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

laura21113d ago

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

gray_walker4913d agoTop Commenter

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.

dylan41320h 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.