Help me get over my fear of using my PC

J

jsoto

New member
The 1st time I used it was basically my last time. I used 1Z PP on my black car and I ended up marring it so bad that I just brought it to the local detailer to correct.



It was a overcast cloudy day and as I used the PC, the finish looked GREAT. On the next day - ugh , it was marred all over. I'm not sure if it was me not working the product in good enough or a combo of too little product . I was using the LC white pad.



At this point I'm too scared to touch the paint again and am thinking about bringing it to the shop for them to touch. I would rather know how to baby and pamper my own car though.
 
What polish were you using with it?

Was your car dirty/dusty when you used it?

Was your pad clean?

What did you remove the polish with?
 
All conditions were clean.



I washed and then clayed the car. After claying, rewashed and then dried with my WW towel. New LC VC white pad and I removed it with a clean MF. Polish was 1Z Green Can PP. Like I said, it looked great as I was doing it but the overcast day didn't really show how bad I was marring the paint until I saw the car in the sun.
 
Did the paint turn out WORSE than it was before?

If not, I'd say you just moved too fast...expecting too much too soon from the machine.

How long did it take you to do one pass on the whole car? What speed were you on?
 
I've used 1z PP 100's of times and have never marred the paint. I've used it with both rotary and orbital. Something was on the paint or on the pad before you started. To mar paint using PP with an orbital with a white pad is impossible unless there are other factors that are involved that your not mentioning.
 
Help me get over my fear of using my PC
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OK, here are some options for you. You can practice on a panel from the junk yard, or on a friend, (good one) family, neighbors vehicle (with permission of course) that's somewhat of a junker. Practice after reading up on DavidB how to articles. Use your washing machine to practice on if you need to.:xyxthumbs
 
I'd try switching polishes. I personally use Menzerna but I don't know that I would suggest that line to you with a PC, if anything FPII would be ok. I know a lot of guys with PC's have great luck with #80 and #83 in meguirs line-up. Do some research and find something that works well with your machine. Some polishes are better suited for different machines, like Menzerna seams to be well suited for a Rotary, which is what I use. Also, Black is the hardest color to learn on, that's a fact. it is the sweetest color to work on too when you get some experience, but it shows every little mistake. Don't let that scare you because I have heard many times that those meguirs are fool proof for a PC.
 
If you want fool-proof and effective, try the new Mothers PowerPolish...its a no-brainer. (No insult intended).



I've used Megs, Menzerna, SSR and 1Z. PowerPolish is easier than all...very consumer-friendly with no learning curve.



I still use all the others for different things, but like PowerPolish too. For someone who doesn't feel confident, this is your starting point.
 
Yes I agree with the above, possibly something on the pads .....



or possibly the clay <---- this is a process that I believe has the potential to mark the car, the contaminants that are picked up by the clay can easily marr the car if rubbed back over the surface of the car. To be honest with you I worry about claying, I have clayed many times without damaging the surface, but the process does appear to have damage potential, and that is always in the back of my mind when claying.



Did the clay bring off a lot of contaminant?
 
You may be moving the machine too fast (apply Machine Polish (compounds) at the rate of approximately 0.5 to 1.0-inch per second) and therefore the abrasives are not breaking down, with a coarse abrasive (unless you use a finer abrasive afterwards) will leave surface marring

JonM
 
A few suggestions:



You should start with the least aggressive polish working your way up the aggressive chart until you start removing the surface imperfections.



You always finish with the next least aggressive product and the least aggressive pad. For example, you intially used PP (using a orange or yellow pad). You should have finshed with MP (using a yellow or white pad).



How much product did you place on the pad? I typically put four nickel size "drops" (for lack of a better description) on the pad on the outer edge. One "drop" in each quadrant of the pad.



Work the machine slower.



Practice until you feel confident.



Being able to work on black paint is the equivalent of achieving a PhD. It is the most difficult color to work, but it is also the most rewarding.



Read this link:



http://forums.roadfly.org/forums/detailing/forum.php?postid=1430487&page=1



The ROB is a great tool. You may just need more practice.



Good luck.
 
1Z PP takes a while to break down. To polish a whole car with PP can take a fairly long time, especially if it has soft paint (softer paint means you can't get away with stopping before the polish breaks down fully). IMO it wouldn't be at all unusual for a first-timer to move too fast and not break it down all the way.



If you're planning to try another polish anyway, I'd get the 1Z MP. It's *very* mild, you won't do any damage with it. It's also very user-friendly. It leaves a fair amount of wax behind so you don't have to immediately apply a LSP (handy if you've already been polishing all day).



FWIW, I always use MP after I use PP anyway.



Be sure you're using good (and clean) MFs to buff off the polish residue and also make sure your PC pads are clean.



Work in better-illuminated conditions so you don't have any surprises later. Good lighting is money well spent, so at least get a dual-head halogen work light and an old-fashioned work light (the kind that take a regular, tungsten/incandescent bulb). The halogen is good light to polish under and the other, used in an otherwise dark garage, is a great "final inspection" light.
 
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