Ferrari 360 swirl marks

[Juke360]

Dear all,



I recently purchased a Porter Cable 7242 and purchased Meguiars Red, Yellow and Biege together with Menzerna Instant and Final Finish Polish. This was after a lot of research and trying to find the right combination.



I have spent 3 days polishing my Ferrari only for a lot of the swirl marks to still be there!!! I used the instructional video technique, doing about a foot at a time slowly overlapping and applying medium pressure until product was broken down (usually about 3 - 5 minutes a pass. Technique was:



1 pass with Red pad Menzerna IP

1 pass with Yellow pad Menzerna IP

1 pass (new yellow pad) Menzerna Final Finish

1 Pass Biege Menzerna Final Finish



I should mention that I use Swissol (or Swiss Vax) products. Before polishing I had clay bar the whole car. After finishing with the PC process I used Swissol Cleaner Fluid and Swissol Scuderia polish.



Any thoughts on where I went wrong???????

[Todd@RUPES]

While the PC is rather fool proof, I would never suggest taking a PC to Ferrari for your first time!



You made several mistakes, which unfortunatly may not be correctable unless you use a professional with a rotary.



Meguiar`s does not recommend using thier cutting pad (red-marron) with a Portercable because you might induce micromarring into the suface. The pad is rather abrassive (one of the most abrassive if not the most abrassive pad on the market) and can cause micro scratching into the paints surfaces.



Also, you may have worked the products too long. You never want to go to a "dry" buff but instead leave a lubricating film of product behind to ensure you are not directly rubbing the pad against the surface, which can induce marring.



Ferrari`s paint is soft, that is, it is often easily correctable, so you shouldn`t have gone aggressive. A good rule of thumb is to always use the least aggressive method possible to get the correction you are after. You should start with IP and then finishing (tan) pad. Do a two x two section then check your work in the sunlight. If it is not getting the work done, step up to IP and the yellow pad. If that doesn`t get the correction done, then try IP and the yellow pad. Always do one section and figure out what product/pad combo will get the results you are after, and always check that section in the sunlight to make sure you are getting where you want to go.



If the IP/Yellow pad didn`t work, try two to three passes with the same combo. This is as aggressive as you want to get with the PC. After two to three passes (max) you should get the correction you want, then you can step down to the FPII/tan combo to refine the finish bring out the ultimate in gloss.



Again, you may need a pro with a rotary to remove the marring you likely put in. You can try making several passes with the IP/yellow pad (checking after each application) to see if this is correcting the problem.



At this point though, I would recommend looking for a pro in your area to help you correct the problem and perhaps, if they are cool, they can help you learn the PC and its techniques.



Good luck and PM me if you have any questions!

[Juke360]

Thanks for your advice. Believe it or not I got the pad advice from a guy who is a professional detailer working with Zymol and specialising on Ferrari`s!!!!



I will take your advice and try that. Tell me though...after the approach I took should there still be swirl marks???????

[RyanDe680]

While the PC is rather fool proof, I would never suggest taking a PC to Ferrari for your first time!



You made several mistakes, which unfortunatly may not be correctable unless you use a professional with a rotary.



Meguiar`s does not recommend using thier cutting pad (red-marron) with a Portercable because you might induce micromarring into the suface. The pad is rather abrassive (one of the most abrassive if not the most abrassive pad on the market) and can cause micro scratching into the paints surfaces.



Also, you may have worked the products too long. You never want to go to a "dry" buff but instead leave a lubricating film of product behind to ensure you are not directly rubbing the pad against the surface, which can induce marring.



Ferrari`s paint is soft, that is, it is often easily correctable, so you shouldn`t have gone aggressive. A good rule of thumb is to always use the least aggressive method possible to get the correction you are after. You should start with IP and then finishing (tan) pad. Do a two x two section then check your work in the sunlight. If it is not getting the work done, step up to IP and the yellow pad. If that doesn`t get the correction done, then try IP and the yellow pad. Always do one section and figure out what product/pad combo will get the results you are after, and always check that section in the sunlight to make sure you are getting where you want to go.



