Cut & Polish Trouble

[rooboy]

Hi Guys,

I have a question, hopefully someone can help me.....

I had a few chips on the bonnet of my car. so I went down to the car wash tonight... I washed, let it dry then used some cut and polish to remove the chips.....

What I've noticed after polishing it up is that it has left 2 circles from where I have rubbed cut..... The colour is duller and smoother than the rest of the paintwork.....

Now, have I stuffed this up??? What are my solutions??? Pls help as I'm stressing out big time...

Your help will be greatly appreciated

[XLR8 V8]

Firstly, you really shouldn't use a "cutting" polish on modern paintwork .... though your profile doesn't mention what car you have? :confused:

Secondly, did you apply any wax after you polished it?

[VX2VESS]

what colour is it?

cut and polish won't remove chips, not what its for.

get some scratch x and repolish those areas.

if your car is dark use a darker polish to hide chips. eg mines dark blue, i use black polish. detailer trick. white shows up in chips and looks worse

[VYSSBlack]

Go here, and read, read and read some more. All will be answered.

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/ (http://www.autopia-carcare.com/how-to.html)

[rooboy]

I have a black VX S Pack.... They were more scratches than chips, sorry... I didn't apply a wax after I cut and polished it... Should I have.. I used ' Kitten ' Cut & Polish... The cream was like an off orange colour... Now, it doesn't say not use on a black car, so I assumed that it was OK to use.....


Could I be looking @ a sprayjob for the whole bonnet??? Or would a car detailer have a trick or two.... Or could I fix it myself???


Thanks for the responses

[XLR8 V8]

Ooops ... those Kitten packs really should have a warning label on them saying "Don't use on anything newer than a VR/VS unless you really hate your car". Shouldn't need a sprayjob ... unless you can see metal most things can be fixed with elbow grease

DEFINITELY apply a wax after any form of polishing ... polishing has taken away the protective layer on the paint, and without applying a wax it's left unprotected.
Go and get some QUALITY products like Meguiars and repolish and wax your entire bonnet. Use ScratchX as has been suggested above to fix up any scratches/swirls beforehand.

[rooboy]

Thanks for responding..... Where could I get these products from??? Autobarn??? Will it effect the paintwork by leaving it over night.... Could you tell me exactly which products to buy....

Would it be worth while taking it to a car detailer for them have a look at.... As you can tell, I have no idea with this sort of stuff.....

[heavychevy]

never polish in circles, if you used cut and polish the damage is compounded. elbow grease with quality products as suggested. good luck

[XLR8 V8]

Thanks for responding..... Where could I get these products from??? Autobarn??? Will it effect the paintwork by leaving it over night.... Could you tell me exactly which products to buy....

Would it be worth while taking it to a car detailer for them have a look at.... As you can tell, I have no idea with this sort of stuff.....

Autobarn have the full range, or even BigW.
I use Meguiars Deep Crystal Polish and Deep Crystal Carnuaba Wax and have more recently started trying AutoGlym Super Resin Polish and Extra Gloss Protection.

[motomk]

Supercheap also stock a lot of the stuff. ScratchX comes in a black toothpaste shaped tubed.

http://www.meguiars.com.au/Images/ScratchX.gif

Apply that first then hit the waxes! I recommend that AutoGlym stuff too, comes in a white bottle and has a Red label (probably have to go to AutoBarn for that one).

http://images.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/normal/123/product-5654123.gif

MustardSS put me on to it as it doesn't leave a dusty residue and is very easy to remove. You put that on after the scratchX then after the Autoglym resin stuff use another product...was using the spray on wax though it might be better to use a bottle wax in your case.
You should be ok as long as you didn't go too mad with the other stuff!!

motomk

[hqracer]

Does anyone know where to get autoglym in NZ? Thanks

[Redfox]

Go to Auto One... or even Supercheap. They have pretty reasonable prices. I use Mothers polish and wax products... highly recommended... some of the best stuff you can buy without breaking the bank.

Rooboy, can I suggest you get a random orbital buffer from supercheap ($40) and use that to bring back your paintwork... you'll get a good result, and random orbitals are generally a lot safer to use than standard orbital buffers where you can burn your duco. You'll know it's a random orbital cos when you turn it on, doesn't just spin, but rather it randomly moves around whilst spinning. This reduces the concentration of buffing to one spot.

The products I would suggest are... Mothers California Gold Paint Cleaner, then Mothers Reflections Polish, then Mothers California Gold Carnauba Wax. The paint cleaner is a very fine cut and chemically removes contaminants from your paint. Apply with a buffer and it will remove your fine scratches. Remove the product with a terry towel. Then you can apply the polish in the same way and remove that with some clean terry towel. Finally apply the carnauba wax with a meguiars foam applicator and let it dry to a haze. Then remove with a clean terry towel. You will be pleasantly surprised at the results.

Just a word of warning, don't over do it and cut through the clear coat! It can be quite easy to get carried away, cos the final finish looks so damn good. Just take it slowly and you can't go wrong.

Good luck!

[XLR8 V8]

Rooboy, can I suggest you get a random orbital buffer from supercheap ($40) and use that to bring back your paintwork...

