Best polish for black paint?
 

Ok, with the Revscene meet fast approaching, I need to get off my ass and polish/wax the car.

It's a black (Integra) car, so even though the paint isn't too bad, it's still pretty easy to see the fine swirl marks in direct sunlight, etc.

What would you guys recommend? There is nothing better than that 'wet' look/deep gloss finish. I normally use AG Super Resin polish (by hand, fml) followed by the the AG Extra Gloss protection. Usually gives me a decent result, but I want MOAR! :D

On the plus side, my Dad has the Porter Cable 7424XP, and I will give it a try this time around. I know he has a few different pads he bought with it as well.

What products/steps do you suggest?

The 3M line is really nice. I've used it at three different shops and it's never let me down.

oh, clay bar, swirl mark remover, glaze, seal.

or, wet sand, heavy cut, swirl, glaze, seal.

wool pad ftw

woolpad may chew too much clearcoat/paint away especially for a novice.
I dont think a DA with woolpad works well either, they're mainly for rotaries.
a lot of volume shops and garages use 3M afaik but I actually havent had much chance to find em at detailing supplies sites.
Also Honda paint will be relatively soft.
So what I would suggest is....
wash => Claybar => follow up wash (optional) => thennnn
Do a 1 step with Menzerna Super Intensive polish with a polish pad (unless you got real deep scratches) Always start from light polishing to heavy polishing. Going straight to the hard cutters is simply hack jobbing.
follow up with a dark colour glaze like Poor Boy Blackhole. I believe Chemical Guys EZ-Creme will also work quite well.
Then get it waxed/sealant up and you're golden.
or you can choose to use ironx to do an even more thorough job getting the iron deposits out.
Let me know if ya need further help. Im also sure Ken can hook you up with the right products =p
I can actually haul some goods to the meet and talk about them as well lolololol.

Over the years this is the setup I've been using:

Menzerna Intensive Polish
Menzerna Final Polish II
Clearkote Red Moose Machine Glaze
Natty's Blue or Red

I too prefer a wet/deep look over reflective/shiny on darks. I would use a proper polish compound instead of AG as they are filler products that hide marring rather than actually removing them. They are good products for hand application (I still have these in my arsenal when I first got into detailing). Menzerna, Poorboy, Optimum, even OTC like Meg's are good for machining polishing but you'll need the right pads and lots of them. I use the glaze to get the wet look while hiding any remaining swirls that couldn't be removed and combine it with Natty's as the LSP. The results are great I've been using this combo for almost 8yrs now.

Using a wool pad, that's serious business isn't it? Not sure I want to start with something so aggresive! But I guess if the less aggresive pads don't work...

The swirling really isn't obvious. Most of my friends think I'm nuts, as they think the paint isn't as bad as I make it out to be. BUT, I know it can be even better! :)

I will have to check out 3M, thanks for the suggestion :thumbsup:

filler products are awesome when u dont have time to do a full correction OR when its not spring yet :D
and read my stuff before going to wool pad and 3M!

Old and bad pic but this is the result:

http://members.shaw.ca/bonka/images/...420_resize.JPG

Thanks for the quick replies guys!

Not to worry, I wouldn't jump to anything too aggresive. My Dad has had the Porter Cable for about a year now, and I've been too much of a chicken shit to try it out! :lol But I know I need to stop being a pussy and just go for it.

It's a DC teg, not that it really matters though, other than the car is in pretty decent shape, low kms, etc (for a 99 anyway).

The good news is, I can always use my silver EL as a test mule. Silver is good for hiding mistakes right? :troll:

Exactly. That nice, deep 'wet' look. Very nice! :thumbsup:

If you're using a Porter don't worry you can't mess up the paint. Just practice on a small section first and get use to it and if you like what you see go all over :)

One of the biggest things I learned with using a machine was to not overdo it with the amount of product, really gums up the pads quickly and depending on the product, can be a pain to remove.

with a porter cable, theres a real small chance you'll do any real damage lol
doesnt your dad have polishes with his PC?

