Try different pad / polish combinations... there are no `best` pads and each will interact with certain types of paint/clearcoat differently.
Try different pad / polish combinations... there are no `best` pads and each will interact with certain types of paint/clearcoat differently.
Great feedback today. Thank you. Let me give some additional color.
This is a Company vehicle. I have to drive it 4-5 years, so I try and keep it as nice as I can out of my own desire, really. But, I`m not spending 12 hours buffing it. It`s also the reason I take it to a car wash - I get an allowance each month and that car wash hit that figure, on a monthly program, so I could take it as many times as I like. Given the results, I think I know how many times I SHOULD have taken it - none. Paying a pro? Great idea; I considered it! But, i have to pay for that out of my pocket. Given it`s a Company vehicle? I`m not doing that.
In this time with Covid? I have more time on my hands. So, I can spend time on a weekend in the heated garage working on it. So, I`m willing to engage and do so. Long term? Ehh. Probably not more than I described.
I did look and I was wrong. My backing plate is 5". So I was good there; though, i just bought a 6". So, I`m going to need to get another 5", which I did buy today, locally. So, I`m good there. I do also have a wool pad that I located - never opened. I think that could help. I agree with lowering the speed and letting the buffer spin. That`s important. I`m not willing to buy a new machine, so I`ll get what I can out of what I have - sans additional pads and product. Else that? I wouldn`t get enough use from a new machine.
I would say this - I`m not looking for this to be 100%. If it`s....50% now? I`m happy with 85%. Even 80%. I just think what`s there is terrible. I`ve not seen paint that bad on any of my vehicles...ever.
As it stands, I would like to take two approaches: First, given I have time due to Covid, I would like to get the pad and product correct and correct it as best that I can. From there? I`m then looking into the products mentioned above that seem to fill and then seal on top of that. That seems like a good long term solution. That and not using that car wash again.
Thanks again, all!
I have a 2016 mustang in shadow black so similar paint. I got great correction with griots Correcting cream and an orange pad.
Mine was maybe not as rough as yours so maybe their fast correcting cream.
Note: I have a long throw and mini polisher with a 12mm through so maybe that helped be more aggresive.
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As everyone suggested, the 5`` pads are a must. But also on a PC, use Lake Country Thin pads, and stop buying cheap local pads. get a six pack from Autopia/Autogeek. 4 orange and 2 white. And order some 3D one. It works as a compound and polish depending on your pads.
shumax- Welcome to Autopia!
I`d rethink using a wool pad on your PC.
- It shouldn`t be necessary for correcting Ford clear
- Unless you use the right wool pad, you`ll merely instill new/additional marring, and it might be the kind that`s hard(er) to correct
If I had to do that job with a PC (which TBH, I simply would not do; Life`s too short to spend all those hours trying for >50% better) I`d *ABSOLUTELY* do it with a 4" plate/pad combo and I`d do the aggressive work with a MF Cutting Disk (NOT a foam or wool pad) and a compound like Meguiar`s M101. Then I`d follow up with a 4" foam polishing pad and some polish that`s sufficiently aggressive to remove the micro(?)-marring that the M101 will leave behind.
I`ve done all sorts of vehicles that way and while it took *FOREVER* to get remotely significant results from the PC, that will indeed do the job.
Did I mention that it`ll take many hours? Sorry, couldn`t resist...
EDIT: and I`d get, oh...guessing...three times as many pads of each kind as you think you could possibly need. Using a clean pad is simply essential as once they get loaded up with used product and cut-off clear they become basically ineffective, and cleaning them on-the-fly is a hassle, although the MF disks clean up pretty well with compressed air (from a compressor, not the little dusting cans).
FWIW, I spend more time cleaning my pads and inspecting my work than I do on the actual polishing (but then I`m no longer using a PC either).
It was a battle, but I won. 4” backing plate, Meguiars extra cut pad, Meguiars 105 and 2-3 passes on each panel. Got it to 95%. 100% on a few. Pleased but that’s a $hit ton of work. Sheew!
Thanks again for the tips!
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Shumax- Glad it worked out OK! Yes indeed, that`s the combo to get things done via PC
Heh heh, yeah...that [crap] ton of work is the best motivation ever to do everything you can to avoid remarring it!
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