Just got a G100 and lots of goodies last week and going to break it in tomorrow. This will be the learning ground since it's old and in need of attention. It's no F150, but we'll see what I learned here.

 

I didn't give the PC a snowballs chance on the equator for removing my acid rain etch. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome below. Acid rain etch is now history. So now I tell em, they'll have to pry that PC out of my dead cold hands.

 

Not to be an *** here but your pictures show another story.

You have clear coat surface scratches that appear to from using towels other than Microfiber to wash/dry or polish your paint. Also knows as Spider Webbing.

I am no expert but if this was my paint this is what I would do.

Get a real DA Polisher
Visit a real detail supply house.
Get some nice polishing pads
Get a Meguairs BLUE clay bar
Get some misting spray (Final Inspection)
Buy some Meguairs #80 or #82 glaze
Follow up with Meguairs #21 sealer
Follow up with some Final Inspection
NEVER NEVER NEVER use Cotton towels on your truck. ONLY Microfiber

Your paint will love you for it.

Chances are you will get that rain etch out by just using the clay bar.

 

I do have all that stuff on your list.

While I appreciate your advice, I'm not sure I'm [fully] understanding your point of reference.

The below picture is half of my polished hood. My point has to do with how well MY Porter Cable DA polisher worked for my acid rain etching problem. The other larger picture is a before picture of what it looked like prior to using MY very own Porter Cable Dual Action Polisher.

 

Wow, I totally missed that....now I see it...note the time (2:34am)....I couldn't sleep so I just back on the PC to read myself back to bed...

looking at the picture again, it looks like you did a really nice job on the half...

 

That's cool. I purchased the truck in deplorable paint condition. Then the acid rain etch. I'm just now getting to the point of reconditioning the paint. I thought perhaps Ford Motor Company would help me out by honoring their paint warranty but it seems acid rain is not covered hence my procrastination in having to deal with it myself. Not a bad thing, considering this is how I ended up here. I've learned so much.

 

Looks like you doing it right. Keep it up.

Going to try and get back to bed...

JP

 

83 just ain't cutting it, ran out to Napa to get some #4, that'll be in tomorrow. Wish there was somewhere else where I could pick it up locally. Also tried ScratchX for kicks, nothing doin there either.

On the sides where there's no etching but there are fine scratches, the 83, then 80 works fairly well. For 12 years of not washing and drying correctly as well as sitting out in the elements it's coming along well. I do wonder if 2 would be any different on these tiny scratches, I can only see them from about 8 inches away, not sure where that lands on the analness scale.

 

Wow, that is severe, take it easy using #4, that is a big cut....don't press very hard on the DA.

Take your time and I would do a test section before doing a big section.

 

have you tried multiple passes with the #83 ?

what pad are you using with the #83 ?


the #4 seems a little severe to me also, looking at the pics you posted ..

 

Did 3 passes with 83 using a 8006 pad and about 15lbs of pressure. It's cutting the brownish edges of the etchings but still leaving the whitish edges. Maybe a 7006 pad would of been a good idea, but read a few things over on MOL that scared me away from it. It's a learning process and I'd rather kill this finish rather than my truck or the gf's truck.

Gonna pick up some 2 while I'm out just in case the 4 is too harsh, thought I read there's not much difference between 2 and 83. My back is killin me, lowered cars are the devil and being 6'7" ain't helping me none.

 

wow, hard to really help without actually seeing it. But by the sounds of it, it almost seems like you may be ready for wet sanding....that is a total last resort.

Before I would wet sand, i would go to a body shop and get a second opinion on the finish.

 

The #83 is sort of tough to work with. You have to do a fairly small area at a time and really work it in i.e. move the PC really slow. I usually go really slow one way, say back and forth, for the whole area, then really slow the other way, say up and down. Also, I have found I have to turn the speed up to 6, if I want to be able to put much pressure on it, otherwise it moves back and forth alright, but will not rotate.

But you are right about the pads, too. I had better results with the Lake Country white pad, than the Meguiars 8006.

 

I would probably use a 7006 pad and the #83 before I went to the #4 .. or it may be bad enough to need a rotary .. hard to tell without seeing it ..

just be careful .. and I would definately try a rotary prior to wet sanding ..

 

It sounds to me like you're going to have to use a rotary to get down and through it...

Also, be reminded... not everything comes out and you only have so much clear to work with before you start getting in to the color coat.

Color coat with a machine while working on paint = very bad.