frustrated newbie with a PC

T

technomafia

New member
this is my first time using it and im having trouble. first off do meguiares products dry quickly??? Im having such a hard time buffing with my microfiber after working the product in. I can almost assure you im scrubbing so hard to get the product off im creating more scratches. ive tried all combos to get water etchings and fine scrathes out of the trunk. Im using #83 and 80. I did 80 and 83 with a white pad. wasnt good enough. then i did 80 with and orange pad and i left some marks on the trunk from the PC so i figured the pad was to abbrasive. The etchings were still there though so i dont know what the hell im doing wrong here.
 
Sounds to me that you may be either using too little product or working it too long. Make sure you have product spread evenly over the entire pad surface and don't work it until it's dry. I've used both #80 and 83 and haven't had an issue with either one and I'm no "expert". ;) Good luck!
 
im not using it to long, im quick with it. i just find this product to dry very quickly and a ***** to get off. your not having that problem????
 
Sounds to me as though you're not using it long enough for the compound to "break down" :



Within these compounds are shards which "scratch" the surface lacquer when you're PC'ing, but eventually they break down leaving just the polish to finish off the job. Because you say "when you buff afterwards, it seems to scratch more" tells me that the product hasn't been worked long enough, and therefore not broken down.



Do you keep working it until it's almost see-through ? If not, this could be the problem.



What speeds are you using on the PC ?



Don't fret either.....I'm pretty sure most of us have been in this position - me included for sure
 
Kriminal said:
Sounds to me as though you're not using it long enough for the compound to "break down" :



Within these compounds are shards which "scratch" the surface lacquer when you're PC'ing, but eventually they break down leaving just the polish to finish off the job. Because you say "when you buff afterwards, it seems to scratch more" tells me that the product hasn't been worked long enough, and therefore not broken down.



Do you keep working it until it's almost see-through ? If not, this could be the problem.



What speeds are you using on the PC ?



Don't fret either.....I'm pretty sure most of us have been in this position - me included for sure
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i used a bit more product this time and didnt PC it as long. i ended up removing the product when it was still wet because it comes off easier. but still not great results, i got a haze type look on the finish and some pad swirl marks. now after reading what you said i was PCing it til the product turned almost white which to me seemed like it was dried up. Then removing it when its white like that is a pain. I would spread the product on at speed 2, then kick it up to 5-6 range. So are you saying i should still be PCing past the stage of of the white dry look and it will turn to "see through" ???



Are Megs products beginner friendly?? Or is there other stuff out there I should be using??
 
Note that #83 is a polish that tends to dry quickly and is a tricky product to use. You'll have to experimenting using more/less product, and change to a small working area (1 foot by 1 foot).
 
technomafia said:
Are Megs products beginner friendly?? Or is there other stuff out there I should be using??
Click to expand...





While a *LOT* of people get great results with #83 and #80, IMO there are easier products for a beginner. FWIW I never found #83 all that user-friendly myself, and while #80 never caused any problems for me that doesn't mean it'll work great for *you*. Also, I find #80 pretty mild, so unless you have very soft paint I wouldn't expect a whole lot of correction from it.



In cases like this, I always recommend 1Z polishes and AFAIK they've never disappointed anybody to whom I've suggested them. They *ARE* user-friendly and easy to get the hang of. If you over work them they basically turn into cleaner wax (and overworking them takes quite a while). Using them briefly *by hand* will give you an idea of how the abrasives break down (it's easy to break them down by hand and equally easy to tell that it's happening- you can pretty much *feel* it).



Sources: Welcome to Exceldetail.com! or Aloha & Welcome to Our Oasis for All Your Auto Detailing Supplies & Accessories



FWIW, that orange/#80 combo might not be optimal; I'd team the orange pad with the #83 and the white pad with the #80. Use the orange/#83 until the current marring is replaced by micromarring from the product/pad combo. Then use the white/#80 to remove the micromarring.



One more FWIW- etched paint can be beyond the abilities of the PC. Often it requires wetsanding followed by rotary work, and in many cases I believe it's better to live with etching than to remove that much clear. My wife's A8 has etching and we live with it.





Edit: If you're working with 6.5" pads you might not be able to do all that much correction; I always need 4" pads to do significant correction via PC.
 
My first polishing product was #83.



At first i got the same issues as you are. Gumming, dusting, hard to remove, changing my pads often.



I stopped misting my pad with QD, didnt go above speed 5, and used less, way less product, and my problems were drastically reduced.



It isnt an easy product to use though, on hot humid days it still fights me, but when done right, it will wipe off as easy as anything else out there.



If you are getting crazy dust, yet it is hard to wipe off, either use less or slow the pc down, or both.
 
JBM said:
My first polishing product was #83.



At first i got the same issues as you are. Gumming, dusting, hard to remove, changing my pads often.



I stopped misting my pad with QD, didnt go above speed 5, and used less, way less product, and my problems were drastically reduced.



It isnt an easy product to use though, on hot humid days it still fights me, but when done right, it will wipe off as easy as anything else out there.



If you are getting crazy dust, yet it is hard to wipe off, either use less or slow the pc down, or both.
Click to expand...



what pads did you use?? should i go with the orange pad??? I find that when using it some arears i get the swirl scruff marks. am i just not using it right???
 
Accumulator said:
While a *LOT* of people get great results with #83 and #80, IMO there are easier products for a beginner. FWIW I never found #83 all that user-friendly myself, and while #80 never caused any problems for me that doesn't mean it'll work great for *you*. Also, I find #80 pretty mild, so unless you have very soft paint I wouldn't expect a whole lot of correction from it.



