Compounding car made no difference

[Hascam]

Hi, I've got a cheap DA polisher and some Meguiars ultimate compound, however it doesn't seem to improve the reflection of my car at all and still looks dull, it's got rid of the swirls and it's now a deeper black but I wanted a nice glossy finish, I bought some cheaper spta pads and then tried a chemical guys microfibre pad, still not much of a difference after several attempts, can anyone just suggest anything to try?

[twisty roads]

Re: Compounding car made no difference

you might need to polish (ultimate polish) to restore the gloss. Though a compound can increase gloss, it does it more by removing defects and not by "jeweling" the paint. How old is the car and what condition is the paint in? On older cars, the clear coat can become thin making compounding a diminishing return at a certain point.

[twisty roads]

Re: Compounding car made no difference

I will add too, that compounding can leave a "haze" on the paint finish making it look dull. Again, the purpose of the compound is to remove defects and not necessarily to impart gloss. If you don't want to polish the car, try an AIO (all in one) type product which will have polish and protection built in.

[Hascam]

Re: Compounding car made no difference

I will add too, that compounding can leave a "haze" on the paint finish making it look dull. Again, the purpose of the compound is to remove defects and not necessarily to impart gloss. If you don't want to polish the car, try an AIO (all in one) type product which will have polish and protection built in.

Hi, I have been using an AIO polish after compounding, but still no boost in gloss or anything. I've only tried it out on the bonnet and a little bit of a the door, I clay bar it (with a clay mitt), then compound and then polish. The paint looks dull, it's black metallic (ford panther black), I'm not sure if I'd call it oxidised. It's just annoying after watching lots of how to videos of people with worse paint and getting it looking like a mirror finis. Feeling like I've wasted money and time at this point. I've tried to include a pidture of what I mean. The car is 14 years old.

[Nick Winn]

Re: Compounding car made no difference

Hi, I have been using an AIO polish after compounding, but still no boost in gloss or anything. I've only tried it out on the bonnet and a little bit of a the door, I clay bar it (with a clay mitt), then compound and then polish. The paint looks dull, it's black metallic (ford panther black), I'm not sure if I'd call it oxidised. It's just annoying after watching lots of how to videos of people with worse paint and getting it looking like a mirror finis. Feeling like I've wasted money and time at this point. I've tried to include a pidture of what I mean. The car is 14 years old.

A picture would definitely help. A bit odd that you are not seeing a difference, makes me think something else is going on. The below article would be a great reference also:

D/A Polisher Basics with Meguiar's MT300

[Hascam]

Re: Compounding car made no difference

A picture would definitely help. A bit odd that you are not seeing a difference, makes me think something else is going on. The below article would be a great reference also:

D/A Polisher Basics with Meguiar's MT300

I'm trying to add a picture, not sure it's working properly though, I've looked at multiple tutorials are forums so I don't understand what's going on. I'm not sure if I can post links here but I'll try. https://ibb.co/2qXwx29
The top near the rear window is where I've went over with the polisher + compound.

[Old Bear]

Re: Compounding car made no difference

It can be hard to tell, yet in the image it looks like that area has been repainted. It seems to have a lot of orange peel.
Well when I zoomed in, it might be clear coat failure.
Others will hopefully leave their thoughts on what they are seeing in the image.

[Hascam]

Re: Compounding car made no difference

It can be hard to tell, yet in the image it looks like that area has been repainted. It seems to have a lot of orange peel.
Well when I zoomed in, it might be clear coat failure.
Others will hopefully leave their thoughts on what they are seeing in the image.

I'm not sure if it's repainted as its like that across both sides of the car, the roof and bonnet aren't as bad as the doors and rear panels, I imagine there's not a lot I can do if it's clear coat failure? Just to make things clear in that image the top part is the only area I went over, the bottom is still dirty as I was just trying little areas.

[Old Bear]

Re: Compounding car made no difference

To me, it looks like the top sections are glass.
The reflection of what is likely a hat appears clear.

In the panel below that, it no longer looks like a hat is being worn.
If we look in that panel at what would be the reflection of the left shoulder, we see heavy texture where the black and white (reflections) areas separate near the door jam.
When you look at that part of the car (not at the image), do you see a texture like an orange peel?

If you click the image, you may be able to enlarge it.
Looking just to the right of what would be the right shoulder and ear being reflected, do you see many horizontal lines?
If you look at the car, do these appear to be in the clear coat, or do they look like sanding marks in or below the base coat?

[Hascam]

Re: Compounding car made no difference

I know that the top is glass lol, I know what you mean, I just don't know what to do get this car looking better, I'm going to try again today I hope it improves but I can't see it happening. I don't think the car was looked after much with previous owners.

[Old Bear]

Re: Compounding car made no difference

Looking forward to what others see in the images.
My thoughts on clear coat failing problems included input from the other sections, so others may have completely different thoughts.

[Hascam]

Re: Compounding car made no difference

Looking forward to what others see in the images.
My thoughts on clear coat failing problems included input from the other sections, so others may have completely different thoughts.

What causes clear coat failure? Is it due to neglect or a manufacturing error?

[Hascam]

Re: Compounding car made no difference

Just done the side of the car, I think it looks the tiniest bit better. https://ibb.co/hDkcpbh
And here's a side picture https://ibb.co/w4T8jZP

[Old Bear]

Re: Compounding car made no difference

To me, it is a definite improvement.
We can see clearer reflections.
You now look like a person and not a large curly dark grey mole in the reflections.

[Old Bear]

Re: Compounding car made no difference

What causes clear coat failure? Is it due to neglect or a manufacturing error?

It can come from multiple causes.
* Pre-paint prep can affect adhesion between coats.
* Paint quality and it's resistance to sunlight.
* The amount of sunlight that the vehicle sees, which can be much less if vehicle kept in garage or car ports.
* The temperature of the surface, which can get influenced by engine temps, the sun, paint base color and the orientation of a panel to the sun.
* Contamination remaining on the surface, such as acid rain, bird droppings.

This is where we have some control by putting thin sacrificial layers like wax, sealants on for temporary protection until we clean off the contaminants and reapply protection layer.

I think we would need to see closer images with brighter pinpoint light sources to tell if this is a problem for you.
Here is a link to a thread that shows lots of images of clear coat failures from long term failures to those just starting.

https://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?20411-The-Clearcoat-Failure-Photo-Archive&highlight=clear+coat+failure