[pras.oct25]

Just got off a cleaning job with my verna. Used an old toothbrush to clean out all the dirt from the badges and the side mouldings. Man theres a lot of hidden dirt
In this chennai humidity I find it very tough to wash the car fully and then get through both polishing and waxing without dehydrating after a while. Used the 3m polish today and buffed the car nicely. Hoping this will help give some protection during the rains. The badges finally look the way they should but I'm still not entirely satisfied.

I also ordered eagle one interior detailer spray from ebay. I think the seller xstatic concepts was also mentioned on this thread by someone. The product is not working wonders as such but I spray it, and then use a sponge and rub the interior panels thoroughly and then use a wet cloth to wipe it off. Keeps the panels fairly clean. Importantly it provides enough protection to the panels and makes sure that dirt comes off easily during the next round of weekly cleaning.

Desperately need to take the car for a steam wash. That will also give me the energy to do the polish/wax job after the wash.
Does a steam wash also help get rid of the black tar marks, or is it only useful for hidden dirt and grime?

[mkh]

Well, the first attempt was not that much of a success. Inspecting sections closely in the night( that is when we can see PROPERLY- such is the nature of swirls), i could swirls were still there.
Sat morning, tried out applying UC on the roof and 2 side doors.
UC is a tough nut, it does not break up easily and throws up more residue than 205, as expected. But when it does break up, it just clears up very fast. I had trouble only on 1 section where the compound did not break up and it was really tough to wipe it away. I think there is more than what i know, cause a surface that is completely rid of any sealants, wax etc, will be much more receptive to cutting compounds. My car has layers of Blackfire and am sure that just one claying session cannot clear all that off. The roof turned out beautifully( check the pics) and its cleared up of all the swirls. The doors were tougher, as holding the DA is tougher and also needs more passes than one.
Another interesting observation was that the pad became a lot more dirtier and some sections turned black in fact on the pad.

Did almost all panels, but was too tired to attempt a run over the earlier panels again and one door.
After talking with nirmal, decided to give 105 a shot today. I think Honda car paints are hard, if i go by the passes that i needed and how slowly the compound was breaking down.
105 breaks down faster than US- strange, and it throws up residue also( was somewhat of a task to remove it from the beading etc)
However- it cleared up the swirls pretty well, only a few parts needed a second pass. Now 105 is highest on the cutting scale and if that needed a second pass, i can safely say- honda paints are hard.
Ran it over a couple of panels( rear and front sides) over which i had run 205 earlier and the remaining swirls vanished.
I had absolutely no energy left to run 205 over the 105 and did not feel the need also( no aims of entering a car show, so not going for 100% perfection)
I am not sure why is it recommended to run 205 after 105 as a finishing polish, i saw no need.
The roof, boot top, side panels, doors are 95% swirl free,with the occasional small area that shows up minor swirls, that too on close inspection in the night light ONLY. Bonnet and front right side panel had only 205 so those still have a few left, but looks like i can live with those.
It has been an interesting run, having used 205, UC and now 105 also over 3 sessions lasting a total of 6 hours.( and yet, some task still remains!)
I used to wonder what is the big deal in spending 8-10 hours on paint correction, man i realized it- it DOES take time to reach full satisfaction!
Applied Blackfire Wet Diamond Sealant , will be applying a few more coats to get the final whiplash effect
Some pics
Reflection shots of the Bonnet- see the clouds !



Close up of the panel which showed up swirls in the last post, swirls are GONE!!


The rear panel- after a pass of Megs 105 and Blackfire Sealant just applied, second pic is a close up- shimmer is amazing!



The front door- swirl free!!!

Reflection shot of the roof


The rear boot top panel- the most affected and most worked on,swirls bye bye!


I am not the best at taking pics, but hope these give some idea to folks who maybe attempting their hand at a DA. To the normal eye- NO difference can be made out post the DA on my car, but looking closer- one can see the surface is much better. I will capture more after a while, once a few layers of the sealant are set and in full glory.

[sohail99]

Wow! Nice!!

I agree that one can never be satisfied and some swirl or the other keeps turning up!! :(

btw I was also experimenting on whether M105 needed to be followed or not!
After doing a few test spots, I found out that though M105 removed the swirls, it left micro swirls of its own(really difficult to see! I had take the car out in the sun and use halogens etc. to actually view the micro swirls!!)

After following with a finer polish the finish came out perfect!

Btw how are the vibrations on flex?

My dewalt vibrates quite a lot, but I've gotten used to it now.