If the IP/Yellow pad didn`t work, try two to three passes with the same combo. This is as aggressive as you want to get with the PC. After two to three passes (max) you should get the correction you want, then you can step down to the FPII/tan combo to refine the finish bring out the ultimate in gloss.



Again, you may need a pro with a rotary to remove the marring you likely put in. You can try making several passes with the IP/yellow pad (checking after each application) to see if this is correcting the problem.



At this point though, I would recommend looking for a pro in your area to help you correct the problem and perhaps, if they are cool, they can help you learn the PC and its techniques.



Good luck and PM me if you have any questions!



:hm Uhhh, it doesn`t seem like he has any marring and didn`t work the products too long. He really didn`t go wrong in the process, he just didn`t use the proper pad combo and didn`t work it long enough it seems...







I would suggest trying a less aggressive pad and working the same size section that you were multiple times. Try the equivalent of a polish/light cut pad in Meguiars if that is what you are using (not sure of the color pad there) and then try to make 3-5 passes on your section before wiping clean. I would just stick to using the IP (Intensive Polish) for now.



Also you are removing with a microfiber right? If not, that could just be reintroducing the swirls back into the paint.



What year/age Ferrari are we talking?

[Juke360]

My Ferrari is a 2001 360 Modena. I always use Microfibre towels. Any thoughts???

[Juke360]

Would anyone suggest different pad / polish combinations to the one`s I chose???

[Todd@RUPES]

Hey Juke, the guy specializing in Ferrari`s and using Zymol`s name isn`t John, is it?



Ryan, I suggest you read what I say before trying to correct me by offering the same exact advice as I did. Your reading compreshension seems lacking...



Again, Meg`s doesn`t offer a light cutting pad (you should know that Ryan before making suggestions) and they do not recommend using their cutting pad with a Porter Cable.



Juke, the Meg`s yellow pad works well with IP and either the yellow pad or tan pad`s work great with FPII.

[RyanDe680]

Little did I know that 1 pass was "working the product too long."

[Todd@RUPES]

Define pass....



Working the product with slow arm speed, using 15 lbs of pressure for 5 minutes could be running the product dry...

[elitemobile]

juke where are you located maybe someone can swing by and give you a few tips....showing someone how to detail in person is MUCH easier than trying to type it

[Juke360]

All,



Really appreciate your help and advice. I am based in the UK, on the south coast, so I guess a little far to `swing by`. I know most of the guys on here are based in the US!!!

Yep...it would be great to get instruction though. I love cleaning my car but I fear that it is lack of technique that is hampering me rather than product. Anyway, all advice is appreciated. Any coaching techniques (although written) would be very appreciated.

[Juke360]

and defining pass.....I put pressure on the PC although I found if I put too much the pad stopped spinning!! BTW I did practice on my other cars before the Ferrari!!!!



How much pressure is too much?? Is when the PC wont spin too much pressure? Should the PC spin with any speed???

[Todd@RUPES]

Hey Juke, you want between 8-15 pounds of pressure. The motor in the PC isn`t strong enough to handle much more. If you use a really wet product (Meg`s #80 for example) you can push pretty hard, but a grabbier, less lubricated product like Menzerna IP will not tolerate the same pressure.



The general rule of the thumb is to use just enough pressure to slow the pad down, but not enough where the pad actually stalls. You will notice as your pad gets loaded with excess product that it will stall earlier, at which point you want to swap to a clean pad or clean your pad off.



Keep your arm speed slow, keep enough pressure on the pad, and work overlapping passes until the product has broken down. Also, keep the speed around 5-6 on the PC for both FPII and IP. Good luck and feel free to ask any specific questions, that is what we are here for!!!

[Juke360]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I have taken a couple of pictures to show you the swirl marks on my car. Now, I have a PC 7424 so please can anyone advise me on:



1. Product

2. Pads

3. Technique



The panel I have taken pretty much represents the whole car. With thanks



Juke

[Juke360]

Sorry - please click on the image and look where the sun is shining!!!



Thanks