Removing west Texas racing stripes

[Scottwax]

West Texas racing stripes = scratches from mesquite bushes at a deer lease. ;)

Regular customer, has his truck washed twice a month. Spent time at his deer lease this fall and winter and got some surface scratches down both sides. Nothing real deep though. Finally had enough time to go to town on it.

I used the orange CMA cutting pad and Meguiars #9 with the PC on 6 to polish out the paint. Like I said, the scratches weren't too bad, probably could have got the same results using the white polishing pad and #80 Speed Glaze but I hadn't had a chance to get by my distributer (did today though!) and pick some up.

Anyway, I took a before pic, but I just couldn't get it to focus cleanly on the scratches but here it is anyway. The paint is slightly cloudy looking but the scratches really aren't visible, even in the larger size:

http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/10992000_F150_before2.jpg

After polishing with #9 and orange cutting pad:

http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/10992000_F150_after2.jpg

Final results after applying NXT wax with the grey finishing pad. NXT didn't really darken the paint that dramatically but I was further back and the sun was in a different spot. Actually the first two pics are a bit lighter than they should be. Such are the problems with before and after. Lighting, angles, etc all affect how the pics will look.

http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/10992000_F150_side_after.jpg

A couple sun shots:

http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/10992000_F150_side_sun.jpg

http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/10992000_F150_hood_sun.jpg

The whole truck:

http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/10992000_F150.jpg

[Scottwax]

2003 Escalade EXT-just love this color! It needed a good polishing, so #9 with the cutting pad, then NXT Wax with the finishing pad.

http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/10992003_Escalade_EXTblue1.jpg

http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/10992003_Escalade_EXTblue2.jpg

http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/10992003_Escalade_EXTbluehood.jpg

[Scottwax]

Here is a 2004 Mercedes S500 with the PPG CeramiClear paint. Very, very nice! I waxed it with NXT when he got it back in late January and then again (this time using the grey finishing pad) last weekend. No need to polish at this point (I did apply NXT with the PC on 5), extremely minimal cobwebbing, no visible scratches although he has taken a small chunk of paint off the rear bumper.

http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/10992004_S500_hood.jpg

http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/10992004_S500_front.jpg

http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/10992004_S500_rear.jpg

[Mike Phillips]

Wow!

What can I say Scott... your work, as usual looks flawless!

How did you like working with that PPG Ceramic paint?

I had a chance to remove scratches and water spot etchings out of the same Mercedes-Benz with this paint and I thought it was some of the nicest buffing paint I have ever worked on.

Here were using the W-8006 with some #83 DACP to gently remove the water spot etchings.

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2CeramicMachineBuff1-med.jpg

Did I mention this paint buffs easy?

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2CeramicMachineBuff2.jpg

After removing the defects, the owner applies a coat of NXT Tech Wax using the G100 Dual Action Polisher and a W-9006 Finishing pad.

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2CeramicOwnerApTechWax.jpg

After allowing the NXT Tech Wax to dry for 10-15 minutes, the owner and Brian White, aka SqkyKln, a Moderator on MOL, carefully remove the dried Tech Wax,

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2CeramicPaintAfter1.jpg

Here are some after shots...

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2CeramicPaintAfter2-med.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2CeramicPaintAfter3.jpg

Here's the owners reflection shot...

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2CeramicPaintAfter4.jpg

And a beauty/profile shot,

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2CeramicPaintAfter5.jpg

Mike

[Tim Lingor]

Hey,

Great job Scott and Mike!! As always!!! :xyxthumbs

With the new paint, does it appear to sratch/swirl any easier or is the paint fairly easy to maintain?

Cheers!
Tim

[e320]

This is interesting - I have heard nothing but stories of how hard this paint is, how difficult it will be to polish effectively, and how a PC won't remove defects, regardless of products/techniques. Mike/Scottwax, did you find it significantly harder to remove defects with the PC?

[seandoleer]

If possible it would be great if some more info on ceramic paint was available:iagree:

[HotRodGuy]

scott, how do you rate the orange pad. I'm nervous stepping up to a cutting pad w/ the PC, haven't used it yet, would the orange pad be a good happy medium?


thanks,
Scott

[Scottwax]

Originally posted by HotRodGuy
scott, how do you rate the orange pad. I'm nervous stepping up to a cutting pad w/ the PC, haven't used it yet, would the orange pad be a good happy medium?


thanks,
Scott

The orange pad seems to be inbetween Meguiars polishing and cutting pads in aggressiveness. Pretty decent pad.

seandoleer-just google PPG CeramiClear and you should get all the info you need.

e320-I haven't had to really correct anything serious on the S500 yet, but #80 and a PC with a polishing pad seemed to clean up some minor cobwebbing. Not sure if it will take out anything more though.