Just bought a PC, have some questions

T

technomafia

New member
i have an 02 jetta and the paint has some fine scratches/swirls/ and some permanat water spots on the trunk. Overall the paint looks great for a car with 130k on it. I wash weekly so theres no fading or oxidation. I guess im going to start with a Megs #80, or #9. Now being a new PC user are the LC orange pads to abbrasive for me? should i maybe use the swirl/scratch remover with a white pad to be safe?? i see they have some minor cutting ability. Also as a polish should i use the DC polish?? I have alot left over, or is there a better one for a PC??
 
I'll try to answer in an organized way..



The VW paint is usually pretty hard so don't worry about getting too aggressive with it.

The #9 is so mild as to be (virtually) functionally nonabrasive on hard paint unless you use it with a rotary, so don't bother with #9, use #80. You might have to use the #80 numerous times- again, with that paint don't worry about being too aggressive, worry about being aggressive enough. You might want to use #83 or #2 (new version) on any bad marring just so the job goes quicker and then follow up with the #80.



The orange pads aren't all that aggressive, you should be OK with that. But it won't add much to the cut of the #80 and is really better suited to a more aggressive product.



If you use the orange, I'd follow up with a polishing pad (#80 oughta be just right on that).



Work the #80 until it starts to go clear/translucent. Buff it off before it dries completely.



The #80 leaves lots of Meg's "trade secret oils" behind, so I dunno if you'll get any benefit from the DC#2. Note that DC #2 is a nonabrasive product anyhow, so it won't really matter if you apply it by PC or by hand; all the Meg's "pure polishes" (#3/#5/#7/#81/DC#2) work fine by PC or by hand. Don't let these dry all the way either (except for #5), buff off while still a little wet.
 
I would suggest #83 DACP and an orange pad to start on VW clear. You might want to consider mail-ordering some Menzerna Super Intensive Polish and Ceramiclear finishing polish - the last 2000ish Jetta I buffed took HTEC/OP on a rotary to correct.
 
Accumulator said:
I'll try to answer in an organized way..



The VW paint is usually pretty hard so don't worry about getting too aggressive with it.

The #9 is so mild as to be (virtually) functionally nonabrasive on hard paint unless you use it with a rotary, so don't bother with #9, use #80. You might have to use the #80 numerous times- again, with that paint don't worry about being too aggressive, worry about being aggressive enough. You might want to use #83 or #2 (new version) on any bad marring just so the job goes quicker and then follow up with the #80.



The orange pads aren't all that aggressive, you should be OK with that. But it won't add much to the cut of the #80 and is really better suited to a more aggressive product.



If you use the orange, I'd follow up with a polishing pad (#80 oughta be just right on that).



Work the #80 until it starts to go clear/translucent. Buff it off before it dries completely.



The #80 leaves lots of Meg's "trade secret oils" behind, so I dunno if you'll get any benefit from the DC#2. Note that DC #2 is a nonabrasive product anyhow, so it won't really matter if you apply it by PC or by hand; all the Meg's "pure polishes" (#3/#5/#7/#81/DC#2) work fine by PC or by hand. Don't let these dry all the way either (except for #5), buff off while still a little wet.
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ok so start with 83 with orange pad. then 80 with white??? then move onto my pure polish lets say #7 with a white pad. then finish the job off with NXT on a black pad? hows that??
 
technomafia said:
ok so start with 83 with orange pad. then 80 with white??? then move onto my pure polish lets say #7 with a white pad. then finish the job off with NXT on a black pad? hows that??
Click to expand...



That sounds pretty much right...I rarely use the pure polishes anymore and I can't remember if I used 7/81 with a Meg's polishing or finishing pad, that would be my only question about your regimen is which pad to use with the #7.
 
technomafia- Yeah, that's the right approach. But I don't think you'll need the #7 after the #80...the #80 leaves enough stuff behind that the #7 won't add enough to justify the hassle of using it. #83/orange until the marring is under control, #80/white to improve the finish, then LSP (the NXT if that's what you like).



If you do want to use the #7 and by machine, then yeah, I'd use the white pad, though some people prefer a finishing pad for that. For that matter, I often prefer to apply my LSPs with polishing pads (at least my paste LSPs)...I'm just not that fond of finishing pads for most things but it's just a personal preference.
 
WilliamHBonney said:
If you are just using the PC speed 6 man, dont be scared its not that powerful.
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yeah just bought a 7424. it will be my first time using it so im not to sure what to expect. the autogeek video is pretty good. i guess ill follow that for the most part and experiment on my own. i just didnt want to take my finish down to the bare metal, lol
 
technomafia said:
ok now what about speeds for each of these products?
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Correction with abrasives- 5 or 6 (I always use 6).



Glazes/LSPs- 3 to 4.5 (I usually use 4-4.5)



As WilliamHBonney said, it's not that aggressive of a machine...you'll probably wish it were *more* aggressive before too long ;)
 
technomafia said:
yeah just bought a 7424. it will be my first time using it so im not to sure what to expect. the autogeek video is pretty good. i guess ill follow that for the most part and experiment on my own. i just didnt want to take my finish down to the bare metal, lol
Click to expand...
Only way with the PC that you are going to get to bare metal is to use the machine with no pad, ie backing plate only. Or drop it on the hood and drag it across the paint.
 
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