[nias9527]

I tried to use "Meguiar's Ultimate Compound" to get rid of the water spot I got from overnight parking at my school, damn sprinklers....
I first start with hand polishing and it only get rid of like %50 of the mark, its still noticeable so I tried it with machine polish and now I think it might be too strong..see attachment
Anyone know what is this?? and how do I fix this...

[blaster3500]

Follow it up with ultimate polish a finishing pad. If that doesnt work you may need an even less aggressive polish

[nias9527]

Do you know what happened to my paint ??

[RandomHero]

What was your process? Your pictures aren't very good either.

Did you clean off the panel first before polishing it?
What kind of applicator did you use?
What kind of machine did you us? DA, rotary, random orbial, etc?

Too many factors to tell. Looking at the pictures it looks like you didn't clean the panels off first and it left some residue. Use some dish soap on the panel and clean it off. It will remove any old wax or polish and you'll see the true state of the paint.

Always make sure the panel is completely clean and so are your pads otherwise you can do some serious damage to your car.

[nias9527]

I was using those polishing pad with drill adapter and Meguiar's Ultimate Compound
I cleaned the surface and the pad was new.
Now I cannot wash off those weird, shiny residues..

[jzmundy]

Originally Posted by nias9527

I was using those polishing pad with drill adapter and Meguiar's Ultimate Compound
I cleaned the surface and the pad was new.
Now I cannot wash off those weird, shiny residues..

Well, there's your problem.

You'll need to redo it with a dual-action orbital (Porter Cable 7424xp or similar) or take it to someone to correct the holograms.

[jslym777]

not safe, could burn through paint...

i do not recommend doing this with a drill... unsteady and potential to burn through

[divisionbell77]

a drill?

[335xituned]

Samething happend to my car when i trusted a relative to do it with that maguire's stuff its pretty bad buy the black box from turttle wax it took around 4 hrs by hand but got rid of all the swirls and came out extremely dark and shinny

[H17M3]

Originally Posted by E90tuned

Samething happend to my car when i trusted a relative to do it with that maguire's stuff its pretty bad buy the black box from turttle wax it took around 4 hrs by hand but got rid of all the swirls and came out extremely dark and shinny

I don't recommend black box. Yes, in some situations the black box wax looks great if you take your time. Nice and deep gloss. However this wax has a generic black dye in it to get that look. After a couple applications it started building up on my paint and left odd shiny swirls.
I used meguiars ultimate paste wax ($25) which has a light abrasive in it to remove all the black box and the shine is much better.

[Otruba_843]

Originally Posted by E90tuned

Samething happend to my car when i trusted a relative to do it with that maguire's stuff its pretty bad buy the black box from turttle wax it took around 4 hrs by hand but got rid of all the swirls and came out extremely dark and shinny

Its not meguiars that is the problem. Ultimate compound is an outstanding product. Its improper use of a drill with a rotary attachment by a novice.

[psnt1ol]

Originally Posted by nias9527

Do you know what happened to my paint ??

The bad news.

The action of the drill, the pad, and the compound made their own marks on your paint. Those shinny residue are actually tiny scratches in a circular pattern much like the ones you see on cars that were worked on by hack detailers with a rotary buffer. There is nothing that you could pour out of a bottle to remove this. To cover it....maybe. To fix....not a realistic expectation.

The good news.

It is repairable but it takes another tool..... a true polisher (DA or Rotary). The learning curve on a rotary is steep so you might want to skip this all together. A Dual Action Polisher will be your best choice but with the money you put in for all the equipment (polisher, pads, polishes, good quality MF, etc)...... you could have taken it to a pro and get the car done right.

Good Luck.

[psnt1ol]

Originally Posted by n54bewst

I don't recommend black box. Yes, in some situations the black box wax looks great if you take your time. Nice and deep gloss. However this wax has a generic black dye in it to get that look. After a couple applications it started building up on my paint and left odd shiny swirls.

+1 Agree. I seen this as well.

Originally Posted by Otruba_843

Its not meguiars that is the problem. Ultimate compound is an outstanding product. Its improper use of a drill with a rotary attachment by a novice.

+1 Agree. Don't feel bad OP. We all made our share of mistakes. At least...this is fixable. I recommend you save the drill attachment for the headlights going forward.

[nias9527]

OKay,,, I will think about having some pros to do it
Thanks for the replies

[BMWWW]

Log onto autopia.org, find a local detailer, and he/she can fix it in 20-30 minutes.

[UncleWede]

The real question is whether you want to make an investment and learn to do it right, or continually pay a detailer to do it.

The drill and a mistake are just the gateway to OCD of detailing

[tofu-]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

The real question is whether you want to make an investment and learn to do it right, or continually pay a detailer to do it.

fortunately for him, the advancements over the past year have made detailing so much quicker and easier for novices

pretty much anyone can pick up a DA after watching some youtube vids and come up with results that make his or her car look "damn good".

[RandomHero]

Most true cutting polishes need to build up heat in order to work effectively at curing your paint.

A random orbital or any drill attachment- Ultimately won't be able to spin fast enough to build up this kind of heat. The only time I've ever used one of these is for applying sealants/waxes in order to save time

DA Orbital Polisher- The most popular one out there is the Porter Cable 7424. It is used by both beginners and professionals. While you can certainly do some damage to your paint, it's much harder than with a rotary.

