Spot treating SMALL areas with the Flex3401...is it OK?

**zoomzoom3** · 06-03-2009, 10:14 AM

Last night my wife bumped a mailbox with her pass. side mirror on her Highlander. It left several scratches. I tried Megs Scratch-X and that didn`t help a lot, so I broke out the flex & tried some Optimum polish on a LC orange pad. All I have are 6.5" pads, so that`s what I went with. I set the Flex to 4 and worked the OP for a short period of time 30-40 seconds or so. I was very careful not to stay in one specific spot for very long & I barely applied any pressure at all. I was also careful not to dry polish. The polish broke down alright, and the results were OK, the scratches are far less noticeable, but still there.

I want to try the same thing again, but this time with Poorboys SSR 2.5 and the orange pad. Will using a product with that much more cut be OK on the side mirror using the same technique I used last night?

**Setec Astronomy** · 06-03-2009, 10:26 AM

SSR2.5 doesn`t have that much cut. Just be careful (as you state) not to dwell on one spot or hit an edge with a portion of the pad that you`re not really working with, and also be aware that usually side mirrors have a plastic housing so it`s much easier to get heat buildup--I wouldn`t dwell for as long as you mention without checking the surface to see how warm it is.

If you are asking if you are locally removing clear and whether that`s ok, well, you are, but that`s what you have to do if you are going to reduce a scratch.

One other warning...you haven`t posted any pictures, we don`t really know how deep these scratches are. One of the things experience teaches you is when to stop--even if the scratch isn`t gone. If it`s too deep to fix, you`ll go thru the clear chasing the bottom of the scratch.

**Accumulator** · 06-03-2009, 11:04 AM

zoomzoom3- Yeah, you can do spot-correction via Flex 3401, I`m doing it on my pal`s `60 Jag; I go over the whole panel a few times with a PFW pad and then go back and deal with the remaining RIDS individually using an orange foam pad.

FWIW I`m using M105 and speed 5.

When doing spot-correction via Flex, I usually tilt it so I`m only using a portion of the kinda-big (for this kind of job) 6-6.5" pad. BUT...note that this will make the whole process more aggressive and will also raise the possibility of putting too much angled pressure on the Flex`s backing plate, which might precipitate the kind of problems that others have encountered with backing plate/felt ring interference.

SO...approach this cautiously. And take sectec astronomy`s caveats to heart- none of us know how thick/thin your clear is or how deep those scratches really are. If in doubt, err on the side of caution and stop at the "better" point rather than trying for some Autopian-level perfection.

IMO this is an example of where a smaller pad on the Flex would be very helpful (I haven`t bothered fitting my Edge adaptor to mine yet, nor have I sent my spare backing plate to my friend to be cut down..). Or where the PC can be the better tool for the job (I`m using it for some of the above-mentioned spot-correction but I wanted to experiment with the Flex).

**zoomzoom3** · 06-03-2009, 11:07 AM

Originally Posted by Setec Astronomy

SSR2.5 doesn`t have that much cut. Just be careful (as you state) not to dwell on one spot or hit an edge with a portion of the pad that you`re not really working with, and also be aware that usually side mirrors have a plastic housing so it`s much easier to get heat buildup--I wouldn`t dwell for as long as you mention without checking the surface to see how warm it is.

If you are asking if you are locally removing clear and whether that`s ok, well, you are, but that`s what you have to do if you are going to reduce a scratch.

One other warning...you haven`t posted any pictures, we don`t really know how deep these scratches are. One of the things experience teaches you is when to stop--even if the scratch isn`t gone. If it`s too deep to fix, you`ll go thru the clear chasing the bottom of the scratch.

Well, SSR2.5 is probably the most aggressive product I have at the moment. I`m going to order some more Menz SIP here soon. Yeah, I checked to see if the surface was getting hot & it didn`t seem to be. I was pretty much just letting the pad glide over the surface very gently. Sorry, no pics...my D80 is out at the moment. Anyway, I`ll try the SSR2.5 since it has more cut than the OP. If that doesn`t take the scratches out completely, then I`ll just leave it be.

**zoomzoom3** · 06-03-2009, 11:25 AM

Originally Posted by Accumulator

BUT...note that this will make the whole process more aggressive and will also raise the possibility of putting too much angled pressure on the Flex`s backing plate, which might precipitate the kind of problems that others have encountered with backing plate/felt ring interference.

yeah, I`m aware of that problem. I try and use as little pressure as possible on the machine to get the job done. At times I feel I don`t use enough pressure, but it`s better safe than sorry I guess. Believe me, it`s always a bit unnerving to have to go at any angle on a DA, but so far everything has been OK.

**efnfast** · 06-03-2009, 11:30 PM

Personally, after burning paint with my flex3401 (trying to remove a scratch below the door jamb....too aggressive a pad/product combo and just some bad luck) I will not use it anywhere but a large, flat area where I can move it around easily.

**Accumulator** · 06-04-2009, 09:27 AM

efnfast- I certainly appreciate the once-bitten-twice-shy, but I bet you`re gonna be so careful in the future that it won`t happen again. When I`m doing potentially risky stuff via Flex I pretend its a rotary; so far the paint hasn`t even been all that warm when I checked it.

Heh heh, I`ve killed clear with a *PC* so I do have a healthy respect for what "gentle" polishers can do

**efnfast** · 06-05-2009, 12:24 AM

Originally Posted by Accumulator

efnfast- I certainly appreciate the once-bitten-twice-shy, but I bet you`re gonna be so careful in the future that it won`t happen again. When I`m doing potentially risky stuff via Flex I pretend its a rotary; so far the paint hasn`t even been all that warm when I checked it.

Heh heh, I`ve killed clear with a *PC* so I do have a healthy respect for what "gentle" polishers can do

Good point!

I guess I`ve just been spoiled by my cyclo :buffing:

**Accumulator** · 06-05-2009, 10:48 AM

Originally Posted by efnfast

..I guess I`ve just been spoiled by my cyclo..

Heh heh, I know the feeling

While you might sometimes wish it did stuff quicker it seems mighty idiot-proof, huh?

The only time I`ve done damage with the Cyclo was on a *REALLY* trashed car with whisper-thin single stage..cut through on some sharp edges. But in that case I probably woulda done the same thing even by hand and I knew it was a repaint waiting to happen anyhow.

I keep thinking about this thread as I continue to hammer my pal`s `60 Jag and I really do think that what happened in your case was a rare occurence. I`m doing some borderline-scary stuff with my Flex and the paint isn`t getting nearly as hot as I keep expecting (and those RIDS aren`t coming out as quickly as I expect either).

**Dunbar42** · 06-05-2009, 05:48 PM

Originally Posted by zoomzoom3

Well, SSR2.5 is probably the most aggressive product I have at the moment. I`m going to order some more Menz SIP here soon.

Walmart sell Meguiar`s Ultimate Compound for $8 which is a milder version of 105. I think it`s supposed to be comparable to IP but doesn`t need to be broken down.

**efnfast** · 06-05-2009, 08:08 PM

Originally Posted by Accumulator

I keep thinking about this thread as I continue to hammer my pal`s `60 Jag and I really do think that what happened in your case was a rare occurence. I`m doing some borderline-scary stuff with my Flex and the paint isn`t getting nearly as hot as I keep expecting (and those RIDS aren`t coming out as quickly as I expect either).

Well, bad luck has to happen to somebody, so why not me, heh