1st Day Using PC! [I dont know????]

**Thunderingbird** · 07-04-2002, 09:29 PM

Well since I have a 4 day weekend I decided t detail my car. I have been planning this for a week and a half. I ordered all my goodies[about $400 worth] A couple of my orders had problems so I scrambled around trying to find a few things that I HAD TO HAVE in order to still do it.

Last night I gave the car a Dawn wash and clayed it. Now the only clay I could find localy was the blue Clay magic and it took me 2 hours of running around to find that!

I was`nt very impressed with the Clay Magic, I had to work far to hard to get the desired results.

This morning I broke out the PC and started polishing the trunk lid while the paint was drying on some chips in the hood that I had repaired. I was using 3M Perfect-it SMR things were going real good. Now it was time to do the front of the car, along with the chips there are also some very light scratch`s on the hood so I broke out the 3M Finesse-it machine polish, here is where the trouble starts. NOTHING I have will remove those scratch`s!

The odd thing about it is they are very minute scratch`s. You cannot see them when the car is out in the sun only when its in the garage with lighting on. I have done the hood 3 times! each time working the product until it breaks down and buffs off easily. However nothing removes them. What do I need to remove them? Rubbing compound?[I can get that localy] I`m using the Blackfire system. Will the Blackfire polish fill the scratch`s? I hope my PC pads come in tomarrow because the white Porter Cable pad is self destucting where the pad is glued to the backing plate. It looked like it had been snowing little chunks of white foam all over the place!

I dont think this pad likes the Finesse-it too much.[thats when it started to self destruct] Its really strange the pad looks like you took a knife blade while the pad was spinning and tried to cut off everything overhanging the backing plate. You know like a foam donut, it is cut so clean it looks like a knife done it. I dont know what to make of it. If anybody could help me out I would appreciate it. Thanks!

**Tonster** · 07-04-2002, 09:47 PM

Well i`m no expert, but I think if you try one of the yellow cutting pads it would give you a bit more bite. The white one is a polishing pad. You mention pads coming in the mail...did you get the PC kit??? If so it comes with the yellow cutting pads. If this is the case I would wait and try it with the yellow pad. I use the 3M SMR and sometimes on tough ones I use Megs Scratch-X(available at most parts stores). I also like the Mothers Clay bar.

**Thunderingbird** · 07-04-2002, 09:57 PM

I have some pads coming from Meguires. I hope one of them will do it. I`ve seen the Scratch X localy. Will Scratch X take care of it? Can I use it with the PC? I hope I can get something to work as I will not have another day off from work until way into late fall or early winter!

**Tonster** · 07-04-2002, 10:10 PM

I used the Scratch-X with the PC...Worked fine...I would wait to try the SMR with the pads you have coming...I think the red one from from meguiars will work fine. Do you have one of those (red one) coming???

**jkochis** · 07-04-2002, 10:12 PM

Wait until you get the right pads.

**Thunderingbird** · 07-04-2002, 10:14 PM

Originally posted by Tonster

I used the Scratch-X with the PC...Worked fine...I would wait to try the SMR with the pads you have coming...I think the red one from from meguiars will work fine. Do you have one of those (red one) coming???

No I dont have a red pad coming! Is that what I`m going to need? This is just great, I will not have a chance to do this again for a long,long time!

**ClayBartrug** · 07-04-2002, 10:16 PM

I`m no expert, but I concur with what was said above. I`m pretty sure it`s the pad you were using that wasn`t yeilding the desrired results. From what I`ve gathered around here, the white pad that comes with the PC is pretty useless. I think what you need to be using is either the polishing pad or the cutting pad. More likely the cutting pad, but try the less agressive approach first, then go to the cutting pad. I`ve heard to be very careful with the cutting pads though.

I just received my PC also, but have refused to break it out until my CMA pads come in the mail too...

good luck, let us know how it turns out!

**Thunderingbird** · 07-04-2002, 10:22 PM

Originally posted by RH

Wait until you get the right pads.

I understand what your saying, but I really dont have that luxury. My paint will be in pitifull shape if I have to wait until I get anymore time off from work! My new work schedule after the holiday is 7 days a week 12 hours a day until December! Plus throw in 2 hours each day comuting[1 hour each way] My life SUCKS!!

**Gatorfan** · 07-04-2002, 10:39 PM

I`m surprised you are not getting any good results with the FI-II. I think the PC pad is ok, but certainly not great. I was also impatient and wanted to use my PC before the CMA pads came. I got decent results with the FI-II and the PC supplied pad. The yellow cutting pad with FI-II did work much better, but I was nevertheless somewhat pleased with the results I got. I`m not too sure about the foam "snow," but I sometimes notice this if the pad gets too dry. Maybe a little more product on the pad would help. I don`t know if this helps too much, but I can sense your frustration and I know where you`re coming from. I was all set to do some detailing one time. My very first Zaino shipment had been delivered to my apartment complex office. I checked the tracking at work and saw it was there, so I took the rest of the day off to get some detailing done. On the way home I stopped at the spray bay to Dawn wash, so I was all set. I get to the apartment office and found they have lost my $100+ Zaino order. Since they signed for it, I couldn`t blame UPS or Zaino, so it was a big disaster. They weren`t really all that apologetic, either. I did get the amount deducted from my rent, but then again I was all psyched to detail and had no product to work with.

Anyway, sorry for the rambling, but I hope your situation improves soon :xyxthumbs. Think of all the money you`ll be making and how you can spend it on some top notch products

.

**Thunderingbird** · 07-04-2002, 11:24 PM

I really dont know if I will live through it Gatorfan!!! Even if I do, it will be some time after all the work before I will be waxing. Gotta have time to heal up you know.

**Tonster** · 07-05-2002, 10:53 AM

Thunderingbird, If you don`t have the red pad coming, you can use the yellow one from Megs too. The red is just a more agressive. I think the fat white pad that comes with the kit is pretty much useless for what you need. Good luck with your detail. Keep us updated...

**Thunderingbird** · 07-05-2002, 02:01 PM

Thanks Tonster! I have a couple of those coming,if only the BIG BROWN truck would get here.

I also picked up some Scratch-X as well as some 3M fine cut rubbing compound. I must say the rubbing compound scares the bejesus out of me!:scared Any body got any suggestions?

**99323ic** · 07-05-2002, 03:51 PM

The color of the pad is meaniningless unless you know the manufacturer, meaning that a yellow pad from CMA is not the same thing as a yellow pad from 3M.

You want to look for the term cutting, polishing, etc. For CMA`s case, the Yellow is a cutting pad, the White is a polishing/waxing pad, and the Gray is a finishing pad.

In regards to the white pad that PC includes with their PC, (IMHO) I think that it is junk. The reason that I say this is that several users have complained that the pad breaks down quickly. This can lead to problems because the backing plate is integrated so you run a higher risk of damaging your paint if/when the pad fails.

The moral of the story: Use the right tool for the job.

Tonster is right on. In your application, it sounds like you`re not getting enough cutting action with the pad that your using. Wait until you get your cutting pad and then go over the hood area again. I think that you`ll see much better results.