is this good?

SamW

New member
I am going to be using my pc for the first time on my mothers camry. Its has a nice amount of swirls, and the paint isnt in the best of shape. (im using edge pads). After washing and claying i will start off with ssr2 with a yellow pad. If that doesent work i will go up to 2.5. If that that does not work (i think it should) i will bump it up to ssr3. Once i am done i will layer it off with ssr1. Once this step is done i will use p21s paint cleaning lotion with my pc and a white pad. Then i will use s100 carnuba with the pc and the blue pad. I will seal it off with ex (its a solid green car) with a white pad.

I would love to hear suggestions and comments. Thanks so much, DC rocks!

(if i use ssr2 on a pad, can i use ssr2.5, 3, 1 on the same pad without washing it, during the same detail?) I know that ssr 1 should probably be done on the other side of the edge pad, but can 2, 2.5, and 3 be used on the same side?
 
Well it certainly sounds like the detailing bug has got you. CONGRATULATIONS!

Have fun with the pc and all the products that you have mentioned.

It sounds like you have a good plan in mind. Remember to always use the least aggressive polish first. Once you have gotten thru the point of swirl removing with the ssr line (ssr2,ssr2.5, ssr3) I use the ssr1 to remove any haze left by the previous process.

After using ssr1 I personally feel it would be redundant to use the P21s paint cleansing lotion. Although it surely would not hurt your process.

I personally never mix any products on a pad. Take the time to wash them out or get a new pad to do each process.

If I were doing the detail that you are planning i would use the Ex sealant after the ssr1. After the Ex is applied(you might want to apply several coats of sealant) I would use the P21S paste wax as your LSP(last step product). Appying several coats of that also. Use of the pc for applying both the sealant and the LSP can be done but using a good microfiber pad for the sealant and the pad provided in the P21S paste wax will allow these two products to be applied quickly and evenly.
 
From what i've seen and heard, i would go with the edge green pad with SSR2.5 ...awd330 and i just worked on a black Porshe Carrara 4S , me with the Lake Country Orange and her with the Edge Green and there was no marring and 90+% of the swirls were gone in one application..of course we did three or four applications to get as much as possible out before moving to SSR1 on polishing pads...
 
Poorboy said:
From what i've seen and heard, i would go with the edge green pad with SSR2.5 ...awd330 and i just worked on a black Porshe Carrara 4S , me with the Lake Country Orange and her with the Edge Green and there was no marring and 90+% of the swirls were gone in one application..of course we did three or four applications to get as much as possible out before moving to SSR1 on polishing pads...

What do you reccomend the pc speed should be with your different products?
 
Just a clarification regarding the difference in color coding between Lake Country and Edge pads -

SamW: You mentioned using a blue pad with S100. A blue Edge pad is actually a polishing pad which would be more suitable for mild swirl removers and polishes. For S100, the more suitable Edge pad would be the white ultrafine pad. I would choose to apply S100 by hand, but you could use the Edge white too. When speaking of Lake Country pad colors, the blue and white are the reverse of the Edge color coding. LC blue is a finishing pad, while LC white is a polishing pad.

In hearing you describe the condition of your Mother's Camry, I would be inclined to try the following process -

SSR2.5 with Edge green (substitute yellow if the swirls are very deep) @ 5.5 speed
SSR2.5 with Edge blue @ 5 speed
SSR1 with Edge blue @ 5 speed
EX with Edge white @ 3 speed
S100 by hand
 
awd330 said:
SSR2.5 with Edge green (substitute yellow if the swirls are very deep) @ 5.5 speed
SSR2.5 with Edge blue @ 5 speed
SSR1 with Edge blue @ 5 speed
EX with Edge white @ 3 speed
S100 by hand
Great advise! :bigups
 
awd330 said:
Just a clarification regarding the difference in color coding between Lake Country and Edge pads -

SamW: You mentioned using a blue pad with S100. A blue Edge pad is actually a polishing pad which would be more suitable for mild swirl removers and polishes. For S100, the more suitable Edge pad would be the white ultrafine pad. I would choose to apply S100 by hand, but you could use the Edge white too. When speaking of Lake Country pad colors, the blue and white are the reverse of the Edge color coding. LC blue is a finishing pad, while LC white is a polishing pad.

