mx5cartalk.com

Ok, giving the '5 its first polish and something weird occurred ...

polish went on fine, but when buffing it out it acted a little strange ...
the haze started to buff to a nice shine (Only a few swirls) and then it was if the paint just 'smeared'
Swirls that just would not buff out ....not scratches, but almost as if there is too much old wax on the buffing cloth - it just seemed to harden ...

I was in the shade (Sun was going down) and the car was dry

I tried different cloths, i even tried re-polishing it, but its all very strange ....

This is the original 89 paint-job, and I'm polishing by hand using Mothers Products ....

Ideas ?

The only thing i can think of was maybe the dew was starting and reacting with the polish, but buggered if i know !

J

Picture please, does it feel like the "smeared, Swirls" are on top of the paint?
If so use a damp cloth and rub they'll come off. You may have to use less polish.
Ted

Or try some "quick detailer" type product. I find it good for getting dried polish off.

Thanks Guys, I tried ot get pics fo ryou, but it just didnt come out under the light conditions ....

I'll pop out and grab some Showtime Instant Detailer while I'm out tomorrow.

I'll try the moist cloth first, just to rule that out...but I've been meaning to grab some speed detailer for the bike anyway

J

As much as it pains me to say it, get some clay bar (Meguiars or Mothers) from Super Nasty and clay bar the car.

If you have time, get some better product, or use the above two properly.

If you do not understand how to clay the car, stop, and ask someone from here to come and help immediately. It may cost you a slab, but, it it will be money well spent.

There was a movie many years ago, "Wax on, Wax off" most people thought it was throw away garbage, but it is the only way to treat/polish modern paint finishes.

Using the old circular motion to buff modern paint will only ever result in swirl, and is P.I.T.A. difficult to remedy.

Were you using a rotary polishing machine? It is possible to actually 'melt' the paint or 'burn' the polish if you get carried away buffing the same spot, or apply to much pressure, or use an angle grinder with buff attachment (they spin way too fast). Other than that i would strip the wax and start again.

I suggest getting some Prepsol or other wax and grease remover. Apply and rub off and try again perhaps with a light polish and clean cloth. Perhaps the buffing mop was overloaded with polish ? Careful about making the mistake of trying to many different products. I suspect a pro painter would machine cut and buff if the paint was faded but I would not suggest this unless you use the right equipment as burning the paint on edges is a risk. Clean rags and buffs are essential. Prepsol or equivalent is your friend- cheap and really works without damaging paint work.

Ok guys, thanks for all the tips, keep 'em coming !

Today was highly successful, 99% of the car looks great !!
The bonnet however looks about 95% ....
At most angles it looks fine, but at others it just looks cloudy in a few spots... it almost looks below the gloss .... but then again, I've been staring at red paint all afternoon, at this point i could have been looking at an elephant and not seen it as anything but red . . ..

Todays process was:

Wash with water - no chemicals - allow to air dry in shade
Cut with slow machine - cotton pad
Hand-buff with open weave material
Mothers Scratch-remover - By hand
Hand buff with open weave material
Mothers sealer and glaze - by hand
Hand buff with open weave material

it now has gloss !
First i have ever seen it like this !

so, now we solve the clouds and i'll be stoked !

Cheers
J

If you have red paint and the car has been exposed to good old Aussie UV you may very well have faded paintwork or blemishes resulting from a bit of age and paint which probably would never have passed the Townsville test used by some local car companies. Many reds esp those not developed here do not stand up very well esp if not regularly attended to. I bet your car still looks pretty good.

Mr Morlock wrote:the Townsville test

Please explain (thank god she is gone!)

Paint testing for long exposure test is carried out in Townsville at the Allunga exposure Lab. the climate is very severe as far as UV and other factors are concerned. The exposure testing for auto OE paints is a long process. from their website 'the Townsville region in tropical north-eastern Australia a global reference location for natural and accelerated exposure testing.

That is why my lil Suss-uki is under a car cover at the moment.

More than likely the paint had oxidised over many years.
This is very common on cars, especially those that spend a lot of time outdoors and red is the main culprit.

The only way to fix it is to re-spray it, I'm afraid.

Sure you can polish the hell out of it, and it will look OK for a short while, but eventually the dullness will return, usually within a few days.

J
Well done, I'll have to agree the longer you look the more you think you see , but go to a Woollies car park and see how fantastic you mx5 looks . Love your mx and your mx will love you (it’s a shame we don't have a vomiting smilie)
Ted

Benny wrote:More than likely the paint had oxidised over many years.
This is very common on cars, especially those that spend a lot of time outdoors and red is the main culprit.

The only way to fix it is to re-spray it, I'm afraid.

Sure you can polish the hell out of it, and it will look OK for a short while, but eventually the dullness will return, usually within a few days.

Not true at all.

If you buff it the dead paint is removed. If you then regularly top this good paint with a quality sealant such as Duragloss 105 or polish and cleaner it will not return. This is because the sealants have UV-A and UV-b blockers. These will stop the paint from fading again