First PC use with newb questions

K

king nothing

New member
Got a chance to try out my new PC 7424 I got for christmas today and I have a few questions. first Ill let you know what i used



Menzerna intensive polish with edge 2000 6 inch orange wave pad

Menzerna final polish 2 with edge 2000 6 inch white wave pad



Heres where the questions come in



1. does the counterweight matter that much? i was using 6 inch pads (or 6.5, whatever they are) and the counterweight says its for 5 inch pads. I seemed to have ALOT of vibration. i couldnt feel my hands after doing my decklid in 2 sections with each polish. Will a different counterweight help this?



2. how long should each polish be "worked" on each section. I have heard as long as 5 minutes. I have also read that the polish is "done" when it turns clear, which seemed to be between 30-40 seconds. Is this right? Should I keep "working" the polish after it turns clear?



Overall, I cant wait to see the decklid in the sunlight tomorrow. I put a coat of nattys blue wax on it and its a great color when its taken care of (Redfire metallic on my 03 cobra convertible)



Thanks for any help. If anything, it was a good first experience and I cant wait to get all my vehicles in tip top shape
 
The counter weight won't make a difference. Get rid of the edge pads, they are too big for the pc. Get some 5.5 pads with bp and even some 4" pads. On the other hand, if you are doing only your car and you like the results after inspecting in the sun, stay with it. I don't know how bad your paint was when you started out, but if you had heavy swrils, I bet the Menz and edge pads did not remove all of it. Do your inspection and let us know.
 
jrib said:
Good advice so far...I have a question? How do you wait 5 months to check out "tha new toy"? METALLICA ROCKS
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Living in illinois and our wonderful weather, 2 kids, and needing to order accessories for the "New toy". Thats how you wait 5 months LOL.
 
Legacy99 said:
The counter weight won't make a difference. Get rid of the edge pads, they are too big for the pc. Get some 5.5 pads with bp and even some 4" pads. On the other hand, if you are doing only your car and you like the results after inspecting in the sun, stay with it. I don't know how bad your paint was when you started out, but if you had heavy swrils, I bet the Menz and edge pads did not remove all of it. Do your inspection and let us know.
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I have some 4 inch edge pads. I could probably do my whole cobra with them no big deal, but it would take forever to do the wifes tahoe and my megacab dodge with 4 inch pads. i dont see how the 1/2 inch difference between 5.5 and 6 inch is enough difference to matter?? Maybe I should sell the Pc and pick up a rotary?
 
King Nothing- Sorta random thoughts follow:



Yeah, the 6" pads are too big; you can't apply sufficient pressure without the machine merely "jiggling" and without the pressure the effort is distributed over too large an area to be effective.



5-5.5" pads are better in this regard but noting like 4" pads. 4" pads are *the* ticket for doing correction via PC.



I prefer the 6" counterweight with *all* sizes of pads but the diff in vibration isn't all that significant to many people.



That "numb hands" thing sould be taken seriously. It can get severe and result in permanent nerve damage. Do a search on "white finger"...



I don't use Menzerna polishes but most such products should be worked until they're almost dry. A notable exception is the newest pair of polishes from Meguiar's- M105 and M205, which are used a little differently (good stuff too, in case the Menzerna doesn't do it for you).



4" pads aren't that slow because they do the work. Going over an area countless times with larger pads isn't really faster (note I have a DenaliXL...huge black thing with hard clear, and a minivan. I've done big vehicles with 4" pads on a PC ;) ).



If you do want something that'll cover ground faster than the PC/4", look into a Flex 3401. I like mine a *LOT* more than my rotaries.
 
alright, so I just went out and did a few sections on my hood with the 4 inch yellow cutting pad and the menz intensive polish and it doesnt seem to be helping. I still have the spiderwebbing and it just doesnt seem like its doing anything
 
Less than impressive results so far. Could it be that despite the positive reviews of the menzerna products they just arent enough to do the job? where should I be looking for my problem? My machine, pads, products? Should I look at a more agressive first step product than the intensive polish? if so, then what? I might order some more 4 inch pads and get rid of the 6 inchers I have
 
King Nothing said:
alright, so I just went out and did a few sections on my hood with the 4 inch yellow cutting pad and the menz intensive polish and it doesnt seem to be helping. I still have the spiderwebbing and it just doesnt seem like its doing anything
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Then you just need a more aggressive product. The pad only does so much. I've taken out *serious* marring on very hard clear with 4" yellow pads.



