Unimpresed with PC

Y

Yaemish

New member
Let me start by saying tha tI have a dark blue car (GM Paint). The car is a 96 and living in Upstate, NY, the paint has seen its share of harshness. I picked up all the different pads for the PC along with SSR 2.5 and SSR 1. I'm not sure if I expected a miricle, but upon close examination, small circular scratches are still visible. While the finish is mirror-like, I don't think the products removed any scratches.



I started using a green pad with the 2.5 and moved up to yellow when I noticed that it wasn't really harsh enough. I followed the SSR 2.5 with SSR1 and a blue pad.



I'll post pics tomorrow, but I can't help but feeling that maybe I didn't do it right but having experimented, I don't think this is the case. Should my paint look brand new?
 
I don't know much about PC, YET, because I haven't received my pads yet. So I'll give you some other input.



It sounds as if this was your first time with the PC and SSRs. Maybe all you need is a little more practice with the PC and SSRs. I'm pretty sure that when I first use my PC, the job I do won't be as good as the ones i'll be doing later on. With time and practice, comes experience. And with more experience you have with your tools and products, the better the job you'll be doing and the happier you'll be with the results.



There are others in here that will provide more input on your procedure and such...



BTW, will you be joining us on 4/23 and 4/24 in Staten Island??
 
Yaemish .. Can you tell us how you used the PC? How quickly you moved the PC around, the pressure you applied to the PC, how much polish you used, which pads you used and how long you worked the polish for?



If you tell us this we might be in a better position to help.
 
What RedondoV6 asked.



I had a short learning curve with the PC and a little longer learning curve with the Makita rotary. Techniques can vary, some work better than others, but telling us more information will help.



Whats in SI on the 23/24?
 
Wow thanks!



Anyway back to topic. Something else to add. A PC will make a good finish look great. But if the defects on the paint are serious, then I would move to a rotary. The PC can only do so much before the next step is needed.
 
I did read that. I tried all kinds of different techniques on different parts of the car. I tried heavy pressure, light pressure, but most of the time I did just as the forums said to. I went pretty slowly and experimented with differents ammounts of the SSR but my car still dosn't look that great. I'll put some pics up tomorrwo when I have some light.
 
Sometimes going over the same panel 2 to 4 times (each time actually working in the polish to break it down and actually remove some of the defects) will yield results. I would sometimes spend 2 or 3 hours polishing with the PC on a neglected car and yield mediocre results when 1.5 to 2 hours with a rotary will yield spectacular results.



Jason
 
JasonC8301 said:
Sometimes going over the same panel 2 to 4 times (each time actually working in the polish to break it down and actually remove some of the defects) will yield results. I would sometimes spend 2 or 3 hours polishing with the PC on a neglected car and yield mediocre results when 1.5 to 2 hours with a rotary will yield spectacular results.



Jason
Click to expand...



werd. Plus, there is the possibility that some scratches may be too deep for the PC to get regardless, and maybe even for a rotary.



What I would recommend if you aren't comfortable doing jobs with a rotary (something I'm just starting to learn on) go to a pro shop and get it rotary polished, then keep it maintained with the PC.
 
I took some pictures this morning. Like I said, I'm not really happy, not sure if i should just bring it somewhere an have the pro's do it or maybe even get a new paint job.



good1.jpg




Thats one of the few angels taht my paint looks good at (ignore the splatter, I haven't cleaned the windows yet)



good2.jpg




bad1.jpg




Now here's where it starts getting bad



bad2.jpg




bad3.jpg




Like I said, the SSR2.5 with Yellow doesn't really look like it did the job. Does everyone else usually get better results?
 
That swirling looks repairable.

You may want to try a higher abrasive compound and progress down the abrasive scale afterwards with the PB polishes. Something like Meg's Light Cut will eliminate most of those swirls by PC but will dull the finish intially but will be re-highlited by the PB's. Of course, a rotary will do the job quicker and eliminate more marring with a less abrasive starting point.
 
I'm not really that interested in trying a rotary because of all the things I can potentially do wrong. At this point would you guys recommend taking it to a professional?
 
Perhaps the 3m Perfect It III/3000 line up and/or Menzerna will do the trick.



I'm unfamilar with those green,yellow and blue pads.



I use Lake Country: yellow cutting, white polishing ( on all three: PC, Cyclo and rotary), and then black finishing( use with AIO via PC)



Perhaps you need a new product and pad selection. :nixweiss
 
PC on SSR2.5 w/LC Yellow foam pad @ 5.5 OPM. That will hit it.

Those minor swirls arent that bad at all. How many passes did you do? 2? 3?



Man, if PC cant get it off. Then rotary will need to step in :bow
 
blkZ28Conv said:
That swirling looks repairable.

You may want to try a higher abrasive compound and progress down the abrasive scale afterwards with the PB polishes. Something like Meg's Light Cut will eliminate most of those swirls by PC but will dull the finish intially but will be re-highlited by the PB's. Of course, a rotary will do the job quicker and eliminate more marring with a less abrasive starting point.
Click to expand...



Yeah -- I usually can get swirls like that out with DACP on a Meg's 8006 Polishing Pad (yellow foam). Just have to work it nice and slow/patient at speed 6.
 
You may have to work a more aggressive pad / polish combo at a slow pace allowing it to break down and polish the surface. You then may have to follow up with a finer polish to complete the polishing step.



It's all in the pad / product / technique / process to tackle the job.



That paint is correctable via PC. Check this thread out regarding the capabilities of the PC. All achieved by members of this board. You'll also learn how to use the PC properly.



http://www.bettercarcare.com/articles.php?articleId=47
 
OK, my OCD is getting the best of me and I really want to give it another go. One spot on my trunk, I turned the PC up to 5 and gave it three or more good passes with SSR 2.5 (this is yesterday). While it got the swirls out, it got really dull and the SSR 1 didn't really seem to make it any less dull.



What speed should I have the PC set on for each, SSR 2.5 and SSR 1 and with what pads? Is there any way I can burn the paint and kill it? Is more SSR better than less?
 
Can't help with the SSR Qs as I haven't tried them.



Using a 4" pad on the PC will make it behave much more aggressively (but still safely). With the smaller pad, you can apply more pressure without bogging down the machine. I've removed worse-looking marring than that with a 4" pad, and on rather hard clear, too.
 
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