The Details
Year: 2007
Manufacturer: Honda
Make: Civic FD1 VTI-L
Colour Code: Nighthawk Black Pearl
Condition: Heavy contamination, heavy swirling, heavy hologramming
Paint Type: Soft, sticky
While detailing luxury cars that are only driven on weekends is nice, a detailer’s true skill is determined by their ability to correct daily driven vehicles, especially those with soft paint such as Honda Nighthawk Black and Subaru Obsidian Black Pearl. This Civic came from the dealer with leftover wax in all crevices and scratched and swirled panels. Goes to show that even dealer-sold vehicles need correction even when new.
Soft paints need special care. Some polishes react poorly to the paint system and flash dry in an instant, making it very hard to remove and increasing the time taken to work the paint. For this particular job we used the following:
Polisher: Mint ProTools DAS-6 (now been superseded by the Flex XC 3401VRG)
Cutting: Meguiar’s M105 x Lake Country CCS Yellow
Polishing: Meguiar’s M205 x Lake Country CCS White
During polish testing, we found that Menzerna FG500 and PF2500 flashed instantly, causing the DA to skip and the polish to gum up. Please note that every paint system is different (even on the same model car) and results may vary.
Another thing to note, is the softness of the paint means you have to be twice as careful removing polish residue and applying coatings. Use only your best and cleanest microfibre towels for the job and the vehicle will stay defect free.
To protect the paint from further marring, we used Wolf’s Chemicals Hard Body – however substitutes such as ArtDeRaven, Opti-Coat, C.Quartz and Ceramic Pro could be used to protect and harden the paint.
Wax spotted in the crevices
Cleaned with a plastic razor blade and Optimum Power Clean
Dirt surrounding the brushes. During the wash stage, badges and emblems are brushed with APC, however some dirt may still remain.
Subsequently, they’re removed with Dodo Juice Lime Prime Paint Cleaner and a Lake Country Foam Stick
Post clay inspection. Heavy swirling is evident.
Post correction
50/50 Before/After Correction
Swirled lenses
Polished with Menzerna PF2500 and Lake Country CCS Green
All sealed up and ready to go
Despite its difficulty to work with, Nighthawk Black Pearl is a very beautiful paint. The metallic fleck adds colour and lustre to the vehicle.
The metallic fleck is a lot more visible now.
This shot really exemplifies the beauty of Nighthawk Black Pearl. A macro photo taken with a Canon EF 100mm Macro Lens.
To maintain this finish, especially with such a soft paint, we recommend utilising a foam gun to pre-soak the vehicle. Less dirt on the car while washing will help keep wash-induced marring to a minimum. As always, two bucket washing (and one for the wheels) is a must when dealing with such a delicate paint. It is also helpful to use two different wash media – one for the upper portion of the vehicle and one for the lower.
When you’re ready to dry, simply use a blower to get rid of excess water and then blot dry with your favourite microfibre waffle weave towel.
Thanks for reading!
If you have a delicate paint system that you would like us to take care of, please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@affinesse.com
Jerald Liu
Operator