Help,1rst time w/PC = 0 results, why?

[dtailmycar]

Guys I just got my PC a couple of days ago and decided to test it on my car today. I got a white 86` Saab 900 that was repainted 3 years ago. Since that day the paint hasn`t been polish, glaze, or sealed, just a couple of light passes with a cheap carnauba wax. I use the following process with no results, all the light swirls and marks, as well as light scratches and some oxidation points remain the same .. process:

1.wash car with dawn

2.clay magic

3.wash car with turtle wax concentrated wash

4.Meguiar`s ColorX with a foam bonnet (no improvement after this step, why)

5.Meguair`s Deep Crystal Polish step 2 with the foam pad provided with the pc (no improvement after this step neither)

6. 3M foam polishing pad glaze, swirls mark remover by hand with a foam pad apliccator

7. Black Magic liquid wax by hand with foam pad apliccator,

*for steps 4-5, I started the pc at 2 and worked my way up to 6

for steps 6-7 I buffed away with a microfiber towel

[gmblack3]

You need to get some real pads my friend.



I highly recommend a few each of the blue and green P2s from excel (http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=exceldetail&ct=29307&recview=11)



You might also need a backing plate (http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=exceldetail&ct=37932&pd=178369)



Most use the pad that comes with the PC for glass polishing and thats it.

[harvey]

I thouht that the PC came with a backing plate?

[Bluesbrekr]

I thouht that the PC came with a backing plate?



Mine came with one. Not bad, but not very flexible. I`ve bought a couple different ones since then.



Getting some better pads will vastly improve the performance of the PC. I have no problem removing swirls/light scratches with the proper pads and products.

[dtailmycar]

I also want to know if there anything that you could possible do to control the PC vibration, it really gets into your arms when putted on 5.5- 6.0 speeds...

[Louie]

Color X and foam bonnet - assuming this is one of the foam bonnets that have either ties or an elastic band that fits over a foam pad, if so, then the pad slides around too much to create any friction. Color X is relatively minor and probably not going to take too many swirls out. Meg`s DC #2 is a pure polish with no abrasives that will hide imperfections and not remove them.



The pad supplied with the unit (thick white pad glued to the backing plate) isn`t too good for polishing cars. A lot of on-line options properautocare.com (look for lake county pads), autogeek.net, etc. This crappy pad vibrates like mad, nothing like correct polishing pads.



Many options for polishes dedicated to removing swirls - if you do not get them out using polishes then you aren`t going to get them out using glazes and waxes. Meguiar`s #80 is a good place to start if you like their product (I do) if it isn`t getting everything out you might step upto Meg`s #83. Poor Boy`s SSR1 and 2 (or 2.5) are pretty popular around this forum as well.



Technique has a lot to do with results. First time out I spread a thin coat of Meg`s #9 on a panel and buffed off with a microfiber - nothing happened. Learned to apply pressure, go over small areas, do multiple passes, use less product than I thought I needed, and kept inspecting as I went.



Get better pads, dedicated products and try again...

[Accumulator]

A few thoughts:



To lessen the vibration, try taking off the side handle.



The pad that comes with the PC really is junk and might`ve even made your marring worse. Get some good pads. I`m not all that picky about backing plates but I do prefer the "flex" plate that different places sell.



If the car was reshot in a single stage, good luck. Single stage white is the hardest paint there is and is often beyond correction (at least without a rotary). If, on the other hand, it was reshot in basecoat/clear, then you can probably fix it up pretty well with the right approach.



Try using a more aggressive product. The Color-X is *very* mild, you have to really *work* at it to fix any marring with that stuff and IMO it`s too mild for this job (look at how little it did for you). The Meg`s DC #2 is *nonabrasive* and the 3m stuff is almost as mild.



Meg`s #80 is a standard answer for jobs like this; you could try that. My preferred route: if you can find the recently discontinued 3M PI-III RC (05933) and PI-III MG (05937) I`d use those. If you can find those products (and you can, I still see them around) you should be able to make some great headway towards your goal.



Distill the process down to stuff that`ll make a definite, functinal difference: an agressive product (05933) as needed, a milder one (05937) all over, then wax. It`ll look good. Heh heh, I`m so certain of it that I`ll say this: if those products don`t work for you, somebody like me will probably offer to buy them off ya ;)