First time doing paint correction.

[31BCobra]

So, I finally bought all the stuff to do paint correction on my 04 Cobra. I washed her with some dawn to get rid of all the old wax, clay barred, washed again with some Griot's Garage soap, did 2 passes with the orange pads and some advanced swirl remover.
I was able to eliminate 90% of all the swirl marks, but I am still seeing a lot of slightly deeper scratches that were not removed. I'm not talking gouges, just scratches that look small just like swirls, but they did not come out. I am really nervous to use the yellow pad on my Cobra, being the first time doing this and all. That thing seems abrasive as F**k.

Should I try using the Yellow one, or just make another pass with the orange pad and swirl remover?


Also, 6 months from now, when I want to strip all the wax and sealer that I am going to be throwing on here, what is the best way to do it?

 

[mavericks-03svt]

what swirl remover are you using?

 

[31BCobra]

First pass with the Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover that came with the 7424 kit, second pass with Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover.

 

[NastyGT500]

1st: pics of what you are seeing.

Sounds like RIDS: random induced swirls/scratches. Always were there, but there were covered up by all the other defects in/on your paint. If you got a 90% correction for your first time, then that is awesome and you are to commended! (we need pics!) What color is your car?

If it were me, I would attempt to spot correct those areas that have heavier swirls/scratches. That way you are not doing a 'complete' correction again and just targeting those problem areas. The products you are using are very good and will give you excellent results. Do not be afraid to use your yellow pad...however, and as always, use the least aggressive means first. So, try to do another pass or two with your orange pad and see what results you get. If not what you are looking for, either step up in pad, polish/compound/ or both.

PS: if you have access to a paint thickness gauge, take some readings to make sure you have 'enough' clear to work with.

Hope this helps some. Please post up some pics of your issues as well as what you have accomplished so far!

 

[inyadreems]

1st: pics of what you are seeing.

Sounds like RIDS: random induced swirls/scratches. Always were there, but there were covered up by all the other defects in/on your paint. If you got a 90% correction for your first time, then that is awesome and you are to commended! (we need pics!) What color is your car?

If it were me, I would attempt to spot correct those areas that have heavier swirls/scratches. That way you are not doing a 'complete' correction again and just targeting those problem areas. The products you are using are very good and will give you excellent results. Do not be afraid to use your yellow pad...however, and as always, use the least aggressive means first. So, try to do another pass or two with your orange pad and see what results you get. If not what you are looking for, either step up in pad, polish/compound/ or both.

PS: if you have access to a paint thickness gauge, take some readings to make sure you have 'enough' clear to work with.

Hope this helps some. Please post up some pics of your issues as well as what you have accomplished so far!

+1

Also don't forget about a nice glaze to hide those imperfections if you don't feel comfortable.

 

[31BCobra]

Alright, I will try to get some good pictures tomorrow. I packed everything up for the night because the wind is starting to pick up. Will give her a nice wash to get rid of the overnight dust and continue work tomorrow.

I don't have a glaze unfortunately, just Blackfire to seal with and Pinnacle Liquid Souveran wax to go on top of that.

Thanks for the help guys.

 

[31BCobra]

Okay so I got around to taking some pictures. I am on a tight schedule for this weekend so I decided to go ahead and polish and seal while the weather was nice. I will tear it all down again in 6 months and fix the little issues that are still there.

Here are a few large scratches near the hood. Like I said, like 90% of the little swirls that were covering this bad boy up are gone. Kinda disheartening to see so much progress, just for there to be even larger scratches.

Here is another one on the hood.

A few large ones on the rear spoiler.

This is still the worst area on the car, on the roof above the passenger side. I attribute this to being forced inside my dimly lit garage by the wind. I probably mostly missed this due to not having good light in my workspace. Very disappointing. :nonono:

Here is the hood. Again, not so great light and not very good work space. It is what I was forced to use thanks to the wind.

I will get some better pictures of her finished after I get done with hand applying the wax. Either tonight if the wind dies down, or tomorrow at the car show.

 

[oldmodman]

Can you catch your fingernail in the deep looking scratches?

And are the scratches white or paint color?

If they are through the clearcoat the finish can still be saved (but it's quite a bit of work).
But if the scratch is through the clearcoat and through the paint color below it you will have to get touch up paint to match (probably the can of custom mixed spray paint. Then clear it using the 2K dual chemical clear.
Don't forget that the catalyzed clear is poisonous and you must wear a filter mask, not just one of those dust masks. But you will end up with a repair that is just as hard as a factory paint job.

This is where I have bought the touch up paint and clear.


I am guessing that you have Colorado Red D-3 http://www.automotivetouchup.com/touch-up-paint/buypaint

And here is the gloss clear catalyzed spray paint http://www.automotivetouchup.com/spray-paint/spraymax-2k-clearcoat.aspx

 

[31BCobra]

Can you catch your fingernail in the deep looking scratches?

And are the scratches white or paint color?

If they are through the clearcoat the finish can still be saved (but it's quite a bit of work).
But if the scratch is through the clearcoat and through the paint color below it you will have to get touch up paint to match (probably the can of custom mixed spray paint. Then clear it using the 2K dual chemical clear.
Don't forget that the catalyzed clear is poisonous and you must wear a filter mask, not just one of those dust masks. But you will end up with a repair that is just as hard as a factory paint job.

This is where I have bought the touch up paint and clear.


I am guessing that you have Colorado Red D-3 http://www.automotivetouchup.com/touch-up-paint/buypaint

And here is the gloss clear catalyzed spray paint http://www.automotivetouchup.com/spray-paint/spraymax-2k-clearcoat.aspx

They are white, and cannot be caught with a fingernail. I don't think I will be going through that much work for a few little imperfections. I am not that OCD. But I do very much appreciate the advice. The color is Torch Red. I think it is slightly... more red than Colorado Red.

I will probably end up starting from scratch again in 6-9 months and go to the yellow pad on those spots to see if it can be cleared up. I just ran out of time this weekend to spend any more time on her.

What is the best way to get all this stuff off, down to the clear, to do the process over again?

 

[NastyGT500]

Well I will say it looks very good! Yeah, those imperfections that show up after you put that much time/effort can be a killer/bummer.

When you start out next time, no need to really worry about how to remove any of your products...when you polish/compound/correct that will remove whatever is on your paint.

Keep us posted and again, very good job!