I'll be switching to my rotary polisher soon as it'll take me lesser time to remove defects and vibrations are also quite less (though there's a learning curve to it)

[mkh]

Originally Posted by sohail99

Wow! Nice!!

I agree that one can never be satisfied and some swirl or the other keeps turning up!! :(

btw I was also experimenting on whether M105 needed to be followed or not!
After doing a few test spots, I found out that though M105 removed the swirls, it left micro swirls of its own(really difficult to see! I had take the car out in the sun and use halogens etc. to actually view the micro swirls!!)

After following with a finer polish the finish came out perfect!

Btw how are the vibrations on flex?

My dewalt vibrates quite a lot, but I've gotten used to it now.

I'll be switching to my rotary polisher soon as it'll take me lesser time to remove defects and vibrations are also quite less (though there's a learning curve to it)

Flex is a strong machine- does vibrate, i got blisters on both hands, just a couple of them, but looks like gloves or something else is essential for longer use.
I am not going to look too hard now, what u cannot see- is not there

[nandans2005]

Mkh,

Mindblowing ! The car looks more awesome than earlier.

You seem to be working on to get the finest. Great keep posting !

I agree with you that whats not seen is not there & not happened! Very True.

[abhipuru16]

mkh-
Great finish there, now do one thing, give it some extra clear coats so that you have more room to play around during detailing.
Plus, I have a trivial question, why is the boot top as well as the spoiler of my car swirlier than other parts. Maybe, it has something to do with them cutting air while the car is moving resulting in swirls when driving in dusty conditions.

[buntydey]

Originally Posted by abhipuru16

mkh-
Great finish there, now do one thing, give it some extra clear coats so that you have more room to play around during detailing.

What exactly do you mean with 'clear coats' here? Do you mean some more wax or sealants? Or do you mean the clear coat laquers?

[samsag12]

mkh i am really amazed to see the mirror like image on your car's body. Kudos to you for making it so perfect and i think there must be something in your mind to further improve it. BTW in the 3rd and 4th pics there is some sort of wavy pattern seen along the panel, is this because of the various layers of wax sealant or something else as i too encounter this after i wax my car. Do shed some light on this.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by abhipuru16

I have a trivial question, why is the boot top as well as the spoiler of my car swirlier than other parts. Maybe, it has something to do with them cutting air while the car is moving resulting in swirls when driving in dusty conditions.

Simply because the boot and the bonnet are flat and the cleaners tend to rub them more and clean more roughly.

[blackasta]

@ garipagol

Sometime back you suggested Menzerna Super Intensive Polish (PO83Q) , Super Finish (PO106FA) and power lock to me.
The super intensive polish and super finish (nano) features in the ceramic show car finish kit - specially recommended for mercs and nissans with ceramic clear coats.
Can these be safely used on other cars? The reason I ask is I fear that they may be a bit too aggressive on normal clearcoat.
Kindly advise.

[nirmaljusdoit]

MKH - Great results, there is a noticeable difference esp. in the boot lid area.
The finish is definitely looking "wetter" & the reflections are deeper. Even the metallic flakes are "popping" more !

Completely agree with you about hiding the minor swirls with layers of wax & sealant, doing it for a show car finish with a car that used daily would not work out in our conditions !

Blackasta - Thanks for the pics of the Walmart aisles, its like heaven on earth !!

Here's a chart showing the level of aggressiveness of the various compounds & polishes out there. Hope it helps you find the info you need (Courtesy : Autogeek)

Autogeek Swirl Removers & Compounds Comparison Chart

[sohail99]

Originally Posted by blackasta

@ garipagol

Sometime back you suggested Menzerna Super Intensive Polish (PO83Q) , Super Finish (PO106FA) and power lock to me.
The super intensive polish and super finish (nano) features in the ceramic show car finish kit - specially recommended for mercs and nissans with ceramic clear coats.
Can these be safely used on other cars? The reason I ask is I fear that they may be a bit too aggressive on normal clearcoat.
Kindly advise.

I too had that doubt initially but its perfectly ok for normal to soft clearcoats.

Did you know that M105 is more aggressive than Menzerna's most aggressive polish!

I've used Menzerna on my i20 and they give superior results!

I found that the key to work on ceramic clear coats is long working time rather than the level of abrasiveness.(though abrasiveness is definitely needed)

you just need to keep checking the paint in between while removing defects to know when to stop and switch to a finer polish.

(more aggressive doesn't mean it'll harm the clearcoat! it means that it'll remove defects quickly and with less effort!)

[blackasta]

Thanks nirmal & sohail for quick explanations.
Autogeek is offering a 15% discount and free shipping ( I received an email) - so its a perfect time/excuse to shop.