In cases like this, I always recommend 1Z polishes and AFAIK they've never disappointed anybody to whom I've suggested them. They *ARE* user-friendly and easy to get the hang of. If you over work them they basically turn into cleaner wax (and overworking them takes quite a while). Using them briefly *by hand* will give you an idea of how the abrasives break down (it's easy to break them down by hand and equally easy to tell that it's happening- you can pretty much *feel* it).



Sources: Welcome to Exceldetail.com! or Aloha & Welcome to Our Oasis for All Your Auto Detailing Supplies & Accessories



FWIW, that orange/#80 combo might not be optimal; I'd team the orange pad with the #83 and the white pad with the #80. Use the orange/#83 until the current marring is replaced by micromarring from the product/pad combo. Then use the white/#80 to remove the micromarring.



One more FWIW- etched paint can be beyond the abilities of the PC. Often it requires wetsanding followed by rotary work, and in many cases I believe it's better to live with etching than to remove that much clear. My wife's A8 has etching and we live with it.





Edit: If you're working with 6.5" pads you might not be able to do all that much correction; I always need 4" pads to do significant correction via PC.
Click to expand...



what is micromarring??
 
Micromarring is microscopic marring that is caused by an aggressive polish. Oftentimes an aggressive polish is needed to remove heavier swirl marks/scratches. To get rid of this micromarring, you should following up with a second step: A finishing pad paired with a finishing polish. With your products, it would be a white pad with #80.
 
does anyone know how these Pinnacle XMT products are?? The ones they use in the autogeek video. They seem to work good and are user friendly. You think as a beginner Id have better luck with them?? Or should i just stick with what i got??
 
technomafia said:
what pads did you use?? should i go with the orange pad??? I find that when using it some arears i get the swirl scruff marks. am i just not using it right???
Click to expand...



I pretty much only used my orange pads on my vehicles when i first discovered the pc and auto detailing. Now i polish twice a year or so with the white pad.



So, i would say, if the vehicle had auto car wash swirls or has never been polished , ya, use the orange pad.



You will know when it is broken down and time to wipe off when it turns a translucent color. It takes a little while to get here, just go slow with the pc on 5.
 
technomafia said:
does anyone know how these Pinnacle XMT products are?? The ones they use in the autogeek video. They seem to work good and are user friendly. You think as a beginner Id have better luck with them?? Or should i just stick with what i got??
Click to expand...





whats the condition of your paint?



and if i were to buy another polish it would be the wolfgang- menz relabled one.
 
JBM said:
I pretty much only used my orange pads on my vehicles when i first discovered the pc and auto detailing. Now i polish twice a year or so with the white pad.



So, i would say, if the vehicle had auto car wash swirls or has never been polished , ya, use the orange pad.



You will know when it is broken down and time to wipe off when it turns a translucent color. It takes a little while to get here, just go slow with the pc on 5.
Click to expand...



the car is an 02 jetta. only been waxed by hand over the years. so it has fine scratches and swirls. so i guess ill experiment more with the orange pad. like i said before when i used it i saw pad marks in some areas. like maybe it was to abbraisive so that scared me away from using it. but i corrected them with the white pad. but now i think about it maybe there wasnt enough stuff on the pad like people were saying. I also try PCing it more til it breaks down.



ALso my hood and bumper where just repainted bumper just over a month. Hood about 2 months ago. I dont want to use that oragne pad on that right?? probably want to do the white pad with an 80?? the hood has some small scratches from washing and drying and stuff.
 
technomafia said:
..ALso my hood and bumper where just repainted bumper just over a month. Hood about 2 months ago. I dont want to use that oragne pad on that right?? probably want to do the white pad with an 80?? the hood has some small scratches from washing and drying and stuff.
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The paint oughta be getting pretty hard by now, but I'd hope the white/#80 combo would do it.



Heh heh, better get that wash/dry/"stuff" sorted out so you don't have to polish every few months ;)
 
Just a thought - have you clayed the car yet ? It might be worth giving the car a good wash, and then rinse and clay it before trying any more PC'ing. At least you'll then have a completely smoooooth paintjob to work the PC on.



The speeds you mentioned : spreading it with 2, and then working it with 5 & 6 in my opinion are good. After working it on the high speeds, try reducing it to 3 and working it in a little more. Like somebody else on here put, use it over small areas at a time.



I would try mixing the pads around a little before spending more money on new polishes, etc. Accumulator suggested smaller pads, such as 4 inchers - that would be a good start in my opinion. The 6" pads didn't touch my Audi paint !



But most off all, be patient my friend - Veedub paint is gonna be tough, but you should be able to correct most off it over time. :xyxthumbs
 
technomafia said:
the car is an 02 jetta. only been waxed by hand over the years. so it has fine scratches and swirls. so i guess ill experiment more with the orange pad. like i said before when i used it i saw pad marks in some areas. like maybe it was to abbraisive so that scared me away from using it. but i corrected them with the white pad. but now i think about it maybe there wasnt enough stuff on the pad like people were saying. I also try PCing it more til it breaks down.



.
Click to expand...



from what i have experienced and read, most people who are new to the pc are using too much product and not breaking it down.



if you are using less then 2 dime size drops on the pad after the first or 2nd section, then you might be using too little.



btw did you clay the car before you polished it?
 
JBM said:
from what i have experienced and read, most people who are new to the pc are using too much product and not breaking it down.



if you are using less then 2 dime size drops on the pad after the first or 2nd section, then you might be using too little.



btw did you clay the car before you polished it?
Click to expand...





yeah car is clayed.



Another thing i noticed is even when i used the 80, 83 on white pads i still got what looks like now is a light haze in the area. im going back out there today and going to try some things mentioned in this thread. is it harmfull for the paint for me to keep going over it testing in the same section????
 
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