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Chemical Guys V36 and V38 w/ DA Orbital Polisher

Discussion in 'Detailing' started by Backslider, Aug 5, 2017.

  1. Aug 5, 2017 at 7:39 AM
    #1
    Backslider

    Backslider [OP] Thirsty...

    Joined:
    Jun 7, 2016
    Member:
    #3553
    Messages:
    3,138
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Mike
    Tooele, UT
    Vehicle:
    2022 GMC Sierra AT4 L5P - 2017 4runner SR5P - 2023 Tesla Model 3 LR
    Last weekend I added some battle wounds to Ye Olde Tundra. These came in the form of mostly light to medium clear coat scratches that were the result of narrow trails with mucho overgrowth on either side. I already had a good number of scratches from about the B pillar back to the rear bumper on the passenger side from a very light night Tacoma recovery in an area that was basically quicksand with a lot of sage brush on top.

    I haven't done any body work since highschool, which was a long time ago. I spent a nights reading and researching and finally decided on Chemical Guys V36 and V38, which are cutting and polishing compounds, respectively. I also purchased a TORQX DA random orbital polisher, two orange (medium cutting) and two black (light polishing/wax applicator) foam pads from Hex-Logic.

    To prep I once again used Chemical Guys "Clean Slate" and hand washed and dried the truck. I let it sit in my garage overnight to dry, and wiped over it again before starting with a clean microfiber cloth and reverse osmosis water.

    You really would have to try to screw up with a DA polisher. I have used orbital sanders in the past and it was very easy to burn through clear coat and paint, but the DA is set up in such a way to make this almost impossible. It will stop spinning if over-torqued, which I only did once and intentionally to make sure that feature worked as I had read about. It was pretty quick before I got in the groove of how to move the polisher over the body panels with the correct amount of pressure.

    My method was to apply 5 dime sized dots of V38 to the pad, every so often using the CG pad lubricant product, dab the compound from the pad onto the body panel area I was about to polish, placing the pad flat against the truck before turning on, turning on at speed 1 to spread the compound, then increasing the speed to 4 or 5 after the compound was spread evenly and had begun to haze. I started off very timidly but after awhile realized I could apply medium pressure without harming my paint. I polished both the driver and passenger side as both were pretty scratched up, then repeated the process with one of the black pads and the V38 product (optical grade final polish).

    When I was done I finished a full detail by wiping down with RO water again, and applying F11 TopCoat. I also broke out the Meguiar's Tire Gel and a crappy old paintbrush and ultra-cleaned my brown tires, which I'm happy to report have been restored to a show-room luster. =D

    There is one particularly deep scratch that I am going to have to wet sand and polish out, but everything else came completely off.

    This was about 4.5 hours of work, during which time I drink a number of low-carb beers and spent with my 7-year-old son, so totally worth it. I spent about $200 on tools and supplies, which even for a one time use saved me nearly $300 to have paint correction done by someone else. I've also set my self up to do this again in the future and even to restore paint on older vehicles which I do sometimes buy and sell.

    Here are some before and after pics - they aren't perfect but gives a good idea. I didn't take pictures of everything but what you see here is very representative of the entire truck.

    If any of you are considering the same process but haven't because you are worried about damaging your paint, I would say give this a shot and start in as inconspicuous an area as possible. It won't take long before you're confident enough to proceed with the rest of the vehicle.

    20170804_151948.jpg 20170805_081150.jpg 20170804_151953.jpg 20170805_081156.jpg 20170805_081221.jpg

    This pesky scratch is a bit too deep for a medium cutting compound. It's just above the wheel well on the front-passenger-side. It's still a huge improvement from before but will need spot treatment to be completely resolved.
    20170805_081233.jpg
     
    SouthBoundSteve likes this.
  2. Aug 5, 2017 at 7:41 AM
    #2
    Backslider

    Backslider [OP] Thirsty...

    Joined:
    Jun 7, 2016
    Member:
    #3553
    Messages:
    3,138
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Mike
    Tooele, UT
    Vehicle:
    2022 GMC Sierra AT4 L5P - 2017 4runner SR5P - 2023 Tesla Model 3 LR
    There are still areas where you can see minor scratching - this is almost certainly due to my own timidity as this is my first time attempting this in probably 18 years. Next weekend I will give it another go and am certain I will wipe any remaining scratches out.

    Also gratuitous side boob shot with tire sexiness:

    20170805_081044.jpg
     
    edwin729 and SouthBoundSteve like this.

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