In hearing you describe the condition of your Mother's Camry, I would be inclined to try the following process -

SSR2.5 with Edge green (substitute yellow if the swirls are very deep) @ 5.5 speed
SSR2.5 with Edge blue @ 5 speed
SSR1 with Edge blue @ 5 speed
EX with Edge white @ 3 speed
S100 by hand


Thanks a lot! I appreciate it. Now would this make the car look good? Meaning, smooth and beautiful :) How long would this last? Are there any extra steps that can be taken to make the car look extra good? Thanks again.
 
SamW said:
Thanks a lot! I appreciate it. Now would this make the car look good? Meaning, smooth and beautiful :) How long would this last? Are there any extra steps that can be taken to make the car look extra good? Thanks again.
Just keep in mind that it takes a lot of hard work to properly detail a neglected car. Purchasing high quality products will help make things a little easier, but there aren't any miracle cures.

Try concentrating your efforts on a single panel at a time. A rush job is sure to produce unsatisfactory results. Go over one panel with SSR2.5 on with the green pad. Make sure you fully break down and work the product (this will probably take a few minutes for a 2' x 2' section of neglected paint). Wipe off the remaining residue and evaluate the results under good lighting. You may need to repeat this step 2 or 3 times (switch to the blue pad when the most severe marring has been removed). Only when you are satisfied with the results should you consider moving onto the next panel or the next product (SSR1 with a blue pad).

If you run into problems, or just think of more questions, stop and ask for help here on DC. Take the time to do the job right, and you will be very pleased with the results.

Regarding your question about how long the products will last - there is no clear cut answer here. It all depends on the environment that your car is exposed to (garage vs. no garage, snow and rain vs. searing heat, etc.). You should also read up on how to safely wash and dry the car. You'd be surprised at the amount of damage that can be inflicted by using too harsh of a soap or dirty mitts. For me, EX lasts about 3-4 months on a garage kept car. S100 lasts about 2 months. Your mileage may vary.
 
awd330 said:
Just keep in mind that it takes a lot of hard work to properly detail a neglected car. Purchasing high quality products will help make things a little easier, but there aren't any miracle cures.

Try concentrating your efforts on a single panel at a time. A rush job is sure to produce unsatisfactory results. Go over one panel with SSR2.5 on with the green pad. Make sure you fully break down and work the product (this will probably take a few minutes for a 2' x 2' section of neglected paint). Wipe off the remaining residue and evaluate the results under good lighting. You may need to repeat this step 2 or 3 times (switch to the blue pad when the most severe marring has been removed). Only when you are satisfied with the results should you consider moving onto the next panel or the next product (SSR1 with a blue pad).

If you run into problems, or just think of more questions, stop and ask for help here on DC. Take the time to do the job right, and you will be very pleased with the results.

Regarding your question about how long the products will last - there is no clear cut answer here. It all depends on the environment that your car is exposed to (garage vs. no garage, snow and rain vs. searing heat, etc.). You should also read up on how to safely wash and dry the car. You'd be surprised at the amount of damage that can be inflicted by using too harsh of a soap or dirty mitts. For me, EX lasts about 3-4 months on a garage kept car. S100 lasts about 2 months. Your mileage may vary.


Thanks so much for your help. One quick question regarding your post. When you say switch to the blue pad when the most severe marring has been removed, do you mean when the swirls are removed? Or do you mean the marring (hazing) from using ssr? Its really kind of you to help me out and i really appreciate it
 
SamW said:
Thanks so much for your help. One quick question regarding your post. When you say switch to the blue pad when the most severe marring has been removed, do you mean when the swirls are removed? Or do you mean the marring (hazing) from using ssr? Its really kind of you to help me out and i really appreciate it
I was talking about the scratches/swirls that are already in the paint. If you used SSR2.5 with an Edge green pad and properly work it in, you should have no hazing from either the SSR or the pad. That pad/product combo is one of my favorites.
 
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