Confused on PC usage and SwirlBuster Directions

[ChiliCooperS]

Hey I am so confused on the proper PC technique.

I have polished my car like twice, with what a couple of you on here have told me is the wrong technique:

Reloading the pad each time with the same amount of polish as u originally do.

Okay that's fine...

Then today I go to look at the SwirlBuster pad on the SONUS/Autopia-carcare.com website and it says to "repeat" if needed to the affected area. That is repeated the begining instructions which are:"Load the Polishing Pocket with a generous amount of Sonüs SwirlBuster™ Clearcoat Polish (or your favorite “swirl remover polish”), but no not overfill."

I guess this might explain why I haveb't been getting very good results polishing and with all that time invested I am

Mikey

[RAG]

Mikey, I'm afraid I lost you...are you thinking you've been applying too much product?

Polishing with a PC is really simple, so don't over think matters. Just apply like a nickel-sized blob (or 4" line) of product and work in with the PC. Genarally beginners use a little too much product. Move the PC about 1" per second and made about 3 passes over each spot. One advantage of that swirlbuster pad is that it is firm, allowing you to apply pressure to the pad - to an extent, the more pressure you apply, the more you are going to get done.

If you are not able to remove as many swirls and scratches as you want, you will have to step up to a more aggressive product first, then go back and finish with the swirlbuster product. For this youcan try SFX-1, Optimum Compound, or Menzerna Intensive Polish (the swirl buster pad will be great for these products too).

[Setec Astronomy]

Mikey, the Swirlbuster pad is a slightly different animal than other polishing pads. Generally speaking, if you have too much polish on your pad you may 1) have ineffective swirl removal due to the polish buffering the pad from the paint 2) have splatter 3) you may build up difficult to remove polish on the paint 4) you may have increase your swirls with coarse polishes by not breaking down the polish effectively. For most pads, as they become "primed" they absorb some of the polish, once this happens, you need less polish because it is no longer soaking into the pad on successive applications. The Swirlbuster pad may need a little different technique due to its feature of "holding" the polish.

Two polishing sessions is probably not enough to really get the hang of things. Be patient, experiment if you like with different amounts of polish, and see which gives you the best results.

[ChiliCooperS]

Originally Posted by RAG

Mikey, I'm afraid I lost you...are you thinking you've been applying too much product?

Yeah that's exactly what I think.

I have the SFX pad kit currently if that makes any difference.

Mikey

[RAG]

It makes a little difference, as the orange foam (same foam used by American Buffing/Propel and Lake Country) is a little bit of a different beast in the way it absorbs product. But to the point - just make sure that when you turn the machine on and spread the product around over a 2 or 3 squar foot area, you have a very thing film of product coverage and not a thick milky looking coverage. Just use your best judgement with regard to the amount of product from there.

[Reflections]

Mikey I have not used the new swirlbuster pad, but if you are trying to correct moderate swirling you will need to jack the speed up and use some pressure with the PC. Be sure you are working the polish until it is broken down, but do not keep polishing until it is dry!

Work in a small area, maybe a quarter of your hood for example, and keep working at it until you get the results you are looking for. You may need to switch to a more aggressive pad or polish/compound. Once you get the results you desire, you'll have an idea as to what you need to do with the rest of your car.

You'll get it figured out with some practice. Good luck!