micro-marring? please help

[rfinkle2]

hey guys, this is my first post, but have been an on-looker for a while on many detailing sites. I was hoping that you could help me with a problem. I was claying my brand new (BLACK) ford f-150 over the weekend, with an otc clay, and caused some scratches on 1 of the fenders. Anyway, I was able to get most of them out, but am having a hard time removing "micro-marring".
I was using a ssr w/ a white pad, tried a finishing pad, and after countless passes w/ different speeds and pressures, gave up.

i need to restore the brand new look after causing slight micro-marring and need some advice PLEASE!. In a perfect world, I would like the paint to be flawless without masking the marks w/ oils.

btw , the marks can only be seen in direct sunlight and under halogen bulbs.

thanks in advance. i love this site

[Mike Phillips]

Re: micro-marring? please help

Originally posted by rfinkle2
I was using a ssr w/ a white pad, tried a finishing pad, and after countless passes w/ different speeds and pressures, gave up.

Hi rfinkle2,

Welcome to Meguiar's Online!

I've seen the same thing with these products myself, I'm not sure if it's the abrasive they use, or the formula itself? I often read a lot of talk about using compounds/swirl mark removers without fillers and I know the root of the problem is bad information being spread by the misinformed...

What some people will call a filler, others will call a rich lubricating film that prevents scouring... Words mean things as does the intent people place behind them. Pay attention to what different personalities on different forums say, after a while you can see their position on different products/topics by the history of their posts... Then when your experience doesn't match what they post... well think about it...


Here's what I would do if that truck were mine, get yourself a quart of Meguiar's M80 Speed Glaze, this should remove the hazing left behind by the SSR1. Invest in at least one of our W-8006 foam polishing pads and then follow the directions in the below how-to article starting where the M80 step kicks in.

Using the G-100 to remove swirls with the Professional Line

If you have this problem on the hood, because this is a flat surface that is black that you can look down on, (key to evaluating the performance of any product), get yourself some painters tape and tape off one half of one half of your hood, (so you're working on a quarter of the hood), and cover the other side of the paint you're not working on with a towel so any product splatter will not land on that side and skew your results.

Then polish out the uncovered side with the M80 Speed Glaze, on the 5.0 setting, using overlapping motions, with a slow arm speed and with abut 10 to 15 pounds of downward pressure on the head of the polisher. Do this twice to insure good results, before polishing the second time, make sure you remove any residue from the first step so that the residue will not adulterate the fresh product you apply and work in.

Then carefully wipe off the residue from the second polishing step with a clean, soft premium quality microfiber polishing cloth, (like you would an LSP), and then remove the towel from the other side and then carefully remove the painters tape, and then inspect.

If the results look better, repeat this over the entire truck. If they don't, then come back here and we'll develop a second plan of attack until we see you through to success..

If it does look great, (and it should), try to capture this with a camera and post your results. Remember, after polishing out your truck, apply one or two coats of wax to protect all your hard work.

[rfinkle2]

Mr. Phillips,


Thank you so much for your reply. I have already placed an order for #80, and #82, along with the 3 pad deal from your e-store.

I hope that things work out and want to thank you again for your reply.

I will remember to take pictures, and will post them on the site when I get the order.

Thanks again,
Rob