Dissapointed w/ PC

R

Robb

New member
I just got my 7424 yesterday and my topoftheline pads as well, i washed/dried the car, then went to work on the roof, it had the most swirls/light scratches so i started there, i used meguiars fine cut #2 w/ a yellow pad, did this about 3 times over buffing off the product w/ a clean MF towel in between, then i used a new yellow pad w/ Light Cut remover, two passes w/ that, buffing w/ clean mf in between as well, i look over the paint and there are still LOTS of swirls, i say i prolly got about 50% off, where do i go from here? rotary? different products, what should i do? thanks
 
Probably need to spend more time going over the spots and also might want to step up to a more abrasive product before you look at going to a rotary.
 
It's really up to your tastes...you can do a search and find tons.



Meguiar's DACP is fairly mild and might help with your swirls. You could also try a Medium Cut...I am sure Meguiars has some. www.topoftheline.com has some Hi-Temp Medium Cut. I myself was going to buy some SSR1, SSR2, and SSR3 from Poorboy (www.poorboysworld.com)



Just remember if you don't get results you either need to spend more time on it or step up to a more aggresive product
 
thanks guys, that ferrari read was interesting, think i may try some scratch x, the pc is so much better than hand, cant wait to try it on my dads(dark blue) car as opposed to my white car where its near impossible to see imperfections unless u have lots of halogen lights : )
 
Reading that post has convinced me to get some Scratch X. If it's good enough for Ferrari paint, it must be good for mine. I've been holding off for a long time because I wasn't convinced it was unlike the other scratch remover stuff you see in Walmart and Pep Boys. But after reading, its worth the shot.
 
ive always wondered, i know it comes in a small tube, but scratch x used for the entire car? bad idea?
 
Robb said:
I just got my 7424 yesterday and my topoftheline pads as well, i washed/dried the car, then went to work on the roof, it had the most swirls/light scratches so i started there, i used meguiars fine cut #2 w/ a yellow pad, did this about 3 times over buffing off the product w/ a clean MF towel in between, then i used a new yellow pad w/ Light Cut remover, two passes w/ that, buffing w/ clean mf in between as well, i look over the paint and there are still LOTS of swirls, i say i prolly got about 50% off, where do i go from here? rotary? different products, what should i do? thanks
Click to expand...



What speed did you use on the PC? I rarely go less than 6.
 
I see this quite a bit from new users to the PC.



Let's see if this will help you for starters: The PC



And this one: The PC for Beginners



Some of the disappointment may have to do with how you are "working" both the PC AND polishes/compounds. Remember, a PC does not generate heat like a rotary, so a little added downward pressure as the polisher moves on the finish is one answer. The other is how well you let the polish break down and what speed you are operating with it.



Pads play a critical role in a PC as they are your hand with a more abrasive face. So if you used a yellow cut pad with moderate downward pressure and break down the polish fully with no real discernable swirls being removed, you could take off the foam pad and use a wool pad to cut a bit more aggressive on the finish without burning it like a rotary will.



If after all this and swirls are still around and not reduced, take it to a bodyshop to have them remove it for you. Unless you intend to do a lot of detailing of bad cars, no need to purchase a rotary that you may only use once! Let a pro at a bodyshop take care of it for you. They have the tools, products and talent.



Once all gone, use the PC for maintenance and other touch-ups.



Hope this helps!



Regards,

Deanski
 
I personaly would only use scratch-X on a spot, not an entire car.

To get rid of swirls on an entire car,I would use something like 3M machine-polish:

it's fairly agressive(but not too) and can perfectly used by hand.

Takes alot of time.

With a PC (or other random orbital buffer) it should be an easy task.



before :

1036dealerswirls32-med.jpg




after:
1036afterpolish1-med.jpg




:wavey



Christiaan
 
I'm pretty sure #2 Fine Cut is stronger than either Scratch-X or DACP.... I wouldn't waste my time.



I think you should consider your technique as Deanski suggested, or if the defects really are that bad, step up to a wool pad or Medium Cut.
 
I've found the only way to remove swirls from my car is to use speed 6 on the PC while using a fair amount of pressure and really working the polish in until it is completely dry. Going over it with little pressure does not work for me. Just a thought.
 
