Product recommendation needed

[slim_e90]

Hi all...

I\'ve got an 08\' BSM vert.

I purchased it as a CPO and when I brought it home last year I noticed that the entire hood and trunk was full of water etched looking spots. The side panels are fine.

I tried vinegar solutions but it didn\'t work and I didn\'t bother with it further because the car was otherwise pretty swirl/halo free. Over the last few months although I hand wash it only, a lot of new scratches and swirls have started developing and it started looking awful.

It was time for an intervention.

So I got a griots polisher and griots 6\" orange and red pads. I got Meguire\'s M105 and M205.

I started with M105 on Orange hoping I\'ll get rid of the scratches and the water spots. I ran the polisher several times in one area with good pressure but to no avail, the spots are still there. Followed up with M205 on red and carnuba waxed with black. End result is only about 25% better than where I started as for the scratches and all water spots are still there :-(

I tried to capture the spots in pics but it\'s hard. This 20 second video shows them better... As I move with the light.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIPEDV-lrKM


Soooo... Any help or experience with products that would have a high chance of correcting this would be greatly appreciated. So far my search suggests 3M but not too sure....

Thx in advance

[Greg@DetailedImage]

Assuming you are right in your diagnosis that they are water marks I think you were on the exact right path. I'd suggest using the M105 with a Surbuf R Series MicroFingers Buffing Pad, it has quite a bit more cutting power. If that doesn't work and you are sure it's watermarks you may have to try a rotary buffer but I think the Surbuf pad(s) will be a big help. Good luck!

Greg @ DI

[slim_e90]

Thank you Greg

I'm not 100% sure of the diagnosis but it's my best guess. There's definitely etching and it's only on the horizontal surfaces (hood and trunk mainly).

Is there a way to definitively know if it's water etching?

I'm going to order the pads you recommended and report back regardless.

Thank you!

[Greg@DetailedImage]

Originally Posted by slim_e90

Thank you Greg

I'm not 100% sure of the diagnosis but it's my best guess. There's definitely etching and it's only on the horizontal surfaces (hood and trunk mainly).

Is there a way to definitively know if it's water etching?

I'm going to order the pads you recommended and report back regardless.

Thank you!

No way to know for sure but the video you provided didn't show anything to make me think otherwise. Either way the Surbuf pads would almost definitely be the next step I would try. Good luck and I look forward to hearing back from you. If you need any immediate assistance don't hesitate to e-mail me as well (see sig) as I check that more frequently than the forums. Take care!

Greg @ DI

[slim_e90]

Well... I greatly appreciated the advice but I'm quite depressed right now... I got the Surbuf R pads and hit the car with M105 on the Griots at speeds 5

[slim_e90]

The last post got cut off on the iPhone.

The Surbuf R with m105 didn't work. I did 3-4 hard passes for 90seconds ea on two separate 2x2 areas

Any other suggestions where m105 didn't work and something else did for anyone?

Tx again