Excel Pads and SSR

[dc5]

Hello fellow Autopians,



I just washed my folks` black car yesterday in -5degC weather outside and it`s complete scratched up. (My parents use to wash it with a sponge :scared)



I want to remove the swirls and spiderwebbing in the spring. I have all the excel pads and SSR1, 2, and 2.5 but I can`t find on this forum what pads should I use with which product.



This is what I think:



Grey/Blue - (Only for wax/Sealant, not for polish)

Green - SSR1, SSR2

Orange - SSR2, SSR2.5

Yellow - SSR2, SSR2.5



The thing that`s most confusing is the combination of the pads and the polishing having an impact on the cutting action. Like if I used a Green + SSR2.5 = Yellow + SSR1?



I`m thinking that:

Green + SSR1 = for very light swirling

Green + SSR2 = light swirls which SSR1 couldn`t get out



Orange + SSR2 = medium swirling

Orange + SSR2.5 = medium swirls which SSR2 couldn`t get out



Yellow + SSR2.5 = heavy scratches, like keyed car?



There would be no use to using the Green + SSR2.5 and Yellow + SSR1 combinations right? Anyone want to help a newbie out? Do some people use all 9 combinations pad and polish?



Thanks.

[joshcaro]

You may want to read over this thread as it should answer most of your questions..

http://www.autopia.org/forums/showth...ghlight=propel

As a basic rule of thumb, use the least aggresive approach first.

Depending on how bad the swirls are, I would start with a Green pad and SSR 1 or 2.

[JeffM]

A keyed car me thinks would need a repaint, if the keyer was compitant at all

[Eliot Ness]

Originally posted by zaius

.........There would be no use to using the Green + SSR2.5 and Yellow + SSR1 combinations right? Anyone want to help a newbie out? ...........

Remember this little bit of advice: Use the least aggressive pad/polish combo and then bump up if needed. Now that isnâ€â„¢t to say that if you have a lot of deep swirls, marring, etc., that youâ€â„¢d start with SSR1 on a blue pad. But rather than hit it with something like SSR3 on a yellow pad, try SSR2.5 on a green pad first. After you gain some experience on how the polishes work and differing paint hardness youâ€â„¢ll be better able to judge a starting point.



The green pad is pretty versatile and can be used with SSR2.5 and well as SSR1. The orange pad has a bit more bite and is a bit more aggressive and would be used with a polish such as SSR2.5 or higher, while the yellow pad is as aggressive as you want to get with a PC (SSR2.5 or higher), and youâ€â„¢ll most likely have to follow-up with a lesser polish on a green pad to remove marring that may be left behind.



The link that CutNAction provided provides a pretty good description of the Propel pads and their uses.



If a scratch is deep enough to be felt with your fingernail it is too deep to remove without taking off too much clear coat, you can minimize them so they aren`t as noticeable, but will have to pretty much live with them if they are that deep. HTH

[dc5]

as always, thanks guys. you guys are a great help.

[imported_SHICKS]

I`d like to chime in here.



With the beatiful weather in New Hampshire today, I had a chance to wash my car and try my new PC and SSR polishes. I have LC Orange, White and Grey pads. The polishes I have are SSR 1 and 2.5. I plan to use AIO +SG then s100 on my full detail, but I was just playing around today.





Here is what I found and I have a few questions.



First off, my car is grey with few swirls but some scratches and etching or acid rain. First I tried SSR1 with the white pad. I did not see much going on, paint felt smoother, but could not remove defects. So then I went to orange pad and SSR2.5 I was able to make a dent in the defects, but not remove them entirely. I found my self using the edge of the pad, I think that is a no-no. For the scratches, I was able to round them of, but not remove them, they kind of feel smooth now. After the orange and 2.5 I went over the areas with white and SSR1, then AIO + s100. The finish was great, but not exactly what I was expecting. I almost noticed the orange peeling more, almost did not look smooth. Iliked the way my car looked best with NXT, almost seemed darker. Anyway-



questions are:



How do you know when you are using enough polish?

I never saw dusting- the polish just kind of hazed over, is this normal?



Should I step up to a yellow pad and SSR2.5 for the localized defects?





Thanks,

Steve