Couple questions: flex + Meguiars 105/205

H

heffergm

New member
I had a couple questions:

- first, in a broad sense and assuming the cost isn't an issue, is the Flex worth upgrading to if you've already got a PC 7424? The things I can't stand about the PC are the noise/vibration. Is the Flex DA an improvement in that department? I'm already under the impression it can speed things up a bit as well.

- second, with regards to Meguiar's 105 and 205... do people find using this combo together works well? I'm not looking for 100% perfection (since it doesn't last long on a DD anyway). What I do want is something I can work with in the sun, to eliminate some of the confusion I'm having with millions of different products, and to get together a simple, effective system. I figure since they're labelled glazes as well it should suite my black car. For whatever reason, I just haven't had any luck with PB's SSR's. They seem to start dusting immediately and cake my pads in no time. I've given up trying. The Pinnacle products I've tried don't have this problem and I quite like them, but the Meguiar's stuff is quite a lot cheaper.
 
I just bought the Flex and it is what I like to call the Bulldozer of Polishers. It is a lot quieter than the PC and with the pad centered the Flex is not bad in the vibration area. The Flex has a LOT of power and it will try to take you for a ride as it wants to walk where "it" wants to go. It is a machine that needs to be controlled by the user. It seems to take very little time getting used to but then I was stepping down from a rotary. The flex takes a little more muscle to control as compared to the PC. The PC just needs to be finnessed in one direction or the other while the Flex "at first" needs to be wrestled into the direction you want it to go in but gets easier to steer as you get used to it.

As far as the polishes go, if you are getting immediate dusting with the SSR line you are not using enough product. I suggest reading up on the Kevin Brown method where you would fully prime the pad with product before starting the polishing process and then add a little more polish as you need it. This keeps the dusting down and speeds up the correction. I get very little to no dusting using this method even on a black car in the direct sunlight. The SSR line is a joy to work with as long as you understand the product and how to break it down properly.

The SSR line is a diminishing polish line that takes some time to work before it breaks down so if you don't use enough product it will dry up before it breaks down, causing the dusting.

The 105/205 is a non diminishing combo meaning it is like microscopic razor blades that continue to "cut away the clear" on your vehicle until you turn the machine off. I use the 105 and then finish down using SSR2 and then SSR1 or PWS. But this is something I use on a seriously neglected paint.

The 105 was designed to be used in the shade on a cool vehicle paint. I am forced most of the time to work in direct sun conditions and find that 105 will dust 10 times worse than any of the SSR line of polishes. The 105/Flex combo can make short work of correction but can also take you past the point of no return in a hurry.

It is my oppinion that if you haven't figured out how to get good results using a relatively safe product like the SSR line, you really should not even attempt using the 105/205 combo because once you realize you've gone too far with it....it's repaint time.

Just let time take time. Practice with the SSR line and the PC and get it worked out before moving on to a product that can ruin your paint job if not understood or worked properly. Just work a 2ft.X2ft. section and ckeck your results often, step down the line from SSR 2.5 to SSR 2 and then to SSR1. The way you discribed your car as being new and just dealer prepped you should not even need to be thinking Flex unless you plan to do this work as a means of income. Good luck with it.
 
Ok, so the Flex is less a really good PC and more an almost-rotary. I'll stick to the PC then.

Thanks for the tip regarding the PB's dusting. I'll try priming the pad more.
 
heffergm said:
Ok, so the Flex is less a really good PC and more an almost-rotary. I'll stick to the PC then.

Thanks for the tip regarding the PB's dusting. I'll try priming the pad more.
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I would say the flex is a lot closer to the rotary than it is to the PC. I am not suggesting that you stay away from it, but will you really need it is more the question. You're welcome for the tips, Feel free to ask 100 questions if need be. We are all here to help.
 
heffergm said:
I'll stick to the PC then.
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If you're saying this out of concern for damaging your paint, I wouldn't be so worried about it in that respect. The Flex DA may be an "almost rotary" from the effectiveness/power standpoint, but being that it's still a DA, the risk of damaging paint with it is only slightly higher than you have with a PC (meaning it's almost nil).
 
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