I'd be VERY hesitant having someone who is not that adept at normal hand polishing using a machine polisher ... it's just asking for more trouble and possibly permanent damage

[BLACK 346]

I'd be VERY hesitant having someone who is not that adept at normal hand polishing using a machine polisher ... it's just asking for more trouble and possibly permanent damage

Especially if he has already done a vanishing act
on the clear coat, which is quite possible considering
how aggressive the kitten cutting cream is.

[GTS215i]

Apply that first then hit the waxes! I recommend that AutoGlym stuff too, comes in a white bottle and has a Red label (probably have to go to AutoBarn for that one).

http://images.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/normal/123/product-5654123.gif

motomk

Ive been using Autoglym for a while now and i love every minute of layering it on, as i know that it does a great job along with the support of Meguiars.

I buy autoglym off the internet from Germany, its a lot cheaper than here and apparently i was told that most of the European Car show's use it, particulary JAGUAR.

As mentioned above 'Kitten' is a very strong evil polish IMHO and should be avoided unless you have a little bit of stubbon marks on the lower skirt/bumper, inside wheel arch, ive found on other cars that it can actually increase swirl marks and uneveness in the polish layer.

[Devil CV8]

sorry to hijack the thread.

similar sort of drama on the wife's VT, she was helping friends move some gear and rubbed up against a fence post depositing paint on the door, along with a slight dent.... the "friends" against her advice used a green scubbing pad to remove the paint, did a great job except they scuffed the hell out of the door.... I've tried using scratch x, and the kitten cut/polish and its helped but still noticable...

next step I should try?

[muzza]

That Kitten stuff is great for fast cutting of overspray etc, but if you feel it between your fingers you'll realise it is gritty (large abrasive particles) and IMHO should never be used in concentrated areas - best run lightly over large areas with light pressure.

Devil CV8 - if you know how to use a buffer or even a lamswool pad on a drill give it a light cut with medium duty compound. Check after and maybe go over the worst areas again lightly

Then follow with lighter polish (maybe 3M finess it?) on a foam pad (eg Meguires). Finish with glaze and wax.

[Redfox]

Random orbital buffer + Mothers California Gold Pre-Wax Paint Cleaner

I understand that many people say that it's not a good idea for a n00b to use a buffer, but the random orbital buffers are quite easy to use and don't do much damage due to their random orbital motion. They will fix up most things that can't be fixed with regular hand buffing.

Regarding fixing up stone chips... i have a Bermuda Blue commy and it's got lots of stone chips in the bonnet. I've never tried a coloured wax/polish before... do you think it will make a difference? Maybe I can get the bermuda blue touch up paint and put some in each chip and then wipe it off... it should leave colour in the hole, but not really add any extra paint right? Has anyone ever used that T-Cut Colour Fast stuff that is coloured?

[BLACK 346]

Random orbital buffer + Mothers California Gold Pre-Wax Paint Cleaner

I understand that many people say that it's not a good idea for a n00b to use a buffer, but the random orbital buffers are quite easy to use and don't do much damage due to their random orbital motion. They will fix up most things that can't be fixed with regular hand buffing.

Regarding fixing up stone chips... i have a Bermuda Blue commy and it's got lots of stone chips in the bonnet. I've never tried a coloured wax/polish before... do you think it will make a difference? Maybe I can get the bermuda blue touch up paint and put some in each chip and then wipe it off... it should leave colour in the hole, but not really add any extra paint right? Has anyone ever used that T-Cut Colour Fast stuff that is coloured?

I tried both of the methods you mentioned to cover
up stone chips on my Phantom paint. The colour fast
shit is just that "SHIT", and the lipstick type touch
up stick is a joke. I also tried putting some touch
up paint on the chips and wiping it off, but the
problem is it doesn't seem to like to stick to the
white undercoat and just seems to wipe of
completely leaving a paint smear on the surrounding
paint. In the end I just gave up and got the lot
resprayed.

[XLR8 V8]

Regarding fixing up stone chips... i have a Bermuda Blue commy and it's got lots of stone chips in the bonnet. I've never tried a coloured wax/polish before... do you think it will make a difference? Maybe I can get the bermuda blue touch up paint and put some in each chip and then wipe it off... it should leave colour in the hole, but not really add any extra paint right? Has anyone ever used that T-Cut Colour Fast stuff that is coloured?


Download the free e-book from http://autopia-carcare.com/freeguide.html and follow the guide on there for the perfect stone chip repair (besides a respray). Sure, the process is lengthy, but the results can't be argued with.

As has been said, steer well clear of the T-Cut Colourfast style of product. Anything that has been advertised on a late night TV infomercial using nothing but American examples shouldn't really be trusted .... BTW, you wanna buy 5 different types of Ab-exercisers? :lol:

[Black_SV8]

roo boy
Easy fixed.
find a bloody good detailer one that can polish the car with NO swirl marks after he is finished. But make sure he can because the car will look crap
if its got swirl all over. I`m a detailer & I hate cutting black cars & I own one to.
As for you tacking it with a buffer don`t (not being an ass ) but you messed
doing it hand so what will you do with a buffer.
RandoM orbital buffer can still cause trouble when using the wrong pads & poilsh.
take it to a detailer.