Dellinger
New member
First off, I failed to post this in the 'proper' section... and I did this for a few purposes, but mainly out of respect for the professionals here. I also am not posting this for 'bragging' purposes but just general feedback (good or bad!)
<u>The Cliff Notes</u> (if you are not interested in the paragraphs below...)
Vehicle- black, '05 Ford F-150, 104K miles, customer is original owner
Polish Products used- HD Cut, HD Speed,
Pads- B&S Orange, Green
Machine- D/A
2 step, Compound & AIO + Interior
Time: 39 hrs.
After wash and decon with clay... condition prior to polishing
After Compound/ Polish...
So, to the topic at hand...
The truck is my brother-in-laws, original owner. 104K on the odometer. Obvious aftermarket wheels, camper shell, and window tint. It had been through quite a few tunnel washes... you will see immediately in the photos. I was a bit intimidated at first with a 'black' vehicle since I haven't worked the color before. My wife and I own a black Honda but I haven't had the chance to attempt any sort of polishing since it is her daily driver. My PTG was showing 115- 130 microns around the truck... the hood was showing 60- 70 microns! I couldn't believe it! (Found a reason to use UP and a red pad, lol!) After my test spot, neither HD Polish nor M205 reduced the defects more than 50%. So I brought in HD Cut to make a two step process.
PTG on the hood...
Scott (B-law), wasn't sure just what he wanted but he has a lot of good contacts that are into hot-rods. I didn't want to get greedy with his paint either since he takes improper care of it... so I went after 75% of the defects and left the others because he will want to sell the truck eventually and he'll want it polished before that. The hood was scary thin (door jams were even the same measurement in places!) so even if the entire truck was defect free... the hood would just kill the look anyway...
The hood... (after Megs. Ultimate Polish...not good huh? Thin paint doesn't help!)
Regarding time, I spent quite a while on the F150. Thirty-nine hours to be exact. My work flow is clumsy. My photo work is horrendous. And my product/ pad knowledge is weak. So, that all adds up.
This was my very first time using a SMAT based compound and polish. For reference, my experience and knowledge is with mid-to-late '90s Meguiars compounds/ polishes and rotary.
I worked HD Cut and the orange pad for 7 heavy passes and slow arm movement on speed 6 on the D/A. . Work time was never an issue, which surprised me (remember my dated prior product experiences.) Wipe off was good. I primed the pad with 6 pea sized dots, added 4 pea sized dots on the 2nd section, and then 3 very small pea dots of product after that.
I worked HD Speed as a follow up to Cut. Not ideal, I realize, but the vehicle needed to be returned since I had it over the span of 3 days. I paired HD Speed with a 5.5" B&S green pad on speed 5. Arm speed was slow, pressure was medium for 4 passes, then I lightened up for the final two with a reduced speed to four on the dial. Wipe off was fairly tough. This is probably my fault as well. I used HD Touch as a wiping aid. I LOVE HD Touch. I compared Megs. Last Touch... not even in the same ball park regarding wiping. HD Touch flashed fast and is gone from the panel so inspection can resume pronto. Gallon of it will be included with my next order.
Typical condition of the entire truck...
The test spot...
On one panel I worked HD Polish... just to see any sort of difference with a dedicated polish. Same green pad, same technique. Polish was really fun to work with. Significant work time, butter smooth... exactly what my mental imagery thought a polish should be. You know, you think you know what a person looks like while talking them on the phone. THEN you see the in person... not even close. Well HD Polish finally nailed that for me.
Panel with HD Polish...
Other problem areas after wash/ decon...
Tailgate, problem area magnified... (boat became unhitched and scraped the panel while towing)
After, tailgate... (there was sun but it was getting late...sorry but it's the best I took.)
Tire & Wheels... what a chore. Classic over applying of slimy, shiny, whatever, stuff which results in brown tires. Still didn't get them all the way clean after 4 scrubbings per tire. First was with Megs 143 (the new, non-acid wheel and tire cleaner), then Megs Super Degreaser 4:1, then Purple Power, and lastly another application of Megs 143. The black matte wheels were a pain as well. Heavy bonded brake dust... I need something to aid in this? Recommendations anyone? Iron-X on black matte? I would have used Megs Wheel Brightener but the machined places were polished aluminum where the CNC cabinet mill used a ball shaped end mill to slot the aluminum profiles on the spokes. I used Megs All Season Dressing. The tire profile was a chore to dress as well.
Before...
After... (again, sun is fleeting here in the Pacific NW... it will be out one minute, gone the next...sorry this pic is indoors)
Final comments- I'm no professional. Take my words above with a grain of salt. This was my first time out with HD products and really any of the newer liquids meant for polishing paint. Interior was actually pretty clean, just a brush, vacuum, and wipe of surfaces and windows. I would like to take a second to thank Pwaug, Accumulator, Thomas Dekany, and others for their help on this forum and via other means of communication. Please feel free to critique, any and all you see of the above. Thank you for your comments and for reading.
