Confused about Polishes/Pads
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From: Maine
Confused about Polishes/Pads
I just got myself a PC 7424.
I'll use it on my daughters car first 
She has many issues from scratches that can be felt with my fingernail to heavy swirls. What pad/polish should I use?
My truck still new, i would use to get that showroom shine back. It only has some minor 'web type swirls' what pad/polish should I use?
Thanks
Bob
I'll use it on my daughters car first She has many issues from scratches that can be felt with my fingernail to heavy swirls. What pad/polish should I use?
My truck still new, i would use to get that showroom shine back. It only has some minor 'web type swirls' what pad/polish should I use?
Thanks
Bob
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Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,056
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From: Missouri
Scratches that you can feel with a fingernail= problem.. not going to be buffed out.
For heavy swirls I would say go with something like Meguiars 105 followed by 205 or 80.. You might not even need 105 though.
For light swirls, start with 205 or 80, or if they are REALLY light hit it with some 9.
For heavy swirls I would say go with something like Meguiars 105 followed by 205 or 80.. You might not even need 105 though.
For light swirls, start with 205 or 80, or if they are REALLY light hit it with some 9.
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From: The Bluegrass State
The problem with your post is that you've asked an open-ended question. To that point though, let me take a minute to 'try' and help...
There are a lot of pad/product combinations out there that can get the job done. For simplicity sake, I'm going to walk you down a path that is somewhat tried and true and is very simplistic...
Pads - My persona preference is Meguiar's pads. They're no frills and offer a very straight forward approach to pad/product selection. While some will argue that it's nice to have 12 different pads that all cut differently, I'd argue that it's absolute overkill and is unnecessary. Everyone has their opinion...
Your pad of choice - based upon your description - is going to be a Meguiar's Yellow Polishing Pad (6.5" - never use a larger pad on a PC (aka:7427/DA/PC/Porter Cable/G100)). This pad is designed to be a bit more aggressive than that of a 'finishing pad' and will provide a bit more abrasion between product and paint. This is a necessity to remove the problems that you've described.
Also, while we're talking about those problems, the scratches that you're feeling with your fingernail aren't going to be able to be fully removed thus, I don't think it'd be wise to try. While one can improve the look/feel/appearance of this type of a problem, it'd not be smart to try to get it out. The reason that you can feel them is that they've likely compromised the clear coat and thus, the only remedy is a full respray. Again though, you can improve the look of these areas fairly simplistically -- they just won't be removed.
Products - This is pandora's box without us seeing some of it but, from the sounds of it, the finish is in hellishly bad shape. First, let's start by telling you that you shouldn't expect miracles here. You'll improve this car but, it's not going to be showroom. Sorry. We're not voodoo masters here (Rollingrock is though -- but he is an IBM'er).
After a very good wash, the likely first step is going to be to clay the vehicle. This'll remove bonded contaminants. Secondly, we're going to abrasively polish -- this is where that first product is going to come in. Sight unseen, it's a tough call to make to tell you what to try out thus, I'm going to request some pictures and additional information...
1. What kind of 'car' is this? What year Are we talking a BMW or are we talking about a Cavalier? I ask this to attempt to get some kind of a feel for what kind of paint we're dealing with here (ie: hellishly hard or fairly soft/normal).
2. What kinds of products are available to you in your market? Preferably, we'd probably rather recommend professional products but, if you can't get your paws on stuff locally, we can point you towards places that will serve to suck your wallet dry via the internet. LOL! 3M, Meguiar's, and several others make pretty solid products that many of us know, use, and like...
3. What's your comfort level with that new machine of yours? I'll tell you, it's pretty simplistic but, for whatever reason, some are terrified of it.
4. What are your expectations? As I mentioned earlier, this isn't going to fix some of your problems and expecting that it's going to look showroom new is absolutely unrealistic. Even as a pro detailer, I'd *never* tell a client that I can correct problems that can't be corrected (ie: scratches that catch your fingernail).
