The Vehicle – Mazda 6

The brief –

The owner had contacted us from recommendation to see if we could do anything about some damage inflicted to his paintwork by a bodyshop while his car was in for some minor paint repairs. The bodyshop had managed to inflict holograms clearly visible in Nigel’s paintwork, through their improper use of a rotary polisher. They’d also managed to cause swirling from washing his car mid process with a sponge.
Nigel sent me these photo’s over me to assess the job –

The first Visit - The inspection

Due to Nigel being forced to work shifts, that conflicted with the shift that I work, we came to an agreement to detail his car over a few evening visits to our shop, instead of doing the job in one go, in a full day as we normally would.

Nige turned up for his first visit (the inspection), we immediately covered the car with a sheet of foam from the Gilmour, and allowed this to soak.

Tommy then took over, demonstrating a safe wash technique –

Using a two bucket method and Meguair’s Shampoo Plus –

Up to the polishing shop for a quick dry down. The Mazda seen here being spritzed with Meguiar’s Last Touch Quick Detail Spray –

This made any standing water run off, leaving the minimum of moisture for the meguiar’s Water Magnet to collect

Under a visual inspection, the car was swirled like this all over –

It also had some random depth scratches, caused more than likely by the dreaded ‘flexi blade’ These things really do cause some quite horrific damage

The Mazda 6 masked off, ready for the inspection.

We then took a full set of readings with my Elcometer 456 paint thickness gauge. Not only to establish any areas of repair, but due to this car being ‘mopped’ prior to coming to me, I’m always careful incase the last polisher has removed more than they should have.

After getting some rather strange readings, it was felt best to go safe on this vehicle, and use multiple light passes of a fine polish, instead of compromising the existing clearcoat thickness by jumping in with a coarse product like Menzerna Power Gloss Compound.

After various different pad and product combo’s tried, we finally settled on a 3 x sets passes by Menzerna PO91L Intesive Polish on Orange LC pads. This was found to remove very little total thickness of clearcoat, although it was very very slow.

We did try one set of passes towards the end of the evening, with Menzerna Powergloss. The swirl removal was similar on this paintwork to what IP had done, only the Power Gloss had induced its own gloss stealing haze. There were a myriad of fine scratches left over, that needed a set of passes by IP to remove. Nothing to be gained through using Power Gloss on 6” pads on this car.

We ran out of time for the first evening, but it was felt that we did have a product and pad combo that worked, and was safe through regular checking with the PTG.

The second visit - The Metabo slow cut sessions.

On Nige’s second vist, we washed and dried the vehicle the same as the first visit. Even though it’d been less tham a week, I still wanted the cleanest of vehicles before thinking of taking a polisher to it.

After drying, the vehicle was fully masked, in preparation to me taking my Metabo rotary to the car. I don’t polish in front of people often with the metabo, as I prefer to show the safer but slower PC techniques. Due to the paint on Mazda 6’s being on a similar level to BMW’s / VAG for toughness to polish, I was left with no real choice on this occasion though.

Using the Metabo with a Meguiar’s W8006 polishing pad, and Meguiar’s Last Touch quick detail spray to keep the Menzerna PO91L Intesive Polish workable, we practised a safe cut technique on the Mazda. We masked panel edges, so that at no time did we polish onto a panel, only ever off it with the rotary. In 2.5 hours of polishing time, we managed to polish 1 side of the vehicle, and also the bonnet and roof. Here’s me using the Slow Cut technique with Menz IP and the rotary, not much spatter or dust in sight?

This picture shows the difference that the rotary and using slow cut technique can do when used properly. The panel on the right of the photo has been polished, the panel on the left hadn’t. Even though it’d been a warm night, the car left almost hologram free.

The third and final visit - All or bust with Menzerna Ceramiclear polishes.

We washed off, dried and then fully masked the Mazda 6 off the same as we had for it’s previous 2 visits. Due to the temperature and humidity in the Polish Shop drying normal Menzerna PO91L far too quickly, we got out the bottle of Menzerna Intensive Polish PO85RD3.01 – the stuff that is designed to be used on ceramiclear clear coats.

PO85RD3.01 + W8006 + PE12-175.

The Metabo is set to start at 1000 RPM, which was being knocked up to about 1300 after a minute or so of careful and measured polishing. We found that due to the right levels of lubrication in this polish, that we could work the product not only at a faster RPM, but also for longer periods of time, to ensure that the surface is left looking the best that it can.

You can see how well lubricated this polish is

We were able to apply a lot more pressure to the head of the rotary. Where as the Menz PO91L used to always dry out and the abrasive fracture prematurely when too much pressure is applied (aluminium oxide is the main abrasive of Menz IP PO91L, and is very very brittle) The abrasive in the PO85RD3.01 is a lot tougher, doesn’t break down as quickly, and the lubrication levels are spot on. Any more lubrication in this polish would have negated its ease of use.

You can see the difference in gloss level between the wing and front of the door that had been polished with the Menz PO85RD3.01 IP and the rest of the side of the vehicle that hadn’t. The car taking on a wet look, without any ‘enhancing’ product being used.

While I went round the vehicle using the Menz IP PO85RD3.01, Tommy went round with the PC and Menz IP PO91L using a light cut method on the harder to reach areas. Tommy laying out the product (I could and did polish this section with the rotary, but Tommy wanted to demonstrate ‘his’ technique)

Orange LC pad, and the PC on speed 2, Tommy lightly and slowly goes over the area.

Trying not to apply any pressure to the head of the PC, to allow the pad its full movement,

Tommy slowly does multiple passes, until the polish starts to dry. When the polish starts to dry, a quick spritz of QD normally fetches it back to life.

When the polish looks like this, even after a spritzing of QD, you know the polish is fully broken down. You can then turn up the speed of the PC to about 4, and add a little more pressure.

Look how Tommy supports the PC, so that there is minimum pressure on the polish, that could crush the abrasive.

Tommy getting the best from his Menzerna Intensive Polish PO91L and a slow cut technique.

While Tommy went round the tight spots, I went round the car with Menzerna Final Finish PO106FF

Applied to a 6” Sonus SFX pad. Same as with the IP PO85RD3.01, the abrasive in this polish is a lot tougher, doesn’t break down under pressure as quickly, and is well lubricated.

Working it with some pressure

Multiple passes in the high heat of the shop, and yet the lubricating oils are still working well

It really did bring out a gorgeous look to the paint

As I finished off the sides of the Mazda, Tommy followed behind using Clearkote Red Machine Glaze, to help fill any of the defects that were too deep to safely remove.

Me showing Tommy the speed and pressure for application. We are using a Black LC pad on the PC to apply the RMG with.

As I continued round the vehicle, refining the finish with the Menzerna Final Finish, Tommy followed behind buffing of my residue and applying the Clearkote Red Machine Glaze.

After buffing off the RMG residue, we applied a coat of Chemical Guy's Factory Sealant. The smell of peppermint filled the shop.

The F-Seal going on nice and thinly.

The Chemical Guys Factory Sealant cured and ready to be buffed off.

Buffed off with Micropak MF's, and all the hard work paying off, as the Mazda 6 starts to look how it deserves to.

Looking nice, in the middle of the night.

The owner more than happy with the results when he left. It had been a hard, long and difficult detail, but when the owner of the Mazda forwarded over these shots, taken the following day, it all became worthwhile.

The afters -