Autopia - or is it Utopia? - How long to use a PC in one area?

L

Lostsoulal2

New member
I just joined Autopia and wanted to thank David and Lorry (Shipping Manager) for making my first foray and purchase into this wonderful detailing world so painless.



From my inital enquiry to actually receiving my PC + bits and pieces took less than 5 days and this was delivery into the United Kingdom. Responding to my e-mails was almost immediate, this is the kind of service that sadly is lacking here in the UK.



Even the packaging was excellence itself and the boxes will serve as a temporary means of storage for all the polishes and waxes etc that I will no doubt be accumalating. - Utopia



Anyway, back to the question - How long can I use my PC in one area to remedy paintwork defects??



As a Newbie I am a bit nervous about damaging my paintwork - I had some very minor swirl marks/scratches probably caused by cleaning cloths/sponges and to start off I used an Orange Sonus Pad with Meguairs no 83 DACP.



For the bonnet area I used a dab about an inch (2.5cm) in diameter and followed the guide of going over slowly East/West and then North/South - I guess the whole bonnet took about 5-10 mins - each area getting the 4 passes + the PC was on setting no 3/4 - when I stopped the polish was still present on the bonnet in a form of a damp wet haze (I had primed the pad with a quick detailer liquid before using for the first time)



But after cleaning it off with a MF cloth (I then used the Sonus Green pad again with the No 83) and looking under an inspection light I can still make out some marks - they look like very small hairline or thinner scratches.



In normal daylight they are not visible, but under an inspection light in the garage I can see them from about 6 inches away - is this me getting too close?



So, the question is should I have put more product on the pad or continued using the PC until the product was more "Dry" and hardly visible on the car or increased the speed on the PC or ??.



Regards
 
the first time I used #83 I applied it with a rotary machine and an orange cleaning pad. I dont know what the results would be with a pc and that combo. But- i ended up using a lot more product than usual with the #83 or else my pad kept sticking to the paint and pulling the machine out of my hands. Also, I normally work a 1-2 foot section until the product is gone from the surface. If you have to go back a wipe a lot of the product off by hand then it didnt finish it's intended use (for polishes anyway). I've never been able to completely remove all scratches from the surface, I thought I did a few times, but after switching to different types of light, new scratches showed up...
 
I dont know what the colors on the Sonus pads are, but if you use a light cutting pad with #83 you should follow it with a milder polish.



If you didnt let the polish break down before wiping off, you might be noticing marring from the polish itself.



If you didnt use enough product (sounds like you did if it is on your bonnet) you will get marring from the pad.



There is a thread on how to use #83 with the best results. You might want to hang out at Megs online forum and see if you can learn anything there- Mike Phillips is awesome !!



The gist of it is, make sure you use enough product- dont work too large of an area- work it until it changes to a translucent looking- stop if it start to dust( wipes off hard if you work it too long)- move the PC slowly on speed 5, it doesnt like speed 6.
 
Oh ya, DACP is my goto heavy polish. I have been successful removing quite a horrid array of swirls and most of the auto wash scratches.



Dont give up, it will come around for you :)
 
Work a small area (~2' x 2') at a time, and it may take more than one application to remove the defects. The orange pad shouldn't leave too much marring, but you can always go over it with a green (polish) pad and a lighter polish (like #80) if it does. It also sounds like you should be working the PC speed a bit faster (5 or 6), but move the PC slowly like you said you were.



DACP has diminishing abrasives, meaning it is more aggressive when you first start out, but the abrasives break down to a finer polish as it is worked. If you don't work it long enough those abrasives won't have a chance to break down and you'll leave some marring behind.



There are two schools of thoughts on how long to work DACP. I work it until it pretty much dusts away, and haven't had any problems with surface marring. That's a tip I picked up from other members and it works for *me*.



The other method is to work it long enough for the abrasives to break down, but not long enough for it to dust away like some (including myself) do. Here is a good thread with pictures that explains that method pretty well:



http://autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=49110&highlight=dacp



Somewhere between these two methods you'll discover the process that works best for you and the paint you are dealing with.



I'd say if the marks you see left behind are as light as you mention then you are close to finding that process. I'd try bumping up the PC speed (after you get the polish applied) to at least 5, then try working it a little longer and in a smaller area. If the marks are really that faint then a less aggressive follow-up polish (Meg's #80 or SSR1) may be your best option. On some paint you need to finish up DACP with a less aggressive polish. Good luck!
 
Autopia - or is it Utopia? - after being on this forum for awhile your also thin of Autopia as your own utopia....

Enjoy working with the PC you'll wonder how you ever did without it.

JonM
 
Work the area of concern until it meets "your" standards of appearance, level of present ability, available polishes (grades of mildness) and courage ;).

If the defect can hang a fingernail it is too deep to completely eliminate with a PC or too deep to repair without thinning the surrounding clearcoat too much.

If this is a daily driver and you only see the defects from 6" under indoor good lighting and can not see them in the real world (outdoors) and the gloss and reflectivity is to your satisfaction, you are at a good end-point.



Add some protection (wax or sealant) and try to maintain this appearance until the next polishing session.

Hope this helps. :wavey
 
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