Sorry to ramble a bit but, I just want to make sure we point you in the right direction and get you off to a good start. Remember, be patient with this and don't really worry a lot about hurting the paint beyond what it sounds like has already been done to it. While you certainly can damage a finish utilizing the PC, it's pretty darn difficult and you almost have to be an absolute bonehead to pull it off. My point, common sense goes a mile and a half when you're detailing...
Feel free to PM or email me if you have specific questions but, we'll get you going in the right direction... no worries.
-RP-
There are a lot of pad/product combinations out there that can get the job done. For simplicity sake, I'm going to walk you down a path that is somewhat tried and true and is very simplistic...
Pads - My persona preference is Meguiar's pads. They're no frills and offer a very straight forward approach to pad/product selection. While some will argue that it's nice to have 12 different pads that all cut differently, I'd argue that it's absolute overkill and is unnecessary. Everyone has their opinion...
Your pad of choice - based upon your description - is going to be a Meguiar's Yellow Polishing Pad (6.5" - never use a larger pad on a PC (aka:7427/DA/PC/Porter Cable/G100)). This pad is designed to be a bit more aggressive than that of a 'finishing pad' and will provide a bit more abrasion between product and paint. This is a necessity to remove the problems that you've described.
Also, while we're talking about those problems, the scratches that you're feeling with your fingernail aren't going to be able to be fully removed thus, I don't think it'd be wise to try. While one can improve the look/feel/appearance of this type of a problem, it'd not be smart to try to get it out. The reason that you can feel them is that they've likely compromised the clear coat and thus, the only remedy is a full respray. Again though, you can improve the look of these areas fairly simplistically -- they just won't be removed.
Products - This is pandora's box without us seeing some of it but, from the sounds of it, the finish is in hellishly bad shape. First, let's start by telling you that you shouldn't expect miracles here. You'll improve this car but, it's not going to be showroom. Sorry. We're not voodoo masters here (Rollingrock is though -- but he is an IBM'er).
After a very good wash, the likely first step is going to be to clay the vehicle. This'll remove bonded contaminants. Secondly, we're going to abrasively polish -- this is where that first product is going to come in. Sight unseen, it's a tough call to make to tell you what to try out thus, I'm going to request some pictures and additional information...
1. What kind of 'car' is this? What year Are we talking a BMW or are we talking about a Cavalier? I ask this to attempt to get some kind of a feel for what kind of paint we're dealing with here (ie: hellishly hard or fairly soft/normal).
2. What kinds of products are available to you in your market? Preferably, we'd probably rather recommend professional products but, if you can't get your paws on stuff locally, we can point you towards places that will serve to suck your wallet dry via the internet. LOL! 3M, Meguiar's, and several others make pretty solid products that many of us know, use, and like...
3. What's your comfort level with that new machine of yours? I'll tell you, it's pretty simplistic but, for whatever reason, some are terrified of it.
4. What are your expectations? As I mentioned earlier, this isn't going to fix some of your problems and expecting that it's going to look showroom new is absolutely unrealistic. Even as a pro detailer, I'd *never* tell a client that I can correct problems that can't be corrected (ie: scratches that catch your fingernail).
Sorry to ramble a bit but, I just want to make sure we point you in the right direction and get you off to a good start. Remember, be patient with this and don't really worry a lot about hurting the paint beyond what it sounds like has already been done to it. While you certainly can damage a finish utilizing the PC, it's pretty darn difficult and you almost have to be an absolute bonehead to pull it off. My point, common sense goes a mile and a half when you're detailing...
Feel free to PM or email me if you have specific questions but, we'll get you going in the right direction... no worries.
-RP-
Thread Starter
|
Member
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 80
Likes: 0
From: Maine
There are a lot of pad/product combinations out there that can get the job done. For simplicity sake, I'm going to walk you down a path that is somewhat tried and true and is very simplistic...
Pads - My persona preference is Meguiar's pads. They're no frills and offer a very straight forward approach to pad/product selection. While some will argue that it's nice to have 12 different pads that all cut differently, I'd argue that it's absolute overkill and is unnecessary. Everyone has their opinion...
