One last thing... Make sure you only work on your initial small work area until you get it as perfect as you want it. Only after figuring out what works in your initial area should you move to the rest of the car. You'll save a lot of energy that way. Good luck.

 

Good tip, I will keep that in mind. Last thing I want to do is blow 3 hours doing it the wrong way

 

Wow, that's bizarre.

 

draw a couple of lines on the backing plate and see if they are rotating as you are polishing. it sounds to me like the pad is just oscilating and not rotating and you need the rotation to do the cutting.

 

I would use the Power Gloss with a Yellow Cutting Country Lake Pad. That'll get out most of your swirls if not all. Then, follow it up with PO106ff on an Orange Cutting or White Polishing Pad to remove any possible hazing. Hope you're able to get it out.
I say invest in a Flex XC 3401 VRG. Those will shave off polishing time compared to the Porter Cable 7424.

 

Update

I finally got all my stuff yesterday.

I started off with the 4 inch yellow CCS pads, and the power gloss.
The results where pretty good, but still not perfect.

I ended up having to use the Foamed Wool Polishing pad with the power gloss to get everything out.

After using the foamed wool polishing pads with the power gloss I applied the nano polish and the hood looks great.

I tested it by spraying the 50/50 alcohol and water mix and there where no more swirls or noticeable scratches.

I was personally surprised I had to use such a heavy cut on the hood, but the results speak for themselves.

FISHRFun might have a point the PC 7424, might not be strong enough to remove deeper scratches effectively, maybe one day I might bite the bullet and buy the Flex XC 3401 VRG. I heard good things about it.

Thank you everyone for your help and I will be posting the final results after work today.

Thanks again

 

my black 08 looks like that or worse......and I only hand wash it (separate microfiber sponges for wheels and paint )after a thorough rinse or power rinse.


I even have small spots where the clear coat is eroding away in spider cracks and turning white between the cracks. The dealership says its from an "environmental agent".

I think the clear coat is bad myself. But I would LOVE to see the finished pics and the exact process you used PLEASE!!!!!

 

i just finished my GFs black 2004 ES330. using the intensive polish, final finish polish, final touch glaze and full molecular jacket. polishes were buffed with the 7424 DA buffer. results are super good! however, just like you there are a bunch of "hairline" scratches left in some areas.i was contemplating using some leftover 3M rubbing compound on the DA with orange pad instead of the IP because i definately know the 3M has higher cutting power. i usually reserve that for the door handles. should i just skip the purchase of a yellow pad and go straight to that wool pad with some power gloss?

 

Kevin had a good explanation for the foamed wool pads; I'll just copy what he said: