First polishing experience with the Flex 3401

[Xcessiv]

Hi,

I'm very new to the detailing world and just bought a Flex 3401 (dual action). Here's the paint under 2x 250w bulbs:




Here's what I bought:
1x Flex 3401
2x Grit Guard Bucket Insert
1x Riccardo Clay Lubricant
2x Lake Country CCS 6.5" Blue
2x Lake Country CCS 6.5" Orange
2x Lake Country CCS 6.5" White
10x Tornado Buffing Towel
2x 100% Sheepskin Mitt
1x Poorboy's Super Slick & Suds Wash
2x Snappy Clean Foam Pad Cleaner
Trim tape

1x Riccardo Clay
1x Menzerna SIP
1x Menzerna Nano
1x Poorboy's EX-P
1x Poorboy's Natty Blue

I was wondering...
1) With the SIP, what speed/pad should I start with? My initial plan was speed 5 and white pad, followed by speed 5 and orange pad if it doesn't work, followed by speed 6 and orange pad with slightly more pressure if it doesn't work.
2) With the Nano, what speed/pad should I start with? My initial plan was speed 5 and white pad.
3) What about the sealant & wax? With the 3401 or by hand?
4) I saw some videos on youtube with the PC, they suggest making reallllly slow movements up-down-left-right to ensure that the polish breaks down. Since the 3401 is different, I guess the rule is also different? What's the optimal movement speed for each phase?

Thank you!
Regards,
Yan

[SuperBee364]

IMHO, *all* of your product choices are top notch.

As for speed, don't worry about using max, max speed is your friend. That applies for the SIP and the Nano. For max shine, do two seperate applications of the Nano polish. One using the white pad, the second using the blue.

My personal preference is to apply sealants and waxes by hand. It's much easier to control where the stuff is going by hand than by DA.

Don't stress too much about what kind of pattern you use to polish. Just make sure you are consistent in the number of passes over each area, and keep the buffer head moving at all times.

Let's see some pics when you're done!

[dsms]

Great choice of products, I use pretty much all the pads you bought w/ my flex and im happy with it. Now im guessing these pads are all new so you might want to run them under hot water first and then dry them to loosen them up a bit, especially the orange ccs it can get a little grabby sometimes. Also if your flex came with a side "soft vib" handle, use it! I just started using mine a few weeks ago and it makes polishing side panels and lowers areas so much less difficult compared to the overhead bale handle. Enjoy and post some pics when you finish.

[Xcessiv]

I did my first test tonight on a small area... WOW, the Flex really rockz. :worship2:

1) Clay. I'm not too convinced of this step, the paint felt the same before and after. I'm not sure if I did it properly.
2) SIP. I started with the white pad at speed 4.5. The results weren't very good, still 30% scratches remaining.
3) SIP try #2. I used the orange pad at speed 6, with a bit more polish. WOW! 0% scratch remaining.
4) Nano polish. I used the white pad at speed 6 with a decent amount of polish. It came out really nice.

Here's the result before the sealant and the wax:


Not bad for a first polishing experience ever!

Some questions...
1) Is there a video on how-to clay?
2) I don't have pad cleaner yet. What's the best "home solution" to clean pads?

Thank you.

[dsms]

Results look awesome, especially with no LSP. With clay sometimes your shocked by how much surface contaminants you pick up and sometimes your shocked by how little get picked up. Im not familiar w. riccardo clay but it might be a very fine grade and its harder to pick up contaminants w. a fine clay, I found this out using Sonus green. If you want a video on how to clay check this one out see if it helps, again great job on the correction.

How to Video - Pinnacle Car detailing video from wash to wax

[SuperBee364]

Wow, that is top notch correction.. first time or not, that's what you want to see. Very nice!

[Xcessiv]

Thank you guys!

One more question. Can I:
- polish this weekend
- leave the car in a garage 1 week
- then seal / wax 1 week later?

Will the job be as good or if I should avoid leaving the car polished without any protection?

[superchargedg]

Great job for your first time and you gotta love the flex.

[KnuckleBuckett]

Yes. Yes you can. You may need to do a quick wash or ONR to remove the dust that settles on the finish though.

[alowe]

WOW!!! Huge difference, looks like a completely different car!

[bamorris2]

Excellent results!

On a side note, that "before" pic has got to be one of the WORST swirl jobs that I've ever seen. Looks absolutely horrible!

[jchambers]

any pics of the completed job? We need more than one finish shot. Don't tease!