 or 3 passes but I still noticed the spiderwebbing. I had used both these pads the night before on another area of my car just to get a feel for what polishing was like and what all I was getting myself into. I hadn’t cleaned them before I started polishing the hood this morning so there was dry compound and polish in both of the foam pads. This morning however, I primed them like they were new pads thinking this was enough. Could the imperfect finish (light 3-4mm spiderwebbing) I noticed today after polishing be caused by dry compound and polish that I didn’t clean out? Or is it something else like the microfiber towels I’m using to buff off the compound and polish in between passes? Or is my clear coat just so hard that it’s not responding to the polish but just a little bit with every pass I make. Am I using my polisher incorrectly? Pushing too hard or not enough or moving too fast or too slow or have the speed set too high or too low? (I have heard some people say polish on 5-6 and others say 3-4) Or is this something stupid like me wiping too hard with the IPA and microfiber cloth after a pass? Should I just accept the impression as it is a heck of a lot better than what I started with? (It is not very visible in person or on camera. The flash is very very slightly distorted in a ring shape which you have to really look for and you have to look very close and hold a light at a certain angle to notice the small spiderwebbing.) I am desperate for the perfect finish as I am planning to try the new graphene ceramic coating on my car.
 

PS I tried to be very thorough but if I missed any details, I’d be happy to provide more information or pictures. Any advice or tips on this topic or general paint correction is greatly appreciated. I am as beginner as you can get. Thank you in advance. 
 

-Luke

Edited December 17, 2020 by Luke

[Luke]

Edit: 

I believe my microfibers are introducing microscratches which, under the mediocre garage lights I have been working with, I didn’t notice until I was able to get my car out in the sun today. I did a test by wiping with the towel in one, long direction and all the scratches are going in that same wiping direction. In the poor lighting, they were appearing short and random. Not sure how I will fix this because I have to wipe with an IPA before I can apply the graphene coating. The paint needs some sort of lubricant so fibers won’t introduce scratches and the IPA isn’t cutting it. Any tips for dealing with this? Do I need to buy new microfibers? Or am I pushing too hard when wiping with the IPA?

Edited December 17, 2020 by Luke

[RayS]

Hi Luke,

First, Welcome to the Forum. 

 

A little feedback on your first post - it is very difficult, at least for me - to read that very long single paragraph in your first post.  I will recommend making smaller paragraphs in the future.

 

As for your challenge with what could be the microfiber towels, it may not be the towels themselves, it could be the care of the towels.  I have messed up and in fact destroyed some towels by not carefully washing and drying them.  In particular, using the right soap and heat settings will keep your towels working better and lasting longer.  Adam's has the Microfiber revitalizer and if you follow the instructions for the temperature and drying, it can keep your towels working for a long time.

 

The most important thing with towels is to never use powder detergent or high heat for drying.  Sometimes when towels start to get bad you can boil them and it will bring them back to life.  Eventually, you'll need to start the retirement process by marking them for engine bay and wheels and ensuring those never touch the body of a vehicle again.  Once they get beyond that point, they still aren't completely done, you have exhaust tips, bug and tar removal and finally grease rags. 

 

I'll also recommend reviewing this thread about taking care of your towels:  http://www.adamsforums.com/topic/27969-faq-how-do-i-take-care-of-my-microfiber-towels/

[falcaineer]

Towels were going to be my guess, as well. They're a common culprit, especially with black cars where everything is noticable. I highly recommend you order some new ones, then care for them according to the article Ray posted above.

 

Another thing to keep in mind is cleaning your pads regularly. I'll post a video below.

 

And finally...don't chase perfection. We all want it, but it's a fool's errand and will drive you insane. Go for 90% or so and call it good, maybe even less especially with a car that hasn't been maintained. You also run the risk of eventually burning through the paint if you continue to correct it. That said, replacing your towels will go a long way to getting you closer than you are now.

 

https://youtu.be/9kAWcCToV1o