Junkman how do I polish this Sill

[Boosted Motorsports]

My drivers sill needs some love. I had an exhaust leak (which I fixed) that I think was the culprit.

Before I knew it was an exhaust leak I polished the sill with Meguires 205 and PC and it at least brought back the shine. I followed this up with some wax and it looked pretty good compared to how it did before.

Now I am back to this haze state again (exhaust leak was just fixed). This is the drivers side and you can see the outline of the door/hood.



What steps should I take to get this looking decent again?

[BlknBlu]

The Junkman is my hero, but let me take a stab at it. I would clean the surface with soap and water(Dawn) then clay bar the entire surface. Depending on depth and severity of scratches use a smaller polisher and levels of polish to remove the swirls. Once complete you may want to consider a clear bra over the surface as this area of the car takes a lot of abuse.

Bruce

[Boosted Motorsports]

The Junkman is my hero, but let me take a stab at it. I would clean the surface with soap and water(Dawn) then clay bar the entire surface. Depending on depth and severity of scratches use a smaller polisher and levels of polish to remove the swirls. Once complete you may want to consider a clear bra over the surface as this area of the car takes a lot of abuse.

Bruce

Thanks Bruce. I actually did those steps!

I washed it, used Mcguires claybar kit with quick detailer. Used Mcguires 205 compound. Then a coat of wax. It looked great but then returned to this state a few weeks later after it saw some heat from the exhaust leak.

My thoughts are I may have to hit it with the more coarse 105 to get rid of the deep scratch/fade and then 205 then wax. I just don't want to experiment and mess it up

[Junkman2008]

If M205 did not remove all of the damage, why didn't you use M105 to do so? M205 is a finishing polish and only removes very light damage. The only time I use 205 first is AFTER M105 has already been used and the damage I am addressing is very light or just oxidation. It's not like you are going to damage anything with the PC-7424XP. That machine is child's play compared to a rotary or dual-action polisher. You ain't gonna damage anything with it if you are doing what I do in my videos where I use it.

Also, if that area gets very hot, wax ain't gonna last a few days on it. You can apply wax but wax will only last up to a certain temperature depending on the wax. So keep that in mind when deciding on what wax you use. It all breaks down at a certain temperature.

[Boosted Motorsports]

If M205 did not remove all of the damage, why didn't you use M105 to do so? M205 is a finishing polish and only removes very light damage. The only time I use 205 first is AFTER M105 has already been used and the damage I am addressing is very light or just oxidation. It's not like you are going to damage anything with the PC-7424XP. That machine is child's play compared to a rotary or dual-action polisher. You ain't gonna damage anything with it if you are doing what I do in my videos where I use it.

Also, if that area gets very hot, wax ain't gonna last a few days on it. You can apply wax but wax will only last up to a certain temperature depending on the wax. So keep that in mind when deciding on what wax you use. It all breaks down at a certain temperature.

The M205 brought back the shine which I was content enough with since its low on the car and i'm not an expert at this stuff. The wax that I used I guess did not do its part and brought me back to this state.

I'll try hitting it with the M105 followed by M205 tonight. Is there a certain type or kind of wax you would recommend for the high heat sills?

[Junkman2008]

I don't know if you are going to find a wax that is going to last a significant amount of time if it is being constantly exposed to high heat. I use a sealant topped with a carnuba paste wax to get my protection and it works very well, but it takes about 3 days to complete the process. Add to that, you may have done some permanent damage to that area with that exhaust leak. I definitely can't tell from those pictures. I would need to see it in person.

[Boosted Motorsports]

I don't know if you are going to find a wax that is going to last a significant amount of time if it is being constantly exposed to high heat. I use a sealant topped with a carnuba paste wax to get my protection and it works very well, but it takes about 3 days to complete the process. Add to that, you may have done some permanent damage to that area with that exhaust leak. I definitely can't tell from those pictures. I would need to see it in person.

Yeah the car is new to me so not sure how long it was leaking prior. I'll post up the results tomorrow after I polish it again

[SnakeWatching]

.....Also, if that area gets very hot, wax ain't gonna last a few days on it. You can apply wax but wax will only last up to a certain temperature depending on the wax. So keep that in mind when deciding on what wax you use. It all breaks down at a certain temperature.

How about the Zaino Activated wax that is 2 part wax and hardener? (Z2 Pro and ZFX Flash Cure Accelerator)

I use it on all my cars and it lasts a long time, but don't know what high heat will do to it.

[Junkman2008]

ALL wax has a breaking point and I'm sure that your entire car ain't being exposed to the heat that those sills are seeing. Remember the first time you got out of the car wearing shorts and you didn't step over far enough? Yea, THAT was hot!

[Boosted Motorsports]

Much better

[Junkman2008]

Two things. You never said that you were using a rotary. That totally changes everything, especially if you used the same technique that I use when using a ORBITAL polishing machine. You could have very well thinned out the clear coat on those sills. Also, is the only pad you used a blue pad?

[Boosted Motorsports]

Two things. You never said that you were using a rotary. That totally changes everything, especially if you used the same technique that I use when using a ORBITAL polishing machine. You could have very well thinned out the clear coat on those sills. Also, is the only pad you used a blue pad?

I didn't watch or follow your technique for an orbital machine. I definitely didn't do any damage as I do know how to use a rotary being in the auto collision industry an using technique conscious of the direction that it spins to not thin out a leading edge or heat the overall surface too much.

I used the blue pad with the 105 followed by the 205 with a green soft polishing pad. Came out great with no swirl or haze. '

Was just looking to see if maybe this was a common task in your experience and had other tips.

[Junkman2008]

When I use a rotary, I don't even use that style of pad. My rotary techniques are nothing like what I do with an orbital.