started testing the pC

8

862sik

New member
long story, sorrie.



well after a year of reading on this site, my girlfriend finally got fed up with me talking about the PC and got me one =).



the other day i started to use it on my "ok" neglected van. its a 99 green mercury villager with like 100k. it is waxed seldomly with a cheap craftsman buffer but always had alot of swirls, scratches, marring, and water spots.



i took a stab at what i had since my gf didnt get me any pads but 2 white ones.



i first hit it with mequiars #9 swril remover. did a nice job, i started rubbin it in at speed 3 then to speed 5. worked it in for a bit until it finally broke down. the results were nice, yet i still saw some marring.



so then i hit it with 3m perfect II rubbing compound/polish. used the same white pad and hit it, the first thing i noticed was that the rubbing compound in less than a minute turned to dust!. so i tried it again, used a bit more compound, and wet the pad a bit more...still turned to dust. so then i tried once more but instead of working it at speed 5, i went down to speed 4 until it started to break down and then went to a speed 5 to polish it out.



the results turned out great. 99% of the marring and swirls were gone, the more deeper scratches of course wasnt but those wernt in my mind at all.



i then hit it with mequiars #9 and it coverd the rest of the marring to my satisfaction.



i was going to be a bad boy and just buy a orange pad, ssr 2.5 and hit my paint but i have read on this site to start out with the least agressive approach, i think thats BS but i did it anways and i am happy at the moment that i didnt go balls out.



though just doing the hood and 2 fenders took me 2 hours....trying to find out whats right and learn how to use the PC.



i am about to buy some more pads for the pc, especially the hook and loop pads, a few white, and orange pads just incase. should i go for ssr 2.5 and ssr1? or do i have a nice equivalant with the mequiars #9 and 3m? i already have klassle AIO and SG by my side for special cars =)



i am also going to invest in clay, and a microfiber wash mit (to replace my ugly mit) as well as a pad spur...bold & bright.



also i have some marring swirls on my window by me using a coarse green pad and some abrasive cleaner to get some water spots off my windows, is there any saving that? i did that a year ago =/



any other tips?



sorrie for the long post.:thx
 
More pads are always good I guess. What size do you have now? I only had 6 inch pads for a while but picked up some 4 inch to get into tighter spots and to aid in faster correction.



There are many polishes to try, just a few include Optimum, Menzerna, ZPC (Zaino), Pinnacle, the Megs you are using, the Poorboys you mentioned, etc. Do some searches on them, see what people think/ have said in the past/present. Do you have any pad cleaner for your pads as well?



This might help with the glass problem

http://autopia.org/forum/product-spotlight-articles/80686-autoglym-glass-polish.html#post817341



Clay is good, wash mitt(s) with 2 bucket method and quality soap is good too. That or if you don't have water restrictions you can get a foam gun and use that with your wash too.



That is about all I have, some others with more knowledge than I might be able to help ya more.
 
862sik said:
long story, sorrie.



well after a year of reading on this site, my girlfriend finally got fed up with me talking about the PC and got me one =).



the other day i started to use it on my "ok" neglected van. its a 99 green mercury villager with like 100k. it is waxed seldomly with a cheap craftsman buffer but always had alot of swirls, scratches, marring, and water spots.



i took a stab at what i had since my gf didnt get me any pads but 2 white ones.



i first hit it with mequiars #9 swril remover. did a nice job, i started rubbin it in at speed 3 then to speed 5. worked it in for a bit until it finally broke down. the results were nice, yet i still saw some marring.



so then i hit it with 3m perfect II rubbing compound/polish. used the same white pad and hit it, the first thing i noticed was that the rubbing compound in less than a minute turned to dust!. so i tried it again, used a bit more compound, and wet the pad a bit more...still turned to dust. so then i tried once more but instead of working it at speed 5, i went down to speed 4 until it started to break down and then went to a speed 5 to polish it out.



the results turned out great. 99% of the marring and swirls were gone, the more deeper scratches of course wasnt but those wernt in my mind at all.



i then hit it with mequiars #9 and it coverd the rest of the marring to my satisfaction.



i was going to be a bad boy and just buy a orange pad, ssr 2.5 and hit my paint but i have read on this site to start out with the least agressive approach, i think thats BS but i did it anways and i am happy at the moment that i didnt go balls out.



though just doing the hood and 2 fenders took me 2 hours....trying to find out whats right and learn how to use the PC.



i am about to buy some more pads for the pc, especially the hook and loop pads, a few white, and orange pads just incase. should i go for ssr 2.5 and ssr1? or do i have a nice equivalant with the mequiars #9 and 3m? i already have klassle AIO and SG by my side for special cars =)



i am also going to invest in clay, and a microfiber wash mit (to replace my ugly mit) as well as a pad spur...bold & bright.



also i have some marring swirls on my window by me using a coarse green pad and some abrasive cleaner to get some water spots off my windows, is there any saving that? i did that a year ago =/



any other tips?



sorrie for the long post.:thx
Click to expand...



Beware, before you know it you will be buying every product mentioned on this site.



The Poorboy's SSR's are good polishes. I have used them for a long time, and had great results. As far as pads go, you can never have too many. I personally use the yellow, white and blue to most. Have never been a big fan of the orange pads.
 
i would LOVE to try all the products, i researched and heard good about optimum and ssr products.



im just wondering is my megs #9 comparable to the ssr...as in should i get ssr?



at the moment im on 6'' pads. i need a pad spur badly, the 3m loves to cake on the pad.
 
862sik- Glad to hear things are going well.



Note the the 3M PI-II RC contains a silica-based abrasive, which can do an asbestos-type number on your lungs. Do yourself a favor and get the proper mask...that dust really can kill you.



IMO you oughta try the 1Z line of polishes. I get mine from Welcome to Exceldetail.com! or Aloha & Welcome to Our Oasis for All Your Auto Detailing Supplies & Accessories. *VERY* user-friendly and quite effective. IMO they'd be a perfect step up from what you're using now.
 
i started using a mask, i noticed me not breathing nicely with that product, thanks for the tip.



i worked on the rest of the van today, side doors and rear which were really ugly. 3m cleaned it up really nice, taking the water spots, marring, swirls, and even the gritty surface off. i thought i needed to clay but i was lazy to buy some but now the paint is smooth.



and i hate the dusting 3m gives off...



my white polish pad that i used for the 3m is starting to come apart at the glue where it holds the backing plate. i orderd 4 white pads, 2 orange pads, 2 black pads, some ssr 2.5 and ssr 1, as well as bold n bright from poorboys. i need to order a pad spur though =)



love the pc!
 
based on how it turned out, do you think that you would have been fine with using the pc for the first time on a non-neglected car?
 
862sik said:
i need to order a pad spur though..
Click to expand...



I dunno, I never use one with foam pads. I use a toothbrush-style brush with the rotary, but for the PC/Cyclo I just spray the pads with #34 and rub/blot them with a cotton towel. I did the whole MPV with one set of Cyclo pads per product that way, and it's a pretty big vehicle to do with one set of 4" pads.
 
twentyone said:
based on how it turned out, do you think that you would have been fine with using the pc for the first time on a non-neglected car?
Click to expand...



i think so, but since i know what a somewhat neglected car involves, then i know what a non neglected car will need.



that and searching for hours on this site lol!



i wonder if i can use a brush to clean my pads, 3m products stick to my pad overtime.
 
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