Does your paint like your Flex?

imported_akimel

New member
Those of you who own a Flex 3401, have you experienced problems polishing a Honda S2000 in Berlina black with it? I worked a large part of the day Thursday and Friday morning on the driver-side door; and no matter what polish or pad I used, no matter what speed I chose (speed 4 and 5--I did not try speed three or below nor did I venture to speed 6), it left behind a scouring or hazing of the paint. The polishes I tried: SwirlX, M205, and M80. The pads I used: Soft Buff 2.0 polishing pad, Soft Buff 2.0 finishing pad.

Here is what the paint looked like after M205 and a finishing pad:

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No doubt the problem is my technique. I invite any and all suggestions on the proper use of the Flex. The front end of my car has been re-painted, and I was able to effectively polish it with M105 (polishing pad) and M205 (finishing pad). But I got no where with the Flex on the original factory painted panels. I do not know if other Hondas are like this. All I know is that my S2000 is like this.

On the advice of Mike Phillips, I finally switched back to my G110. The paint responded well to the M205 applied by the G110 with a polishing pad, and I was able to restore the door and to effect a decent polishing of the other original factory-painted panels, though without significant paint correction. I had neither the time nor energy nor confidence to attempt more effective correction. I also wanted to go back over the original paint panels with M205 and a finishing pad, but after two and a half days of detailing, I had simply run out of steam. It was time to bring the marathon session to a close.

I gave the car an ONR rinse (for some reason my car had become a dust magnet) and pulled out my tub of Fuzion. It is a joy to apply. I love the wet look it bestows.

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I am weary, exhausted, frustrated, discouraged. This is not what I was hoping for for this spring detail. I requested the Flex (it was given to me as a present) precisely to take my S2000 to a higher level. This I failed to accomplish, at least on the factory-painted half of the car.

I welcome your suggestions and counsel. TIA.

Cheers,
Al
 
Any comments from Flex users? Do I need to simply abandon the Flex for the original factory painted panels and restrict myself to the G110? Would different polishes work better with the Flex? Was I using the machine incorrectly?

How can I get better results?
 
thats a nice S2K i have a white 2002 that i did a little work on i had great results with a white 6 1/2 pad with mernerza final polish 2 to eliminate the spider web scratches ill have pics up some time next week
 
I have been working with a PC and #105 & #205 on my SVT Lightning.

#105 definitely has a learning curve and it has taken me awhile to finally get decent results. First problem is that it flashes so quickly. Then I tried the Kevin Brown method (priming pad with product, then misting with water when it flashes). That technique helped a lot. But it was still not giving me the results others are raving about and it's still too damn hard to remove.

Finally, I raised the speed to almost 6 and worked very slowly. Bingo! I think I was moving the PC too fast. With an orange CCS pad, I was able to remove most of the swirls and stopped just before it flashed after misting the working area once. This made it easier to remove.

Followed with #205 and a green or white CCS pad. #205 is a joy to work with and it removes very easily.

If you don't like the #105, try Megs Ultimate compound; not as heavy a cut as #105, but much easier to work with.

BTW: I follow the #205 with Danase Wet Glaze; NXT 2.0 and Collinite 845.

Looks nice!

If you decide to sell your Flex, shoot me a line.

Jim
 
Looks like the soft Black finish has attack someone again, it's a learning curve on working with a Black finish car. One never knows for sure what is going to work for them. Hope you get it to work for you and hope to see more pictures of the Honda too...............
 
And BTW Blackfire Midnight Sun Carnauba Wax looks wetter then fuzion and it last longer too, and I did try fuzion.
 
I have not tried the MEG 105-205 combo but on my 2007 black Silverado the MEN IP on an orange pad followed by MEN FP2 on a white pad left an LSP finish with no swirls or scratches left behind.
 
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