Rotary- I would highly recommend avoiding these for anyone inexperienced. I've been detailing cars for about 4-5 years as an occasional side job and I wouldn't trust myself with one yet. You can do some serious damage to your paint with one of these. In experienced hands, it will significantly cut down the paint correction process, but there is a reason for that: they can build up significant heat very quickly.

My process when doing a full paint correction looks something like this. Again, I'm not an expert, but I've evolved my method through lots of reading as well as some trial and error:
1.) Run a hose over the car and remove and off the big stuff. Simply rinse the car off at this point.
2.) Use a foam gun and apply your favorite foam product over the entire car. I usually let it sit for a couple minutes but not long enough to let it dry on the paint.
3.) I'll do quick wash of the car after this with the goal of getting all the big stuff off. The two bucket wash method works best so your sponge stays clean.
4.) Use a de-greasing dish soap after that. Be careful to avoid your plastics, but dish soap is really good for removing old waxes/polishes. You'll really see all the scratches/hazing in your paint after everything is removed.
5.) Clay bar the car. Follow any of the how-to's for this.
6.) Wash the car again. The paint should look pretty scratched at this point, but that's a good thing.

7.) Now you're ready to start doing some paint correction. I personally use my Porter Cable 7424, a 5" pad, and Poorboys SSR cutting compounds.
8.) I usually start with a medium abrasive polish. SSR2.5 is normally what I start with (SSR3 for REALLY bad scratches). Make sure your pads are very clean and make sure that your paint is completely free of any dirt/tree sap/bird poo/etc
9. ) I usually do one panel at a time and do it in 1-2 ft squares.

Tips for polishing:
1.)More polish doesn't mean that it works better- If polish is flying off your pad then you're probably using too much. A little bit of polish goes a long way.
2.) Let the machine do all the work- Don't press down on the pad. The weight of your detailing tool is enough to get the job done.
3.) If you don't want it polished, tape it off. It's a good idea to tape off headlights, trim, and weatherstripping. It's not hard to remove the polish, but it will save yourself time in the longrun
4.) Invest in some good lighting- I usually use an LED headlamp as well as some stand alone Halogen lights. You want to be able to see what the panel looks like and sunlight can make that hard. If you have a garage, it's really best to do it inside with good artifical light.
5.) Allow the polish to break down. You'll know when this is happening. It will turn into a chalky consistency when it has broken down. That's when you know it's working.
6.) After you've done a full pass on the car with the medium polish I'd recommend washing it with more dish soap or a stronger wash that will remove the polish. That will show you how much your correction you've achieved. By leaving the polish on the car, it will fill the scratches and it may look better than it actually is. Again, your goal is a true paint correction, not using the polish as a filler like most store products (Scratch X, and similar products).

7.) After you're happy with the results, apply a good sealant. There are tons of good products out there. Remember that sealants can be applied with several coats. Just remember that sealants take time to cure (several hours at least, a full day is better). Waxes, generally, should only be applied once. Remember that certain sealants will look better on certain colors. For instance- Poorboy's EX sealant is good for darker colors. EX-P is better for lighter colored vehicles.

8.) In many cases, good sealants can be applied and then finished with a good wax.

9.) 1-2 coats of sealant will definitely make your car look amazing. Most people would probably stop here and be more than happy. The sealant will protect your paint and keeping looking great for a long time. The wax will really help to give your paint a full and deep shine.

Cliff notes:
-Clean your car of all the dirt/grime/conaminants-Normal wash
-Remove all the old wax/polish/sealants from your paint- de-grease wash/claybar/wash
-Correct the paint with a true cutting polish- Porter Cable 7424 and cutting polishes
-Protect and wax your paint- Seal and finish with a good carnuba wax

[thecadman99]

If you really are interested in keeping your car paint in beautiful shape, you NEED a dual action (DA) polisher.

The DA polisher at harbor freight has been as low as $40 with coupon. You can get one right now for around $50 (with the 20% off coupon) and the pads are $5 each. Orange pad first, then upkeep with the blue or grey pad.

Ultimate compound and ultimate polish would make your paint look great.

Polish, then keep it sealed with a good wax (sealer) to help prevent those waterspots from happening again.

[UncleWede]

Originally Posted by tofu-

pretty much anyone can pick up a DA after watching some youtube vids and come up with results that make his or her car look "damn good".

That's the school I went to

[psnt1ol]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

The real question is whether you want to make an investment and learn to do it right, or continually pay a detailer to do it.

The drill and a mistake are just the gateway to OCD of detailing

That's how I got started in this. Not with a drill but a careless sister-in-law and my subsequent mis-adventure in trying to DIY it. The car...not the sister-in-law

Originally Posted by tofu-

fortunately for him, the advancements over the past year have made detailing so much quicker and easier for novices

pretty much anyone can pick up a DA after watching some youtube vids and come up with results that make his or her car look "damn good".

This is true. Technically, we could DIY everything on our cars. The question becomes.... do we have the time, passion, equipment, and the resources to learn how to do it?