Between 4" yellow and the LC PFW pads, you can take it right down to primer if you use the right product ;)



I do spot-correction on the Audis/GM with 4" orange pads, and if I leave residual marring it's because I don't want to overthin the clear, not because the combo isn't cutting. Get some M105 and I bet you'll be a lot happier that IP just must not be up to the job.
 
King Nothing said:
Should I try some 4 inch edge wool pads as well?
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Those didn't work nearly as well as I'd expected (didn't try 'em with M105 thought..) and I did a *LOT* better with the harsh foam (yellow & orange).



But the LC PFW pads are definitely worth trying IMO. Man do they cut (gotta be a little careful...no heat build up can make you get crazy-aggressive ;) ) and they finish out pretty well too.



Seriously, if you can't do it with PC/PFW/M105 then it probably isn't safe to do anyhow.



You could also try the Sur-Buf (?sp?) pads. I hear they're even more aggressive!
 
Gonna order 12 oz size of 105 and 205 as well as some more 4 inch edge pads so i have one of each pad) and see if those work better. If not, Ill be selling the PC and picking up one of the vector rotarys
 
King Nothing said:
Gonna order 12 oz size of 105 and 205 as well as some more 4 inch edge pads so i have one of each pad) and see if those work better. If not, Ill be selling the PC and picking up one of the vector rotarys
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Don't actually *sell* the PC; you'll need it for use after the rotary to eliminate holograms (or at least I do).
 
Accumulator said:
Those didn't work nearly as well as I'd expected (didn't try 'em with M105 thought..) and I did a *LOT* better with the harsh foam (yellow & orange).



But the LC PFW pads are definitely worth trying IMO. Man do they cut (gotta be a little careful...no heat build up can make you get crazy-aggressive ;) ) and they finish out pretty well too.



Seriously, if you can't do it with PC/PFW/M105 then it probably isn't safe to do anyhow.



You could also try the Sur-Buf (?sp?) pads. I hear they're even more aggressive!
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Big +1 on that. I would much rather use PC/PFW/M105 than PC/yellow foam/M105. The yellow foam LC pad can induce marring that is then extremely difficult to remove. The PFW, however, finishes out *much* better than the yellow foam, and it cuts better, too. If you want to use M105 with a foam pad, I'd use orange, green, white, or blue/grey/black/red (pretty much all the same).
 
Im getting ready to put in an order for m105. Im already invested in the edge system so Id like to stick with it for now. Im gonna pick up another orange (light cutting) and a green polishing pad to use with my menzerna products for my final polish since they obviously arent enough for the first step, maybe they will work well for polishing instead of compounding. Should i try these wool pads instead?

4 inch Double Precision Wool Buffing Pads



Help, I want to try to get my order in tonight so it can be here by the weekend
 
Alright, I just ordered some stuffs LOL. A couple edge 2000 4 inch pads, a backing plate and 2 4 inch PFW pads and 4 orange pads that were on clearance. Some clay, some DP rinseless, some poorboys bug squash and some M105. How far will 12 oz of M105 go? I have i small vehicle (mustang convertible) and 2 large vehicles (tahoe and dodge megacab). I also found that the coupon code "ago" for free shipping saved me more than the 10 percent forum discount
 
SCoach said:
I think I used about an ounce or less of Ultimate Compound (similar to 105) on my medium sized sedan.
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Good to hear. I should be able to get through all 3 vehicles and have some left over then
 
Sorry to chime in so late, but since the OP is a "newb", has it been ascertained that the problem doesn't stem from not applying enough pressure with the PC? I didn't see him volunteer or be asked if he was using any downforce on the PC or about his arm speed...these used to be the standard questions when you didn't get results.
 
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