Time to Polish Again

[pjmc23mach1]

It's been a couple weeks since I coated the car so with some gorgeous weather, I decided to give her a bath. The ADS Pro coating beads up nicely and this is without any topper. Got her clean again and I thought I'd take her up the road for some photos.

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After blow drying, I topped her off with a coat of Amplify and I'm here to tell you that I have never felt a clear coat that slippery..smoother than a baby's ass. <grin> Then took her out for a few photos.

BTW, these were all shot with the new Fuji X-E5 camera and a 23mm/F2.8 lens.

That’s a beautiful car you have and you do a wonderful job of taking care of it so keep it up. I have a question about paint correction and specifically the factory clearcoat. Do you sand it with. High grit sandpaper before polishing it? I just wonder how you get rid of the tiny bit of imperfections in the factory finish?

Patrick
2023 Grabber Blue Mach 1

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[kilobravo]

Do you sand it with. High grit sandpaper before polishing it? I just wonder how you get rid of the tiny bit of imperfections in the factory finish?

Hey Patrick. To answer your question at least in regards to my car, that's a definite "negatory good buddy", <smile> but, there were no areas that called for sanding. With regard to your vehicle, I wouldn't rule it out as it all depends on how badly your clear coat is damaged.

There are many folks here with way more experience and knowledge about clearcoat care than I possess and I suggest that you snap some closeup photos of the worst of it and we'll take it from there. The odds of you needing to sand some areas is pretty remote but not out of the question, it all comes down to how deep the damage is. Modern day pads and compounds can accomplish some amazing repairs.

 

[fiveoboy01]

The vast majority of cars do not need any sanding whatsoever to remove defects. It’s more often used to flatten texture or in isolated areas to remove very deep defects.

I also highly recommend against it if you do not posess training and experience. Sanding is a very useful tool, but like anything else, can cross over into the realm of “you’ve damaged something” if you don’t know what you are doing.

 

[pjmc23mach1]

The vast majority of cars do not need any sanding whatsoever to remove defects. It’s more often used to flatten texture or in isolated areas to remove very deep defects.

I also highly recommend against it if you do not posess training and experience. Sanding is a very useful tool, but like anything else, can cross over into the realm of “you’ve damaged something” if you don’t know what you are doing.

 

[pjmc23mach1]

I’ve done my fair share of polishing through the years. When I say sanding, I’m talking about 2000 or 3000 wet sand. Which is almost the same as printer paper. I’ve never done it myself.

 

[fiveoboy01]

It's a lot more abrasive than printer paper.

 

[kilobravo]

I’ve never done it myself.

Might want to invest in a paint depth gauge Patrick so you can determine just how much clear you're removing with wet sanding. My only experience with it has been a couple vehicles with heavy orange peel. It didn't remove it all probably because I was too conservative worrying about burning through to the base coat but it did level the clear out substantially on both vehicles although the hand sanding liked to wear me out. <smiling>

Good luck, but be careful, and be sure to use a rubber sanding block.

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