Your pad of choice - based upon your description - is going to be a Meguiar's Yellow Polishing Pad (6.5" - never use a larger pad on a PC (aka:7427/DA/PC/Porter Cable/G100)). This pad is designed to be a bit more aggressive than that of a 'finishing pad' and will provide a bit more abrasion between product and paint. This is a necessity to remove the problems that you've described.
Also, while we're talking about those problems, the scratches that you're feeling with your fingernail aren't going to be able to be fully removed thus, I don't think it'd be wise to try. While one can improve the look/feel/appearance of this type of a problem, it'd not be smart to try to get it out. The reason that you can feel them is that they've likely compromised the clear coat and thus, the only remedy is a full respray. Again though, you can improve the look of these areas fairly simplistically -- they just won't be removed.
Products - This is pandora's box without us seeing some of it but, from the sounds of it, the finish is in hellishly bad shape. First, let's start by telling you that you shouldn't expect miracles here. You'll improve this car but, it's not going to be showroom. Sorry. We're not voodoo masters here (Rollingrock is though -- but he is an IBM'er).
After a very good wash, the likely first step is going to be to clay the vehicle. This'll remove bonded contaminants. Secondly, we're going to abrasively polish -- this is where that first product is going to come in. Sight unseen, it's a tough call to make to tell you what to try out thus, I'm going to request some pictures and additional information...
1. What kind of 'car' is this? What year Are we talking a BMW or are we talking about a Cavalier? I ask this to attempt to get some kind of a feel for what kind of paint we're dealing with here (ie: hellishly hard or fairly soft/normal).
2. What kinds of products are available to you in your market? Preferably, we'd probably rather recommend professional products but, if you can't get your paws on stuff locally, we can point you towards places that will serve to suck your wallet dry via the internet. LOL! 3M, Meguiar's, and several others make pretty solid products that many of us know, use, and like...
3. What's your comfort level with that new machine of yours? I'll tell you, it's pretty simplistic but, for whatever reason, some are terrified of it.
4. What are your expectations? As I mentioned earlier, this isn't going to fix some of your problems and expecting that it's going to look showroom new is absolutely unrealistic. Even as a pro detailer, I'd *never* tell a client that I can correct problems that can't be corrected (ie: scratches that catch your fingernail).
Sorry to ramble a bit but, I just want to make sure we point you in the right direction and get you off to a good start. Remember, be patient with this and don't really worry a lot about hurting the paint beyond what it sounds like has already been done to it. While you certainly can damage a finish utilizing the PC, it's pretty darn difficult and you almost have to be an absolute bonehead to pull it off. My point, common sense goes a mile and a half when you're detailing...
Feel free to PM or email me if you have specific questions but, we'll get you going in the right direction... no worries.
-RP-[/QUOTE]
Hi no I'm not expecting My daughters car (a 2000 Dodge Neon, silver) I'm just want to make it better than it is now. I do not expect to remove the scratches. It now has no gloss to it. I tried to take a pictures but it doesn't show how things really are. The pics actually look good. I'm also using her car as a test to get myself accustomed to the polisher because in the end what I really want is to use it on my truck. I'm looking to get pointed in the right direction. I see polishers like Megs 210, 90 etc. The numbers don't mean anything to me. So i'd like to have some specific polish and the color pad i should use. I would prefer not to go aggressive yet until i get accustomed to the polisher. Now as for my truck until i get confident with the polisher I'd just like to use it for applying a wax or sealent without doing any correction. Once i'm feeling good about this polisher then I'll want to try it for removing minor spider webs. So what color pad should i use for the truck? Thanks for all your help/suggestions
Bob
Pads - My persona preference is Meguiar's pads. They're no frills and offer a very straight forward approach to pad/product selection. While some will argue that it's nice to have 12 different pads that all cut differently, I'd argue that it's absolute overkill and is unnecessary. Everyone has their opinion...
