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I have a 07 tl type-s KBP and the paint has been fairly abused by the previous owner by going through the dealer swirl creating car wash. Although the car has been kept in a garage a majority of its life and I purchased it with under 100 000km the paint is dull and extremely swirly. I was thinking of using 3d one or some kind of one stage/all in one product with a DA polisher but im worried about how thick the clear coat is, not because I think I will burn through it it but because I don't want to remove an unknown amount and have the clear coat fail in a few years to come. I know honda/acura usually have very soft clear but how thick is it normally? Also does anyone have any experience with doing a paint correction and actually measuring the clear coat before and after on the third gen tl?
your last question answers itself....noone will be able to tell you but you. Buy a paint meter to measure the before. then go to town, then measure again.,.
if you cant buy a paint meter, buy a PC7424XP which WILL NEVER burn through paint.
do you see the fallacy in your question? no two clear coats will be the same, BECAUSE no two cars will have went through the same conditions.
your other question is weird too; you're asking someone else measure their clear coat because you dont want yours to fail later down the road, in case it has thinned out. no two cars will have the same amount of clear coat, you'll need to measure your own clear coat to find the weak spots.
Last edited by justnspace; Aug 13, 2020 at 04:38 PM.
I have a 07 tl type-s KBP and the paint has been fairly abused by the previous owner by going through the dealer swirl creating car wash. Although the car has been kept in a garage a majority of its life and I purchased it with under 100 000km the paint is dull and extremely swirly. I was thinking of using 3d one or some kind of one stage/all in one product with a DA polisher but im worried about how thick the clear coat is, not because I think I will burn through it it but because I don't want to remove an unknown amount and have the clear coat fail in a few years to come. I know honda/acura usually have very soft clear but how thick is it normally? Also does anyone have any experience with doing a paint correction and actually measuring the clear coat before and after on the third gen tl?
As long as you use a DA and not a rotary polisher you won't have to worry about damage to the clear or paint for the most part. Keep the car protected with a product such as a synthetic sealant (zaino, blackfire wet diamond, etc) or a ceramic coating such as Cquartz.
Skip the All-in-one products and do it right the first time. My favorite combo is Meg's M105 followed up by M205 to remove any haze/small imperfections. Works great on neglected paints and isn't that aggressive if you use the self diminishing method with the M105. Look at the wash and wax section for tons of info!
Had a correction done after bought my 2nd KBP was a northern car and obviously paint care was not a concern. With the DIY products I had it was not sufficient for the swirls with my DA. Had my detailer work on it and it came out amazing the blue popped like you wouldnt believe then we slapped on cquartz and over year later still looks awesome even polished the nasty exhaust tips. Everything on outside looked factory fresh.
Im sure some clear was removed but if done right and your not wet sanding its so small it wont impact your cars finish.
I've seen detailers like Scott Bley try to burn clear coat and it's pretty hard to do. A nice 2 stage and coating of your liking will likely give you the results you desire!
What machine will you be using and can you post a pic of the swirly paint?
your last question answers itself....noone will be able to tell you but you. Buy a paint meter to measure the before. then go to town, then measure again.,.
if you cant buy a paint meter, buy a PC7424XP which WILL NEVER burn through paint.
do you see the fallacy in your question? no two clear coats will be the same, BECAUSE no two cars will have went through the same conditions.
your other question is weird too; you're asking someone else measure their clear coat because you dont want yours to fail later down the road, in case it has thinned out. no two cars will have the same amount of clear coat, you'll need to measure your own clear coat to find the weak spots.
It took me decades of doing handjobs before I finally got the PC7424XP and it's a game changer. I was always concerned about the possibility of messing up the paint but read enough good things to finally jump in to the DA gang. Should have done it years ago. I got that polisher and a variety of pads and chemicals. Started off with the least aggressive combinations and slowly incremented up if it wasn't doing the job.
I'd say that it's pretty foolproof, because I'm a big fool... but if you're still worried then you either need to find someone to walk you through it to see in person, or just pay for a pro to do it.
I understand that I can come off brash and undiplomatic. Sorry if any feelings were hurt.
the only drawback of the PC7424XP ( some would say it's an advantage) is that it's not that aggressive. I find that I have to do multiple passes in order to get a very heavy defect out. even with an aggressive pad and polish...still takes many many passes to get the defect out.
I did for the first time ever, apply a ceramic coat to my car. Very very cool process and provides a micro thin layer of glass over the clear coat..a clear coat for the clear coat if you will!
Last edited by justnspace; Aug 14, 2020 at 10:37 AM.
Here's a full paint correction/detail that I did in July of 2020.
Took me about 12-15 hours.
Used Jescar correcting compound then followed up with Jescar's Finishing polish. Then added a layer of FicTec ceramic coating as my LSP (Last step Product) If I really wanted to; I could add a layer of Jescar's power lock plus as a finishing sealant to make it ultra shiny and glossy. (but at that point in time, I was too tired 12-15 hours of work)
Last edited by justnspace; Aug 14, 2020 at 10:51 AM.
