The owner of this truck had contacted me to have the vehicle polished and protected. As we all know, black paint is a real chore to maintain, and this one was ready for a full correction process. The truck had seen its fair share of car washes over the past few years which led to quite a bit of scratches and marring on the surface. It was decided that a 2 step polishing process would be needed to remove the majority of the moderate surface defects and restore the depth and gloss in the paint. Many panels came out with 90%+ defect removal, however there were some areas that had quite a bit of heavier scratches, so I would say I removed 80% of the overall defects from the vehicle. This tastefully modified truck already looked great, but the polishing process topped with the amazing CQuartz Finest coating truly transformed the appearance of the paint and it now looks stunning! When it was all said and done, I had about 17 hours of work, 15 polishing pads, and ~60 microfiber towels into this truck, but it was all worth it!
Process
Tires: Tuf Shine Tire Cleaner & Tuf Shine Tire Brush
Wheels: Sonax Full Effect + Wheel Woolies + Various Brushes
Wash: Chemical Guys Citrus Wash & Sheepskin Wash Mitt (2BM)
Bug Removal: CG Bug Bugger & Tar Remover (6:1)
Dry: Master Blaster
Iron Removal: Iron X
Tar Removal: Stoner Tarminator
Decontamination: Nanoskin Fine Grade Mitt (until I ruined it) & Medium Grade Clay with Nanoskin Glide (10:1) as Lubrication
Dry: Waffle Weave Towels
Compound: Menzerna FG400 on an Orange Light Cutting Pad via Rupes LHR21ES (5.5" pads) and Rupes LHR75e (3" pads)
Polish: Optimum Hyper Polish on a White Polishing Pad via Rupes LHR21ES (5.5" pads) and Rupes LHR75e (3" pads)
Surface Prep: CarPro Eraser
Paint Coating: CQuartz Finest (2 thick coats)
Chrome Bumpers: Chemical Guys Metal Polish + Protection via Microfiber Towel by hand
Trim: 303 Aerospace Protectant
Glass: Stoner Invisible Glass with Microfiber Glass Towels
Tire Dressing: Optimum Opti-Bond Tire Gel
During
The vehicle was not that dirty to begin with so I did not capture any photos of the wheel cleaning or washing process.
After the vehicle was washed, the paint was treated with Iron X to remove any bonded iron particles from the surface. Detailing clay was then used to remove the remaining contamination. This paint was long overdue for a proper decontamination. (this was the contamination from the lower portion of one of the doors)
This is the contamination from a 3'x'3 section on the hood.
Once the paint was cleaned and decontaminated, I was able to properly inspect the condition of the paint. I found some sanding marks on the rear driver's side that needed to be removed.
There were swirls and marring throughout the rest of the vehicle.
Even without harsh, direct lighting it is easy to see that the paint looks dull and scratched.
Paint thickness readings were taken to ensure it was safe to polish the paint. These readings were very good
I began my test spot on the rear where the sanding marks were. Again, without direct lighting you can clearly see the improvement in clarity on the left hand side after compounding. This would be improved even further after polishing.
Lighting up the test spot shows the great improvement. You can see the slight haze left over on the left side from the cutting compound. This is to be expected, and is easily removed with the proper choice in finishing polish, pad, and technique.
After polishing the test spot, the haze is removed and the paint looks fantastic. Notice the drastic difference in color at the top of the photo. The corrected area is a true black while the original paint now appears faded/gray.
Another angle showing the awesome transformation.
50/50 showing after compounding the rear door
Driver's side after compounding
50/50 on the B-Pillar
Door before correction
Door after compounding. Notice there are still some heavier defects remaining, however the clarity is still greatly improved.
Door before correction
Door after compounding
Tailgate before correction
50/50 on tailgate after compounding the right section
Door after final polishing.
Left side after final polishing . Looking like a mirror!
This photo shows the difference in clarity between the lower section that was compounded and has haze/micro marring remaining and the top section that has been polished to remove the haze.
Same photo as above, but without direct lighting. You can still see that the reflection in the lower section is less crisp. This is why the final polishing step is crucial after using a heavy cutting compound.
Fender after polishing
Hood after final polishing
Checking surface temps prior to applying the paint coating
Safety first! I wear a respirator during coating installation (yes, this is a selfie taken in the reflection of the paint... don't judge me).
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