HELP! Is it time for me to learn a rotary?

[Z06_Pilot]

Hi folks,



been using a PC for a few years with great success.



we just bought a 2004 Cayenne. TONS of swirls and plenty of scratches(although none of them catch my fingernail)



I just bought a Flex 3401 RO and Menzerna products for the first time: IP, SIP, 106ff, and FMJ.



SIP and 106ff worked just great on all cars except the Cayenne.



i am doing it now. using IP with an LC orange pad, Flex RO on 5. I clayed the hood, and ran IP over it. Using medium to heavy pressure, I broke the hood up into 4 sections.



I ran the flex in the up down/side-side pattern probably 10-12 full squares on each of the four sections.



swirls-completely gone....scratches...still there.



So, is it time for me to get past my intense fear and get a rotary for corrections like this?



thanks.



Jeff.

[imported_Denzil]

It`s quite possible... it really depends if YOU feel you`re ready.

[VroomVroom]

I`m in the same boat - I`m seeing things with my PC that I just can`t correct. And, on my last customer job I worked next to a guy who was detailing a custom-build black Trans Am. He was using a DeWalt 849 and I was just drooling....his correction and polishing effort went much faster than mine, yet he started out working on a finish in much worse condition. He was kind enough to let me play on a couple of panels, and it really got me thinking about it.



Anyway, I think the answer is a conditional yes, as long as you can practice on something other than ze biggest German in your driveway. :D That said, I just recently started experimenting with 4" pads on the PC. I haven`t done any serious corrective work, but the results I have seen are pretty awesome. So for me it`s still a push. I can`t really justify the time commitment right now, but the itch will have to be scratched sometime. Good luck with your decision.

[dsms]

The scratches still visible after even heavy correcting w/ the Flex kill me. I want a Makita oh so much.

[imported_shine]

Do you know how much clear you are willing to remove to get rid of the scratches? With a rotary you obviously have a lot more power...At what point do you give up removing them? Without any rotary experience myself, these are the questions that come to mind. I would like to get one at some point to speed up the correcting process a little.

[fergnation]

First of all, I have a Makita. Actually a couple of them. But I also have a UDM and would like to have a Flex. There are just sometimes where the clear is so soft that I finish with the UDM. But I just wanted to throw this out to those that feel like they have to have a rotary to correct a scratch.



I can`t ever remember a time that I couldn`t correct a correctable scratch with the UDM or (freinds) PC. The rotary will be a lot faster sure, but don`t run out and buy one just because you have scratches.



Z06 Pilot- man a flex can do anything a rotary can do. Especially with the products you have. Unfortunatey I don`t think you can use anything smaller than a 6" pad. But there are some pretty tough yellow pads out there and the SIP can get through just about every clear on the planet. Heck, is made for the clears on a Benz.



Hint- be patient, slow down on the strokes. Use a harsher pad (will need to clean up marring) but that is the only way to get down into the scratches. Also, it may take three or four passes but even rotaries don`t always do it on the first try.



A flex is a pretty mean machine. Go back out to that Cayeen and get at it till they are gone.

[Z06_Pilot]

thanks folks,



can anyone recommend a more aggressive pad than the LC orange CCS I currently use for polishing with my Flex RO?



thanks...

[imported_shine]

The yellow LC pads are more aggressive than the orange.

[Scottwax]

I`d try Meguiars #105 first, if that doesn`t work, go up to a rotary.



I find that even on soft paint, I get a better finish with the rotary than the UDM, Cyclo or PC. The rotary breaks the polishes down better so no buffer haze like you can get with a DA/RO buffer. Now that 3M has put out Ultrafina SE, it is pretty easy for even a still new (6 months) rotary user to finish out swirl free.

[imported_Denzil]

Can a Flex really do anything that a rotary can do? I`m really not sure if that`s possible. Does anyone know for sure?