frustrated with PC results

J

jimmy

New member
The PC doesn't seem to be working out for me. I don't know what I am doing wrong with it. It has came to the point where I am thinking of selling it strictly because I am not seeing results.



Last night I did a 2004 Acura EL. Dark blue colour. It had the normal swirls however the paint overall was in excellent condition. I set up 2x 500watt lights so i could see. I started off the job with Poorboys World SSR1 with a white cutting pad. No difference in swirling. I used 6" LC pad for this and misted the pad with QD with one spray. I worked the area with the machine off spread the product (2 dime size drops) in a quarter of the hood. I then turned on the machine to 4 and worked the product till it was mixed in good with the paint using firm pressure but not bogging the machine. I worked up to 5 using the same pressure for about 2 minutes and used little pressure until it started to dust.

This had no effect on the paint, the micromarring is still there.I tried this same process with ssr2.5 on a white polishing pad with no luck and then a yellow cutting pad with 2.5 followed with a white with 1.



This is getting really frustrating. What am I doing wrong. Ill try this again but I need advice! I don't know what is going on here and concidering just getting a makita..



Thanks for all the help fellow autopians,



Jake
 
Hi,



SSR1 is weak..You need SSR2.5 w/yellow pad or orange pad and set your speed to 5.5 to 6.0 on the dial. I think 4 is kinda slow.

If you have DACP(Meg #83) try that, I got great resolve on both.



I leaning toward to rotary. I got this baby!

makita9227.jpg
 
Jake, don't sell the PC just yet! You're not the first to start off frustrated with using a PC.



For a start, SSR1 is too mild to remove swirls - you'd want to use it *after* SSR 2.5 to bring back the gloss.



From what you've described it sounds as though you're not using enough polish. Remember, unlike a LSP, you want to use more, rather than less. It's better to use too much rather than too little. If you use too much, it just takes longer for the polish to break down and slows the job. If you use too little, it can marr the paint without producing any discernable results. (And make you want to sell your PC :D).



You can apply a circle, a cross, or four blobs of polish to your pad.

If you're doing a circle or a cross, apply a line about as thick as what you squeeze out of a tube of toothpaste.

If you're applying several blobs (and for even the previous methods) here's a pic from Autopia Car Care:



imageview.php




That should give you an idea as to quantity. I suggest you read this article...the article and pictures are very helpful.

Using the PC.



Let us know if you have any other questions. :xyxthumbs
 
Dont worry, you have the correct tools, just need to adjust your method.



I have SSR1 and 2.5. I almost never use the SSR1, just a waste of time, unless I have time to use it after 2.5, but it is not necessary, since 2.5 will break down if worked long enough.



Start with the 2.5 and an orange pad with a decent amount of polish, start slow until the polish is spread and risk of splatter is minimal, then jack the PC up to 6. Work it in really good, nice and slow with some pressure, but not too much, you'll ruin the pad. You may need to repeat many times to get what you are looking for.



I just did this Escalade with 2.5 and an orange pad, here are before and afters of the hood. Took about 4 applications of SSR2.5, would have been easier with a yellow pad, but I don't have one.



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



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





Steve



big 1 said:
The PC doesn't seem to be working out for me. I don't know what I am doing wrong with it. It has came to the point where I am thinking of selling it strictly because I am not seeing results.



Last night I did a 2004 Acura EL. Dark blue colour. It had the normal swirls however the paint overall was in excellent condition. I set up 2x 500watt lights so i could see. I started off the job with Poorboys World SSR1 with a white cutting pad. No difference in swirling. I used 6" LC pad for this and misted the pad with QD with one spray. I worked the area with the machine off spread the product (2 dime size drops) in a quarter of the hood. I then turned on the machine to 4 and worked the product till it was mixed in good with the paint using firm pressure but not bogging the machine. I worked up to 5 using the same pressure for about 2 minutes and used little pressure until it started to dust.

This had no effect on the paint, the micromarring is still there.I tried this same process with ssr2.5 on a white polishing pad with no luck and then a yellow cutting pad with 2.5 followed with a white with 1.



This is getting really frustrating. What am I doing wrong. Ill try this again but I need advice! I don't know what is going on here and concidering just getting a makita..



Thanks for all the help fellow autopians,



Jake
Click to expand...
 
I tackled my mothers massively swirled hood on her Cadillac last night with 3M PIII Machine glaze(2 passes) AND SSR 2.5(2 passes) . It took me 1 hr and 15 minutes and I probably eliminated 75% of the swirls. I'll finish the hood tonight with Megs# 80 and a polishing pad. What im trying to say is that it takes alot of time,and effort with the correct products to eliminate swirls with the PC.. Dont give up !!
 
I also did try the 2.5 with yellow follwed up with a white and 1 because i heard that itll leave its own marring.



I do have DACP but i didn't like the fact you had to use alcohol and water to remove the hazing if its not broken down enough.



That seems like alot of product to use according to that picture! Won't that take along time to break down? I heard that thinner is better. Just enough to cover the area you are working on? Thanks for the advice guys. I'll try again this weekend with this advice and post pics.



