PC +ZP-C + Sonus SFX-1 Pad - No Workie

[andyman]

Got a white honda accord (seemingly like trying to polish a rock). Z-PC and a sonus YELLOW pad isn`t aggressive enough. to get rid of some deep swilrs. Car is outside 24x7 in the southeast, is a 1999 Taffeta White Accord and has 106k miles.



I have some SFX-1 that I haven`t tried, and some 3M Perfect-It II Fine cut rubbing compound that I also haven`t tried.



I am fearful that the SFX-1 or 3M stuff may be TOO aggressive, and that I may need to first try someting like OCP or IP.



I`m also not sure where SFX-1 and the 3M PI II fit into the "chart" with OCP and IP.



Thoughts?



Thanks,

Andy

[andyman]

Bump. Anyone have suggestions?

[EMazda3S]

1999 w/116K outside all day.... Z-PC will not touch it.

You need to be more aggressive. I haven`t used the Sonus line yet but I`m sure it`s excellent.

I don`t think that Sonus 1 is too aggressive at all for what you need. You may have to follow it up with another less abrasive polish (maybe Z-PC will work) if it causes any marring but you may not have this problem on white.

The 3m product is excellent too.



If you have concerns with the cutting products, perhaps try Sonus 2 or Optimum Polish or Menzerna FP II first to see what they are capable of but I think you will likely have to step it up, especially if the car has never been polished before.



Use the cutting pad first and follow up with the polishing pad for your second go round` with a less abrasive, finishing polish. Again, you can try the less aggresive products with a polishing pad first but I really question if it`ll do anything for your car.



There is a list on the net comparing different product lines but I apologize that I don`t have the link here at work and I don`t know if Menzerna or Optimum are on that list.



From what I`ve read, I think Sonus 1 and OC are quite similar while Menzerna IP is a bit stronger and I have a feeling that the 3M has similar cut to either OC or IP but hopefully others can be more specific for you in this regard. I have used the 3M product and it works great but it does cause some hazing that can easily be cleaned up with a finishing polish.





Have fun!



Eric

[GeneralEclectic]

I`ve been doing this as an accomplished amateur for a long time. And last week, I finally bought a PC 7424 as a complement to my trusty old B&D 6124 single-speed pro rotary buffer. First impression -- the PC 7424 is a nice toy.



I`ll give it credit for being able to deal with intricate curvatures and other tight spots, but for a job like you`re describing, forget it. You`ll be messing around with it for hours. The main reason for this is the inability to fine-tune the balance on the thing. When it`s out of balance, which it always is, and you`re using a heavy-cut product, you will have to run it at a very slow speed to avoid "chicken-scratches". IOW, it will take you all day to do one pass over a small car. With a powerful rotary like my B&D, and a medium-heavy cutting material like Meguiars Heavy Cut Cleaner on their 1000 series (or 7000 if the swirl is really bad) pads you can do a car that size in well under an hour.



I basically agree with the advice from EMazda35 with the above caution about the RO polishers. They just don`t have the cookes to deal with serious paint flaws. You will be much happier with a real buffer (I think the current version of what I have is the DeWalt DW845, but if I had to replace it today I`d probably get the variable speed version DW847. These weigh 7lb and are not toys. Do not buy the excessively powerful (and heavier) DW849. Get yourself the Velcro pad from Meguiars and an 8" 1000 series pad. Use their Heavy-cut cleaner. Follow that up with a pass with their W9000 pad and Swirl Remover (if there`s any swirl left from the HCCleaner, which there should NOT be), or for maximum gloss, their Machine Glaze. You will be amazed at the results.