He does, but it's all Meguairs stuff. Some of the decent Meguairs though, but I can't remember off the top of my head. I know they're in the red/maroon bottles, and I think it's a 3 step process? I'm actually headed over there tomorrow, so I will most likely grab it as well.

if its the detailing line of Meguaires, theyre good.
meguires is also owned by 3M I believe but yeah they have a the consumer line and detailers line. Consumer line is the stuff you get at canadian tire which isnt as great.

So I picked up the Porter Cable from the old man today, along with what pads he had.

I asked if he rememberd how aggressive each pad was, and he didn't. I'm pretty sure he was guessing, lol.

So I've got an orange one, a white one, and a black one. My dad was thinking it goes orange---->white---->black. Most likely I'll just go see if they are the same ones Ken sells on his website, and see if I can make sence of it that way... (the pads have round dimples recessed into them, so they aren't completely 'smooth')

EDIT: They look like this, only mine are completely round. Same dimples, etc.

http://www.autowerkesexclusive.com/p...Pad/index.html

Looks like you got the Lake Country CCS pads (what I got from Ken) and those are fairly good pads.

Your dad is correct in his steps from most cut to least cut.

Cool thanks. I just finished looking on Lake Country's website, and they look the same. Found the chart which explains what each colour represents. :thumbsup:

yea LC CCS pads,i prefer buff n shine tho
those darn dimples cake up the pad too quickly

You're right on the aggressiveness - orange (polish mid cut) -> white (polish light cut) ->black (wax)

My Acura is also black. My current combo is Menzerna SIP for mild swirls, etc. Optimum Polish for light swirls. Four Star Ultimate Paint Protection for a sealant.

I've also just picked up some Megs M105 for anything that SIP can't handle and Blackfire Wet Diamond for sealant since my FS UPP was pretty much all done.

If he's already got some product, might as well use that then since the stuff lasts forever.

As already stated, orange for cutting, white for polishing and black for finishing. Did you find out what polishes your dad has? Chances are, you'll be able to get the results you want using the white pad and a medium polish. Give me a call if you want to discuss your options. 604.561.5121

Hey Ken, thanks for replying.

The Meguiars product my Dad bought, was the 3 step, Deep Crystal System
Step 1 is the paint cleaner for swirls, etc: http://en.meguiarscanada.com/product/378
Step 2 is the Polish: http://en.meguiarscanada.com/product/204
Step 3 is the Wax of the same system, lost link, too lazy to find it again :D but you get the idea

Is this stuff ok? I don't mind using something else, or something in conjunction with the Meguiars stuff...

mmmm doesnt look like their detailing line
I say you drive down to Ken's place and come back with a bag of goodies :D

there was a video with a guy using a DA on his vette, he pushed down enough to load the suspension,using the aggressive pad/product held it down in place for a minute and the paint was still FINE

so if buddy man can do that to his vette and not care you should be fine on your integra.


and if i get my student loan $$ on friday i think i might stop by auto werkz and get me a goody bag :D and have the rest of my car looking like the front with fresh paint

^ thats Junkman over @ adam's polishes

remember to call Ken before you raid him cuz he might be out lol

Lordco sells the 3m line.

A suggestion. Head to a collision repair shop, and ask them if they have any junk panels, the darker the better at this stage, and practice. Now you have no risk involved. I know Kirmac at 5 and Steveston just dumpsters theirs and would have no problem with someone making some room for them.

Meguiars isn't a bad way to go for starting off, but I would move to a better product as fast as I could.

I really suggest learning to use a wool pad, it's harder to go from a soft pad and then to wool. Learning bad habits are just more habits that need to be broken later down the road.

I have to agree with bonka, don't over do it with the product. It will gum up your pad, and leave you with a big clean up. Don't forget to mask off any black rubber or plastic, as it can be a pain in the ass to clean up as well.