Jake
 
Jake, that's a good amount of product to start off with to do a 2x2 area...it's not too much on a fresh pad. Once the pad is loaded up you can reduce the amount applied by half.



Remember let the *polish* do most of the work, so use ample polish and work it slow...I rarely need to go above 5...I know others find higher speeds better but I tend to be happy at around 5. The faster the speed, the faster the abrasives break down, and less cutting done. Just experiment.



You shouldn't need to go above SSR 2.5...the concensus seems to be that SSR 2.5, #83 (DACP) and 3M RC-III are equivalent in abrasiveness.



Start of with your LC white pad, moving very slowly (about 2"/sec), and overlap by 50%. Work it in until a hazey film is left or until it starts to dust.



BTW, dusting isn't necessarily a good sign. It could mean one has used too little polish and is breaking down too quickly and losing its lubricity. That may have been your earlier experience. I know I'm still frequently guilty of this.



I recently had lots of problems with dusting (and poor swirl removal) when using Menzerna IP after a period of non-use. I never remembered it dusting so much...just the opposite. Then I read a tutorial posted by Mosca and realised I've sub-consciously reduced the quantity of IP I applied. I doubled the amount and have had no troubles since.



You have all you need to get the job done, except experience, and time will remedy that. :bigups
 
It seems that thinner is better only for LSPs. Believe me, that amount of product doesn't take long to break down.



I am also having trouble with my PC and SSRs, just like you. SSR 2.5 and an LC white pad made no discernable difference to my swirls. Yesterday I received my LC orange pad. Used about the same amount of product (SSR 2.5) on the pad from the pic, started at speed 3.5 and moved up to 5.5. This is the first combination I used that produced any results for me. I made 2 good passes. I'm still not happy as there's still a lot of swirls though. I was running out of light though and decided to put on some AIO for protection until I can give it another shot at the weekend.



Next time I plan to move the PC slower, overlap more, try and get the PC up to 6, and use more passes if necessary. Sounds like you should try the same thing and use more product than you have been too.
 
I'll tell ya what Jake, when "Im" polishing to correct, I do not skimp on product usage. It just seems(on certain applications) to work better for me when I use more product.
 
Oh yeah...also, don't forget to apply a reasonable amount of pressure...just before the PC starts to labour, then let up as the polish begins to 'flash'.



The LC orange is a versatile pad to own. Try the white first, then go to the orange or yellow if you get no joy.



Is it a white VC pad or the white DA pad? The white DA pad has more cutting ability than many realise!
 
you can always call steve, the owner of poorboys, during the week and during the day. he answered all my questions about my first detail and his products.. i used propel pads...

yellow- (med. cut) 2.5

blue ( polishing) 2.5

grey ( finishing) 1.0 if needed ( i didnt)

ex ...... this was my first detail with 7424 on my black truck i was amazed with the results and am so happy i found autopia and pc 7424.. and steve at poorboys is a amazing professinal...
 
Alfisti said:
Oh yeah...also, don't forget to apply a reasonable amount of pressure...just before the PC starts to labour..
Click to expand...



When you apply too *much* pressure the PC sorta just "jiggles" and doesn't accomplish much. If you use 4" pads instead of the larger 6.5" ones that people usually use, you can apply more pressure before this happens. I do *all* of my correction-by-PC work with 4" pads.
 
Hey Big 1, I have same problem with a Dark Blue Honda CRV, everything swirls it up except Scratch X. Scratch X took out the swirls in the blink of a eye. I have used a lot of Megs products and never had this happen before but the blue Honda is a different animal.
 
In regards to the meguiars clinic:

Yes, I have signed up. Havent heard any other info on it since i signed up thou and asked to keep in touch.



I am looking for someone that is knowledgable on the PC to help me out in the toronto area and possibly teach a few of us autopians to use the machine correctly. As one member has in his nickname something like, teacher to student, student learns, student becomes teacher and teaches others.

Is there anyone in the GTA that would be willing to do this? I'd bring donuts and coffee to be taught.



Jake
 
Yeah I signed up also...haven't got any more details.



I bought my PC last yr, used it to detail my whole car...DACP, SFP, AIO, SG, #16...came out alrite but I still have a lot to learn! I found LC yellow pad w/DACP was pretty good and sometimes I headed straight to AIO. Been doing some research to get ready for detail season (no more snow plz!). Here's some info I found in search: http://autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=49110&highlight=working+DACP
 
thanks for the reply. I am going to try this again. I'll try to post pics later this week. Who else is going to the meguiars clinic. I was at some "Autosport" acura car show at Woodbine acura and a guy from meguairs was there and he was selling the regular meguiars stuff however he also sold something called 2.0 swirl remover. Anyone else see this or know of it? It was rated 3/10 on aggressiveness scale

Jake
 
Are you talking about #9 2.0 Swirl Remover?



I think what you have should do the job, just be patient and work slow!
 
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