As a noob, I appreciate the fact the polisher isn't very aggressive. I'd rather put in a little more sweat equity than do something irreversible. Sort of the "measure twice, cut once" approach... more effort up front for solid payout later.
Most Def. very great for noobs!!
but as I progress through the hobby, I just notice things that I would like in a polisher that more expensive units have!
and no; I do not have a paint meter. I am not concerned with the clear coat failing over time...as the LSP's (last step product's) Have UV protection and with ceramic coatings; provides a 7 level of hardness on the Mohs scale.
the bottle says the coat will stay on the car for at least 3 years!
I also did a full correction/detail 12-15 hours on my car as well a couple days after I did the Kia.
the pictures didnt come out as well as the Kia's.
I guess I'll show them anyway (pic whore)
It took me decades of doing handjobs before I finally got the PC7424XP and it's a game changer. I was always concerned about the possibility of messing up the paint but read enough good things to finally jump in to the DA gang. Should have done it years ago. I got that polisher and a variety of pads and chemicals. Started off with the least aggressive combinations and slowly incremented up if it wasn't doing the job.
I'd say that it's pretty foolproof, because I'm a big fool... but if you're still worried then you either need to find someone to walk you through it to see in person, or just pay for a pro to do it.
I got a DA 7 or 8 years ago. Used it for 30 seconds and it threw the pad because I was using a wool shower cap instead of a hook and loop cutting pad. Scared me shitless and I went back to doing hand jobs. LOL
Originally Posted by justnspace
Here's a full paint correction/detail that I did in July of 2020.
Took me about 12-15 hours.
Used Jescar correcting compound then followed up with Jescar's Finishing polish. Then added a layer of FicTec ceramic coating as my LSP (Last step Product) If I really wanted to; I could add a layer of Jescar's power lock plus as a finishing sealant to make it ultra shiny and glossy. (but at that point in time, I was too tired 12-15 hours of work)
like 2 days.. the 12-15 hours spread over two days.
And that is why my car is not that shiny. Not a chance I will be likely to get that kind of free time to dedicate to the cars these days.
I did clay bar my car recently....first time in the all the years I have had it...wow it was shiny. Well, it was almost as shiny as your TL since they are the both the same color. I didn't spend anywhere near the number of hours you did. I think I had about 3-4 hours of washing, clay bar, and then some manual waxing before I got the death glare to come inside to help with the kids.
And that is why my car is not that shiny. Not a chance I will be likely to get that kind of free time to dedicate to the cars these days.
I did clay bar my car recently....first time in the all the years I have had it...wow it was shiny. Well, it was almost as shiny as your TL since they are the both the same color. I didn't spend anywhere near the number of hours you did. I think I had about 3-4 hours of washing, clay bar, and then some manual waxing before I got the death glare to come inside to help with the kids.
I'm in that same boat. There's like a fourth order differential equation that guides when I'm able to have solo car time. I've done one thorough and two moderate wash and details of my car in the 6 years I've owned it. The next day I really pay for it. Both in soreness from the work, and implied death threats.
I too am trying to revive my 172K mile KBP paint with MAJOR swirling thanks to my brothers previous ownership of constant drive-thru carwashes.
It's taking the major swirling out (DA with McGuires compound/polish + claybar) as evidence by the rear VS front door. I'm doing 1 body panel a day after work, taking my sweet ol' time.
But the hood has MAJOR oxidation is what I think its called?? It's just crazy blurry and hazy at the top near the windshield wipers. I've clayed/compound/polished/waxed half of the hood, and you can't even tell any difference, I think I need something more aggressive than the McGuires compound. I did just pick up the Griots compound, will try with that.
if you have paint chips, and want to fill them, how long before even attempting to polish with a DA would you wait? Clay after or before filling the paint chips?
you can polish it right away, and I would clay after touching it up
my understanding is; you can polish down imperfect touch up blobs to make it look more uniform with rest of paint. same idea with the clay.
my understanding is; one wouldnt want to polish after a full repaint, as the full repaint needs time to cure.
if you have paint chips, and want to fill them, how long before even attempting to polish with a DA would you wait? Clay after or before filling the paint chips?
look at lagnkna blob eliminator and watch a few videos too. Works very well. I would wait at least a week to ensure proper adhesion and curing of touchup.
I too am trying to revive my 172K mile KBP paint with MAJOR swirling thanks to my brothers previous ownership of constant drive-thru carwashes.
It's taking the major swirling out (DA with McGuires compound/polish + claybar) as evidence by the rear VS front door. I'm doing 1 body panel a day after work, taking my sweet ol' time.
But the hood has MAJOR oxidation is what I think its called?? It's just crazy blurry and hazy at the top near the windshield wipers. I've clayed/compound/polished/waxed half of the hood, and you can't even tell any difference, I think I need something more aggressive than the McGuires compound. I did just pick up the Griots compound, will try with that.
I love M105 for heavy defect removal. Make sure you use the right hardness pad to make sure it's cutting properly. Follow up with M205 to get an amazing finish.
at the death threats.
