Help a newbie with a Porsche?

V

vjd3

New member
I have two cars to do, and limited experience ... one is a 1997 Porsche Carrera 2 convertible, in red, which is single-stage paint (no clear); the other is a 2004 Mercedes C240 wagon, which is black and (presumably) has a clearcoat.



I own a PC 7424, which I have not used in a long time.



Both cars have swirls, the Porsche is prone to a bit of oxidation in spots due to the lack of the clear. I'd like some recommendations on what I need to pick up to do a nice job on both cars, or point me to a kit if there is one that's fairly inclusive.



What I need:



Clay and lube

Pads (since the red car is going to bleed all over the pads, should I keep a separate set for the Porsche, or can they be cleaned?)



And, the biggie ... which products will work well for both cars? As in, what's going to be good at getting rid of the swirls and equally effective on a single stage and clearcoated finish?



Thanks ... I have read a bunch of posts, but to be honest, all the abbreviations are over my head, so if you can kind of, you know, be name specific :cooleek:
 
opinions are going to be all over the place, but a good start would be megs 105/205 or Ultimate Compound and Swirlx (available at Walmart,etc). Do you have pads that you can use? I like the Meguiars pads but I'm sure you will get plenty of other opinions.
 
Yes, go with the 105/205 combo, they now sell it in kits that even come with the right pad set up for swirl and defect removal. When I do use a PC(Usually use a rotary) I like the LC pads. If you get the flat pads(vs. the CCS pads) they will give you a little more bite. You can use up to 20 pounds of pressure with the PC and get some great results. 105/205 should be sufficient with the PC but on P-cars with soft paint I always like to finish by jeweling with an even finer polish like Ultrafina or PO85rd. Good Luck, should come out great, just take your time because M105/205 have diminishing abrasives and it helps to work the product awile in small sections.
 
bullitt21 said:
...take your time because M105/205 have diminishing abrasives and it helps to work the product awile in small sections.
Click to expand...



Correction: M105/M205 have NONdiminishing abrasives and the work time isn't dependent on breaking them down. You can work them a short/long time without issues as long as you don't dry them out too much.



vjd3- I suspect that the paint on your Porsche will be much softer than that on the Benz. Not that it'll matter all that much..



The stained pads can still be used on the Benz without any problems.



Yes, I'd use Meguiar's M105/M205. Via PC I'd use 4" pads for more effective correction.
 
I think I was up way to long when I tried to type. Yes, they are NON-diminishing abrasives. As far as work time, yes, you don't have to work them as long. What I was trying to get across is that you don't want to rush your work along via PC. Should haved explained myself better, sorry for that.
 
DetailerMan said:
Zymol makes a wax specifically for Porsches ... Zymol Glasur Porsche wax / glaze. Its not cheap though but worth it.
Click to expand...



Maybe it IS good.. haven't used it... but I would still put money on the fact that ANY wax will be 10% of the "big picture". Polishing out the majority of swirls and jeweling the paint will make 90% of the difference whether you have a $10k wax or no wax on it at all.



Not trying to discount "DetailerMan"s opinion, just reminding that it is true what they say about the PREP work making the real difference.
 
drew.haynes said:
Maybe it IS good.. haven't used it... but I would still put money on the fact that ANY wax will be 10% of the "big picture". Polishing out the majority of swirls and jeweling the paint will make 90% of the difference whether you have a $10k wax or no wax on it at all.



Not trying to discount "DetailerMan"s opinion, just reminding that it is true what they say about the PREP work making the real difference.
Click to expand...



The 90/10 number works for Zymol too.... 90% Hype, 10% great smelling crap in a container. The brand specific waxes would be easier to swallow if they were meant for a particular paint brand, but each of the mfg's have used so many variations, I think its just bunk. Zymol is a great marketing machine.
 
I detail mercedes a lot, since I work at a dealership. european cars tend to have a lot of clear so you don't have must to worry about. Just get some 3M 39002 Abrasive Rubbing Compound and a fine foam pad and just polish out the paint, then give it a nice glaze and wax and it will look real nice/no cut marks/swirls
 
buddyb said:
..Just get some 3M 39002 Abrasive Rubbing Compound and a fine foam pad and just polish out the paint, then give it a nice glaze and wax and it will look real nice/no cut marks/swirls
Click to expand...



Be sure to wear the proper respirator with 3M's 39002 FCRC as it contains silica-based abrasives, which will kill you just like asbestos.



I always follow such products (I prefer the discontinued PI-III RC 06933) with a milder product (e.g., PI-III MG 06937) and these days I'd probably turn to Menzerna for that.



But honestly, my 3M stuff like that sits on the shelf since M105/M205 came out.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top