# Gloss black B pillar tips



## cleslie (Feb 19, 2006)

When I picked up my pre registered VW CC it had minor swirls all over thanks to numerous dealer washes. I will tackle that in the spring but the gloss black B pillars being softer were worse so I had a go on them this morning. I used a 3M blue finishing spot pad and Megs #205 on a rotary with very light pressure and it made them much better but there is still slight marring. I take it these panels are a high gloss plastic. They must be pretty soft but this combo is the most gentle I have. Any tips? They put these panels on loads of cars these days.


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## Frog (Jun 28, 2013)

Check out AMMO NYC you tube channel, Larry did one on there recently and then put a clear (bra?) over the top to protect it. It looked quite effective..


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## cleslie (Feb 19, 2006)

He used #205 too but cleaned the pad off thoroughly after polishing and made a couple of passes again just using the residue in the pad. Will give that a try.


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## Alan W (May 11, 2006)

I don't know what other products you have but an AIO such as AG SRP, AF Tripple or Rejuvenate is less abrasive and could be used with your 3M Blue finishing pad and rotary.

Alan W


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## cossiecol (Jun 29, 2014)

Did a wee guide a while ago:

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=369743


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## cleslie (Feb 19, 2006)

Alan W said:


> I don't know what other products you have but an AIO such as AG SRP, AF Tripple or Rejuvenate is less abrasive and could be used with your 3M Blue finishing pad and rotary.
> 
> Alan W


I thought that too. I did give BH Cleanser Polish ago quickly at the end which helped a little but that could be the fillers. It was 4 degrees this morning so not ideal so I'll give it another go as and when it gets warmer. To be honest, the slight marring ex only shows under halogen etc. Under normal conditions it doesn't notice.


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## great gonzo (Nov 4, 2010)

I find you only need a very mild polish, I use dodos micro prime as this breaks down beautifully on soft surfaces.

Before.



After a couple of passes with dodos micro prime on a rotary.



Gonz.


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## chongo (Jun 7, 2014)

Nice finish gonzo:thumb:


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## A&J (Mar 4, 2015)

Yeah I wanted to comment earlier...

Considering how little clear coat there is on B pillars and how soft it is you only need a finishing polish with a soft pad (black for starters, then white if need to) so I agree with Gonz only using DJ Micro prime.

Jon H who used Megs UC...yeah it looks good but he removed way too much clear coat needed. Do that 2-3 times and youll burn through.


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## chongo (Jun 7, 2014)

Your right A&J, there is no need to use any form of cutting polish at all even on server bi pillars, just a finishing polish is all you need then you can change the pad to gain a bit more cut.


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## Alan W (May 11, 2006)

A&J said:


> Yeah I wanted to comment earlier...
> 
> Considering how little *clear coat* there is on B pillars and how soft it is you only need a finishing polish with a soft pad (black for starters, then white if need to) so I agree with Gonz only using DJ Micro prime.
> 
> Jon H who used Megs UC...yeah it looks good but he removed way too much *clear coat* needed. Do that 2-3 times and youll burn through.


There hasn't been any clearcoat on any of the B pillars I've ever worked on. 

They have just been uncoated high gloss plastic.

Alan W


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## fozzy (Oct 22, 2009)

I used to use nothing more than Black hole on my old Mini pillars and it worked to perfection, they're all as soft as s*** so no need to do anything even slightly aggresive


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## cleslie (Feb 19, 2006)

A&J said:


> Yeah I wanted to comment earlier...
> 
> Considering how little clear coat there is on B pillars and how soft it is you only need a finishing polish with a soft pad (black for starters, then white if need to) so I agree with Gonz only using DJ Micro prime.
> 
> Jon H who used Megs UC...yeah it looks good but he removed way too much clear coat needed. Do that 2-3 times and youll burn through.


I didn't realise it was clear coat. What is it made of? I thought it was a high gloss plastic.


