What am I doing wrong - Disappointed with Menzerna - Please HELP!!

R

rcurley55

New member
A bit of background here - I just got a 2001 Imola Red BMW M3 Coupe. :bow I love this car - it's just that the previous owner did a great job of installing some swirls/light scratches in the paint.



So, I decided to use Menzerna's IP and FP (with orange and white pads respectively) to clean up the paint. The paint has swirls and many light scratches - none of which can be felt with a fingernail.



So, I washed then clayed the car. Then followed up with the IP on an orange pad at around speed 5 with my PC. I buffed it until almost dry, and they wiped down with the help of a MF and some 50/50 alcohol/h2o mix.



After inspection, most of the swirls were gone, but all of the fine scratches were still there!! :mad: I followed that up with FP on a white pad, and there really was no improvement over the IP. Even with multiple passes of IP or FP, the fine scratches were there and approximately 10% of the swirls remained.



Now, to put things in perspective, the car looks 100x better, but I would expect that such a strong combo (orange pad + IP) should be able to take out these very light scratches and should get rid of the swirls.



so what gives!?!? I even tried 3M SMR for dark cars, and that did absolutely nothing to remove the swirls. Not a damn thing - I've seen people post great results with that product, and it has never done a thing for me.



I've been using a PC for a while, and never really had that much luck with swirl removal. Either one of two things are happening:



a) I Am a total moron and don't know what I'm doing

b) Something wrong with my pc? - even with a counterweight for a 6" pad, the thing damn near vibrates my hand off. It doesn't run smooth at all.



PLEASE HELP ME!!!! I'm very frustrated and at my wits end :angry :(
 
I would suggest going over the area two or three times with IP until you get the look you want. Then follow up with FP and a white pad.
 
You may need a yellow pad for those remaining. Don't be afraid to crank the PC up to 6 and make multiple passes.
 
are the yellow pads stronger then an orange?



Should I be going after the scratches with a different product?



I'm just really confused....I don't bear down no the machine, but I give it a little pressure, and I certainly don't whip it around, just a nice slow pace...



any additional suggestions - thanks for the input...
 
I don't think IP is as strong as you think it is. It sounds like you are using it correctly...you may need DACP or a few more IP passes.
 
Pressure on the PC is needed with some products. I would not be afraid to bear down on it. Use the yellow pad and then step down to the white pad.
 
wifehatescar said:
I don't think IP is as strong as you think it is. It sounds like you are using it correctly...you may need DACP or a few more IP passes.
Click to expand...



I have DACP, but that didn't do much for me on my previous black car either. I could try DACP on a yellow pad and see what it does.



Any tips there...



I'm getting a feeling that it may be technique - not product selection.



These scratches are very light, and should come out.





Then next question is that rather then trying to remove all of these, should I just try to glaze it and get a nice finish that way - I know that requires me to keep after it, but at this point, I just want the best looking finish.
 
I would use very little product on the pad with IP...two drops the size of a dime is about what I use on a given area for polishing with the PC.I wouldn't bear down too much to bog the pc down just enough so that it still spins but pressure is still being put on it. I too would use a cutting pad to go over the blemish(s) again.

Crank that baby to 6!
 
I didn't have any luck with Menzerna either. Poorboys polishes were much better for me.
 
I'd really like to get this stuff to work, I'm getting sick of purchasing more and more products when they should work...I'm begining to think it could be operator error or regardless, it requires MULTIPLE passes (like 4-5) to get any of these to work...
 
At the detailing clinics each Saturday at Meguair's, the one thing I notice about first time PC users is their technique. Of course this is the purpose of the classes is to teach good technique.



I always say,



"A little technique goes a long way"



Typically it's one of these three things or all of them,



Too slow of a speed

Too little pressure on the head

Moving the polisher to fast over the surface



Removing defects with a PC takes time and technique as well as the right product and pad.



Mike
 
Iconoclast said:
When I saw this thread on the Autopia Home page it read "What am I doing wrong - Disappointed with Men" on my browser.
Click to expand...





bwaaahahaha...that's great - leave it to me - whoops!
 
At first I didn't have much luck with my PC and the Menzurna products but after practicing some the results have improved. What worked for me? Speed 6. Start off on 3, then after one complete pass over your section got to level 4/5 then finish up on 6 till it turns to powder or is almost eliminated.



I don't know why your PC vibrates to badly. Mine has a conterweight also and I can guide it with one hand on speed 6 if I had to. (I always use two hands though) I suspect you may have something wrong with your PC or the counterweight isn't seated correctly.



Also, you may want to try Meguires Deep Crystal Paint cleaner (step 1 out of 3). I could definately tell this worked better than Menzurna's IP. I followed it up with Men. FP and my old 90' Accord shines like new.
 
Thanks for the input - I'll have to check my PC to make sure the counterweight is ok....



My PC vibrates to the point where makes my hand tingle after about 3 mintues of working with it - basically it makes my hand go to sleep...I could guide it with one hand, but that sucker really vibrates.



I have a random orbital sander, and it's far easier on my hands then this thing is..



I think I'll try dacp next.
 
This may be far-reaching but you might have carpal tunnel. My friends hands numb pretty easily when he uses vibrating equipment and he has been diagnosed with it.
 
another thing I have found with IP is to make sure your working it on a cool surface and out of direct sunlight as it tends to dry very quickly. So you dont want any undue heat or sunlight on the paint. I have found that about 2 or 3 dime size drops on a polishing pad and the PC cranked to 6 really does the trick. Dont try working to big of an area at one time either. The biggest I will work with IP is 2'x2'.
 
I would agree with most here. Switch to a more aggressive pad. IP should work fine for you, just experiment with a different cut pads. I have had good results with IP and also Poorboys SSR2 and SSR1.
 
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