Submariner1
Senior Member
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2016
- Messages
- 4,692
- Reaction score
- 788
- Location
- Windsor Berkshire
- Your Mercedes
- CL500 2009 5.5
OK, I am toying with the idea of machine polishing ... only the absolute finest gloss polish type.
From what I can gather. The ideal process is :-
Compound polish with 3M Green polish and Green Pad
Hi Gloss polish with 3M Yellow pad and Hi Gloss Polish
And then optionally polish with Ultra High Gloss Polish i.e. with 3M Ultrafina SE Polish and their Blue ultra hi gloss foam Pad. (note this is normally reserved for black cars, its ideal for holograms and swirl reduction)
I hate the idea of machine polishing, as I can’t get it out of my head, that polishing reduces clear coat thickness. Sure it will look fabulous and glossy and flat. But at the end if the day your “protective clear coat must be thinner”.
If this info below is correct, then at best the clearcoat is only 1/10 of a mm
Hence my concerns.
Idealy I would be looking for something that polished off any residual cement film left, if any is, and removed the new slight Micro marring, in terms of the above picture call them ‘mini swirl’ marks. And if that also reduced any deeper swirl marks great, but not an essential ... just a bonus.
So the question is:-
If I got a good Makita DA Polisher with soft start, and just used the absolute finest 3M Ultrafina Polish and Blue pad, nomally a 4th Stage reserved for Black cars.
Am I safe the clearcoat reduction would be extremely minimal and that it should enhance the shine? ... OK I realise any proper swirl marks may not be removed. Dont care.
I am not worried about that, as the paint inspector said the swirl marks on my car were very good i.e. very few.
My definition of micro marring, is like a short, very shallow swirl; probably induced as I brushed off the cement dust (note done wet, soapy, under running water, frequently rinsing a make up brush every 3 strokes, i.e. the softest brush one could buy) or they were there before, due to normal washing after a jolly good power wash.
Note if I get a microfibre cloth and load it with AG Super resin polish and work back and forwards 2” sq. at a time this Micro Marring disapears ... but hey no way Am I doing that on a huge S Class!
Other questions
1. How thick in mm? is the clear coat on an S Class? Is it any thicker than say a C Class?
Imo S Classes look as though they have had more machine polishing to start with.
2. How much in microns would be taken off using just the absolute finest machine polishing as above in mm.
3. If you use a paint thickness meter, how does it distinguish between clear coat and base colour coat and undercoat?
One place said:- read the thickness on the outside panel, then read under the bonnet, and deduct that .. and that difference is the clearcoat thickness. His logic was mfgs dont put much clearcoat under the bonnet to save money ...as this paint is not assaulted by the enviroment.
4. If I just go the Ultrafina polish route; yes I appreciate I wont get the concours super flat, scratch free result one would following a 4 stage process.
But would it remove the very light swirl marks, and maybe round over the edges of deeper swirl marks ... hopefully minimising them, and super gloss polish the unmarked clearcoat .... delivering overall a fundamentally shinier car?
And if the finish is not as good as hoped, could it be improved by going over it again?
Any ideas on this, or risks
Like how difficult is it?
Could one use this machine to spead out evenly AG SRP and Collinite ... in the future
Just as a time saver?
From what I can gather. The ideal process is :-
Compound polish with 3M Green polish and Green Pad
Hi Gloss polish with 3M Yellow pad and Hi Gloss Polish
And then optionally polish with Ultra High Gloss Polish i.e. with 3M Ultrafina SE Polish and their Blue ultra hi gloss foam Pad. (note this is normally reserved for black cars, its ideal for holograms and swirl reduction)
I hate the idea of machine polishing, as I can’t get it out of my head, that polishing reduces clear coat thickness. Sure it will look fabulous and glossy and flat. But at the end if the day your “protective clear coat must be thinner”.
If this info below is correct, then at best the clearcoat is only 1/10 of a mm
Hence my concerns.
Idealy I would be looking for something that polished off any residual cement film left, if any is, and removed the new slight Micro marring, in terms of the above picture call them ‘mini swirl’ marks. And if that also reduced any deeper swirl marks great, but not an essential ... just a bonus.
So the question is:-
If I got a good Makita DA Polisher with soft start, and just used the absolute finest 3M Ultrafina Polish and Blue pad, nomally a 4th Stage reserved for Black cars.
Am I safe the clearcoat reduction would be extremely minimal and that it should enhance the shine? ... OK I realise any proper swirl marks may not be removed. Dont care.
I am not worried about that, as the paint inspector said the swirl marks on my car were very good i.e. very few.
My definition of micro marring, is like a short, very shallow swirl; probably induced as I brushed off the cement dust (note done wet, soapy, under running water, frequently rinsing a make up brush every 3 strokes, i.e. the softest brush one could buy) or they were there before, due to normal washing after a jolly good power wash.
Note if I get a microfibre cloth and load it with AG Super resin polish and work back and forwards 2” sq. at a time this Micro Marring disapears ... but hey no way Am I doing that on a huge S Class!
Other questions
1. How thick in mm? is the clear coat on an S Class? Is it any thicker than say a C Class?
Imo S Classes look as though they have had more machine polishing to start with.
2. How much in microns would be taken off using just the absolute finest machine polishing as above in mm.
3. If you use a paint thickness meter, how does it distinguish between clear coat and base colour coat and undercoat?
One place said:- read the thickness on the outside panel, then read under the bonnet, and deduct that .. and that difference is the clearcoat thickness. His logic was mfgs dont put much clearcoat under the bonnet to save money ...as this paint is not assaulted by the enviroment.
4. If I just go the Ultrafina polish route; yes I appreciate I wont get the concours super flat, scratch free result one would following a 4 stage process.
But would it remove the very light swirl marks, and maybe round over the edges of deeper swirl marks ... hopefully minimising them, and super gloss polish the unmarked clearcoat .... delivering overall a fundamentally shinier car?
And if the finish is not as good as hoped, could it be improved by going over it again?
Any ideas on this, or risks
Like how difficult is it?
Could one use this machine to spead out evenly AG SRP and Collinite ... in the future
Just as a time saver?