What am I doing wrong here? *pic*

[imported_95legend]

If you used compound on with a LC black final finishing pad, you'll probably need more than white polishing pad to get the swirls out. You probably need something like a yellow cutting pad or equivalant. You might not be cutting through the compound marks leaving the finish swirled.

So should I use the yellow, and then step down to the white, and finally the black finishing pad?

 

[imported_Ivan Rajic]

You need more pads and products... and slow down the 1.5ft/sec... at first I thought that was a typing error



I would suggest, considering you have the LC white and black pads, you get a yellow and orange pad, and forget the black one (this is all IMO since I never need a black pad to finish down, white and mild polish always does the trick)

and also get a couple more Meg's polishes... #82, 80 are good, #9 is also good...



What I'm saying here is what you should do to start detailing another car, but to just fix the marring you're getting right now, I would simply suggest you wash out your white pad, let it dry, buy some Meg's #9 at a local auto store (buy 80 or 82 if you can since 9 has some fillers, but will still get the job done)

then use the white pad and #9 at around 1200 RPM...



I go about 3-5inches/ second at 1200 RPM 97% of the time with the rotary, and have yet to see marring with the pad/polish combo I suggested... even on ss black paint... so I think you're going WAYYY too fast... like I said at first, I though you mis-typed it... I can't even imagine covering 18 inches in a second... turbo rotary?



hope that helps

 

[JasonD]

Yes it does feel gritty. I wanted to mention that for a fact, but I didn't think there were that many different 3M rubbing compound

Yep, that's what I thought. I wouldn't use it if I were you. Believe it or not, there are a LOT of different types of compounds. The term "Compound" is mostly a marketing tool, not an actual description of a product. Granted, when you see "Compound" you know that it is going to have some kind of cutting ability, but how much cutting ability is the question. I like calling everything polishes instead because that's really more of what they are, a polish.



Anyway, I recommend the other two 3M products instead of the one you are using, and personally, I like them better than the Meg's stuff.

 

[David Fermani]

So should I use the yellow, and then step down to the white, and finally the black finishing pad?

1st of all I'd reconsider using something heavy like 3M compound. There other less abrasive products that will correct the finish without going full blown. Next, I'd use your correcting product with a cutting pad(yellow) and not a polishing pad to get the best workability out of it(don't worry, you won't be creating more work). Then, I'd step down the product and *probably* the pad to a polishing pad(white). After that, I'd LSP and your done or *maybe*, I repeat *maybe* use a black final finishing pad to apply your LSP. I can count on 1 hand the amount of times I've needed to bring out my LC black finishing pad in the 1000's of cars I've done. Try the worst portion of your car this way and let us know if it helps.

 

[imported_95legend]

I would suggest, considering you have the LC white and black pads, you get a yellow and orange pad, and forget the black one (this is all IMO since I never need a black pad to finish down, white and mild polish always does the trick)

and also get a couple more Meg's polishes... #82, 80 are good, #9 is also good...

My yellow and Orange pads are have more cutting power than the white pad. I thought I'm suppose to reduce the cutting?



I have #9, but i never used it because I dont like fillers.



I'll slow down on the speed though. My initial impression that under 1ft/sec was too slow because of all the horror stories I hear. :waxing:

 

[imported_95legend]

Yep, that's what I thought. I wouldn't use it if I were you. Believe it or not, there are a LOT of different types of compounds. The term "Compound" is mostly a marketing tool, not an actual description of a product. Granted, when you see "Compound" you know that it is going to have some kind of cutting ability, but how much cutting ability is the question. I like calling everything polishes instead because that's really more of what they are, a polish.



Anyway, I recommend the other two 3M products instead of the one you are using, and personally, I like them better than the Meg's stuff.

I'll try out the 3M stuff you recommended. I think a buddy of mine has that. I'll try to use it before I buy myself a bottle.Thanks

 

[JasonD]

That's the key. Just try different things until you find what works best for *you*. That's all that matters.

 

[imported_Ivan Rajic]

My yellow and Orange pads are have more cutting power than the white pad. I thought I'm suppose to reduce the cutting?



I have #9, but i never used it because I dont like fillers.



I'll slow down on the speed though. My initial impression that under 1ft/sec was too slow because of all the horror stories I hear. :waxing:

I said somewhere later that for starting another detail, you should have some more aggressive pads/polishes... for your current situation, I would stick to the white pad, and try a few different polishes, less abrasive than #83... give #9 a try... if you only have marring, it won't fill that, only tiny scratches/swirls... I don't like fillers either, but use #9 after cutting the paint just for a slicker surface... fillers are only a + at that time

 

[Accumulator]

As far as I know, isn't the PI-III more abrasive than my DACP? If so, how will that help my marring problem? Do you have any recommendation for a polish that I can apply after DACP or my current 3M?

IME the PI-III RC 05933 can often both do more work *and* finish out better than the #83. And it's a *lot* more user-friendly IMO.



As JDookie said, don't read too much into the names...that PI-III RC is fairly mild stuff even though it might sound really aggressive.



But the PI-III stuff is getting hard to find (my local autobody/paint supply place no longer has any PI-III MG 05937 ). Available on-line though.



The PI-II Fine Cut Rubbing Compound (pn 39002 in the 16 oz bottle) is similar but doesn't finish out quite as well. It's still pretty easy to find, but wear a proper mask if you use it; silica-based abrasives can kill you just like asbestos.



Watch for rotary holograms withPI-III/PI-II products...I always do a Cyclo/PC follow-up.



The #80 could work great as a follow-up to more aggressive products *if* those products break down fairly well.