Best regards,
-Dellinger
Final shots...
<u>The Cliff Notes</u> (if you are not interested in the paragraphs below...)
Vehicle- black, '05 Ford F-150, 104K miles, customer is original owner
Polish Products used- HD Cut, HD Speed,
Pads- B&S Orange, Green
Machine- D/A
2 step, Compound & AIO + Interior
Time: 39 hrs.
After wash and decon with clay... condition prior to polishing
After Compound/ Polish...
So, to the topic at hand...
The truck is my brother-in-laws, original owner. 104K on the odometer. Obvious aftermarket wheels, camper shell, and window tint. It had been through quite a few tunnel washes... you will see immediately in the photos. I was a bit intimidated at first with a 'black' vehicle since I haven't worked the color before. My wife and I own a black Honda but I haven't had the chance to attempt any sort of polishing since it is her daily driver. My PTG was showing 115- 130 microns around the truck... the hood was showing 60- 70 microns! I couldn't believe it! (Found a reason to use UP and a red pad, lol!) After my test spot, neither HD Polish nor M205 reduced the defects more than 50%. So I brought in HD Cut to make a two step process.
PTG on the hood...
Scott (B-law), wasn't sure just what he wanted but he has a lot of good contacts that are into hot-rods. I didn't want to get greedy with his paint either since he takes improper care of it... so I went after 75% of the defects and left the others because he will want to sell the truck eventually and he'll want it polished before that. The hood was scary thin (door jams were even the same measurement in places!) so even if the entire truck was defect free... the hood would just kill the look anyway...
The hood... (after Megs. Ultimate Polish...not good huh? Thin paint doesn't help!)
Regarding time, I spent quite a while on the F150. Thirty-nine hours to be exact. My work flow is clumsy. My photo work is horrendous. And my product/ pad knowledge is weak. So, that all adds up.
This was my very first time using a SMAT based compound and polish. For reference, my experience and knowledge is with mid-to-late '90s Meguiars compounds/ polishes and rotary.
I worked HD Cut and the orange pad for 7 heavy passes and slow arm movement on speed 6 on the D/A. . Work time was never an issue, which surprised me (remember my dated prior product experiences.) Wipe off was good. I primed the pad with 6 pea sized dots, added 4 pea sized dots on the 2nd section, and then 3 very small pea dots of product after that.
I worked HD Speed as a follow up to Cut. Not ideal, I realize, but the vehicle needed to be returned since I had it over the span of 3 days. I paired HD Speed with a 5.5" B&S green pad on speed 5. Arm speed was slow, pressure was medium for 4 passes, then I lightened up for the final two with a reduced speed to four on the dial. Wipe off was fairly tough. This is probably my fault as well. I used HD Touch as a wiping aid. I LOVE HD Touch. I compared Megs. Last Touch... not even in the same ball park regarding wiping. HD Touch flashed fast and is gone from the panel so inspection can resume pronto. Gallon of it will be included with my next order.
Typical condition of the entire truck...
The test spot...
On one panel I worked HD Polish... just to see any sort of difference with a dedicated polish. Same green pad, same technique. Polish was really fun to work with. Significant work time, butter smooth... exactly what my mental imagery thought a polish should be. You know, you think you know what a person looks like while talking them on the phone. THEN you see the in person... not even close. Well HD Polish finally nailed that for me.
Panel with HD Polish...
Other problem areas after wash/ decon...
Tailgate, problem area magnified... (boat became unhitched and scraped the panel while towing)
After, tailgate... (there was sun but it was getting late...sorry but it's the best I took.)
Tire & Wheels... what a chore. Classic over applying of slimy, shiny, whatever, stuff which results in brown tires. Still didn't get them all the way clean after 4 scrubbings per tire. First was with Megs 143 (the new, non-acid wheel and tire cleaner), then Megs Super Degreaser 4:1, then Purple Power, and lastly another application of Megs 143. The black matte wheels were a pain as well. Heavy bonded brake dust... I need something to aid in this? Recommendations anyone? Iron-X on black matte? I would have used Megs Wheel Brightener but the machined places were polished aluminum where the CNC cabinet mill used a ball shaped end mill to slot the aluminum profiles on the spokes. I used Megs All Season Dressing. The tire profile was a chore to dress as well.
Before...
After... (again, sun is fleeting here in the Pacific NW... it will be out one minute, gone the next...sorry this pic is indoors)
Final comments- I'm no professional. Take my words above with a grain of salt. This was my first time out with HD products and really any of the newer liquids meant for polishing paint. Interior was actually pretty clean, just a brush, vacuum, and wipe of surfaces and windows. I would like to take a second to thank Pwaug, Accumulator, Thomas Dekany, and others for their help on this forum and via other means of communication. Please feel free to critique, any and all you see of the above. Thank you for your comments and for reading.
Best regards,
-Dellinger
Final shots...
