First time using PC

S

stevet

New member
I received a PC 7336 for Christmas and some Megs pads and a Backing plate. I thought I would go and give it a try today. I have been reading so much info on Autopia about the PC and the things I could do with it. I was really looking forward to giving this a try.



My car is a 2003 silver Celica GTS and has been properly cared for from day one. It is 99% free of marring except for a few very light marks on the door. I tried the PC on these marks. I first tried AIO on a MEGS polishing pad at about 3 on the PC, didn't touch them. I turned the PC up to 5 still nothing. I then switched to a new polishing pad and used MEGS Swirl free polish. Started out at 3 still the marks remained. Turned it up to 5 and the marks are still there. Upon closer inspection I noticed that I put new marks in as well. My first time turned in to a real let down. I didn't get the improvement I expected and made things worse. The original marring was so light it could only be seen in certain types of light and even then only if you looked at a certain angle and even then you really had to look. I would think a PC could handle this easy. How did I mess up ? TIA
 
I would do the spot with a cutting pad and swirl free. Finish the entire panel with a white pad and swirl free, then use the AIO.



- I - usually need to bring the pc up to speed 6 before I can remove anything. Then I usually use speed 4-5 after breaking down the polish and work the polish in.



Fyi, AIO will not remove scrathes or swirls, it will only fill them in and it contains no abrasives. Apply products like aio 3-4 speed. I use a white or black pad for aio.
 
stevet- Sorry to hear about your first PC experience not turning out so hot, but don't give up!



As you've found, AIO will not remove marring. It's basically nonabrasive.



Meg's swirl-free can, it seems, be a LITTLE tricky to use. You DO NOT want to buff it too much, do NOT buff it "dry". You want to keep the pad and the paint a bit "moist" with product. Buffing it too long (to where you're drying out the product) can induce NEW marring, maybe that's what happened. Or so say the Meg's experts. I'm hesitant to comment on products I haven't used, but it's things like this that make me a little leery of using some of Meguiar's polishes.



I myself use different polishes. You might try 3M's PI-III MG (pn 05937) or 1Z's Paint Polish (green can). Both are easy to use (no big learning curve) and are pretty mild. The 1Z especially, is VERY user-friendly and I'm VERY confident that it won't induce new marring.



But since you have the Swirl-free, you might try it again, using plenty of product, and adding more to keep the edge of the pad wet. I assume you're removing the polish residue with a soft MF or 100% cotton towel.
 
What's the difference between #82 Swirl free and #9 Swirl remover?



Also - In the "Porter Cable for Beginners" article - Steve stated to work the product until is totally dry (powder). I am about to use #9 with a white pad and am now a little confused.



help anyone?



Did'nt mean to highjack.



blue
 
I too got a PC for Christmas and had some scratches on my hood from a cat. I busted the PC out because we had some mid 40s weather and hit it with the Menza twins. I was very impressed, I cant see them at any angle. I had another on the trunk from the same guilty cat. It was alot deeper, it hid it alot but its still there.:( but all in all I was impressed. I tried everything by hand with no improvements. Used the PC on 3 and wow! I'm addicted. Just waiting on some new pads and if the weather holds out I will be doing full details on both cars this weekend.
 
Louisanajeeper,



The reason I used AIO was that I have had some good results removing very minor marring with it by hand. The marring I was trying to remove is very minor, I thought for sure AIO would remove it with a PC. I will try again with Swirl Free and a cutting pad. Thank you for the help.



Accumulator,



I think I worked SF too long. It was dry and didn't buff of easily.

This probably caused the new marring.



Yes I do use good quality MF to remove the residue.



What do you mean keep the edge wet? Do you mean the very outer edge of the pad? Does this mean I need to apply a lot of product and cover every inch of the pad? I didn't do this. Thanks for the help.
 
BlueZ71- Swirl Free is sorta like a "#9 for clearcoats". The "80 series" products like #82 were designed to better compliment today's paints. That's not to say that #9 isn't OK for basecoat/clear, but the abrasives and other ingredients in #82 are designed especially FOR b/c paints whereas products like #9 and the other "low number" Meguiar's Mirror Glaze products go back to the days of single stage paints. As I recall, there's a different uniformity of abrasives and some differences in the polishing oils.



I REALLY don't like to disagree with Steve, but my info on using #9 and #82 comes from Mike Phillips. As he is a Megiar's employee and *EXPERT*, I defer to his opinions on all things Meguiar's related. He and 2HotFord have discussed these products extensively on the Showcar Garage forum and they ALWAYS stress to NOT let it get dry lest you inflict marring.
 
neoflex,



You said you had good results using the PC on 3, but Louisanajeeper say he can't remove anything unless he uses the PC at 6. I wonder if this has anything to do with the amount of pressure being applied by the user. I applied no pressure. I just let the weight of the PC do the work.



Over the last couple of years I have learned a lot about detailing my car but it has all been by hand. This PC stuff is a whole other ballgame. It felt strange putting the PC on the paint almost scarry, but I know I will get the hang of it sooner or later.
 
Stevet- Yeah, *I* would also say to go ahead and apply pressure as it seems to be needed. As long as you keep the pad reasonably flat, the pressure is gonna be applied over a pretty broad area anyhow. But if you're getting the results (effectiveness/aggressiveness) you want withOUT pressure, then that's great too. Like doing it by hand- sometimes you press hard, other times you don't.



And FWIW, I start at a lower speed and turn it up to 6 when polishing. I don't use the slower speeds like 3, even when just applying wax.



As long as you don't REALLY overdo it, especially around the "danger points" where the paint might be thin (crown lines, edges, etc.), the PC is a LOT safer than it might first appear to be. Try to think of it as just a faster version of your hand, they're more alike than you might imagine. Consider that "machine-only" products, made for ROTARY use do NOT work properly with the PC, but "hand use only" products work FINE with the PC.
 
I am a new user of the PC too! I have used it several times on my wife's VW and my Tahoe wil excellent result. I found it very easy to use both for polishing and applying sealant. :dance
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top