PC Pads in the UK

At only year old paint, you probably won't be using the PC for improving the paint surface (i.e. with any abrasive products) just for getting the maximum from your polishes and LSP's. In this case, your PC will do nothing at all to harm your paint.



Have you tried detailers clay? I have paint about a year old and was surprised to see the difference it can make.



If you're using Autoglym (most are in the UK) then you'll find that Super Resin Polish (while *VERY* slighly abrasive) still wont mark the paint with a PC.
 
I have clayed it once about a month ago, just to remove some road grime etc from the bonet and roof, and lower sills.



My basic goal is to see if I can get better results than i do by hand today with my Meguiars products. I want to hopefully get the metalic flakes to show more, and get a deep glossy shine.



I am reading good things about the P21 and #16. But so many options I dont know where to start, i need to decide soon as I plan on doing this next week when I have a week off.
 
Dale,



with regard to products to use with your new PC - I'm a recent PC owner too, so far I have tried the following products with it - Autoglym Super Resin Polish with the green (DAS) pad. This seems to work really well although you use more product than you would think. D3mon is right though - even though there is a mild 'cut' to SRP, it still won't tackle anything other than the smallest (almost invisible) scratch as it is too mild. It does go on well with the PC, spreads thin, you can see where you have been with it and it is easy to remove. Makes a good surface for any sealant / wax you might want to apply.



I have also applied Wolfgang sealant with the Blue pad - which I also recomend - again easy to apply with the PC, goes on thin, wait until dry and wipe off with an MF cloth. I did try Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection with the MF bonnet over an orange pad (as suggested in the instructions with the PC) - which was OK, but hard to control and probably (unless you have a really big car) easier to apply by hand.



I have tried applying #16 with the blue pad and it goes on well - it heats the pad up and seems to spread #16 better than you can by hand, but to be honest I tend to still apply #16 by hand (it's a nice product btw). P21S I haven't used the PC with as it is so easy to use by hand.



I would say (imo) that if you don't have either #16 or P21S then to get P21s first and use it by hand. It is so easy you will be amazed, where #16 can be a bit tougher under certain conditions.



Finally - the gold class you have used by hand- well I don't have gold class to try with the PC as I threw it away after a few goes with it by hand, I doubt it would be any use with the PC. I personally don't rate that stuff at all and it doesn't get too many good reviews around here. IMO - you will be in for a big surprise when you start using your PC with other products.



Good luck and get some pictures.

Graham
 
Here are some pics of my car, my current combo is wash with Megs Gold Class, then Wax with Glold Class Liquid wax. I am very happy with my results. I have clayed the car, and polished with the megs Stage 2 polish once about a month or so ago, just to remove the road grime since the winter. I wax about once a month or two depending on the weather, I am not a person who thinks you should polish much as this is taking paint away, no matter how small, so I think this is best kept to a minimum, I figure lots of wax helps protect so only need to polish maybe once , twice at the most a year.

I would consider myself and experianced detailer by hand, IE getting good results with my products, but not sure what route is required with the use of a PC. Like I say, all I am looking for is "pop" from the paint to show the flakes, wetish look if possible from the colour, and protection from the hard UK weather :)



lcr-front.jpg




lcr-rear.jpg
 
Got my PC now, I dont know why, but its heavier and makes more noise than I expected :).



Going to try it on my girlfriends little Fiat first :)
 
It was heavier and more noisy than I expected too! - its quite a substantial tool isn't it?



Don't worry about it - honestly. It is so easy to use and makes such a difference in terms of the manual labor required - it is well worth the investment you have made. It also means that you can attempt to tackle some paint defects / damage.



Honestly, I believe it really is difficult to damage you paint with it. Did you get the DAS pads with it? I was scared that they were going to be really harsh - but they're not at all. You have visions of slicing off half your paint, but it just isn't like that. To practice I used the bonnet and boot of my car as they are large, flat, horizontal areas where you can get a feel for the holding and working with the PC. Thenlook at tackling complex area's such as the front wings etc.



good luck

Graham
 
After being on this forum for years and reading about them, I finally took the plunge and ordered mine yesterday.



I went for the SFX PC Kit as it was on offer but also ordered the DAS Pad kit too, plus the SFX spot pads.



Whats the differences apart from the size in DAS and SFX pads? Do people have a preference?



I have ordered some Speed Glaze off Alex at SP to get me started, and to see how I get on, then to get the SSR range later next month.



When the stuff arrives plan will be to start off nice and mild with Meguiars Swirl Free #82, on the Clio, and test the other stuff on the 'familys cars' first!!!
 
