Advice Needed - On Right Track?

R

RyanGambrill

New member
I am going to work on the paint of my three vehicles this weekend. The plan is to run through the typical wash, clay, wax process, etc.



But, I was thinking of adding an extra step or two between the clay and wax with the purpose of polishing the paint and removing some oxidation etc.



I have a porter cable and was going to use menzerna super intensive polish and then menzerna micro polish.



I have never used a porter cable nor menzerna polish. Do I have to worry about burning through the paint or doing any damage?



Any tips for a first timer?



Thanks
 
I also wanted to add that the PC came with a white pad that screws into the PC. I also have black, white, and orange pads from AutoGeek. What pad should go with what step?
 
Planning to do three vehicles in one weekend is going to end up with marginal results at best. Best plan is to do a test area (2x2 or smaller) on each and figure out an action plan from that.
 
No, you don't have to worry about burning through paint given a couple items.



-The paint is not already buffed down to a minute layer

-You don't hold the polisher in place in one location (specifically on an edge or high point)



Tips:



1.-Do a test section or 3 to choose your method before repeating it on rest of car.

2.-Don't use too much polish

3.-Menzerna polishes do a good job of telling you when the product is broken down. I use a Flex so with PC that may take a bit longer.
 
Dan said:
Planning to do three vehicles in one weekend is going to end up with marginal results at best. Best plan is to do a test area (2x2 or smaller) on each and figure out an action plan from that.
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Well, how about starting to work on my three cars! :-)
 
I am thinking SIP with orange then micro with black.



How do I attach my pads to the PC? My pads do not screw into the PC. The only pad with the screw on the back is the white one that came with the PC. Can I affix my orange or black pad to the white one with the screw?
 
RyanGambrill said:
I am thinking SIP with orange then micro with black...
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That might be too big of a jump, won't know until you do the test area.



How do I attach my pads to the PC? My pads do not screw into the PC. The only pad with the screw on the back is the white one that came with the PC. Can I affix my orange or black pad to the white one with the screw?
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You need to get (an appropriately sized) backing plate with a velcro face. So it sounds like you're not gonna be starting right away (unless your local autobody/paint supply place has one).



For your first time, IMO you really need to take this slow; do good preparation and have the right mindset. Do you have good inspection lighting? What are you going to use to strip the oils that Menzerna leaves behind (if you're planning to do this)?



Depending on the model of PC and the size of your pads, what you can accomplish in a reasonable amount of time might surprise you. I wouldn't necessarily plan on doing one (entire) vehicle over the weekend your first time, let alone several.
 
Ryan Gambril- Eh, I feel like I oughta give you some better, more practically helpful advice on how to proceed:



I'd pick a vehicle and wash it. Pick a representative panel (probably the trunk lid) and clay it. Then I'd test my approach/products on a small section of that panel, and I would *NOT* go as big as 2' x 2'. I'd do everything right up to "ready to LSP" on that one small area to make sure I'm on the right track. Then, assuming (uh-oh...but let's be positive here...) things go OK I'd finish that panel and LSP it. Next wash I'd do another panel or maybe two or three. I'd do the whole vehicle piecemeal this way to keep the job manageable and to make sure that if something *does* go haywire only a small area will be affected.



So, get a good backing plate (I'd call Kevin Brown/BuffDaddy and buy from him). Note that the PC is basically a "fast hand that doesn't get fatigued"; it won't do the work nearly as quickly/effortlessly as one might expect. I don't mean to discourage you, but rather prepare you so you don't have any big surprises.
 
RyanGambrill said:
I have a porter cable and was going to use menzerna super intensive polish and then menzerna micro polish.
Click to expand...



If you don't already have the Menzerna products why not do yourself a favor and pick up some HD Cut and HD Polish. They are very easy to work with especially for a beginner--very long working times, little to no dust, easy to remove as they don't contain heavy oils. You can pick up a Buff & Shine 5" backing plate for $15 and five 5.5" B&S flat pads for $30 from Autoality.com. They also carry the HD products. If you split it into 2 orders, each over $25 and under 5 lbs, there would be no shipping charges. Or if the whole order is over $75 shipping is also free.



For the first time don't expect to complete 3 cars in a weekend--you'll be lucky if you get one done. My first time machine polishing took me 2.5 days from start to finish-wash, clay, dry, test, tape, polish, apply LSP etc. I followed Accumulator's advice and worked everything out on a test spot before proceeding -- sure would have been unhappy after 2.5 days if my process didn't work out.
 
pwaug- I remember that! Yeah, I was pretty confident that you were approaching the whole thing the right way and that it'd turn out OK.
 
And I still use that technique!! I don't do many cars (just my own and friend's or relative's from time to time) so it's difficult to develop any knowledge of how different paints behave--a test spot or two of all the steps from start to finish has contributed to my success rate "and" without causing any damage.
 
pwaug- Yeah, unless you *know* the paint in question, the test-spot is always a good idea. Think "all Audis have hard clear!", right? There was a batch of blue S4s (maybe two generations ago) that were at least as soft as BMW Jet Black! Even Mike Phillips had a tough time finishing out on that paint, and he's seldom challenged by stuff like that. You just never know....
 
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