Another First timer on the PC!!! Didn't go that well...

After two days of working on the suv, here are my results. After I got all the new polishes in I started to try them out. I started out with the EC/OP, and it felt like it took forever to break it down via speed 5. After trying it over and over I kept getting dusting or polishing thrown everywere, which didn't make my process any more faster due to clean up. All in all I didn't really get the results that I truely wanted, which was perfection. There are many defects still on the paint but I just wanted to take it slow since it was my first time and I don't know how many passes I needed to get it to perfection. Ended up just using Optimum Compound then finishing up with Final Polish II. There was hazing witht he OC but the FPII took care of that. Backing plate has a crack on it also. Ohh yeah I also swiched my pad to Megs Cutting pad (maroon) which worked well I think. I think the BP is a little lopsided or warped so maybe that is causing the vibration. I'm thinking of just ordering the Edge 2000 pad and adapter just to see if there is a huge difference in vibration or not.



Process:

Optimum Compound w/ Megs 7006 Cutting Pad on Spd 5.

Menzerna FPII w/ LC White Pad on Spd 5

P21S Carnauba Wax



Here are some random pics.....



Here is a pic of what I thin it etching, there are these little stars everywhere not all bunched like this one. This shot was taken before the FPII and after the OC

Etching.jpg




Two side shots after P21S. You can see some of the obvious defects.

FINAL-SHOT-RIGHT.jpg


FINAL-SHOT-DAY-2.jpg




Bins with my tools in them....

TOOLS-IN-BIN.jpg
 
cchiu1026 said:
.......Here is a pic of what I thin it etching, there are these little stars everywhere not all bunched like this one........
Click to expand...
That (what you call etching/stars) actually looks like the start of clear coat failure .



Some of those other defects might be too deep to remove, but it's hard to tell w/o a closer picture and knowing how deep they are. Can you catch your fingernail in some of them?
 
Eliot Ness said:
That (what you call etching/stars) actually looks like the start of clear coat failure .



Some of those other defects might be too deep to remove, but it's hard to tell w/o a closer picture and knowing how deep they are. Can you catch your fingernail in some of them?
Click to expand...



That's what I thought it would be and didn't even try to correct it for the fact that I'm new to the PC/Machine, and to polishing at this level also. I"m just wondering if there is anything I should do for it. Like said in earlier posts, this car was neglected, to me atleast. Maybe i'll get a magnifier today from Radio Shack. I know 60x is pushing it but maybe i can see the detail or how deep and what not. That is mainly why I didn't like my job due to the fact that I see these defects and scratches. Just bugs me but it was a huge improvement in my opinion how it came out.



Thanks,

Chris
 
Not too much you can do for CC failure except keep a good sealer or wax on there to try and keep it from getting worse.



The other defects and scratches might be taken care of if they aren't too deep. If they go past the clear or base coat then you'll have to use touch-up paint to try and blend them in.
 
Some random thoughts follow:



That could be cracking/checking, a specific type of paint failure that often doesn't get much worse. It used to be common with laquer (I've had checking on the Jag for years that never got worse) and it still happens with repaints (also had it on the Volvo's one quarter panel)..wonder if the truck had paintwork done. Keep an eye on it until if/when you decide to get it fixed by a paint shop.



Shooting for perfection with a PC can lead to frustration in most cases ;) When you can see the sort of flaws you have that clearly, then perfection isn't reasonable. My Blazer is in the same general category condition-wise and "much better" is more reasonable than "perfection" (and I was using a rotary too).



I think you did well for your first time out, let alone with a cracked backing plate.



Yeah, get either the Edge system or some other (new) backing plate and get a small one for some 4" pads too.



I have that backing plate from TOL and mine is fine after a lot of tough use. I'd see it they'll replace it; their customer service is great.



If you get sling with a PC you're either using *way* too much product (pretty common) or you're lifting the pad off the panels. With more practice you'll get to where there's no sling at all with that machine.



I'd only add a *little* OCP to the Hi-Temp, just enough to increase the work time but *not* enough to dilute the Hi-Temp; you want it to be an abrasive mix because the Hi-Temp is what's gonna give you the serious correction.



Don't bother with a 60X magnifier. I prefer THIS 15X ONE , it's my favorite loupe for inspecting auto stuff (and the edges of tools when I'm sharpening, it's a really handy thing). My 30X one is the right one every now and then, but most of the time it's too powerful; a 60X? Forget it, save your money.



IMO the overall appearance of the truck would benefit greatly from a clean-up of the wheelwells and any undercarriage parts that show. Let's say you have the paint improved to the 85% range (not 100% but hey, it's a used black truck, so 85% is good IMO), get every other visible aspect of the truck up to the same 85% and overall it's gonna be one *VERY* imressive looking vehicle, one that really stands out as being well detailed. It's one of those cases where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, no foolin'. That's what I did with the Blazer and it comes across as being *much* better than it really is.
 
Thanks guys for the replies. I took the suv out to the sun and saw holograms on one side of the vehicle but did not see it on the hood. Maybe I didn't break down the FPII enough??? I was using a white pad with it.



Chris
 
Hard to say just what happened on the one side. The PC doesn't cause true "holograms" (they're a rotary-induced phenomenon) but you can get other issues that can look about the same. I'd doubt it's from the FPII though, that stuff is so mild that even if it didn't break down all the way I wouldn't expect it to do that. The white pad oughta be mild enough to not cause problems.



Could be a LSP-related issue, where the problem is just related to that and not really in the paint.



Standard remedy: First try QDing the area in question and buffing witha very soft MF. If that doesn't do it, try repolishing with the mildest polish, being careful to do everything properly, see if that fixes it.



This is another lesson about how important it is to check your work in different lighting conditions so you see problems in time to correct them before going on to subsequent steps.
 
Accumulator said:
Hard to say just what happened on the one side. The PC doesn't cause true "holograms" (they're a rotary-induced phenomenon) but you can get other issues that can look about the same. I'd doubt it's from the FPII though, that stuff is so mild that even if it didn't break down all the way I wouldn't expect it to do that. The white pad oughta be mild enough to not cause problems.



Could be a LSP-related issue, where the problem is just related to that and not really in the paint.



Standard remedy: First try QDing the area in question and buffing witha very soft MF. If that doesn't do it, try repolishing with the mildest polish, being careful to do everything properly, see if that fixes it.



This is another lesson about how important it is to check your work in different lighting conditions so you see problems in time to correct them before going on to subsequent steps.
Click to expand...



I think it may be the Klasse AIO, that is the only side that has it. I decided to try different things out but I tihnk it was that. How is that Acrylic Jett, would you recommend it over Klasse as a sealant???



Chris
 
cchiu1026 said:
I think it may be the Klasse AIO, that is the only side that has it. I decided to try different things out but I tihnk it was that. How is that Acrylic Jett, would you recommend it over Klasse as a sealant???
Click to expand...



I'd be a little surprised if the AIO caused the problem, but if that's what you expect I'd just use the AIO again on one of those areas and see if it fixes things.



Sorry, no experience with Acrulic Jett.
 
I got the problem fixed by using a Edge White with FPII @ Spd6, Not it looks a lot better. Then topped with P21S. I'm thinking maybe it's the applicator that I'm using, Megs Foam Applicator???



Chris
 
Hard to say *what* the problem was (which I suppose makes it hard to know what *not* to do next time), but I'm glad you got it squared away.
 
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