Please convince me that there's still hope

[scholar]

I guess some people have it and some don't. well...I DON"T

frustrating day........

Was a PC user for years, but never was totally successful at getting rid of swirls, so i just concentrated on finishing and LSP. fast forward to today, got my makita last week and tried it on my lightly swirled Red Audi A4.

started with LC white and IP, Prep-All wipe down...Nothing
Meguiars Polishing..Nothing
Green LC Pad...Nothing
Orange LC Pad...Nothing

I MEAN NOTHING!!!! so i washed it again to get rid of IP dust and slapped some PB Natty Blue and called it a day after 8 hours...jeeeez

technique-wise, line -up IP on panel, spread on 600 rpm
1 pass at 900 rpm
2-3 passes at 1500 (bumped to 1700) at the last try
1-2 passes at 900 rpm

i know it doesn't matter, but i tried the makita (with 85RD only) 2 weeks ago on a honda
and I was successful at breaking it down. like i said, i never had success nor even try my swirl removing skills on a PC, but i thought the rotary would at least give me some kind of success.

thanks all

[Frito Bandito]

Just keep at it, you can do it!

Honda clear is very soft so that's probably why you had success with 85RD on it. Also, Audi clear is notoriously hard which might explain your problems with your car. Maybe try a more aggressive compound? My experience has been that IP is actually pretty mild. I'm new to the rotary myself and I've never worked on an Audi so I can't offer too much in the way of product advise for your car but I'm sure someone else will chime in.

[rydawg]

There is hope and don't give up!

Slow your speed to 1200 and slow your passes down working the IP into the paint with little pressure keeping the pad wet. Examine the paint and keep an eye on what's happening and this will give you better undestanding of how it works and what you are accomplishing.

Good luck!

[Stanger'66]

I use SIP and an orange pad on my hard GM clear with great results. Maybe try that?

[scholar]

thanks guys

just frustrating, 4 pads and nothing?

will try again., maybe next week...

will a novice see/make a difference with SIP?

[SuperBee364]

Originally Posted by scholar

thanks guys

just frustrating, 4 pads and nothing?

will try again., maybe next week...

will a novice see/make a difference with SIP?

Absolutely. Just understand that SIP can be a major PITA sometimes. It can be *very* finicky. If you have problems with it spitting, flashing over, hopping, etc., try adding an ounce of PO106FF or PO85RD to four ounces of SIP. It'll reduce it's cutting ability some, but it'll make it play nicer, give you more working time, and finish off even better than it already does. Also, alot of guys have had problems using SIP with orange LC pads. A couple guys even had their pads smoke(!) on em. Try either the green or the white foam, or even better, a LC purple foamed wool pad.

You might want to pick up a few purple foamed pads... they are far easier to use than foam, cut better, and run cooler. Much safer than foam.

You could also try using the PFW pad with just regular old IP, too. The wool will give you a bit more cutting power.

Don't give up, man, you'll get there!

[scholar]

thank you.

i'll try the PFW before SIP.

again, just frustrating that an orange pad didn't make a dent. i'm sure it's technique more than anything.

odd that none of you suggested the LC Yellow. too much?

again, thanks all. will let you know in a week or two....

maybe my username jinxed me.."not too smart, scholar"

[tC_Crazy]

I see you've gone through a lot of trouble with getting a good correcting combo. I learned (like you) the hard way that a test spot can save hours. You just do the full work on a small section to see if it accomplishes what you want. If the test spot looks perfect, the rest of the car using the same technique should be perfect as well.

And I can attest to the horrors of SIP when it is not working. It gums up in a few seconds and becomes useless. Working times are often less than 30 seconds and it leaves a big gummy residual mess. However, when it works, it is a great tool.

[SuperBee364]

Originally Posted by scholar

thank you.

i'll try the PFW before SIP.

again, just frustrating that an orange pad didn't make a dent. i'm sure it's technique more than anything.

odd that none of you suggested the LC Yellow. too much?

again, thanks all. will let you know in a week or two....

maybe my username jinxed me.."not too smart, scholar"

Never been able to get that pad to finish down very well.

[charlesaferg]

Originally Posted by SuperBee364

Never been able to get that pad to finish down very well.

W3rd.
I hate those d@mn things...

I sent mine back to AG, I just never used em.

Originally Posted by SuperBee364

Also, alot of guys have had problems using SIP with orange LC pads. A couple guys even had their pads smoke(!) on em.

?!?

Come on they must have been doing something wrong...

SIP is my workhorse! Maybe I'm just so used to this polish that it's become what I base practically everything else on, but I don't ever have problems unless its...

-Really humid (just close the garage door)
-Way too cold (35-ish F?)
-Silicone beneath it(this is the worst of all, hopping and huge gummy mess)
-Too much polish or gummed up pad (watch out for this!)

I have fallen in love with the stuff, if worked properly can finish down to an LSP-ready finish. It works fast without holograms, and of course with minimal effort.
IMHO my absolute favorite polish ever made.

[IanB]

SIP will really help, but IP should make some correction possible. What type of RIDS are you trying to remove, RIDS swirls, or RIDS straight line scratches (you can see these better in the shade actually). The swirls should be removed, work the product longer, and make sure you have the 6" pads and go at a slow speed 1" per second is would I would do.

I also have frozen diamonds hard Audi paint. 2005 A6, it took a 6 inch orange pad with SIP to clear up swirls on one full breakdown/application, 5 no more than 6 passes at 1500-1700 rpm, then 1 or two passes at 1000 rpm on my flex rotary 3403. Other than that, nothing could fully correct my swirls, I would get about 80% correction with SFX1, 1Z Extra, M105 (although 105 I was not using correctly), SIP is the bomb, and using the prep-all wipe down will be your best friend with SIP.

My .02 about
IB

[MotorCity]

Sounds like a job for some wool pads via rotary!!!