I was frustrated my first couple of outings with a PC as well, but I can echo a couple of other suggestions so far: Don't be afraid to use some pressure initially, and for swirl removal, don't be afraid to bump it to 6. I usually spread product and do an initial "covering pass" with the PC set at about 3-4 to get polish coverage on the entire area I want to work on, then full steam ahead at 6 with some pressure. As the polish starts to dust, lighten up on the pressure to finish the last couple of passes over the area.



Good luck,

Tort
 
4DSC said:
I'm pretty sure #2 Fine Cut is stronger than either Scratch-X or DACP.... I wouldn't waste my time.



I think you should consider your technique as Deanski suggested, or if the defects really are that bad, step up to a wool pad or Medium Cut.
Click to expand...



http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=26932&highlight=abrasive



If that list is correct, then #2 is the same abrasive level of ScratchX with a 5 on a scale of 10 and DACP is a 6.



I don't think ScratchX is really something you want to use on a whole car with a PC. I've found it breaks down really fast and is probably designed for use by hand. It's also really expensive at $7-8 for a small tube, there are more economical products that are designed for use with a PC.



I would definitely give DACP a go with a PC and yellow Lake pad using a bit of downward pressure. You may need more than one application, but this method has worked for me pretty well. There are other more agressive polishes, but for swirls and light scratchs, DACP works pretty well. Other's here really like 3M PI- III Machine Glaze for similar tasks, but I have no personal experience.



Before:

324998_c230_hood_before-med.jpg




After:

324998_c230_hood_after_cloudy-med.jpg




Michael
 
The yellow CMA cutting pad (and a few others) is made by Lake Country Manufacturing. The "Lake" reference was an abbreviation for Lake Country Manufacturing.
 
4DSC said:
I'm pretty sure #2 Fine Cut is stronger than either Scratch-X or DACP.... I wouldn't waste my time.



I think you should consider your technique as Deanski suggested, or if the defects really are that bad, step up to a wool pad or Medium Cut.
Click to expand...



On Meguiars own scale #2 is a 5 and DACP is a 6 so that would seem to indicate that DACP is more agressive.



I had problems far worse than swirls in my paint that prompted me to purchase my PC a couple of years ago. We were in the process of moving and I had to tow my Mustang on a trailer behind the Uhaul truck. Having just purchased the car I wanted to protect it for the trip so I covered it with a tarp. After 10 hours of driving and the tarp flapping in the wind my car looked like a zebra with abraisions in the clear caused by the tarp rubbing the paint. The abraisions were over the entire surface of the car top to bottom and front to back.



I started working it by hand with ScratchX and #9. They were coming out but it was killing me so I decided I needed a bit more muscle. I purchased a PC and started right away with it using a Meguiars cutting pad and #9. This was before I discovered the miracles DACP is capable of so it took me about 3 times over the entire car, more in some places to remove all traces of the abraisions but, they are gone. I wish I had taken before pictures but, trust me they were far worse than any swirl you will most likely ever see.



Since then I have switched from Meguiars pads to CMA. I use the yellow CMA cutting pad most often with #9 and DACP. The CMA yellow pad seems far more effective than the Meguiars equivalent.



Here is the car now.



2760floridastang.jpg
 
Robb said:
I just got my 7424 yesterday and my topoftheline pads as well, i washed/dried the car, then went to work on the roof, it had the most swirls/light scratches so i started there, i used meguiars fine cut #2 w/ a yellow pad, did this about 3 times over buffing off the product w/ a clean MF towel in between, then i used a new yellow pad w/ Light Cut remover
Click to expand...





I think that the problem is your choice of product (Fine Cut) while being rated at 5 on MeGuiars scale, is NOT for use with a PC or by hand. It should say somewhere on the bottle that it is for use with a rotary buffer ONLY.



This is because it needs heat to break down. So with the PC you never generated enough heat to breakdown the product and may have actually introduced some new swirls.



Try DACP, its rated at 6 and is their most agressive product for a random orbital like the PC (except for their compounds).



:xyxthumbs
 
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