newb with PC questions

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prix03gt

New member
I'm looking to get a PC for correction on my 2007 Honda Accord and 2009 Odyssey. I would like to get away with using just one pad and polish combo, since the finish on both cars is relatively new. The accord has a bunch or rock chips which I know I can't fix, however very few swirls and scratches.



I understand that white pads are not very good? Maybe a green LC pad?



I'd like to polish out the bulk of the imperfections, maybe not all, without having to go over the area again to remove hazing.



Many of the PC kits I have seen include many Orange pads, which I think are more aggressive, correct? I think orange pads may be overkill for my situation. I may be able to use them for a few deeper scratches, but for swirls from washing what pads to use?



Am I on the right track here, or am I looking at this the wrong way?



Thanks
 
I think you are confusing the white pad that comes with the PC with "all white pads are bad". White polishing pads are the staple of PC use. The reason you see a lot of orange pads in the kits is...orange pads are good! They do a lot of correction without a lot of marring. If you have a light colored car I wouldn't hesitate to use an orange pad (without worrying about hazing). If you want to stick with just one polish, you can two-step by using the orange pad and then using the same polish on a white. If you are just looking to do some basic machine cleaning/light polishing, then by all means just go with a white pad and polish. It will almost definitely be an improvement. Some machine polishing is going to be better than no machine polishing.



As Accumulator would say, insert appropriate cautions about masking trim, etc. here.
 
I'm just a little shy about not being able to see the "hazing" that may be caused by a more aggressive polish and pad combo. I think the general consensus is to start with the most gentle combo, white/green pad and a fine polish, and then work your way up if you need better results.



From what you are saying, if I use the orange pad with a finer/lighter cutting polish I can be less concerned about having to buff out a haze left over?
 
If you have light colored cars I wouldn't be concerned about any hazing from the orange pad. But if you do have any lack of gloss, certainly going over it with a finer combo will take care of it. Again, if your cars are in good shape and you are just looking to clean/gloss them (as opposed to doing a lot of defect removal) just go with a fine polish and a white pad and you'll be fine. What colors are the cars?
 
The accord is a darker red, and the odyssey is a dark cherry, almost black. So yeah, hazing is a concern with both.
 
You have a choice to make.



Either buy the pads and polishes you actually need to do this correctly, or live with the hazing. The pads will cost an extra $20, a bottle of finishing polish is $10.



For something the size of the van, you'll need 4-6 pads anyway.



Your choice.
 
I'm never a big fan of "kits". I'd rather see somebody buy only, and *exactly*, what they really need.



prix03gt- AFAIK (been decades since I've had a Honda), Honda clear is fairly soft. So..



I'd try just one-stepping it using M205 on a Griot's brand (and only Griot's, different from others) orange pad.



The Griot's pad is kinda in-between the usual orange pads and a white pad, and works well with M205 in my (somewhat limited) experience.



While you might get more correction with another brand of orange pad, and you might get a slightly better finish with another brand of polishing/finishing pad, this simple approach should make a dramatic improvement.



Don't use too much product. Don't overprime the pad. Clean the pad frequently and either *really* clean it out or, better yet, start with a new pad after every few panels. Don't use too much product ;)
 
honda paint is soft, and i found it pretty easy to correct... some correction can be achieved with a white pad and some megs #9.. #9 does a lot of filling, so you should do an ipa (50% alcohol 50% water) afterwards to check progress... i have as close to a showcar finish as i can expect on a daily driven car on my 2003 civic, i used an LC white, then lc grey (both 6.5 inch), the polish i used was 3m ultrafina. which im not going to suggest here because it seems like you're not trying to spend a lot, and ultrafina is quite expensive (atleast the big bottles i can find locally.. no small bottles i've seen... so i suggest a white lc pad and #9,which can be found at some autoparts stores like pepboys and napa. id be really scared to take an orange pad to my soft honda paint since white got the job done for me. again, im not a professional, so take the above with a grain of salt
 
mothers power polish should do well too.. i've used thing on toyota paint, which is also fairly soft.. its a very pad dependent polish. i used it with white and grey (obviously, white has more cut)... i havnt used it on honda paint though.. so i cant make a pad reccomendation. white would do the job, but i dont want to reccomend that if grey would be enough for honda paint.. i doubt it would. but yea... mothers powerpolish is a medium cut polish..it would be about a 5 out of 10.. 3m UF and #9 i suggested earlier would be about a 3... mothers power polish can be found pretty much everywhere and gives eccelent results. just thought id put that out there.
 
I think I'm going to try Poli-Seal with a green LC pad. Will this give me much correction power, or would an orange LC pad work better?



I guess I can always pick up some Meguires #9 or Scratch X 2.0 at the store if it does not give me the results I am after.
 
poli-seal has very little correction. It is a great AIO product, but will do little for swirls. It's great with a white lake country pad and a PC for minor polishing, cleaning, and laying the foundation of a decent sealant that is easily topped with a spray wax, dedicated sealant etc.



With the softer honda paint, take a look at Optimum Polish 2 and consider poli-seal to follow up adding addl gloss and sealant. I know you wanted a one step and the suggestion of Meguiar's 205 finishing polish and a white pad might be the ticket.
 
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