I feel like a failure at life - PC help please!

H

HomicidalSloth

New member
Arggg, at this point I just feel like throwing the PC and all of my polishes in the back of my car and just driving it all off of a cliff. :wall



I've been trying to polish out some faint scratchs/swirl marks in my paint. These marks are so faint you can only see them in direct light, and it has to be the absoloutly perfect angle. I've tried all night on the things, and I think I'm going to end up eating through my clear coat or something if I don't stop and ask for advice. I got most of the swirls out, but there are these faint horizonal scratchs that I can only see at the right angle using light from my flash light, they look rainbow colored top-to-bottom or something? Really weird.



Out of frustration, here's what I just tried on about a 12" by 8" section of my quarter panel: PC7424, yellow Sonus "cutting" (not sure if it's technically a cutting pad, it's the most agressive one in the sonus kit) pad with SSR3, PC set on speed 6. I moved at a rate of about 1/4" per second, putting quite a bit of pressure on the PC (enough to where it just barely begins to bog). After about 3 passes like this, I lower the speed to 4 and go over it with about 3 more passes, at a slightly quicker movement of the buffer.



Anyway, next I did SSR2.5 with the yellow pad, same technique (speed 6 followed by 4). Then SSR2.5 with the white (SFX-2) sonus pad, and then SFX-2 polish with the white (SFX-2) sonus pad (both using the same technique). Then PBW's professional polish, white pad, 3.5 speed.



I VERY lightly buffed with a microfiber from poorboy's world, then used meg's quick detailer and VERY light pressure on my PBW microfiber to remove the final residue and to dry the panel.



Stepped back to examine my work, there are still those ugly scratchs that I can see with my flashlight from an exact angle. The angle has to be so precice that I can't even see all of the faint scratchs from the same angle on that 12" long section.



I really can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. I seem to have pretty good products, so I'm sure it's simply user error... But I've read so much online I really don't know what I could be doing wrong. Any help / advice / ideas are appreciated. :(



edit: I know my polishing isn't just doing nothing, because I DO get hologramming if I really attack it with SSR3 and the yellow pad. But once I remove the hologramming with a milder polish, the scratchs/swirl marks/whatever is ALWAYS still there, so I've got not clue...
 
Here is what I think.....PUT AWAY THE FLASHLIGHT!







Seriously, one can only do so much with a PC. Your attention to detail is commendable. Yet, your PC is not a rotary so defects can be corrected only so far. If you cannot feel the defect or see it with the naked eye without using your flashlight....you probably have gone as far as you can go with the PC.



You can build up only so much heat using the PC. Where as with a rotary you can build up heat in a short time and go thru the paint faster than you can say "clear coate". Your process sounds correct. As do your products.



You did mention that you start on setting 6 then move down to 4. Not that it makes any difference but I always start slow and finish at the high speed. This helps me avoid any sling plus it helps get the product spread to the area that I am working on.
 
cwcad said:
Here is what I think.....PUT AWAY THE FLASHLIGHT!







Seriously, one can only do so much with a PC. Your attention to detail is commendable. Yet, your PC is not a rotary so defects can be corrected only so far. If you cannot feel the defect or see it with the naked eye without using your flashlight....you probably have gone as far as you can go with the PC.



You can build up only so much heat using the PC. Where as with a rotary you can build up heat in a short time and go thru the paint faster than you can say "clear coate". Your process sounds correct. As do your products.
Click to expand...



Alright... I guess that's what I get for polishing in the garage when it's dark. I'll pull it out into the sunlight tomorrow and see what I think of it. I may just have the autopia syndrome a tad too bad. :p Thanks for the advice.
 
I do a lot of work on my vehicle during the evening hours because it is cooler. I have purchased a set of 500 watt halogen lights on a stand that I set near the area that I work that helps me see during these times. I find them wonderful. They do not allow any hiding and always makes me think that the shine is a little better. I call it the ooo and aahhh factor. Because when my wife comes out to see the vehicle that I am working on she always ooo's and aahhh's the results. Which is a good thing because my she often thinks that I spend to much time trying to get the ultimate shine on our vehicles. When she does this it kind of molifies her for the moment.
 
I have the same situation with my black paint.



It is ever so slight marring from polishing pads.



I have tried SFX3 to get them out and cannot, and ive tried everything from DP's SSE, ZPC, DACP, ect, everything, and they are still there.



