Using PC for the very first time

The problem I'm having now:



As I determined the best combo to be orange/IP... I started "officially" polishing my hood, and not as a test anymore.



Problems:



1) Sure it was removing swirl marks, but it still wasn't removing some scratches that are a bit deeper but not too deep. Visible under light but not so visible under no light.



2) The whole process emits A LOT OF dust and powder for some reason. And it goes all over my car. I fixed the splattering problem. But now it really dusts and powders. After doing one 2x2 area I have to literally wipe down the entire hood to remove powder and even then it doesn't remove completely.



BTW, I havn't tried it your way. What I have tried is just spraying the pad with water+QD. Now the polish smears a lot better and remains intact for a bit more. But even sometimes the polish was drying out quickly or hazing out (as in when you wipe off water from paint, then it dries off after it hazes... I don't know how to explain).



BTW, your slow-cut process... is that only for Menzerna polishes??? Have I made a mistake in buying those polishes?
 
The fact the polishes are removing the swirls shows that they are working, so thats a good start. For the deeper marks, I would try a second or even third hit on the area as it can sometimes take multiple hits of several passes to get the more severe marks out... If the paint finish is hard then what look like farily mild scratches can take some removing, espeically by PC which is a very gentle tool.



Yes - dust was the one complaint both I, and a great many other detailers have had with PO91L Intensive Polish, and the only way I could get around it was regular spritzes of qd on the pad - after every three or four passes. Even at that, there would be a little dust. As a result of this, I have now swithced across to using the cerami-clear versions of the Menzerna products as I rated the defect correction power I was achieving the way in which the products finished down crystal sharp by both PC and rotary: PO85RD3.0x Intensive Polish, and PO106FF/PO85RD Final Finish. These polishes are far better lubed, I have had no dusting issues and find the Intesive Polish easier to use and has a slightly more effective cut.



That said - I would not worry or fear that you have bought the wrong products in the Menzerna that you have. The slow-cut method I described was a method I honed, developping a method I had discussed with a fellow UK detailer, to get the best from these specific products owing to the style of abrassives... The aluminium oxide abrasives in PO91L (the IP that you have) are very brittle, and will shatter under initial pressure and will not cut as effectively. Using the slow-cutting method allows the abrassives to break down naturally and gives a much better cut from the products and the regular spritzing with qd/water helps to keep the dust down into the bargain. Give it a go, and and see if you see any improvement.
 
So in order to propperly remove those scratches I should go by your method? that way the dust thing will be ok as well. Should I use the slow-cut method for all the other polishes or just the intensive polish?



What do I do remove the dust? QD/Water???



And after polishing I've noticed tiny dots on the paint surface... doesn't seem like it is dust but maybe this will be removed as I apply final polish and AIO and finishing glaze?



Well this is my first detail anyways. So I'm not gonna worry too much if it doesn't go perfectly and I'm not able to remove all scratches. I'll have something to do in my next detail :)



Thanks again!
 
I would try out the slow-cut method to get the best of the Intensive Polish that you have - its a long process but this is the best way I have found to get the best from the abrasives in this paricular product... The technique works ideally with Power Gloss as well...



For the FPII, I would just use the standard technique of spreading the polish, and then working it in with six or seven passes on speed 5 or 6.



To remove the dust, I would use a microfibre towel and lightly spritz both the towel and the panel with some qd and then wipe off.



Not sure what the small dots are - perhaps imperfections in the paint that have been revealed in removing the swilrs.... Its hard to say without seeing the marks up close I'm afraid. I actually have a very good magnifying glass that I borrow from my lab at work (I'm a Physics researcher) for closely examining paintwork imperfections.



Look forward to seeing the results of your first detail. :up
 
Understood. I will definitely do my best to shine my car.



BTW, by 'pass' do you mean going over the whole area "once"? say you're going left-right motion and a pass would be when you do the whole area once with the machine?







Also how much polish do you prefer in the 1sqft area? the line or the X?
 
UPDATE:



Well I tried it your way and it certainly works. And it certainly takes so much time out of my life. Literally takes me 10 minutes for each area. I'm done with half the hood. Rest of the car to go. *sigh*



It is still dusting a lot, and it's sticking too so that's a bit frustrating. And it's taking too much time. Only concerns I have. But other than that it seems to work better, way better than before :) Thanks Dave.
 
Glad to hear its working! Yeah, it is a time cosuming process for sure - took me three days to fully de-swirl an Audi A4 using this method and I shortly after that moved to a rotary polisher and the cerami-clear Menzerna polishes! Still, it will get the results in the end. :)
 
bonoz said:
So for next time I should definitely get different polishes?
Click to expand...



If you are finding the process you are currently using overly time consuming, I would recommend looking into the cerami-clear versions of the Menzerna polishes: Intensive Polish with the designation PO85RD3.01 and Final Finish with the designation PO106FF or PO85RD (the latter of the two is the best finishing polish I have used, and I use a lot of barnds of polish!). These polishes are far better lubes, do not dust and dont require regular spritzing. They can also take pressure being applied from the start so can be applied using a more standard technique and still give excellent results.
 
I was wondering if it was absolutely necessary for me to be perfect in my first detail. I mean say I put in an effort and go through polishing quickly. The swirl marks are gone but there are still a few itty bitty scratches here and there. Then I continue with the detail, put all the finishing polishes on. And then put on the sealant and the wax. Would the scratches that were not removed, would they cause any harm or any problem later on?



Because I wanna get better products for my next detail. Ones that don't dust and don't require this much effort to generate great results. So I was wondering if I HAD to be perfect this time around.
 
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