pc newbie. please help!

A

acidrane

New member
i just got a pc 7336sp from lowes for $99. what other pads do it need (color?? type??)? my hood and fenders are really messed up (you can still see the wet sanding marks!) the rest of the car has small scratches here and there. i have 3m imperial hand glaze, swirl mark remover, wolfgang prewax polish enhancer and wolfgang deep gloss paint sealant.



so far ive come to the conclusion that i should use the orange pad (lc pads)with 3m smr then white pad for 3m ihg and wolfgang prewax polish and gray for wolfgang paint sealant. is this right?? if i use the 3m swirl mark remover with a cutting pad, will it get rid of the sand marks or do i need a more abrasive compound (3m rubbing compound??)?



i have a black car and have never been able to give it that deep, wet look. i hope that with the help of the pc and you guys i can do that. if there are any other products that you might think will help me get the look i want, please let me know!!



PS: did your pc come with the side handle?? i think mine is missing! ugh!



thanx

vick
 
You can order a good set of pads and backing plate from Excel Detail. Start with this kit:



http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=exceldetail&ct=&pd=97914&pg=14145



Then add something like two green pads (polishing), a yellow pad (med cut), and an orange (light cut/polishing) pad. All seven pads and backing plate will only run about $60, but youâ€â„¢ll have a nice range of pads to use and an extra one of most if you switch to a different product during a detail. Between the kit and the extra pads you'll have:

1- Yellow Medium Cutting pad

1- Orange (light cut/polish) pad

2- Green polish pads

2- Blue Light Polishing pads

1- Gray finishing pads

1- 5" Backing Plate



You can adjust the number of pads depending of the products you're going to use, but you won't beat $60 for a pad kit like that!



For polishing Iâ€â„¢d recommend 3M Perfect It III Rubbing Compound 05933 and 3M Perfect It III Machine Glaze 05937:



http://www.premiumautocare.com/3m.html



Start out with the MG on a polish (green pad) and see how that does on your defects. If needed you can step up to the RC on an orange pad and follow-up with MG on a polish pad. If you paint is in really bad shape you will have the yellow pad, but I would do several applications on the orange before going to the yellow.



Here is link with a pretty good description of the pads Iâ€â„¢m talking about:



http://autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=49338



As far as your handle, I never use one. I find it easier to cup one hand over the head and hold the rear with my other hand. If it is missing just go back where you bought it and have them give you one, it should come with every PC.
 
I'm new to the PC also so I'd like to see how this turns out. Put up some before and after pix if you can!



Good luck! :up
 
Everything Eliot Ness just said is right on the money, but I'd like to add a couple things.



The 3M products mentioned, which are a very good choice by the way, can also be purchased locally from any body shop supply store, NAPA, or some automotive parts stores. If you can't find them or want another suggestion, Meguiar's #83 and #80 will be about the same.



Since you are working with what sounds like a really messed up finish, I would just jump right into the more aggressive methods. Sure, you can start off mild if you want to but if you've got wetsanding marks, swirls, and scratches, you are going to need something pretty aggressive to get those out. I'd start off with either #83 or 3M RC with an orange pad to try to knock out those sanding marks. If they don't come out after a few passes, then use the yellow pad and continue to use the yellow pad over all the really bad areas. Once you get all those out, then go over the whole car again with the orange pad which will smooth out the finish nicely. After which MG or #80 with the green pad will further perfect the finish and it's here that you will finally see your paint's natural depth and shine. Basically, follow Eliot's suggestions to the *T*, but I'd start off more aggressive.



One last thing, before you start polishing and buffing, make sure you understand how to use each product thoroughly. After you decide which products you are going to use and you actually get them in your hand, post back so we can help. Rubbing compounds, polishes, cleaners, etc. all act different and require more than just a simple wax on, wax off routine.
 
JDookie said:
........After you decide which products you are going to use and you actually get them in your hand, post back so we can help. Rubbing compounds, polishes, cleaners, etc. all act different and require more than just a simple wax on, wax off routine.
Click to expand...

Very true, I (we) see a lot of posts from members who are frustrated with their polishing/defect removal attempts largely due to their inexperience with the products they are using. As Jason mentioned, once you have your products do a search for application techniques or post back here with your questions.
 
Just a heads up -- I am also a new PC user. I recently worked on 3 cars with varying degrees of paint flaws: 99 White Honda Accord with minimal swirls and a few faint scratches and scrapes, 92 Camry with loss of shine and some keying, and an 04 TL (my baby!) with a shiny clean finish. I did mostly a wash and wax on the cars with some spot buffing and polishing. I didn't have the time to go through the entire process of detailing each car.



From my recent experience working on these cars, I've found that patience is definitely a virtue. Some of the scratches and other damage areas required several passes with the PC, and even then didn't appear to show any changes. Prepare to spend 10-15 minutes on one scratch between switching pads, applying compounds/polishes, and going over it several times.



Good luck.
 
ok so let me get this straight... i start with the orange pad and 3m rc...then orange pad with 3m mg then green with 3m smr, blue with the pre wax polish and finally grey with the sealant. anf if the orange with m3 rc doesnt help that much, i shoud use the yellow with 3m rc. later on if i wanna use the zymol wax/polish i can use the blue pad. did i miss anything or use a wrong pad for the product?



vick
 
Here's something that might make this a little easier.



All cutting and paint correction work will be done with either the orange or yellow pads.



All polishing work will be done with the green pad.



All paint cleaning and/or finish polishing work will be done with the blue pad.



Finally, sealants/waxes are applied with a grey finishing pad.





Now, before we get into a product/pad list, the idea here is to remove (or at least minimize) the defects as much as possible, not hide them so if you use products like 3M RC and MG, you won't be hiding anything. What you see is what you get. The 3M SMR is a filler, and isn't needed if you prep right. Now here's your product/pad list:



3M RC - Yellow pad for most aggressive cutting and orange pad for regular cutting. You will decide this after you attempt to repair the defects.



3M MG - Green pad



If you choose to use Zymol polish or another cleaner like Klasse AIO, use the blue pad.



Finally, apply your sealant with the grey pad....Zymol wax if this is what you want to use.



Now this is only needed when serious repair is required. For regular maintenance, you won't need to do the RC or use the cutting pads at all. Most maintenance details will start off with MG and a green pad. Hope this helps.
 
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