Summary of "Trashed Black Paint — These Are the Only Products I Trust"
Summary
A brand-new Corvette (18 km) arrived with heavily damaged flat black paint: deep scratches, bird‑poo etching, heavy swells and holograms. Flat/black paint is “extremely unforgiving” and the job required an aggressive, careful three‑step paint correction plus a ceramic coating.
Job & paint condition
Flat/black paint is extremely unforgiving.
- New Corvette with 18 km showing:
- Deep scratches and swells
- Bird‑poo etching (localized)
- Heavy holograms and overall surface defects
- Because many Corvette panels are fiberglass, paint thickness gauges are unreliable — test spots and conservative correction are essential.
Main workflow and purpose
- Inspection under bright lights (ScanGrip Geian Prisms + Nex LED)
- Rinse wash (DIY Detail Rinse + sponge)
- Decontamination with a towel
- Dry with Etos Big Max drying towel
- Test spot
- Three‑step paint correction:
- Rotary heavy cut
- Mid‑step polish
- Finishing step
- Localized sanding for etched bird‑poo
- Trim and glass cleaning
- Paint prep
- Ceramic coating (DIY 5‑Year Type 2)
Note: The presenter follows a panel‑by‑panel correction workflow (cut → midstep → finish) to minimize haze/holograms, especially on complex shapes and flat black paint.
Key products used
Inspection lights
- Geian Prisms (ScanGrip) and Nex LED handheld — essential for defect detection on black paint (used under 6,000K lights).
Wash / decontamination / drying
- DIY Detail Rinse system + sponge — trusted by the presenter for 2+ years.
- Decon towel / prep system — used regularly; paint wasn’t heavily contaminated but had some bumps.
- Etos Big Max drying towel — largest/most absorbent towel carried; chosen for one‑towel drying confidence. Glass had a film needing separate attention.
Sanding
- CarPro silicon carbide sanding discs (1500 / 2000 / 3000 grit) — used wet; effective for removing deep bird‑poo etching before polishing.
Machines
- Flex P14 corded rotary (3‑in rotary work) — light, up to 600 RPM; used for tight spots and bird‑poo removal.
- Flex PXC80 dual‑action 3‑in polisher (12 mm) — main 3‑in DA tool since 2019; versatile with attachments/backing plate options.
- Flex cordless 24V lightweight rotary (5‑in backing plate) — used on larger areas; praised for being lightweight and comfortable.
- Shine Mate 620 corded DA (21 mm, 5‑in backing plate) — used as the mid‑step (21 mm throw).
Backing plates / tape / small tools
- Lake Country 3‑in backing plate & 3‑in extension for tight work.
- Geian 6 mm tape — no glue residue, affordable, maneuverable; used to protect edges.
- APS rotary extension (aftermarket) mentioned.
Pads
- Lake Country low‑lint lamb’s wool (3‑in) — for tight rotary wool work.
- Rupes (transcribed “Rupz”) yellow wool and Rupes cut & finish wool — heavy cutting and step transitions.
- Rupes cut & finish wool replaced Lake Country lamb’s wool for more control.
- Griot’s Garage microfiber pad (red foam backing) — used mid/5‑in; fibers stay up, compared favorably to Buff and Shine Euro microfiber.
- CarPro microfiber pad — recommended by a friend (JM); cuts more than Griot’s in presenter’s experience.
- Lake Country finishing pads:
- Orange HDO — expected haze‑free but produced some haze.
- Black HDO — super soft, preferred for final finish and reducing haze.
Compounds / polishes
- Koshimi H9 (heavy cut) — good cut with a relatively nice finish; wet/lubricated feel under the pad, suited to rotary/wool heavy cutting.
- Ober Soul (midstep compound) — cuts hard, stays wet, produces a good finish; used with Shine Mate midstep.
- Kushimi (M302) finishing polish — excellent finish and gloss but difficult to wipe off (time‑consuming).
- PNS Rehab (one‑step polish) — used on relatively unscathed side skirts/front lip; easy wipe‑off and good gloss for lightly scratched/new pieces.
Towels / trim / final wipe
- Gian polish wipe towels (short nap + fluffy side) — trusted for wiping polish/compound.
