Menzerna FP II: Am I doing the wrong thing?

[vaca222]

Hi everyone. Just a few days ago I decided to start work on the car. Up until this winter th paint was in almost perfect condition, but I was unable to keep it garaged this year. The mighty New England snow brush put all types of marks on the car, but nothing serious...at least, I think.



I washed my car, clayed it with Griot`s clay, then washed it again. Then I took out the Menzerna FP II with white polishing pad. I put some on the hood, smeared it around, and set the PC to 4. I worked the product in until it was almost dry, but when I buffed it out I didn`t seem to really do much.



How hard should I push down on the PC? Did I not use enough product? Maybe the swirling is just a bit more difficult to get out than planned. I went out and purchased a bottle of IP just to have it around, but I`m thinking that should do the trick, right?



Any help or feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

[brwill2005]

Yeah, the FP is a light finishing polish. Even IP might not be powerful enough with the PC. Definitely give IP a try though.

[sQuashed]

Try the IP with the PC cranked up to 5-6 and apply moderate pressure to the PC. It may take a couple passes but you should master it soon !!

[vaca222]

Okay, thanks! I`m starting to feel better about it already. I had this wave of disappointment come over me when I saw that most of the marring was still there, I thought it would disappear magically! No problems, IP is on it`s way!



Now, let`s say that IP doesn`t do the trick...is there something more abrasive than that? I don`t think I`ll have to go beyond the IP though.

[spotpad]

Meg`s #83 DACP would be more aggressive than IP. 3M`s Perfect-It III Rubbing Compound (don`t let the name fool you) is a bit more aggressive than DACP.

[Alfisti]

IP should handle most marring if its not too deep. You may need to make several passes but it`ll do it.



FP is a finishing polish...don`t be dissapointed by it - you`ll appreciate it when you use it to give it the final gloss enhancement. It `burnishes` the finish a notch or two better than you have. :up

[AudiOn19s]

You never stated what you`re working on...some companies clear is harder than others. I had the same experience with my car at first before doing research here and finding that Audi clear is some of the hardest around.



biggest piece of advise that I can give you work trying to remove swirling and marring with a PC is to work VERY SLOWLY....almost soo slow that the buffer is creaping across the paint.



So give it another stab working slowly...IP with a white pad...then IP with an orange pad...then IP with a yellow pad if all else fails then maybe step up to #83 and start the pad rotation over again.



Andy

[imported_DARKSTI]

try FPII with a cutting pad, it got out a lot of marring and spiderwebs for me.

[vaca222]

Thanks again everyone. I hesitated on the orange pad thinking that it might be a bit too aggressive (this is only my 2nd or 3rd time with the PC, I`m clearly still a novice at least in my opinion). I`ll give it a few more passes, slowly, and see what happens. Luckily I have a lot of time this weekend to spend with the car!



The car is a 2002 Mercedes C230 Kompressor coupe. Not the hardest of clears, I don`t think.

[imported_DARKSTI]

Thanks again everyone. I hesitated on the orange pad thinking that it might be a bit too aggressive (this is only my 2nd or 3rd time with the PC, I`m clearly still a novice at least in my opinion). I`ll give it a few more passes, slowly, and see what happens. Luckily I have a lot of time this weekend to spend with the car!



The car is a 2002 Mercedes C230 Kompressor coupe. Not the hardest of clears, I don`t think.

i thought the same thing, but then someone used it on orange at speed 6 and he was able to get rid of 95% of swirls. doesnt leave too much hazing if any.

[whiteg240]

If you decide to use the 3M Rubbing Compound, I suggest you use the Fine compound first. Use that on a cutting pad with the PC set to about 3-4. If the Fine compound does not work, You can move to the Medium. But BEWARE... You will see alot of hazing with the Medium compound. So just be prepared to polish the car a couple times.