Drive Accord Honda Forums banner

Honda Accord 8th Gen Paint Correction

4K views 13 replies 4 participants last post by  Philaphlous 
#1 ·
Hey guys!


Time to do a little work on my DD... My accord has taken some abuse lately. With apartment living and no access to my own hose and ability to wash the car myself, the auto wash and every now and then hand wash have taken a beating to some flat surfaces on the paint...
The tires still look great and the sides aren't that bad but the hood and flat surfaces look God awful.

I'm debating which polish and correction to use. I'd like to get everyones opinion on whether I need a strong cut or minor correction and polish. I've got a 6" random orbital buffer that I'll be using a set of foam pads for the correction. The buffer isn't very strong but it should do the job. I've read its more about the compound and technique than the actual foam and buffer...

I'm debating on either using the Meguiar's Ultimate Compound or M205.... I'd like your guy's advice.


Sides look pretty good, only slight swirl marks and scratches:



Hood definitely needs some big time work:





I'm pretty darn busy so I won't be able to do the entire car at once. I'm planning on a good wash/Clay bar soon once I get everything to me. Then once I have that done, I'll do the hood first and see how it turns out. The front bumper has a TON of small rock chips in it so that'll need a good amount of polish to get it looking good again.
 
See less See more
5
#2 ·
Polish won't do anything for rock chips. That requires paint like Dr. Colorchip kits or a touchup pen.

Honda paint is soft so start with the least aggressive pad/polish combination you have available. Do an area with two passes and check your work. Not quite there yet? Step up to the next aggressive pad & do it again. By using various pads & polishes you'll discover the magic combination. You didn't mention the brand of buffer you have but 6" pads are likely too large. Get the 5" backing plate for 5.25" pads and use them. It will "rev up" a weak buffing machine and make a strong one even better.

Megs Ultimate compound is not like those "rocks in a bottle" products of yesteryear, it's good stuff. Start with the M205 & go to the UC only if necessary. If M205 and your most aggressive pad doesn't work after two passes then go to UC and your least aggressive pad and start over. It may take you a few tries to hit the right combo but it will save you time in the long run and deliver a much better outcome.

The horizontal surfaces look about average to me, no big deal. They should clean up pretty quickly once you've dialed in the correct combination.
 
#3 ·
Hey thanks!!! Unfortunately I already picked up the buffing pads, so 6" will be what I have to use... The buffer is some el-cheapo Ryobi buffer but its worked well in the times I've used it for waxing... Alot of reviews have said it doesn't have enough power but I don't plan on doing a huge area at once and I plan on taking it nice and slow... so hopefully that'll be enough to allow the polish and pad to do the work... I definitely know to start out weak and work to a stronger cut. I've got that understanding before I start! I had to mod the buffer to actually get it to accept a velcro buffing pad, I'll be sure to include pics of it once I get the buffing pads.

I'm really trying to do this on a budget so hopefully I can use the correct technique and proper compound for good results.
 
#4 ·
I doubt that buffer will have the grunt to do what you need but I wish you the best of luck. That buffer will not accept a different backing plate. It is referred to as a wax spreader not a true buffer. You'll likely have to use the highest speed if it has any selections other than on & off.
In the future look into this one with the 25' cord. It will serve your purpose well and with a lifetime warranty.

https://www.griotsgarage.com/product/griots+garage+random+orbital.do
 
#5 ·
Yea, I've seen those angle random orbital buffers and those are nice!


I'm actually on 2nd though going to pick up some Ultimate Polish instead. 1 its cheaper and 2, with soft Honda paint, it might work better... I also need new front brake pads so I'll be replacing those in a few.
 
#6 ·
Given the buffer that you plan to use and the 6 inch pads, honestly, I would go straight to the Ultimate Compound (If you aren't going to spring for M205). The cut seems to be somewhere between M205 and M105. It finishes great and you shouldn't need to polish afterward. I'd start with 6 passes (crosshatch alternating 3 left/right - 3 up/down). I've used UC many times on black Honda's with an orange LC light cutting pad. Keep your care proper after that and you should only need to use Ultimate Polish or M205.

This is just what I would do looking at your paint condition and my 3-4 years of experience detailing. I have a lot of polishes and pads at my disposal, so I would probably still do some test spots, but if you don't want to buy a few different pads and product, I wouldn't have any issue going straight to the UC. If you had a stronger dual-action polisher, my recommendation would probably be different also.
 
#7 ·
so i modded the buffer to accept my foam pads. Turns out the actual diameter of the buffing backing plate is around 4.75". So really a 5" pad would work best. I'll have to round out my 6" buffing pads and take an inch out from the diameter... Velcro was added so the pads go on easy.



Biggest challenge right now is getting the power cord to reach all the way out to the parking garage where I park... lol.

