Can you really remove swirls with PC

jw · 08-20-07, 09:57

I have a PC and haven't really haven't had much luck with removing swirls with the pc. I guess I'm wondering can the PC really remove swirls or do you really have to have a rotary? If you can use a PC what am I doing wrong?

BigJimZ28 · 08-20-07, 10:03

short answer YES!

need some info to help you out
1. what kind and size pads are you using?
2. what polishes / coumpounds have you tried?
3. what is the year, make, model and color of the car?
4. did you read this:http://autopia.org/forum/guide-detai...-polisher.html

kordunas · 08-20-07, 10:03

yes PC can remove swirls, but it depends on what product you are using and what kind of pad

FMINUS · 08-20-07, 10:15

Yes u can!

jw · 08-20-07, 10:30

Thanks for the quick replies. Here are the products and pads i've used.

Menzerna IP
Menzerna FP
Menzerna 106ff

I have LC pads that are yellow, orange, green, and white. The cars I polish most often are an 07 911, 03 Audi A4. I also do a 05 Infiniti G35 that's really swirled. Nothing I try even seems to touch the G35 swirls. I'd appreciate any advice.

Thanks

jshillin · 08-21-07, 04:35

Yellow and IP should work for you even though with a PC I usually use yellow or orange and SIP.

Eliot Ness · 08-21-07, 06:27

Autopia member blkyukon has a good web site that has videos of defect removal with a PC:

Paintcare & Detailing - Enthusiasts guide to detailing

Accumulator · 08-21-07, 12:01

jw- Fellow Audi owner here. IMO you'll need 4" pads to correct Audi clear. It *will* do it with the 4" pads and the right product, but it will probably take a *LOT* more time/passes than you'd expect. If I can remove fingernail scratches *by hand* from behind door handles, the PC can do the rest of the car...just a matter of time and determination. Might be a *lot* of time though, as in hours per panel.

Artificial-I · 08-21-07, 09:02

I can totally eliminate swirls on my black honda paint. I use #9 with the blue sonus das pad. That pretty much nukes it , do it every year or 6 months or so. Possibly the swirls your working with are a tad bit worse. Just get more aggressive on the pad and product in a section till you notice they dissapear.

Im not against rotaries but if you need to use one , I normally would say the paint is in bad condition or you just dont want to waste time with a pc on a detail when you dont have much time that day or just like to be efficient.

jshillin · 08-22-07, 04:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Artificial-I

I can totally eliminate swirls on my black honda paint. I use #9 with the blue sonus das pad. That pretty much nukes it , do it every year or 6 months or so. Possibly the swirls your working with are a tad bit worse. Just get more aggressive on the pad and product in a section till you notice they dissapear.

Im not against rotaries but if you need to use one , I normally would say the paint is in bad condition or you just dont want to waste time with a pc on a detail when you dont have much time that day or just like to be efficient.

He's dealing with a harder clear coat that you are...

Accumulator · 08-22-07, 11:13

Yeah, the hardness of the paint can make all the difference. I've *never* needed the rotary on my MPV (I even have to watch I don't get too aggressive with the PC/4" combos), but unless I want to spend hours per panel, I surely *do* need the rotary to do the Audis.

Last time I did a very mild RIDS on the S8 via PC I was gonna count passes...I was using a pretty aggressive compound with a 4" pad for the initial correction and I lost count long before I had it corrected. And then it took more passes with milder products to bring up the gloss. One tiny bit of marring took a long, long time. Since then I've used the rotary for such stuff, and it still doesn't go fast...and that's the kind of light marring that's almost impossible to see with the naked eye. Hard clear is a whole different ballgame.