Can't get minor scratches out, tried 3 different cars! help!

Too much product can result in: ineffectiveness (all the excess lubes the finish too much and loads up the pores of an aggressive pad), micromarring (never breaks down completely), dusting, caking of the pad, slinging.



Too little product can result in: ineffectiveness (not enough product to do the work), micromarring (not enough product to lube an aggressive pad and/or the product flashes too fast resulting in dried product that gets rubbed against the paint).



Usually better to have too little than too much IMO but I suppose that'll depend on the pads/products and other stuff that'll vary with the situation. But IMO most people probably use too much of most products.



If the 4" pads don't cut it you will have run up against the practical limits of the PC- then it's time to get a rotary or live with the marring. You might try an aggressive *but still PC-friendly* product though, maybe something from the Hi-Temp line.



I got by without a rotary for years until I got frustrated with my results on Audis; it was a friend's A6 4.2 that was the last straw. That car used to belong to my dad and I couldn't stand the way its new owners had marred it up; I couldn't fix it without a rotary and goodness knows I tried (for hours and hours on end throughout an entire weekend).
 
I have a BMW, it's steel grey. I have swirl type scratches and pitting I cannot remove with a PC. The color hides them, so I don't really care.



Here is a caddy escalade I did with PC and Orange pad with SSR 2.5 Decent scratches and swirls removed. No after shot of the scratch. You really have to work it with the PC to get them out.



http://autopia.org/gallery/data/500/18990caddyfender.jpg



http://autopia.org/gallery/data/500/18990caddyhood.jpg



http://autopia.org/gallery/data/500/18990caddyhoodafter.jpg



http://autopia.org/gallery/data/500/18990caddysideafter.jpg



http://autopia.org/gallery/data/500/18990caddyreflections.jpg
 
i guess the best guestion now is, how much product should be used.....i always just put like a line 1/2 way horizontal and a line 1/2 way vertical on the pad, and did the 2x2 area.
 
If im doing a standard 2x2 section on a panal, whats an estimated time of working a product in? Im currently using the Optimum Hypercompound and Optimum polish. I think most people say just before it turns to powered.....i havn't ever seen the product turn to powder.



Thanks again!





BTW, I got my 4" pad in the mail today, i'll get some before and after pics of the BMW hopfully it will work better.
 
hock2k5 said:
If im doing a standard 2x2 section on a panal, whats an estimated time of working a product in? Im currently using the Optimum Hypercompound and Optimum polish. I think most people say just before it turns to powered.....i havn't ever seen the product turn to powder.



Thanks again!





BTW, I got my 4" pad in the mail today, i'll get some before and after pics of the BMW hopfully it will work better.





OHC is a very wet product so going by when it dusts is tough. I'd say work it until you are satisfied. I think with OHC, less is better, but I am totally sure. What pad are you using with OHC, I think it is fairly pad dependent. I have only used it once and loved it. It works very fast compared to other products I have used. I used it on silver so it was tough to tell how it finished off. SSR2.5 fnishes great, but dusts and takes a little while to work.



Steve
 
Sonus.



I have Sonus yellow, white and blue, and now a propel turbo 4" yellow pad.



With the 6" pads i cant the results im looking for....hopfully hyper compound and the 4" pad iwll do the deed.



does BMW e46 have hard clear or not really?
 
hock2k5 said:
Sonus.



I have Sonus yellow, white and blue, and now a propel turbo 4" yellow pad.



With the 6" pads i cant the results im looking for....hopfully hyper compound and the 4" pad iwll do the deed.



does BMW e46 have hard clear or not really?



If yellow is the most aggresive sonus pad, then you should be able to remove a good amound of swirls with OCH. What type of defect are you trying to remove? Scratches are tough to get out. If they are even close to fingernail deep you will have trouble eliminating them with a PC.



Steve
 
Almost every scratch i've come acrossed is not fingernail deep, and i cant seem to do any damage at all.



I firsted used the Sonus products, and they seemed to tackle swirls fairly well, but did absolutly nothing to fight the scratches. I see everyone's pictures on here that show scratches and swirls and then look flawless.



Maybe I need to work on my method.....



Wash with Meg's

Dry with P21 drying towel

Yellow pad with optimum hyper compound speed 6 with pretty hard pressure

White pad with optimum polish speed 5 with med pressure

White pad optimum polish speed 3 with machines weight

P21S carnuba wax



I just received the P21S Paintwork cleanser which is supposed to be applied before wax so i guess ill have to try that out. But even with that, scratches are scratches.....
 
SHICKS said:
I have a BMW, it's steel grey. I have swirl type scratches and pitting I cannot remove with a PC. The color hides them, so I don't really care.



Here is a caddy escalade I did with PC and Orange pad with SSR 2.5 Decent scratches and swirls removed. No after shot of the scratch. You really have to work it with the PC to get them out.





Did you have ANY swirls left over? if you took pictures in the direct sunlight, would you be able to see swirls left over? I did the same thing on my dad's nissan quest's hood, and i looked under the halogen and still had swirls. I did a 1x1 area, decent amount of SSR 2.5 and still had swirls left over. It's Fustrating. This is with a PC on Speed 5.
 
One application of SSR2.5 won't always take out ALL of the swirls. Especially if you don't use enough pressure, or allow the polish enough time to break down completely.

You have to realize though, that some cars will take several applications of SSR2.5 or equivalent, to remove all of the swirls. That's when a compound like SSR3 can come in handy.
 
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