Gonna wash and clay the car this weekend and test out a little correction on Sunday. Hopefully
 
#9 ·
Right right right. Knew that would come up. The backing plate is raised a little, especially with the velcro and I'm planning on covering the screw head with something. The foam pads shouldn't compress enough to get down to the screw head. But I'll be sure of that first. my backup plan is to sand the head down just enough that I can still unscrew it if i need to but leave a flat surface...
 
#10 ·
Seems to me that it would be a hell of a lot easier, although more expensive, to buy the correct DA and pads in the first place. I admire your modifications but they will fall short of your expectations. You are on your own with this one. I'm done with advice here.......
 
#11 ·
I'll jump in here where RTexasF left off. Some things to keep in mind about the task at hand...

1. The machine you have can not and will not deliver the power nor the speed necessary to drive the pad/product in the manner necessary to create the friction required to aptly remove the swirls. It may take you 20 passes before you begin to notice any difference or progress.

2. Keep your expectations in check that way you won't be disappointed.

3. If you're concerned about swirls and light scratches in your finish, then why in God's name are you even thinking about touching your car with that screw mod in the backing plate. You're going to have to apply some serious pressure to compensate for the lack of balls that machine has in order to get it to do any kind of correction. That amount of pressure is definitely going to bottom out the pads and BAM! you just effed up your finish - most likely all the way through the clear coat and paint. remember, the pads get very soft as soon as you apply pressure to them.

Take it from a couple of guys who have been doing this for over 40 years combined (Damn, we're getting old R.!) You're current setup is a disappointing disaster waiting to happen.

If nothing else, pick up Harbor Freight's DA polisher. Believe it or not, it's a pretty good piece of equipment and will do the job safely and you'll get the results you're looking for. It's $60.00 when not on sale and there's always a 20% off coupon floating around either online or in their circular. That makes it only $48.00 and ensures you can't and won't damage your car. I own two of them, one of which sees daily use. I have it setup with a 3" backing plate and use it for tight spots. The other I use for training and newbies. I bought both of them about 2 years ago and they're still going strong.

Whatever you choose to do, do it wisely and good luck!
 
#12 ·
Ok, so I realized I actually don't need the screw. Yea it holds the back plate on the buffer but if I keep pressure on with the buffer while its on the paint, I shouldn't have any problem... It's flat without the screw. So that's solved.

I don't really have very high expectations at this point. I'm hoping to do a little test run this weekend hopefully. Big issue I've got isn't the buffer but getting power to it. lol. I park in a garage and the nearest outlet is quite aways away. LOL, I'll have to pick up a 50' extension cord to make it possible...and then some...

Honestly I'm not planning on doing the entire car for paint correction. The doors and side panels are actually quite good. The flat surfaces and bumpers need it the most so I'm hoping I can at least get enough correction to do those. I've got the ultimate compound and polish. I'll also clay the car which is definitely needed since it's never been done. I'm also hoping the compound and pads will cut enough to do the headlights. The top of them are getting pretty oxidized...I removed the fuse for the DRL's to keep my lights running cooler during the day so hopefully that cuts down a little on the plastic oxidizing...

Stay tuned! Should have some pics up of my initial correction on Saturday! First up: Back trunk hood!

Edit: Another thing I've found out is Honda's generally tend to have very soft paint. This may work in my favor and help the correction process.
 
#13 ·
Here's the update we've kinda all been waiting for! It actually works! Well... It does take quite some time buffing but it does correct the paint. Not as much as I'd like but it definitely gets minor scratches and any swirls out that's for sure.

Check out my headlights! Dang!

Before:


After:


Trunk Lid: Before:


After:


Glamour shot:


Now to the front hood!

Quick question: For the hood there's still some deep scratches. I think I did 2 things wrong possibly... 1. Used too much product. Got to the point where the orange pad would release more product as I pressed harder...became saturated with the UC... Not a good idea? and 2. Possibly didn't apply enough pressure or buff long enough? There's definitely a difference with the light scratches but the deeper ones still are there... I'm hoping to do the entire hood tonight and I'd like some tips...

Thanks guys!
 
#14 ·
So a few observations...

1. I think the pad I used, from China China China... is too soft and doesn't offer enough correction. I honestly feel like the buffer has enough oomph to actually do some correction. I can definitely remove the lighter surface scratches in the clear coat but for the heavier scratches those are pretty much left... Overall the paint looks darker and has a glossier sheen but I definitely wasn't able to remove all the scratches... If light hits it just the right way at night, you'll see them, otherwise you won't see it during the day.

Hood looks good:


The only part of the car I slightly consider it to resemble a Porsche..lol The rear quarter



I'd say if anything the ultimate compound was more of a polish. That with the orange "cutting" pad I have was more like a polishing pad with very little correction. I tested out light and heavy pressure and it turned out that heavy pressure would create a better correction. I almost wonder if M105 which is a heavier correction would actually work much better in removing the deeper scratches. Well anyway, now the extra buffing pads are really basically waxing pads...
Maybe you're right with a proper DA and proper pads I'd definitely have a different outcome. For now I'm pretty happy with it. The paint is nice and smooth!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top