Flex XCE 8-125 Cordless polisher on the way: any pointers?

C

craigdt

New member
Haven`t been able to enjoy the detailing hobby for about 10 years, so I feel like I missed a lot of advancements.

Im upgrading from a Meguiars G110 v1 to the cordless Flex XCE 8-125 forced rotation machine.
Hopefully it will be a step up in ability and ease of use.

I`m working on a silver Kia Sedona minivan and red Hyunda Tuscon.

Trying to focus on just removing minor imperfections and bringing some life and gloss to the paint, with a good 1-step.

Pads:
Rupes Mille Yellow, 5.5"

Polishes:
Giots Fast Correcting Creame
Menzerna Heavy Cut 400
Menzerna SIP
HD Polish+
Blackfire SRC Finishing Polish

I havent used any of these polishes before- which one would be the best option for minor defect removal and adding some shine?
 
Menzerna 400 is for heavy defects so that`s out. Out of those, I`d pick the GFCC or an AIO such as HD Speed/One or Blackfire AIO. For pads, if using the GFCC polish, I`d go with the Griots Boss pads. Otherwise the Buff and Shine Uro-Tech pads seem to work very well with the Flex.
 
Interesting pad choice. I have Mille pads from when I owned a Mille and I`m not a huge fan of them on the Flex.

I`ve had my cordless Flex XCE for about a year using the 5" plate and I just stepped up to the 6" backing plate. I prefer the larger diameter pads even though it wears down the battery a bit faster.

For one steps it`ll depend on the paint type. And I assume you mean 1 step of polish and not 1 step polish and protect. So for polishes I`d be looking at Griots garage Correcting Cream, 3D ONE, Koch Chemie F6.01, Menzerna Medium Cut Polish, maybe Rupes DA Fine, maybe Sonax Perfect Finish for correction on softer paints but I`m not a fan.

I too use the Buff and Shine URO-TEC pads. The yellow is similar to the Rupes DA Yellow pads from a performance perspective. Although you won`t get much defect correction on medium to hard paints with that pad. Lake Country Force Orange on medium to harder paints might be a good 1 step pad.

It all depends on how much correction you want vs finishing quality. By having a few pads a varying aggressiveness you can do test spots to decide what works on which paints. IMO that is more important than having a bunch of different polishes.

The Flex can still be a bit of a hassle if you are used to free spinning machines. I started polishing with a Flex 3401 long ago and when I used a 15mm long throw machine I thought how much smoother those machines are. But you do have the whole pad stall issue to have your mind on. Not a big deal with a finish polish but if you are chasing defect removal on anything but flat panels that`s where the Flex shines IMO. But the Flex might fight you on those same panels because it`s turning the pad no matter if you have the right hold on the polisher or not.

Good luck and post your work.

EDIT: just realized you are working on two specific cars. So I understand why you may not want to load up on pads and product. I somehow thought you were looking for general recommendations.

I don`t think you`ll get exactly what you are looking for out of one step. The FC400 or Griot`s FCC with yellow pad might take care of the defects but you`ll want to follow up with one of your lighter polishes after.
 
You REALLY need to increase your 5.5" pad selection. I do not think a "one-product, one-pad" methodology is going to give you the high-gloss you desire. You have moved in the the realm of "professional polishing machines" with your cordless Flex XCE 8-125 forced rotation machine. You just need to pair it now with:
1) Proper pads (see above post for suggestions)
2) A finishing polish (which you seem to have, but some are suggestion the Griot`s Garage BOSS Perfecting (Polishing) Creame and their Finishing Sealant (Fine polishing) Creame.
3) A lot of "seat time" using your cordless Flex XCE 8-125 forced rotation machine to get the hang of it.

Save your Meg`s G110-V1 for applying waxes and sealants. Buy a 4" backing plate and some 4" ultra-finishing/sealant application pads. You`d be surprised at how nice-and-easy the wax/sealant application process and efficient coverage is using a low speed (1 or 2) on the G110.

Good luck on the silver Kia Sedona. Silver has never been an ultra-gloss, look-at-me, kinda color in my opinion, unless it graces a Mercedes-Benz or a Porsche 911. Those two vehicles look good in ANY color, except Mary Kay Pink!
 
With my short experience using this machine, a thin pad can take a bit of getting used to. Slightly thicker pad works better in the user experience side of things.

The Rupes yellow wool was pretty good on it
 
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