Polishing a black car
Discussion
I've had a few black cars in the past and the last time I used a machine polisher i ended up with ghosting in the paint. Because of that i'm a little hesitant to polish the Aston. I've been told using a fine polish will avoid that but not sure.. how does everyone else polish their black cars? Maybe just polish by hand and not use a machine?
My black V8V has awful swirl marks and general dullness to the paint. Once the weather gets a bit better, my son and I will take a couple of days off work to correct it.
We’re enthusiastic amateurs when it comes to detailing, but our approach is simple. We use DA polishers - slower, but definitely safer in the hands of an amateur. We then start with the softest pads and the lightest compound and take it from there.
The car has had paint on all the panels, so there’s not much danger of causing any serious damage, but I’d be surprised if we can’t get it looking pretty good.
We’re enthusiastic amateurs when it comes to detailing, but our approach is simple. We use DA polishers - slower, but definitely safer in the hands of an amateur. We then start with the softest pads and the lightest compound and take it from there.
The car has had paint on all the panels, so there’s not much danger of causing any serious damage, but I’d be surprised if we can’t get it looking pretty good.
Plus one for getting yourself a cheap Dual action polisher and a mix of pads. Hard medium soft.
I too use meguiars polishes / compounds because they are safe in the hands of an amateur
Speaking from.thr uk you can get the polisher, compounds and some pads all for about £130 but then you have the kit for years to come.
Start with a soft pad and light polish this is usually good enough for a lot of panels. If swirling persists after that try a heavier copmpound and firmer pad this will cut more and remove the swirl marks. However the more 'cutting' you do introduces more hazing so then you need to do that area again with a finer and softer polish / pad combo.
The results are often fantastic and not hard so long as you don't rush it.
The ghosting is easily removed by using a softer pad and lighter polish.
The biggest mistake I see is too hard a pad and too heavy a cutting compound and too fast a DA speed. This will remove all but the worst swirls, smears etc BUT will introduce a lot of hazing to the finish. It's easily rectified like I said above by gradually go over it again with softer pads polish combos but your increasing your work load by doing everything multiple times and also wearing more of the clear coat away with each pass.
System slow and gentle and take it from there.
Loads and loads of YouTube videos / tutorials for the amateur to get started and to get excellent results.
Have fun give it a go it's very rewarding. Just look at the pics above from another poster !
I too use meguiars polishes / compounds because they are safe in the hands of an amateur
Speaking from.thr uk you can get the polisher, compounds and some pads all for about £130 but then you have the kit for years to come.
Start with a soft pad and light polish this is usually good enough for a lot of panels. If swirling persists after that try a heavier copmpound and firmer pad this will cut more and remove the swirl marks. However the more 'cutting' you do introduces more hazing so then you need to do that area again with a finer and softer polish / pad combo.
The results are often fantastic and not hard so long as you don't rush it.
The ghosting is easily removed by using a softer pad and lighter polish.
The biggest mistake I see is too hard a pad and too heavy a cutting compound and too fast a DA speed. This will remove all but the worst swirls, smears etc BUT will introduce a lot of hazing to the finish. It's easily rectified like I said above by gradually go over it again with softer pads polish combos but your increasing your work load by doing everything multiple times and also wearing more of the clear coat away with each pass.
System slow and gentle and take it from there.
Loads and loads of YouTube videos / tutorials for the amateur to get started and to get excellent results.
Have fun give it a go it's very rewarding. Just look at the pics above from another poster !
JonnyCJ said:
I used a Meguiars DA with medium and fine polish on my Onyx Black V8V with excellent results.
This is the reflection - effectively I am pointing the phone camera at the bumper on the V8V and photographing the reflection.
This is the same picture taken a bit further away.
I initially thought “why’s he posting a squint picture of a split screen” Amazing finish !This is the reflection - effectively I am pointing the phone camera at the bumper on the V8V and photographing the reflection.
This is the same picture taken a bit further away.
Longy00000 said:
Have fun give it a go it's very rewarding. Just look at the pics above from another poster !
It is incredibly rewarding and relaxing doing it. Just make sure you prep the panel correctly first (totally clean) and take your time.I'm currently working on the bonnet sorting out some stone chips. I've bought a cheap paint depth gauge (£15 on eBay) to get comparisons of the paint depth at various places on the car and ensure I don't get too over zealous on trying to get the ultimate finish and end up going through the paint.
Edited by JonnyCJ on Wednesday 9th March 11:51
stevo96 said:
I've had a few black cars in the past and the last time I used a machine polisher i ended up with ghosting in the paint. Because of that i'm a little hesitant to polish the Aston. I've been told using a fine polish will avoid that but not sure.. how does everyone else polish their black cars? Maybe just polish by hand and not use a machine?
I used the well-known PH solution of asking Paddy328 to do it 
LTP said:
I used the well-known PH solution of asking Paddy328 to do it
I think that’s always the best idea. I’m still the UK’s most experienced Aston detailer after all lol.Aston paint is quite soft, but also because of this, you tend to get more random scratches and of course, all the DA sanding marks from the factory.
Going softly will remove the hazing in the paint and improve clarity, however, like with any car, you have to step up the cutting pad and polish combo to get rid of the deeper stuff.
Now, this is important. There are many areas on an Aston that have very little paint on them and some even come with white lines from the factory.
These are:
top edge of the wings, next to the door (vantage)
Door handles, around the edge of the boot
Inserts in the tail lights
Edges of the doors and around tail lights.
Edges of the front wheel arch/wing
With these areas, you will most likely be safe with a polishing/refining combo, but be careful when it comes to cutting.
I always use this tape for these areas
https://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/kamikaze-colle...
paddy328 said:
I think that’s always the best idea. I’m still the UK’s most experienced Aston detailer after all lol.
Aston paint is quite soft, but also because of this, you tend to get more random scratches and of course, all the DA sanding marks from the factory.
Going softly will remove the hazing in the paint and improve clarity, however, like with any car, you have to step up the cutting pad and polish combo to get rid of the deeper stuff.
Now, this is important. There are many areas on an Aston that have very little paint on them and some even come with white lines from the factory.
These are:
top edge of the wings, next to the door (vantage)
Door handles, around the edge of the boot
Inserts in the tail lights
Edges of the doors and around tail lights.
Edges of the front wheel arch/wing
With these areas, you will most likely be safe with a polishing/refining combo, but be careful when it comes to cutting.
I always use this tape for these areas
https://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/kamikaze-colle...
Invaluable - thanks Paddy !Aston paint is quite soft, but also because of this, you tend to get more random scratches and of course, all the DA sanding marks from the factory.
Going softly will remove the hazing in the paint and improve clarity, however, like with any car, you have to step up the cutting pad and polish combo to get rid of the deeper stuff.
Now, this is important. There are many areas on an Aston that have very little paint on them and some even come with white lines from the factory.
These are:
top edge of the wings, next to the door (vantage)
Door handles, around the edge of the boot
Inserts in the tail lights
Edges of the doors and around tail lights.
Edges of the front wheel arch/wing
With these areas, you will most likely be safe with a polishing/refining combo, but be careful when it comes to cutting.
I always use this tape for these areas
https://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/kamikaze-colle...
Incidentally, I've used 1500, 2000 and 3000 wet and dry for the stone chip areas. Do these remove much paint with light use ? I'm not sure of the lacquer depth compared to how much is taken off with wet sanding.
Edited by JonnyCJ on Wednesday 9th March 13:10
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