I finally figured out why my clearcoat was always hazy

For years, I'd spray my final clear, wet-sand, and then buff it out, but it never had that deep, glassy shine. The tip-off was a job on a 2018 Honda Civic last month where the owner pointed out the haze under the shop lights and said it looked 'milky'. I was using a wool pad on my rotary at too high a speed, generating way too much heat. Switched to a softer foam pad and kept the RPMs lower on my next attempt, and the difference was night and day. Anyone have a favorite pad and compound combo for finishing that avoids this?

3 comments

3 Comments

laura2112mo ago

My old shop teacher swore by wool pads for that final wet sand cut, said foam couldn't get the same clarity.

gray_walker492mo ago

Honestly that sounds like one of those old school rules that gets passed down without much testing. Wool can cut faster for sure, but for final clarity on a modern clear coat? A good foam pad with the right polish gets it done. Sometimes people just get stuck on how they learned it back in the day.

dylan4132mo ago

Switching to a softer foam pad was the fix for me too. The wool was cutting too fast and just burning the clear. A good finishing polish with a blue foam pad gives that wet look without the haze.