My nighthawk black TSX is looking dull and bluish. When i bought the car (an 04 with 44K) it was a dull black, and i detailed it (clear coat safe compound, polish, wax, and clay beforehand) and now it looks even duller. I was thinking of taking it to a professional detailer. I know I didn't burn the paint because i was using a porter cable orbital and i didn't get really crazy with it. Is there anything I can do to make my paint a deep black again?

 

Proper upkeep is the first rule with colors such as yours. Twice annual paint cleaning, twice annual paint polishing. Stay with the PC and products. Lets hear what products you have at home to use, then we can build off of that if its economical for you.

 

Hazing ?

 

maguires detailing stuff..their compound power cleaner, speed glaze, and a tech wax. the clay bar was a clay magic bar

 

Speed glaze with an Orange pad should get ya pretty far for maintenance purposes. Should keep it pretty sharp and bright. Although it does have some fillers in it, which may wash away after a wash or two. Not familiar with the Power Cut, and NXT is a marginal sealant at best. Start with the #80 and see what ya think.......

 

Is it possible that I messed up the paint when i was detailing it?

 

Im concerened about that compound you used. But like I said, the Otange pad and #80 should really help out. The PC is hard to destroy paint with, but product unfamiliarity is where things can go south....

 

There is a chance the Compound Power Cleaner was too aggressive for the #80 to clean up depending on the pad you used with the CPC.

You might want to pick up some Optimum Compound and Optimum Polish and start over .

Use the compound with a yellow/orange pad then the Polish on a white pad.

Both on 5 or 5.5 speed on the PC.

I like the Optimum polishes cuz you can work them forever.

 

so I can bring my paint back to shine?

 

Without physically seeing it can't say but a lot of times hazing is from being too aggressive.

 

Note that NBP has a bluish tint when directly in the light. The pearl metal flakes are blue hence the bluish look.

The Compound Power Cleaner should never be used with a PC. It is way to harsh and probably caused some pretty good hazing. It is designed for a rotary polisher. You probably need some Dual Action Cleaner Polish (#83). You can try the Speed Glaze (#80) with the orange pad and see how it looks. The #80 is not real aggressive and has some good polishing oils. Remember to polish until all of the diminishing abrasives have broken down. This usually takes 3-5 minutes. I use at least the #5 setting on the PC with about 5 lb. of pressure on the pad. If you don't then your risk becoming very frustrated and get poor results. Slow overlapping passes in the horizontal and vertical direction are also important.

It would be much more effective if you take some pictures of your problem areas and post them. We are all speculating what you may need based on our combined experiences.