Phew! Might confused - post touch-up product suggestions

[greg0303]

Re: Phew! Might confused - post touch-up product suggestions

I think you're going to like this aggressiveness chart (Ultimate Polish being the least aggressive, just slightly below M205):



It was originally tested and posted by Mike Phillips.

[walletless]

Re: Phew! Might confused - post touch-up product suggestions

Thanks. I'll give UC a shot.

One other question: How soon can I touchup paint & clearcoat the scratches? I have not bought the DA polisher yet since I am waiting for a friend who will loan me one next month. But I don't feel comfortable leaving the scratches unprotected (and possibly causing rust later). Can I apply touchup paint & clear coat now, and then use DA with UC and UP about one month later? Or would that be a problem?

[walletless]

Re: Phew! Might confused - post touch-up product suggestions

Hello,

Sorry for bringing this back to life. I finally ordered by PC 7424XP, and will be receiving it next week. Please go to the OP and see the picture of what I am trying to fix, and critique my plan below.

My plan (not mentioning the obvious cleaning, degreasing steps)
{I'll try these steps on a test area first before going straight to the damaged area}
1) Use touch-up paint (universal black from AZ) - 2-3 THIN layers using a toothpick with 20 minutes drying time between each layer
2) Let the paint dry for 3-4 days, then wet-sand it with a 2000 or 3000 grit sand paper
3) Use PC 7424xp with a 5.5" cutting pad and Meguiar's Ultimate Compound until satisfactory
4) Use PC 7424xp with a 5.5" polishing pad and Meguiar's Ultimate Polish until satisfactory
5) After 90 days, apply wax

* If UC/UP does not work, I might step up to M105/M205..
* The car is generally clean, so I don't think claying will be necessary, but after washing, if I feel the need I might do that.


Questions:
1) Good plan? Any improvements suggested?
2) I have gone through several videos on how to use a DA Polisher. Most of these videos demonstrate very well how to do section passes, but the demonstration are on a flat surface like hood or door panel. For a bumper, are there any special instructions I should follow since there are so many curves on the surface?
3) I have already bought the 5.5" 3D Polishing (green) pad to use with UP.
For UC, what pad would you suggest - wool or foam cutting pad? Any particular brand you suggest? My walmart is one of the selected few that will be carrying Meguiars pro line stuff, and some pads as well (they dont have them on shelf yet) - to save shipping, would you suggest using a Megs pad for cutting?

[walletless]

Re: Phew! Might confused - post touch-up product suggestions

Did some more research, and posted similar question on another forum. Most people are talking me out of using a DA Polisher on a bumper since it is made of plastic, and are recommending solutions like Dr.Colorchip & Langka. I think I am convinced they are right and I should settle for something like that instead.

I looked at Langka, and it seems like a good solution, but very expensive. Basically, for $40, they provide you with 3 bottles of 2oz each of:
1) First bottle looks like a degreaser or wax remover
2) Second bottle is the "blob remover" - which looks like a diluted Lacquer thinner with some compound added to it
3) Third bottle is basically a paint sealant

$40 seems a lot for that! Bottle (1) and (3) equivalents are easily to obtain OTC.
The "magic" is in bottle (2). I was wondering if it is easy to manufacture something similar to a blob remover at home by diluting lacquer thinner in some way and adding some compound to it.. anyone has suggestions for that?

I did a search, and there are some threads on Autopia which allude to it as well.. Hope it is OK to paste links from other forums here:

http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-detailing/11360-what-they-dont-want-you-know-langka-%3D-lacquer-thinner.html

http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-detailing/11360-what-they-dont-want-you-know-langka-%3D-lacquer-thinner-2.html

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Phew! Might confused - post touch-up product suggestions

Looking at the original image with the scuffs and scrapes on the bumper, here's what we would do:

Wash and dry first, or at least thoroughly clean the area with a quick detail spray to remove any loose contaminants. Go over the are with Ultimate Compound on a W8207 polishing pad at speed 5 with moderate to heavy pressure. Yes, a DA buffer on the bumper. That process is about as common as sunshine in SoCal or trees in a rain forest. We can't for the life of us imagine why anyone would caution you against using a buffer on a bumper cover. Yes, it's true that we would stay away from a 4" cutting pad, a high speed and a lot of pressure with very little movement, but that should be a common sense thing anyway. Using a standard polishing pad with UC should remove a lot of, if not most of, the paint transfer here and greatly reduce the visibility of these defects. You will still be left with some of the deeper marks, especially what looks like a small chunk of missing paint on the right side of the upper most scuff. But that's what the touch up paint is for.

OK, once you've gotten rid of the transfer and lighter areas of the scuffing with the above noted process, it's time to get down and dirty with the touch up. Both Langka and Dr. Colorchip are good products, but the Langka seems to be better suited to small chips while Dr. Colorchip seems to work better across the board (both chips and small scratches) and doesn't require the leveling of a semi dried blob. It most likely will require far less sanding, if any. And the sanding is where things get fun on a curved surface like this. First off, never ever sand with the paper in your bare hand. You want a flexible backing pad to even out the pressure so that it's uniform across the face of the sanding media, and you want it flexible so that it wraps around the curve of the bumper and doesn't create a flat spot. Don't sand in a circular pattern - go in back and forth strokes with only light pressure. 2000 grit should be sufficient to level whatever light touch up you've done, and we'd still suggest following that with 3000 grit, at a different angle, to further refine the sanding marks before buffing. Either way, go lightly at first. It is much, much easier to go back and do a bit more sanding and buffing than it is to take the car to a body shop because you sanded through the clear. Take your time. Go Slow. We can't stress that enough unless you're an expert at this process.

At this point, UC on a W8207 pad with a DA may not be quite potent enough to remove your sanding marks. You may need to step up to M105 or even the DA Microfiber System. But if you finish with 3000 grit it shouldn't be all that tough to remove the marks. It is important to maximize technique here - keep the center line of the pad in contact with the curve of the bumper. The image below shows what NOT to do on a curved surface. While the surface pictured rolls from the top to the side rather than rolling from front to side, the contour is similar so the concept is identical.


What you want to do is keep that centerline of the pad in direct contact with the radius of the curve, as shown in the somewhat odd looking animated gif below. This will keep the pad rotating, even if you're applying a lot of pressure.



Paint touch up can be a real pain in the ....... well, it can be frustrating. But when you get it right it is also very rewarding. Just don't expect that your repairs will necessarily look like you took the panel to a body shop for a full respray. But you should be able to get this to where it disappears when viewed from 5 feet away and most people will never know it's there unless you point it out to them.

Take your time. Think about what's happening. Go light with everything at first - buffing, touch up fill, sanding, etc.

[walletless]

Re: Phew! Might confused - post touch-up product suggestions

Wow! Thanks Mike for a very extensive reply :-) You just about answered every question I had!

[walletless]

Re: Phew! Might confused - post touch-up product suggestions

One other question: For the large spots that I fill with Colorchip or Langka - should I use a sealant after it? If so, are there any OTC sealants (available at Autozone, Walmart, pep boys, etc) you recommend?