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## Alan W (May 11, 2006)

cleslie said:


> I didn't realise it was clear coat. What is it made of? I thought it was a high gloss plastic.


It is high gloss plastic in my experience (see my reply above).

If the B pillars were clear coated the finish would be as hard as the paint on the body. 

However, the finish is uncoated plastic which is soft by nature and hence why it marks easily. 

Alan W


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## Welshquattro1 (Dec 6, 2013)

I agree with Alan W. My Audi ones are just High gloss plastic with no clear coat on them. I have thought about having them clear coated or even wrapped as they are a pain tbh


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## A&J (Mar 4, 2015)

Well I polished mine and experienced black paint transfer on only one side (EDIT: because i thought I over did it). 

I have a 2010 Renault Scenic.

I thought it was down to the manufacturer.


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## lawrenceSA (Jul 17, 2012)

Alan W said:


> It is high gloss plastic in my experience (see my reply above).
> 
> If the B pillars were clear coated the finish would be as hard as the paint on the body.
> 
> ...


The B-pillars are definitely clear coated. The reason the clear isn't as 'hard' as the rest of the car is you can't exactly bake plastic at the same heat you'd bake the metal in.

I have detailed many, many many VW's (>50) and the only time you will get black transfer onto the pad is when the clear has been compromised, mostly on the edges of the pillars.

Typically if you look at the pillars you will see they do not sit flush with each other and are not at same angle, and so unless some careful taping has been done, the edges always get hammered and the clear compromised.

Menzerna SF4000 on a black pad should be all that is needed. I;ve often used PF2300 on a white pad for really bad ones.

I even did some wetsanding on a set on a Range Rover sport which had been taken off road and has some deep scratches from the bush


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## Leebo310 (Sep 30, 2013)

I've used Chemical Guys Blacklight as an all in one via either white or yellow Rupes pads, depending on how bad the damage is.
Edit - the pillars must have some sort of clear on top otherwise you'd get paint transfer every time you polished. If it was just the pure soft black plastic then any bits removed from polishing would therefore show as black on the pad each time.


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## chongo (Jun 7, 2014)

Of course they have clear coat on gloss bi pillars, if the OP is picking up any black marks on his pad then he is catching the rubber edges of the pillars. When the car is painted the pillars are not attached, they are added on further on the production line, so that's why they are not as hard like the rest of the paint.


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## great gonzo (Nov 4, 2010)

If you don't tape up well your pad might be picking up the rubbers that are running down the side if the pillars, this will make a mess of your pad!!

Gonz.


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## dooka (Aug 1, 2006)

cleslie said:


> He used #205 too but cleaned the pad off thoroughly after polishing and made a couple of passes again just using the residue in the pad. Will give that a try.


M205 isn't the best polish on soft surfaces. The way it breaks down is different to diminishing abrasives. M205, as awesome a polish that it is, can leave it's own footprint behind on soft surfaces..

CarPro Essence of something similar may be your friend on this occasion, use once you have polished ..


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## maxw (Jun 20, 2016)

When I did my Audi B pillers

I used meguars ultimate compound (not quite as corse as 105) with orange hex pad

Then I used bilt hamber cleanser polish on white hex to finish

Then bilt hamber finis wax 

Came up really nice

Hope this helps


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## Peirre (Jun 29, 2015)

Thread Bump

I have some light wash swirls on the polo gti B pillars and I’m looking at polishing them out. I have an EP803 rotary, a couple of DA’s and several grades & sizes of hexlogic pads (4”, 5.5” green, orange, white & black) + the small pads that came with the EP803. Off the top of my head I have scholl S20 & S40 polishes. What advice would you give me with what items I have at hand or is there something else I need to do this job


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## Rappy (Oct 2, 2020)

Just to add to this thread.

Guys, correct me if I'm wrong:detailer:

I believe the b pillar trims to be acrylic & painted on the b side. You are simply polishing the super soft clear acrylic. If you are seeing black transfer then it is simply the rubber picking up on the pad.

Rappy.


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