MgsJester - FIRST DETAIL 2003 Honda Accord

That looks good! You're smarter than I am, lol. When I first decided to try and remove swirls I did it by hand with ScratchX and a foam applicator pad. I did everything by hand for months before I finally gave in and bought a PC, lol.



A few things: The new ScratchX works fine by machine, it was reformulated for this very reason. If used correctly it should remove light swirls and not just fill them. If you are looking for something else and want to stay with OTC products look for Mothers Power Polish like accordmaniac mentioned. Power Polish is almost fool proof and has a decent amount of cut. You could also check body shop supply places for Meguiars Speed Glaze.



Also that armor all gel is pretty good stuff and shouldn't sling. If it does it's probably just because you are using too much, which is common when you firs try tire gels.



One last thing......your before and after pictures would probably look more like you want if you took them in the sun or with some halogens to really highlight the swirls.



Great job, especially for your first time!
 
Thanks Bandito.

Got a few questions.



What is an OTC product?

What do you mean when you say the gel slings? Does the gel literally come off of the tire?



Thanks for the picture tips. There was almost no sun today haha. And I only wish I had some halogens. :(
 
Yea, camino kid, scratch x removes swirls as well, it has some fillers in it but so does #3 and MDC 2 but you use both of those
 
Oops, sorry.



OTC = Over the counter.



If you apply too much gel or don't allow enough time for it to dry then sometimes tire dressings can sling off the tire onto the paint. I've never had this problem with Armor All gel, though. Make sure you apply tire dressing sparingly and allow plenty of time for it to dry before you drive the car and you shouldn't have a problem.
 
Oh..didn't know it could do that..hah.

I shouldn't have this problem because I applied it at night and my dad didn't drive it until about noon the next day.
 
Just anything that didn't look too good in my pictures.



I personally want to know how to use the UDM better. Especially the pads...
 
I don't have any experience with the UDM but I do use a Porter Cable occasionally. They are both random orbit buffers so the basics should be the same. When polishing use at least speed 5, if not speed 6. It takes a few minutes for polish and compounds to break down so you have to work it slowly. To remove swirls and light scratches put some pressure on the machine. Work on small areas at a time. You have to prime the pad when you first use it. Then once it is primed you just need small amounts of polish. If the color of the the pads that you bought corresponds to Lake Country pads then the orange is a light cutting pad and should be used for correcting moderate swirls. The yellow pad, heavy cut pad, should only be used for heavy swirls and really tough paint. Most of the time you need several passes with the machine to make a noticeable amount of correction. The polishing pad, white, is for removing light swirls and micro marring left by a more aggressive polishing step. When applying glazes, waxes, and sealants it's best to use a finishing pad. They're usually the really soft ones. Make sure your pads are clean when you use them so they don't damage paint. It will take a long time to polish an entire car with a dual action polisher.



Work polishes until they are clear but don't ever dry buff. This means that your pad should not dry out when you are polishing. Use the least aggressive process possible to do correction so you don't remove a lot of paint. When polishing, make sure you overlap about half of each section that you already polished. Meaning, you polish a 2ft area and when you move the machine down half of the pad should overlap the last area that you polished. I hope this isn't too confusing as that's the best way that I can explain it now. These are the basics and once you get the hang of it you could develop small details that will make polishing easier for you.



I hate polishing so I do the least I can so I'm still working at perfecting my technique. I hope this helped and if you look in the machine polishing section you will probably find some helpful threads.



This link should provide some info How to remove swirls using an orbital polisher.
 
dorkiedoode said:
what did you use to clean your leather seats? i just bought some woolite but i do not know what to use with it. a toothbrush?
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I am not sure if I would use a toothbrush, maybe one of the soft bristle ones if you really had to? I would more likely use a mf or horsehair brush if you can get.



My reasoning is toothbrushes are made to scrub your teeth, which I'd imagine are a little harder than your average leather seat. I do use my old toothbrushes as pad brushes though.
 
Oh, sorry. I misunderstood the question. I thought you meant what product.



No, I didn't use a toothbrush. I just used a towl (100% cotton) and scrubbed really hard because I didn't have any brushes to use that were acceptable. Don't use a toothbrush. My dad used it a long time ago with WINDEX!!!! and it scrubbed the protective layer off of the leather. I think horsehair brush will be the best..I've never seen a MF brush before...
 
Joshua312 said:
Looks good! Are those new rims, the inside of them looks immaculate.



As for the Armor-All, I have never used it but if it does sling you could always use it for dressing wheel wells.
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I dunno bout the sling, I'm just not a fan of anything made by Armor-All, especially the interior dressing. Looking good though!
 
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