Using my PC for the first time.....am i doing something wrong? help needed

Rez90 · 10-17-09, 11:14

I'm using my PC for the first time today on my black vette. I have LC grey, white, and orange pads. The products i'm using are Poorboys SSR1 and SSR2.5.

in every instance i'm spreading the polish on speed 3 and then going very slowly around the paint until the polish breaks down on speed 5. then wiping the residue.

I started on the front quarter panel (which had the most surface scratches) and started with SSR1 with a white pad. didn't really do anything. Then i tried SSR2.5 on a white pad. the only difference i see is a million tiny scratches now....with a tiny bit of improvement on the scratches i was trying to get rid of.....

then, i tried SSR2.5 on an orange pad. There seemed to be very very little improvement showing that some of the surface scratches went away....but now i'm left with MILLIONS of tiny surface scratches......Millions. So i went back to a white pad and SSR1 hoping it would take care of them......no luck.

This is where i am now. i'm not sure if i've made an improvement or made the paint look worse.

can anyone give me some suggestions on how to get my paint cleaned up? I thought i did my research and this was going to be pretty straight forward....but it doesn't seem to be working out the way i planned. Thanks.

Accumulator · 10-17-09, 11:48

Rez90- I can't really be of more help as I'm utterly unfamiliar with the SSR line of polishes.

BUT...generally 'vettes have hard clear. The SSR 1 wouldn't, *I'd guess*, do much correction, but I'd expect it to clear up any hazing the SSR 2.5 leaves.

The zillions of new marks sound like maybe they're from not breaking the polish down well enough prior to buffing it off.

Try this:

Work a smaller area; use less product; don't spread it around at speed 3, go right to speed 5; work it until it's almost dry.

Consider going from SSR 2.5/orange pad, to SSR 2.5/white, and *then* SSR 1/white. You might need to do the SSR1 more times than you'd expect.

Those are just some generic tips that might help. Sorry I can't be of more help but perhaps somebody who uses those products will have some suggestions.

Rez90 · 10-17-09, 12:57

Thanks for the input. i appreciate it. I will give a try working the polish in a little longer. One other thing i noticed is that the SSR1 on any CCS pad slings dust EVERYWHERE......

Thanks.

Accumulator · 10-17-09, 01:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rez90

Thanks for the input. i appreciate it. I will give a try working the polish in a little longer. One other thing i noticed is that the SSR1 on any CCS pad slings dust EVERYWHERE......

Well, I dunno if anything in my post was truly worthy of thanks, but you're welcome anyhow.

The dust issue makes me think that you probably *are* using too much product. Some of the products I use are kinda notorious for dusting, but I hardly ever even notice it as I use the minimum amount (at least of *those* products) necessary to do the job.

Excess product makes it less likely that you're breaking down the abrasives sufficiently, and that kinda goes along with the marks you're getting. But again, I'm really just guessing here.

EDIT: something else occurred to me; the dust might contain undiminished abrasives, and that could add to the problem. Try keeping the pads cleaner (yeah, that can be a hassle).

SuperBee364 · 10-17-09, 03:38

Rez90, I agree with Accumulator, especially about the marks you're getting. I would *highly* recommend switching to other products. Your 'vette clear is hard, hard, hard. Some of the hardest out there.

My very favorite products for hard 'vette clear (and this is gonna surprise some guys on here) is still Menzerna Super Intensive Polish with a Purple Foamed Wool pad on a rotary. Since that doesn't sound like an option for you, I would go with your Orange LC pad and Maguiars M105. Just use it exactly as it says to do so on the label. After you're done with the correcting work, you'll want to follow the M105 with M205 on a grey pad. Again, use it exactly according to directions.

With both polishes, expect to have to do more than one application to get the desired results. I would expect to have to do two applications of M105 and two applications of M205. Definition of "application": Apply product, buff til it's done, remove residue. So yeah, it'll be a long, long day.

tdekany · 10-17-09, 04:35

As I said on the vette forum.......

Good luck.

Cleaning Fool · 10-17-09, 04:59

What size pad are you using? 4 inch will give you the best correction, I certainly wouldn't be using 6.5.

Accumulator · 10-18-09, 09:33

OK, since some others have already opened this door, I'll add my truly candid$0.02:

I kinda shy away from "buy all new stuff" type responses if I can, so I didn't say that in my initial response, but honestly....I'd buy some 4" pads, some M105, M205, and some Menzerna finishing polish.

Beating yourself up with an ineffective, or even just inefficient, approach isn't my cup of tea.

But I don't want anybody to think I'm slamming the SSR line, especially since I've never used it. It's just pretty easy for me to recommend stuff that works so well for so many people (myself included), even when the clear in question is very hard.