Your pad of choice - based upon your description - is going to be a Meguiar's Yellow Polishing Pad (6.5" - never use a larger pad on a PC (aka:7427/DA/PC/Porter Cable/G100)). This pad is designed to be a bit more aggressive than that of a 'finishing pad' and will provide a bit more abrasion between product and paint. This is a necessity to remove the problems that you've described.
Also, while we're talking about those problems, the scratches that you're feeling with your fingernail aren't going to be able to be fully removed thus, I don't think it'd be wise to try. While one can improve the look/feel/appearance of this type of a problem, it'd not be smart to try to get it out. The reason that you can feel them is that they've likely compromised the clear coat and thus, the only remedy is a full respray. Again though, you can improve the look of these areas fairly simplistically -- they just won't be removed.
Products - This is pandora's box without us seeing some of it but, from the sounds of it, the finish is in hellishly bad shape. First, let's start by telling you that you shouldn't expect miracles here. You'll improve this car but, it's not going to be showroom. Sorry. We're not voodoo masters here (Rollingrock is though -- but he is an IBM'er).
After a very good wash, the likely first step is going to be to clay the vehicle. This'll remove bonded contaminants. Secondly, we're going to abrasively polish -- this is where that first product is going to come in. Sight unseen, it's a tough call to make to tell you what to try out thus, I'm going to request some pictures and additional information...
1. What kind of 'car' is this? What year Are we talking a BMW or are we talking about a Cavalier? I ask this to attempt to get some kind of a feel for what kind of paint we're dealing with here (ie: hellishly hard or fairly soft/normal).
2. What kinds of products are available to you in your market? Preferably, we'd probably rather recommend professional products but, if you can't get your paws on stuff locally, we can point you towards places that will serve to suck your wallet dry via the internet. LOL! 3M, Meguiar's, and several others make pretty solid products that many of us know, use, and like...
3. What's your comfort level with that new machine of yours? I'll tell you, it's pretty simplistic but, for whatever reason, some are terrified of it.
4. What are your expectations? As I mentioned earlier, this isn't going to fix some of your problems and expecting that it's going to look showroom new is absolutely unrealistic. Even as a pro detailer, I'd *never* tell a client that I can correct problems that can't be corrected (ie: scratches that catch your fingernail).
Sorry to ramble a bit but, I just want to make sure we point you in the right direction and get you off to a good start. Remember, be patient with this and don't really worry a lot about hurting the paint beyond what it sounds like has already been done to it. While you certainly can damage a finish utilizing the PC, it's pretty darn difficult and you almost have to be an absolute bonehead to pull it off. My point, common sense goes a mile and a half when you're detailing...
Feel free to PM or email me if you have specific questions but, we'll get you going in the right direction... no worries.
-RP-[/QUOTE]
Hi no I'm not expecting My daughters car (a 2000 Dodge Neon, silver) I'm just want to make it better than it is now. I do not expect to remove the scratches. It now has no gloss to it. I tried to take a pictures but it doesn't show how things really are. The pics actually look good. I'm also using her car as a test to get myself accustomed to the polisher because in the end what I really want is to use it on my truck. I'm looking to get pointed in the right direction. I see polishers like Megs 210, 90 etc. The numbers don't mean anything to me. So i'd like to have some specific polish and the color pad i should use. I would prefer not to go aggressive yet until i get accustomed to the polisher. Now as for my truck until i get confident with the polisher I'd just like to use it for applying a wax or sealent without doing any correction. Once i'm feeling good about this polisher then I'll want to try it for removing minor spider webs. So what color pad should i use for the truck? Thanks for all your help/suggestions
Bob
Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 62
Likes: 0
From: Central Florida
Let me start off by saying I am in no way a professional detailer. I just enjoy taking care of my vehicles and I am still learing great things from the pros on this site. One web site I love is autogeek.net. They have a huge selection of products and they also have great videos of info on how and what products work together and how to apply using your PC 7424. Check it out if anything you can get some info on how to use your PC. 