Little help needed for a newbie with a PC7424xp

A

alex_t

New member
Hey guys, i am new to this site and new to machine polishing, and looking for a little advice. Up until now i have been doing everything by hand, always trying new products/techniques, and always trying to get the best results possible. I recently got a PC 7424xp for christmas, but am very new to this.



I have done alot of research regarding pad/polish combo's etc, but I still feel i need a little bit of direction. I am going to be purchasing a 5.5" pad/backing plate kit, but i am not entirely sure what to order in terms of pads.



Most of my detailing will be pretty vast, but i will be doing some VW's and other euro's, which from what I understand have a pretty hard clear on them.



I will probably be ordering 4 pads to start , and was thinking of getting these:



Orange

White (x2)

black or blue



(all of them LC CCS pads)



The polishes i have been looking at are either the 105/205 combo, or I was also looking at the Optimum compound II, and Optimum polish II combo.



I am looking for any insight as to wether or not I am on the right track. I was also curious if I could follow using those two products lines with a IPA wipedown, and then use my Klasse SG on top as the LSP?



So my entire process (should the vehicle need it) be the following:



Wash

Clay

Wash again

Compound on orange pad

Polish on white pad

IPA wipe down

Klasse SG on either black or blue pad



If anyone can provide me some advice I'd really appreciate it!



Thanks guys!
 
alex_t said:
I will probably be ordering 4 pads to start , and was thinking of getting these:



Orange

White (x2)

black or blue



(all of them LC CCS pads)



The polishes i have been looking at are either the 105/205 combo
Click to expand...



you can never have enough pads, so to get started get 3 each of the orange/white and a few black (get flat pads), you can also get 105/205 in 8oz bottles. do a test spot and use the least aggressive approach and move up as needed...



btw... :welcome !
 
Alex_T- Welcome to Autopia!



Echoing what BigAl3 posted, you really should buy plenty of pads; you'll need more than you'd expect.



And note that products with non-diminishing abrasives (M105/M205 and the Optimum Spray Compound/Polish) require even more pads than conventional products.



FWIW, I always (and yeah, I do mean *always* ;) ) use KAIO before KSG, even if I've done an IPA/Prepwash wipe first (and I sure like PrepWash better than IPA). I find IPA to be only marginally effective when it comes to removing M205 oils (though it seems to work OK for others).



And I always apply KSG by hand as I just can't get the properly thin application via machine. If you do want to use the PC for that, try the LC *Gold* pad; the black/etc. finishing pads soak up too much product IME.
 
I appreciate the fast responses guys.



Is there any other products out there that I should be considering? And will the orange and white pads be the correct ones to use with the 105/205 combo? Any tips whens using them?



What i may do then is 3 orange, 3 white, and a couple of other ones (what pad would work best with the klasse twins?)



Thanks again guys!
 
If it were me and I had no pads at all, I'd go with the LC hydrotech pads instead. Three of the cyan, 3 of the orange and 2 of the crimson to start. The LC flat pads are nice but the HTs tend to cut and finish down better for me.
 
I dunno... I got called a hack for suggesting you will want more than 1 pad for a correction :suspicious:



I would definitely get a couple of each pad. Whether you get the LC flat, hydrotechs, etc, I think you will like the *flat* pads better.



I have loved M105 and M205, but I know the Optimum polishes have been very popular too.
 
alex_t said:
I appreciate the fast responses guys.



Is there any other products out there that I should be considering? And will the orange and white pads be the correct ones to use with the 105/205 combo? Any tips whens using them?
Click to expand...



The Optimum spray compound (Hyper compound? I forget the proper name..) is incredibly user-friendly compared to M105, and I'm a fan of M105 too so when I say that I think it's significant. BUT...the Optimum has considerably less cut IME (at least via non-rotary polishers). It still cuts well enough that it'll handle "swirls" just fine, but deeper RIDS are a different story. [Insert lecure about taking off a lot of clear anyhow..]



M205 is good if the residual oils don't bug you. They do bug me but I use it anyhow, they don't bug a lot of people at all. The Optumum spray polish might be a good alternative.



Heh heh, I never liked Optimum stuff much before I tried the spray compound but now I'm recommending that line!

What i may do then is 3 orange, 3 white, and a couple of other ones (what pad would work best with the klasse twins?)
Click to expand...



Unless you have really soft paint I'd use the white polishing pad with KAIO and do the KSG by hand or with a LC Gold LSPing pad.



The orange *GRIOT'S* polishing pad is nice with KAIO too. I don't like finishing pads with KAIO but others do; I prefer a more open-pore pad for use with AIOs.
 
Leadfootluke said:
I dunno... I got called a hack for suggesting you will want more than 1 pad for a correction :suspicious:
Click to expand...



Well, you know what they say about opinions....



I'd like to see somebody do a whole vehicle with one pad and a non-diminishing product :chuckle: Oh, well, OK...if you stop and clean/dry the pad over and over and over I guess it'd work.



Even with diminishing-abrasive products, it's sure a hassle to stop and clean the pad out all the time. But yeah, BTDT back before I decided that life is tough enough when I make things easy on myself.
 
Accumulator said:
Well, you know what they say about opinions....



I'd like to see somebody do a whole vehicle with one pad and a non-diminishing product :chuckle: Oh, well, OK...if you stop and clean/dry the pad over and over and over I guess it'd work.



Even with diminishing-abrasive products, it's sure a hassle to stop and clean the pad out all the time. But yeah, BTDT back before I decided that life is tough enough when I make things easy on myself.
Click to expand...



That's true. It was a slew of people/staff on Adams' forum, so maybe their line up of polishes does not require cleaning of the pads. Heck, you don't need to remove their polishes before applying the finer polish, so maybe I am completely missing the boat.