[mkh]

Originally Posted by samsag12

mkh i am really amazed to see the mirror like image on your car's body. Kudos to you for making it so perfect and i think there must be something in your mind to further improve it. BTW in the 3rd and 4th pics there is some sort of wavy pattern seen along the panel, is this because of the various layers of wax sealant or something else as i too encounter this after i wax my car. Do shed some light on this.

That wavy pattern, can be seen only at an angle- and it was mistakenly put as the "orange peel " effect earlier when i posted. I went and checked and all vehicles have that- Honda cars. I also saw that my i10 has it on some panels. Its my assumption( and inference) that it comes out pronounced when the panel is clear of swirls etc and well treated. I did not see this on older cars which were swirled up.
Nothing to take note of really, its normal.

Blackasta- Man the pics you posted make me feel as we live in a jungle(compared to a city life).I mean we have almost NOTHING to talk about when it comes to car care stores. Even if we do get them, the price we pay is 2-3 times.
Wish i get a chance to visit USA sometime soon, can buy a full suitcase worth of stuff

[ThinkBig]

Originally Posted by mkh

Well, the first attempt was not that much of a success. Inspecting sections closely in the night( that is when we can see PROPERLY- such is the nature of swirls), i could swirls were still there.
Sat morning, tried out applying UC on the roof and 2 side doors.
UC is a tough nut, it does not break up easily and throws up more residue than 205, as expected. But when it does break up, it just clears up very fast. I had trouble only on 1 section where the compound did not break up and it was really tough to wipe it away. I think there is more than what i know, cause a surface that is completely rid of any sealants, wax etc, will be much more receptive to cutting compounds. My car has layers of Blackfire and am sure that just one claying session cannot clear all that off. The roof turned out beautifully( check the pics) and its cleared up of all the swirls. The doors were tougher, as holding the DA is tougher and also needs more passes than one.
Another interesting observation was that the pad became a lot more dirtier and some sections turned black in fact on the pad.

Did almost all panels, but was too tired to attempt a run over the earlier panels again and one door.
After talking with nirmal, decided to give 105 a shot today. I think Honda car paints are hard, if i go by the passes that i needed and how slowly the compound was breaking down.
105 breaks down faster than US- strange, and it throws up residue also( was somewhat of a task to remove it from the beading etc)
However- it cleared up the swirls pretty well, only a few parts needed a second pass. Now 105 is highest on the cutting scale and if that needed a second pass, i can safely say- honda paints are hard.
Ran it over a couple of panels( rear and front sides) over which i had run 205 earlier and the remaining swirls vanished.
I had absolutely no energy left to run 205 over the 105 and did not feel the need also( no aims of entering a car show, so not going for 100% perfection)
I am not sure why is it recommended to run 205 after 105 as a finishing polish, i saw no need.
The roof, boot top, side panels, doors are 95% swirl free,with the occasional small area that shows up minor swirls, that too on close inspection in the night light ONLY. Bonnet and front right side panel had only 205 so those still have a few left, but looks like i can live with those.
It has been an interesting run, having used 205, UC and now 105 also over 3 sessions lasting a total of 6 hours.( and yet, some task still remains!)
I used to wonder what is the big deal in spending 8-10 hours on paint correction, man i realized it- it DOES take time to reach full satisfaction!
Applied Blackfire Wet Diamond Sealant , will be applying a few more coats to get the final whiplash effect
Some pics
Reflection shots of the Bonnet- see the clouds !
Attachment 442945
Attachment 442946

Close up of the panel which showed up swirls in the last post, swirls are GONE!!
Attachment 442948

The rear panel- after a pass of Megs 105 and Blackfire Sealant just applied, second pic is a close up- shimmer is amazing!
Attachment 442949
Attachment 442950

The front door- swirl free!!!
Attachment 442952
Reflection shot of the roof
Attachment 442953

The rear boot top panel- the most affected and most worked on,swirls bye bye!
Attachment 442954

I am not the best at taking pics, but hope these give some idea to folks who maybe attempting their hand at a DA. To the normal eye- NO difference can be made out post the DA on my car, but looking closer- one can see the surface is much better. I will capture more after a while, once a few layers of the sealant are set and in full glory.

Great photos and write-up. Just one question, with all the effort you took, how long do you think your car will remain swirl free? We spend hours getting that showroom finish, and the car again starts showing swirls in a few days/months.

Can we ask all the bhpians that after all the effort who has been able to keep his dark color car swirl free the longest, after all the effort?

I would appreciate everyone sharing their experiences. Like MKH taking photos regularly after this hard work and sharing his experience.