I got the DAS pads too, the orange cutting pad I can see you need to be careful with, doubt I will use it on my car, as I have no damage or defects to try and fix, blue and green feel soft and friendly. Gotta pull my finger out today and order some products.



Need a real nice good wax to give me a nice shine and some pop. And maybe a very very very light polish to give it that edge. And I guess a sealant.



Not that I would use it on my car, but is it ok to use any of the 3 stage products on the PC?
 
yeah - I think the 3-stage products would be fine. Meguiars claim that all their products are suitable for machine polishing. (but not all are suitable for hand application).



I'm not sure it is the best use for the PC though - you perhaps might want to look at some of the meguiars pro range. Perhaps speed glaze as Richt has suggested.



For a light polish you might consider either the P21S Gloss Enhancing Paint Cleanser (which is actually more of a cleaner than a polish - but on new paint it gives great results) or maybe the Poorboys Proffessional polish? I think these would work great with the sonus Blue pad.



I use Autoglym SRP with the green pad, which gives great results. I used it on my sisters 2003 model clio in black, which I don;t think had EVER been washed. The SRP on green pad cleaned up the paint a treat and I topped it with P21S wax - I wish I had got pictures, even though it only took about an hour all-in, the car looked like new!
 
Rich



I posted a topic regarding your question to DAS and SFX pads a couple of months ago, a fellow UK autopian replied with this response.



"The SFX pads are 6" and use a 6" backing plate. The DAS pads are 7" and use a 5" backing plate - these pads have a recess on them for the backing plate to sit in"



I only have the DAS pads, I like how the pad sits in the recess on the pad, they have had quite a lot of use recently and they are still like new.
 
Sounds like AG SRP works well then via PC?



Did it seem to do much for any marks? I have litres of the stuff, will give that a go for sure.



Which pad would be used for Clearkote VM or the Red machine Glaze?
 
k80 said:
Rich



I posted a topic regarding your question to DAS and SFX pads a couple of months ago, a fellow UK autopian replied with this response.



"The SFX pads are 6" and use a 6" backing plate. The DAS pads are 7" and use a 5" backing plate - these pads have a recess on them for the backing plate to sit in"



I only have the DAS pads, I like how the pad sits in the recess on the pad, they have had quite a lot of use recently and they are still like new.
Click to expand...



Cheers, I did a search but could'nt find much info on the difference other than apperance & size. Having ordered both I guess I will find out which I prefer.
 
Rich... SRP works really well with the PC, use a polishing pad and you won't go wrong. You end up with a really thin layer and it makes removal very, very easy with virtually no dust when using a decent mf cloth.



Use VMW also with a polishing pad. I haven't used the RMG, so I can't help there.
 
I have the DAS pads and the SFX pads but haven't used the SFX ones yet. I've also just started using a 6" backing plate with the DAS pads as I find it gives a more uniform pressure over the pad, especially when you lean into it a bit.



dalepearson - don't worry about the orange DAS pad, whilst it does have some cut to it I've found it to be very safe, and sometimes I've gone straight from SSR2.5 with that pad to an LSP - it's not as aggressive as some people think.



Richt - you can use VW with both the green or blue pads. If you want to use VMs polishing ability (very very mild) I'd use the green, if you just want the glaze side, go with the blue. For RMG I'd go with the blue.



Ben.
 
yeah the SRP is great on PC. I think it made a difference to some very small marks - but it certainly isn't a swirl remover - it just doesn't have the cut to do that. That said, onmy sisters clio there were some fine scratches / scuff's from a thorn bush on the drivers side which she had made whilst reversing into her driveway. These were almost totally removed so I guess it does something!

I do think it is an exceptional cleaner though. as I said, my sisters clio has never seen a wash in the 18 months she has owned it. I ony had limited time so I gave a quick wash with AG shampoo, dried it off and used SRP on speed5 - was great - the pad was very dirty afterwards, but the paint looked great!. Topped with P21S wax and even though the whole work only took about an hour - the car looked better than new.

I use the green DAS pad for the SRP - for VM / RMG, I would recommend the DAS blue - although I have no experience of those products, I just think they would be more suited to a finishing pad than a polishing
 
I just wanted to try using the PC on the Mrs car, its old so minor risk, and thought I would use some products I already had rather thant the stuff I am buying specificly for my car and PC use. So the Megs should be fine on hers, and help me get used to the machine.



I think i have nearly decided what forumla I am going to use on my car, I will post that in the right section though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top