New PC user needs help!!!!!!

[02silversihb]

Alright so I recently got my PC and I bought some 1z Extra/1z pasta intensiv/4 star swirl remover and for the LIFE of me I cannot take the swirls out of my paint.....



Can ANYONE help me?

[Accumulator]

Welcome to Autopia!



The 1Z stuff is pretty aggressive, as much so as I`d use with the PC. Some paints are just *very* hard, such as the clear on Audis. For significant correction on such paints, the PC really isn`t the appropriate tool. I sometimes think people read the stuff we post here and get unrealistic expectations about what the PC can do.



Get some 4" pads and a suitable backing plate. Use speed 5 and put a bit of pressure on the PC. Do multiple, very slow passes and spend a *lot* of time on each panel (perhaps, literally, hours). Expect some not-so-micromarring from this approach that the 4-star stuff probably won`t take out. You`ll probably have to use something like 1Z PP to remove this. I`d use 4" pads for this also. The smaller pads allow the PC to operate much more effectively.



If the above approach doesn`t get it, you just need a more aggressive machine than the PC.

[maecrispy]

wihtout knowing how you worked the polishes and what pads you used, it`s really hard to tell you what went wrong.



In general, like Accumulator said, it takes time to remove significant defects. Best advice I can give is to give your polish a chance to work. I make a few slow passes vertically and then horizontally. I work it until it starts to dust. Then I wipe down to check my progress. I also use polishes that have no fillers so I can really see what I`m doing. Sometimes you`ll have to over the same are multiple times.



If needed, step up the cutting power of the pads you`re using. LC orange and SSR3 is about as abrasive as I`ve gone but that has been able to handle just about anything I`ve attemped to do.



PC`s are great in that it`s hard to really make mistakes with them but the price you pay is speed... it just doesn`t work as fast as a rotary.

[02silversihb]

Alright well to answer some of the questions....



The car is a 2002 Honda civic si which is silver



The pads I used can be found on www.detailersparadise.com

All pads are 6.5 inch pads



I used the 1z extra with a yellow cutting pad



1z intensiv with a white cutting pad



4 start swirl remover with a orange cutting pad.



The pads they have are as follows



Yellow - heaviest cut

white - medium cut

orange - light cut

black - finishing pad



I`ve been lurking quite a bit on the site for about a year and a half now and decided that it was time i take a step further.



I was wondering if possibly I may need to try the SSR 1-3 on my paint?

[maecrispy]

From what you list, it might just be technique. 1Z IP, extra are both pretty high up on the cut chart (right up there with SS3) and with yellow pad, that`s a lot of cutting going on.



Just be patient and do multiple passes if you have to. For heavy cutting, I typically use a med. cut pad with SSR2.5 followed by SSR1 with a polishing pad.



I dunno, from what you list, I don`t see why you shouldn`t be able to work out those swirls. You`re using pretty heavy cut stuff and Honda paint is pretty soft.



I`d work on a small 2*2 section and do multiple passes until you get the results you want and then repeat for the rest of the car.

[Accumulator]

Yeah, I don`t think switching brands of polish is the best solution.



I`ve used 1Z Ultra/Extra to remove some pretty bad marring, even on Audis.



Just as an experiment, you might try working a small area by hand, using a MF to apply/work the product. I`ve removed fingernail scratches from behind Audi door handles with this approach many times, and that`s a hard thing to do.



I still think you oughta be using 4" pads to do this sort of thing by PC.

[imported_intoran]

I`ve been having a little touble also with #83. I cannot figure out when to stop. It seems like it dries on me really quick. I am going to try some SSR2.5 as I hear it is easier to work with.



My advice to myself and others is to keep reading and keep practicing.

[Accumulator]

Originally posted by intoran

I`ve been having a little touble also with #83. I cannot figure out when to stop.. .



You`re not the only person who finds #83 a little less than user-friendly ;)