SSR2.5 and cutting pad failed me...what to try next?

W

White95Max

New member
I just tried SSR2.5 with an orange Propel pad on the trunk of my mom's '95 Concorde. The swirls didn't look that bad, but I guess they're much worse than I thought. With 2 passes on speed 5, they are still quite noticeable.

My dad informed me that he remembers me or my brother dragging a box across the trunk many years ago when the car was almost new. He also said the car has been through an automatic car wash several times.

I tried it again on speed 6 with light pressure, and it still wouldn't do much to the swirls. I was moving at maybe 1" per second.

BTW I placed a mark on the side of the pad to see how fast it spins under pressure. It was only spinning about once per second.



So since the SSR2.5 didn't "cut" it, what should I move up to now?

SSR3?

1Z UPP?

Pinnacle ADV SMR?



Any other tips or ideas?
 
oh BTW I used SSR2.5 and an orange pad a couple days ago on some nasty car-wash-induced swirls and they came out after one pass, leaving very little micromarring. I followed up with #80/green and the marring was gone.

So I have plenty of faith in SSR2.5, but these swirls are just really stubborn. Is Chrysler paint harder than average?
 
Can you feel the scratches with your finger nail?



If not, I'd give it another pass. Kick up the speed to 5.5 - 6 with the same pad you are using. -Go slow.
 
I didn't try to feel the scratches with my fingernail before I started. I DID however, try to feel them after I gave up on them. I cannot feel the scratches now, but they may have been reduced enough to not be able to feel them now. :nixweiss
 
If you are working with VC pads try using them at a slight angle with some moderate pressure. Get out the SSR3 with the orange pad and crank the PC up to speed 6. Do not use pressure that will bog down the motor but enough to generate some heat, check this by feeling the portion of the pad used for the polish. Also do not hesitate to put more product on than you are used to. Follow up with some SSR2.5 on a polishing pad and some SRR1/VM to resotre the gloss. Good Luck.
 
2 passes doesnt sound like it would be enough. When I do moderate polishing, i make 8 - 12 passes; the first 4 - 5 passes made at 1 - 2 inches per second with a lot of weight on the machine. After that I gradually ramp off the pressure with each pass to the point where I use the machine's weight, and the final passes speed by at ~8 inches per second.
 
The Orange pad isn't really a true "cutting" pad to my understanding. The yellow propel one is the actual cutting pad, the orange is somewhere between the yellow cutting and the green polishing pad. So, if you have the yellow on, you might want to try 2.5 with that. If not, you may need to spring for some ssr 3, or maybe some 3m RC. HOpe this helps.
 
I removed about 50% of a deep scratch with SSR2.5 and an orange Sonus pad....The first few passes absolutely nothing, but I added some QD and more 2.5 and kept working at it and eventually most of it came out.....I got too tired to remove the rest
 
I think by passes, he means doing one section until the polish has broken down, and then reapplying polish and doing it again.



If you're doing 8-12 of these "passes", for moderate polishing, you may be doing something wrong ;)



Paul, Rotary? I really, really want one now. I'm buying one this summer, I know it. Maybe try borrowing someone's rotary and using the same product/pad, as they do much more cutting here than on the PC.
 
One pass with the rotary+polishing pad+ dacp would probably knock those swirls right out.



You might consider getting the cheap chicago if you are not using it to make it a living.



Sounds like you have reached the limits of what the PC can accomplich on *that* paint system.
 
I am seriously considering a rotary now, after seeing how long it takes to remove swirls like these.

I am using FLAT pads. I asked Patrick a few days ago about the orange vs yellow Propel pads. He said the orange was indeed the most aggressive pad, and the yellow comes below that.



I guess I'll order some SSR3 tonight.
 
White95Max said:
.........I asked Patrick a few days ago about the orange vs yellow Propel pads. He said the orange was indeed the most aggressive pad, and the yellow comes below that......
Click to expand...

The orange pad is a light cut/polish pad, the foam feels identical to my LC orange pads. I haven't had need to use the Propel yellow pad yet, but it is listed as a medium cut pad. I won't argue with what Patrick told you, but I know the LC yellow pads have more bite than the orange. Here is what I would try:



1. If you have the yellow pad give that one a shot and see how it compares.

2. Get a 3.5" backing plate and some 4" pads (Autopia and CMA sell them). I have found that a 4" pad is more aggressive on a PC than the larger pads.

3. Try a different polish, 3M PI III RC (or the new 3M PI 3000 RC) is about equal to SSR2.5, but sometimes a different polish will be more effective on different paints. SSR3 is also an option like you mentioned.

4. Borrow a rotary or get the $25 Harbor Freight special and a backing plate so you can use your existing pads. It's not the best rotary, but it spins just like the rest of them and for occasional use mine has been just fine.
 
The orange pad has a noticeably denser foam than the yellow pad.

I'll try the yellow pad and see how it goes.



Link to the $25.00 Harbor Freight rotary? Will the Propel backing plate fit on the rotary?
 
White95Max said:
The orange pad has a noticeably denser foam than the yellow pad.

I'll try the yellow pad and see how it goes.



Link to the $25.00 Harbor Freight rotary? Will the Propel backing plate fit on the rotary?
Click to expand...

The orange foam is denser and you would think it has more cut than a yellow cutting pad, but it's a different foam that I believe comes from Germany.



A PC backing plate won't fit on a rotary, but there are 5" BP's made for them. Autogeek is just one place I know of that sells them.



Here are a couple of links:



http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=46507



http://www.autogeek.net/backingplates.html
 
That seems pretty heavy.



I would have to practice on my dad's 94 Gr. Voyager. Since he doesn't care about how it looks, I could induce as many holograms as I want. :)



This being my first time using a rotary, should I keep it on the lowest speed until I get good results with no holograms?
 
White95Max said:
This being my first time using a rotary, should I keep it on the lowest speed until I get good results with no holograms?
Click to expand...



You might want to use products that work well at low speeds. 1Z stuff for instance (they recommend speeds below 1,000 rpms until it starts breaking down). Some rotary products are designed to only work well at higher speeds. Oh, and holograms aren't just a speed-related issue...some people have all sorts of trouble with them and other people don't.



Do get the 4" backing plate and pads for the PC though. Makes it more aggressive, at least enough to justify the cost.
 
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