Buffing Marks From Polishing Painted Surfaces - Ar98.00-P-0750-17AK

Uneven movement (tilting) of the polishing machine's lambskin polishing disk may cause buffing marks. Such marks may degrade the vehicle's overall appearance since they become visible on the paintwork as semicircular streaks (arrow) if (and only if) painted surfaces are exposed to direct sunlight or round-shaped artificial light sources.

Courtesy of MERCEDES-BENZ USA

Clear buffing marks 

1. Thoroughly wash and dry affected areas.

   Remove any paintwork contamination with the appropriate MB cleaning agent (e.g. tar remover, insect remover). Be sure to observe the materials handling and processing instructions shown on the respective containers.

2. Mask all non-painted detachable body components made of plastic (e.g. door handles) as polishing agent residues cannot always be completely removed from such parts and may leave bright stains.
3. Polish the entire area using a polishing machine (speed-adjustable) with a Moltopren disk and fine polishing paste. To do this

   Move the polishing machine across the areas to be polished applying light pressure (the polishing machine's own weight is sufficient); be sure not to tilt the machine. Remove polishing residue using a damp sponge and rub the surface dry. Only use the MB fine polish paste if the paint surface has been significantly scratched.

   Generally we recommend not using a lambskin disk since polishing operations with such disks may cause buffing marks even if no polishing agent is used.

4. Replace the Moltopren disk contaminated with fine-polish paste with a new one.

   Next, the entire surface must be machine-polished using MB-Polish until the desired luster is obtained. A separate Moltopren disk must be used for each polishing agent (polishing paste, polish), otherwise the polishing result will not be satisfying.

5. Clean the polished surface with a damp polishing cloth.

   A bright, milky coating will develop on the paintwork after a short drying period (5 to 15 minutes, depending on weather conditions). Rub off this coating with a clean, woven or non-woven polishing cloth until the paintwork is clear and bright.

6. Manually polish the surface area using MB-Polish by polishing in a longitudinal direction (no circular movements) with a dense polishing sponge.

   Polishing residues can be removed with a damp polishing cloth. After a short drying period, the milky coating can be rubbed off with a clean, woven or non-woven polishing cloth until the paintwork is clear and bright.

7. Apply a thin, uniform coat of MB gloss preserver on the polished surfaces to protect them from premature weathering and to preserve the shiny luster obtained from polishing.

   Use a clean non-woven polishing cloth to rub off the gloss preserver once it has dried (white film). Rub until the paintwork is clear and bright.

• Do not polish surfaces in direct sunlight or while they are still warm (e.g. engine hood).
• Thoroughly shake polish or gloss preserver cans before use.
• Frequently replace non-woven polishing cloth with new ones to facilitate polishing (e.g. replace non-woven polishing cloth 4 to 5 times for polishing an engine hood).