[Beerdog80]

I swear that it was not there before. How would I have exposed the red without causing a pit/deformity in the paint?

Yes, you likely just ate through the clear coat and into the base layer of paint. You can do that VERY easily if you use too much polishing compound and let the buffer sit on the same spot too long. Using pressure will help you eat right through paint as well. Have to be real careful when using a buffer.

 

[Beerdog80]

Also, Duplicolor makes a line of factory matched paint. For small chips, just a high quality wax remover and make SURE that you get in all angles of the chip so the paint sticks vs. coming off quickly. Using these type of 'touch up' products do not require any clear since they have already been reduced to the factory specs. Just add and let dry. Fairly simple.

For application, I use something called EZ Dabbers from EZ-Mix. You can buy a small tube from Amazon for about 12 bucks. Worth the money. FAR better than using a hobby brush. Amazon.com: E-Z Dabbers: Home Improvement

You can also buy small sanding pens in various grits. Using a good 1000 grit one before you add the paint (and after cleaning) will help the paint stick better and last a real long time. Works very, very well for paint chip applications.

 

[Beerdog80]

True, but the reason it is odd is that it feels like nothing has been removed. Its still as smooth and glossy and the rest of the paint. Plus, this happened on the #3 polish (not a compound) and I am using a DA so there is very little burning action... Just seems odd.

Sounds like you might not have had enough paint on that particular part. A few light coats is far better than a single heavy coat.

Did your pads turn red when you used the DA? Think I read that you use a Porter Cable 7424 like I have.