How to do it?

[markitos]

Hey everyone, i purchased yesterday a paint restoration kit, mostly thinking about the ultimate compound, the towels and foam aplicators. My bonnet has swirls and small "wetsanding like" scratches. Before messing up i thought about asking you guys about the procedure. I saw a lot videos and I studied quite a bit but still i need an experienced member opinion:

Washing with the gold class shampoo
claying with quick detailer lubrication the necessary spots
ultimate compound by hand with the foam aplicator
waxing with gold class carnauba plus

is it a good way to go, if done correctly?


thanks in advance

marcos

[Marc08EX]

Re: How to do it?

Hi Marcos,

You have the proper approach for your car but I would make some corrections:

I would clay the entire car and not just the necessary spots. If you haven't clayed your car in a long time then it's best to do the entire car. It will make your paint feel smooth as glass.

Ultimate Compound is the most aggressive product in Meguiar's consumer line. Meguiar's always advocates using the least aggressive product to get the job done. Do you have SwirlX in your arsenal? If so, I would start with that first and if it doesn't solve your problem or meet your expectation then you need to step it up to Ultimate Compound. There's nothing wrong with using UC straight... Just wanted to point out Meguiar's recommendations.

After using a cleaner polish like UC or SwirlX, your paint might be hazy or have some micro marring (especially with those soft paints. i.e. Black Toyota Prius). If you see this, you can use a fine polish such as Ultimate Polish to clear up these micro scratches. In addition, it will add gloss, wetness and deepness to the paint.

Another tip is to work products such as UC, SwirlX and UP a small section at a time (2'x2' or smaller). You need to work the product in and do multiple section passes in order for the product to remove the paint defects. Don't let these products dry.

I hope this helps!

[markitos]

Re: How to do it?

Thanks Marc! You helped a lot. Argh, unfortunately i dont have swirl X in my arsenal, only the mentioned products. Its a one year car, in excellent shape except for minor defects, especially in the hood. I should get swirl X. No stock though..now the question is, should i risk it? Those sanding like scratches look a little deeper than the swirls.

best regards,
Marcos

[markitos]

Re: How to do it?

And what if i use UC with very light force? what do you think?

[Marc08EX]

Re: How to do it?

Not a problem at all.

Is SwirlX available in your area? If it is, I would try getting it especially if you say that your defects are very minor. Heck, I would even try using Ultimate Polish to remove those minor defects. It will be great if you could get away with that. For those sanding like scratches, I would spot treat them with Ultimate Compound.

I don't think that using UC with light force would work. You need to work the product in and if light force is used, you might not get anything accomplished at all. The best way to tackle this is to use less aggressive abrasives.

[markitos]

Re: How to do it?

Ok, perfect, thats it! unfortunately here in Portugal meguire

[Mark58]

Re: How to do it?

Just my 2 cents worth, The color pad you using will also make a difference.

[markitos]

Re: How to do it?

the system is cutting my sentences in half...why is that? argh.. Take two: I will do just that, there is no stock for swirl x, so i will do the spot treatment with UC! Thanks again Marc, you have been very helpfull

regards,
Marcos

[markitos]

Re: How to do it?

Just my 2 cents worth, The color pad you using will also make a difference.

Should I use anything different from the usual foam pad? a micro fiber towell maybe?

[Marc08EX]

Re: How to do it?

Should I use anything different from the usual foam pad? a micro fiber towell maybe?

Any Meguiar's hi-tech foam applicator pads (or the foam pads that come with your waxes) should be fine since you're doing everything by hand. He's talking about foam pads that are used for the D/A polisher.

[markitos]

Re: How to do it?

ohhh, ok

[markitos]

Re: How to do it?

Update: Just to give another feedback about UC....

I ended up using it on the whole bonnet, mirrors and some other places! Its extremely safe to use by hand, i even had to repeat 2 or 3 times on some areas with increased pressure because of the cutting "safe factor", and im glad it exists on this product! The results are proportional to what i was expecting, deep color and the correction of most of my paint defects. Approved by an absolute noob! very safe yet effective product.