I dont think the problem is we cannot remove them, i think it is being remarred everytime the pc goes near it.



Someone had a suggestion that i might try though. A MF bonnet and a very mild polish.



But as much as i like to be able to remove anything so simple and small, i have never seen any of them, unless i have a flashlight , and my nose 4 inches from the paint.



Halogens dont even show them, nor does direct sunlight.
 
for such perfection, get a rotary.. I used to go through exactly what you felt like.. and made the move to a rotary.. I no longer spend countless hours on hoods or trunk lids.. my rotary with dacp removes swirls, scratches, in a lot less time.. and i use my pc nowadays for applying pre-sealants and lsp's..
 
Guys...get some Menzerna FPII or PO85 RD... I had the same exact problem on my black f-150.



take the plunge and get these polishes. what you are seeing imo, is light compunding haze.



i can bet you that po85rd or fpII will clear this up.



use a finishing pad on the pc @ around 2.5.
 
Somewhat random thoughts on the subject:



If you're not getting the marring out you're not taking off much clear. If you're not using a rotary you're probably not taking much off anyhow.



If a pad/product combo doesn't work for you I'd just try different stuff. No need to struggle to master a particular approach. Just because something works for others that doesn't mean it'll work for you.



Trying for perfection without a rotary is often frustrating at best. Much as I love my Cyclos, it's the rotary that really gets the work done and that's how I get a finish truly marring free.



If it's truly getting frustrating, to the point where it's not fun, I'd either come up with another approach or I'd alter my mindset. Or I'd buy a different vehicle and start over- that's mighty extreme, but I place a high value on enjoying myself with this stuff. Back to the struggling-to-master thing- I don't believe that killing yourself to detail something builds character ;) And I don't think that the cosmetic condition of one's vehicle is the last word in quality of life either.



Unless you're gonna really keep the finish marring-free (find yourself needing to polish every few months?) I wouldn't worry about the stuff you only see under extreme conditions. Especially if you're about to go through winter. I'm not too bad at this stuff, but I only try to keep one of our vehicles truly marring free, and that one lives a rather pampered life. I simply accept different levels of imperfection with the others. And yeah, that's one reason why I quit driving black vehicles, I can only stand a certain level of visible imperfection day in-day out and I don't want to spend as much time/effort on all our vehicles as I do on the S8. Life is short and hard enough.
 
do you have a pic of this? also, what kind of car do you have...how old is it? if you're able to get hazing or holograms with your combos, then it sure sounds like you're removing clear, so the question is...are these scratches minor cracks in your clear or are you inducing more scratches with your pad/polish? maybe try brand new pads and different polishes/compounds?

maybe take up rfinkle2's generous offer?
 
I suspect i am talking about a similar situation i have had when using an aggressive polish and pad.



Either that or my pad was dirty somehow.



Either way, i spent along time removing swirling from my pals hood, that could only been seen in certain ways.



After that, i started looking at my own black hood under a flahlight, and low and behold, i had very very faint micro marring from whatever i had used in the past. My pals hood did also, but a coat of NXT made them vanish ...



If what Mr. Sloth is seeing is cresent shaped marring, and only really seen under a flashlight, then im not sure how to get them out with the pc.



I opted to shut off my flashlight as none of it is ever visible in any other lighting condiditon, and i have Z2pro on.



The weather is breaking here though, so i might start fiddling around with some finishing pads, SFX3, and some paint cleaner products, just for the fun of figuring this stuff out.



But if this isnt what Mr. Sloth is seeing, and it can be seen as swirling in sunlight, then you need to start over, not with SSr 3 though, that will just "compound" the problem hahaha, i crack myself up :LOLOL
 
rfinkle2 said:
Guys...get some Menzerna FPII or PO85 RD... I had the same exact problem on my black f-150.



take the plunge and get these polishes. what you are seeing imo, is light compunding haze.



i can bet you that po85rd or fpII will clear this up.



use a finishing pad on the pc @ around 2.5.
Click to expand...



I agree it sounds like haze/micromarring...and on black, like rfinkle2 said, PO85RD is the best for removing them.



Here is macro shot of some hazing left from not working IP in properly



hazing_before.jpg




Here is after FP with a polishing pad:



hazing_after.jpg






Good Luck!
 
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