- The Rag Company 365 towels — used extensively.
- Gian Trim Cleaner — removes compound from gaps, rubbers and plastics; safe, powerful, leaves no residue.
Ceramic coating
- DIY 5‑Year Ceramic Coating Type 2 (new version) — chosen for this car (weekend/summer use). Reasons:
- Very easy to use
- Very glossy
- Good water beading / self‑cleaning
- Easy maintenance
- Latest version claims no “forever chemicals”
- Presenter prioritized gloss and ease over maximum possible longevity.
Other notes and comparisons
- Corvette bodies often use fiberglass; paint thickness readings are unreliable. Proceed cautiously and rely on test spots and car history.
- For some new plastic pieces (side skirts / front lip), a single‑step polish (PNS Rehab) was sufficient.
- Preferred combinations:
- Rupes wool for cutting
- Lake Country black HDO for finishing
- Flex PXC80 for 3‑in work
- Flex 24V for larger areas
- M302 finishing polish gives excellent gloss but increases time due to difficult wipe‑off — requires extra towels and a clean‑bucket workflow.
Pros
- Presenter trusts the listed products from repeated, real‑world use (many used 2+ years).
- The combination of sanding discs, targeted rotary work, correct pad/compound selection and final finishing pads produced a much better result on very difficult black paint.
- DIY 5‑Year Type 2 coating is easy to apply, highly glossy, and suitable for show/weekend cars.
Cons / caveats
- Some finishing polishes (M302) have painful wipe‑off, adding significant time.
- Extremely deep scratches and etching may be impossible to fully remove.
- On fiberglass Corvette panels you cannot safely measure paint thickness — higher risk during aggressive correction; sanding/cutting must be conservative.
- The job requires many specific tools and experience to avoid creating more haze/holograms.
Unique items mentioned (concise list)
- Geian Prisms (ScanGrip) inspection lights
- Nex LED handheld light
- DIY Detail Rinse system + sponge
- Prep/decontamination towel/system (used 2+ years)
- Etos Big Max drying towel
- Test‑spot before committing to a correction level
- Three‑step paint correction (rotary cut, midstep, finishing)
- Flex P14 corded rotary (3‑in)
- Lake Country 3‑in extension & 3‑in backing plate
- Lake Country low‑lint lamb’s wool (3‑in)
- Geian 6 mm tape
- Koshimi H9 heavy cut compound
- Flex PXC80 3‑in DA polisher (12 mm)
- APS rotary extension
- CarPro silicon carbide sanding discs (1500 / 2000 / 3000)
- Flex 24V lightweight rotary (5‑in)
- Rupes yellow wool / cut & finish wool pads
- Shine Mate 620 (21 mm DA)
- Ober Soul midstep compound
- Griot’s Garage red‑foam microfiber pad
- CarPro microfiber pad
- Lake Country finishing pads (orange and black HDO)
- Kushimi M302 finishing polish
- Gian polish wipe towels
- The Rag Company 365 towels
- PNS Rehab one‑step polish
- Gian Trim Cleaner
- Paint prep + high‑quality microfiber towels before coating
- DIY 5‑Year Ceramic Coating Type 2
- Note: Wheels to be covered in a separate video
Speaker contributions
- Single presenter (the channel’s detailer) narrates procedure, tool choices, and opinions throughout. No other speakers present.
Verdict / overall recommendation
For challenging flat black paint restoration the presenter endorses a conservative but thorough, panel‑by‑panel three‑step correction using targeted sanding for etches, a mix of corded and cordless polishers (Flex P14, Flex PXC80, Flex 24V, Shine Mate 620), and selected pads/compounds (Koshimi H9 or similar for heavy cut, Ober Soul midstep, M302 for finish though expect difficult wipe‑off). Use high‑quality towels, trim cleaner and careful paint prep before coating. For final protection on a weekend/summer car he recommends the DIY 5‑Year Type 2 coating for its gloss, ease of application and maintenance.
The workflow and toolkit are presented as trustworthy and repeatable — but require skill, time and the correct product/pad/machine pairing to avoid making the finish worse.
Category
Product Review
Share this summary
Is the summary off?
If you think the summary is inaccurate, you can reprocess it with the latest model.
Preparing reprocess...