Anyhow, I do like to prime my pads, so having one primed when I am about to switch helps in terms of a smooth transition between pads and saves time/product.
 
okay, so you all have provided me with some good info. Any other suggestions for pads aside from the LC CCS ones?
 
Leadfootluke said:
That's true. It was a slew of people/staff on Adams' forum, so maybe their line up of polishes does not require cleaning of the pads. Heck, you don't need to remove their polishes before applying the finer polish, so maybe I am completely missing the boat...
Click to expand...



Ah, that's different and I guess I shouldn't have jumped to a :nono generalization. My bad (but not all *that* bad ;) ).



OK, with products that can be used that way you *can* get by with fewer pads. I've done an entire Econoline van with one set of 4" pads on the Cyclo! And yeah, the "leave the residue on" technique can work fine; I've done it many times (with older-tech, diminishing-abrasive products) with no problems at all.



But pads still get loaded up with old/broken-down product and cut-off paint, and clean pads work better than loaded up ones IME and it's easier to change pads than to clean and dry them.



Anyhow, I do like to prime my pads, so having one primed when I am about to switch helps in terms of a smooth transition between pads and saves time/product.
Click to expand...



I too like to prime my pads more than some people (when using diminishing-abrasive) products but you need to watch that you don't overdo it or you'll just be loading up the pads and making for looooong sessions while you wait for that extra product break down.

AlexT said:
okay, so you all have provided me with some good info. Any other suggestions for pads aside from the LC CCS ones?
Click to expand...



I've been using Meguiar's older 7006 burgundy cutting pads for serious correction, really like how they work with M105 and Optimum's spray compound.



I always have liked the Griot's orange polishing pad and the LC tangerine Hydrotech is supposedly very similar.
 
Accumulator said:
Ah, that's different and I guess I shouldn't have jumped to a :nono generalization. My bad (but not all *that* bad ;) ).



OK, with products that can be used that way you *can* get by with fewer pads. I've done an entire Econoline van with one set of 4" pads on the Cyclo! And yeah, the "leave the residue on" technique can work fine; I've done it many times (with older-tech, diminishing-abrasive products) with no problems at all.



But pads still get loaded up with old/broken-down product and cut-off paint, and clean pads work better than loaded up ones IME and it's easier to change pads than to clean and dry them.



I too like to prime my pads more than some people (when using diminishing-abrasive) products but you need to watch that you don't overdo it or you'll just be loading up the pads and making for looooong sessions while you wait for that extra product break down.
Click to expand...



I hoped you caught some of my cynicism ;)

I don't care, if there polish is supposed to be so good (and I don't doubt it!), I *still* think you should clean the pads, or replace them. Especially when compounding and some heat builds up. Even if you catch an edge with a pad and cause minor damage, you would be SOL if you just have 1 of that pad.
 
Leadfootluke- Heh heh, I'm trying to play nice these days, and I do enough criticizing when it's really warranted. If somebody's OK within some given (if limited) context then I'll back off and say I hadn't considered it that way.



And yeah, seems I somehow only trash a pad at the worst possible moment when I don't have a backup handy, never when it wouldn't be a big deal. Velcro failure, catching some sharp corner... you name it, it can happen.
 
I am with Luke. I think the idea of not wiping off residue polish or changing pads is like saying one bucket, one mitt, etc, is enough to wash. It is just various exta practices that helps insures optimum (mar free) results. There are no guarantees in either extreme but it is about just why take chances. It also sounds lazy.
 
Heh heh, I guess one man's laziness might just be another guy's expediency. But yeah, Bunky, I too would rather err on the side of caution; enough goes wrong when I play it safe!
 
Just getting back on topic.



I just placed my order, just want to make sure i got the right stuff.



I got 2 LC orange CCS pads, 2 LC white CCS pads, Optimum hyper compound spray, and optimum hyper polish spray.



The pads i got were 5.5" with appropriate backing plate.



Will the white pad with the polish be good enough go follow with klasse SG afterwards as a LSP? (guess what i am asking is a white pad and that polish appropriate for the final correction before the LSP?)



Thanks again!
 
alex_t said:
Just getting back on topic.



I just placed my order, just want to make sure i got the right stuff.



I got 2 LC orange CCS pads, 2 LC white CCS pads, Optimum hyper compound spray, and optimum hyper polish spray.



The pads i got were 5.5" with appropriate backing plate.



Will the white pad with the polish be good enough go follow with klasse SG afterwards as a LSP? (guess what i am asking is a white pad and that polish appropriate for the final correction before the LSP?)



Thanks again!
Click to expand...



I have not used Optimum's polishes, but the OHP and the white pad is your least aggressive option with the pad your have and would be the last polishing step before KSG. If you end up needing more pads, I would definitely go for the flat pads/hydrotechs versus the CCS though.
 
Leadfootluke said:
I have not used Optimum's polishes, but the OHP and the white pad is your least aggressive option with the pad your have and would be the last polishing step before KSG. If you end up needing more pads, I would definitely go for the flat pads/hydrotechs versus the CCS though.
Click to expand...



Alright, so the whitepad/OHP is fine enough for the last step though? I just want to make sure it isnt still too aggresive.



Also, what is the downside of the CCS pads?
 
alex_t said:
Alright, so the whitepad/OHP is fine enough for the last step though? I just want to make sure it isnt still too aggresive...
Click to expand...



Unless your paint is *very* soft it oughta work out fine.



You planning to use KAIO before the KSG? If not, I'd sure do everything possible to clean off any polishing oils the OHP might leave behind.
 
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