First time using Flex DA

M

mrgoochio

New member
I'm having trouble getting the hang of using the Flex DA.. Can anyone give me some quick tips? I'm trying to start with my hood first and have been working on half of it.. The scratches are noticably less but I've already tried doing 2 passes with menzerna IP + orange LC pad and then 1 or 2 passes with final polish II + black pad.. I can still see tons of small swirls everywhere and I'm not sure if I'm doing things right. I've never seen someone use a buffer before first hand besides the youtube clips and its difficult to gauge the speed I should be using and how long to break down the product. Any words of advice guys? I'm working on a 2008 BMW 135i in JET BLACK btw (yeah.. i know)



By the way, if any cool autopians interested in stopping by to help out in the SoCal area (818), I'm near pasadena/glendale and would love the help anytime this weekend.
 
First off, make sure you are moving slow, and overlapping the next pass. Autogeek.net has some videos about how to polish. These will help you a lot. Also the IP might not be strong enough for you. Maybe try the SIP. Pictures would help. But if your using the orange pad, I would move to the white pad after. This will get rid of any marring from the orange pad better than the grey pad. The 87MC(FPII) also might not have enough cut. I think 106FA and a white pad would be better, after the SIP/IP w/the orange pad.
 
My 3401 is perma set at Speed 6. For product spreading I just use the variable trigger.



Like mentoned above you need to try numerous combos until you find THE combo that gives you desired results. Every paint is different! It also depends on how much correction is needed and that is really hard to tell even with pics (but pics would be helpful).



Don't be afraid to go aggresive either. You might think about moving into the heavier hitting compounds like Menz Power Gloss and Megs 95/105.
 
So when I'm polishing, do I work the product until it basically turns clear onto the paint and dusts or is that too much? I'm not sure if I'm underworking the product or if I'm overworking it.. I find that if I underwork it, its hard to wipe off but I find myself doing that a lot because I'm afraid to overwork it.. Also, when I'm done with the area I'm working on and lift the buffer off the paint I feel like I leave marks on the paint. Am I supposed to stop the buffer with it on the paint or do I lift it off the paint and then release the trigger? I can get decent correction but I always seem to see some marks on the paint that were not originally there.. The instructional vid clips I've been seeing don't show beginning to end process so its hard for me, as a beginner, to go through it.
 
If you were closer I'd come over to help but 1 hour is a bit of a drive from me...



With the 2 JB e46 cars that I've done in the past, I found that neither reacted as well, nor finished down almost LSP ready with Menz IP. I switched to Prima Swirl and got much better results. I'm using a PC but I've finished down as well as my friends Flex did with SIP. You may want to try Swirl with Orange to get rid of any marring. I also have Prima Finish but have never used it since Swirl finishes down so nicely....



If you want a sample of Swirl let me know. We can set up a meeting point or something so I can give you a 4oz bottle to try out ;)
 
The IP name itself is a little deceptive. It is really not that strong. Try the SIP and see what happens.

Yes, work the product til it's clear and dusts. That's not too much. The IP dust more than the SIP. I practiced on a friends beater my first time. You'll get the hang of it. Just takes a little practice. Get some pad conditioner too. Make sure the pad doesn't dry out while polishing.
 
I made sure to use pad conditioner.. How much should I be spraying on it? I like to squirt it around the pad and spread it with my hands (wearing gloves) and then putting 4 dime size spots on the sides of the pad.. I think I'm working too much area for the amount of product. How much area of a panel should I work at once for that much product? Maybe smaller area and working it in more will help...
 
I use 3 small dots on the edges. One at the 12 o'clock position, one at 4 and one at the 8 o'clock postion. Some use a quarter size in the middle of the pad. It's up to you. 4 dime size dots is too much. spread it around the panel with the flex off. Then put it on slow and spread it in the 2x2 area your working. Then work the 2ftx2ft area in a figure 8 motion on full speed(speed 6), overlapping as you go.

I just mist the pad with 2 sprays.
 
The big problem is BMW Jet Black is extremely soft. Correcting it requires a lot of patience. Believe me, I know. :chuckle:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top