Where did I go WRONG!!!

3

325iSBimmer

New member
Alright, here's the scenario...



A frined ;with a REFLEX SILVER VW GTI 337; and I ; with a SHWARTZ BLACK BMW 325is; have been surfing around autopia and decided to give our cars a good multi stage detailing. We've waxed our cars numerous times with different products and had relatively good success.



Today we decided to try a few different things. We had just bought a PC 7424 and an extra white polishing pad and some terry cloth bonnets.



here what we did.



-washed with meg's deep crystal(as ussual, day before)

-used meg's scratch-X on the hood(baddly scratched,hazed,swirled)used PC with terry cloth bonnet

-meg's deep crystal system step 1 paint cleaner(I've also used this before without problem) also PC with terry cloth bonnet

-meg's deep crystal system step 2 polish.(used thise before without problem) PC with white polishing pad

-meg's #7 show car glaze(never tried before) PC with white polishing pad

-meg's #26 HighTech Yellow Wax(never tried before) PC with terry cloth bonnet

-meg's gold class paste wax(used this before)PC with terry cloth bonnet



all of these steps were allowed time to haze and taken off with a 100% cotton cloth.



We noticed right on the first step that it wasnt coming off easily.

no matter how long it was given to dry

we continued through with all the steps but now that everything is done and the car has been buffed more than once there is still smearing every where on the Black BMW. It doenst seem to b e noticeable on the VW but maybe that because of the colour.



The weather today was rainy and we were inside a big heated building with bay doors at either end and it didnt seem to matter whehter they were open or not. The products still didnt want to dry. or cdome off easily....

and NOW my car looks like *** cause it has smearing everywhere and i cant get rid off it...
 
Your main problem is using bonnet to apply products that you listed above.

Bonnet are mostly for REMOVING wax or pure polish like #7.



I took it you use the polishing pad that come with the PC. From what I read this one is no good. You should get a velcro backing plate and some pads with different abbrasiveness. You can get Lake Country pads or Meguiar's.



Next, some products that you use like ScratchX & Step 2 polish, you should not let it dry. Work 2'x2' at a time polish using the pad until the product almost dry. Then wipe off and move on to the next section.



Do more readings on how to use PC.



Now get some rubbing alcohol (diluted 1:1 with water) and wipe those smears. It should come off.

Start from zero again.



Hope this help!!
 
My observations on what you did are this:



1. You should definitely use better pads and skip the bonnets (unless you want to use them for removal). The investment in a quality machine deserves the extra few bucks for good pads.



2. For the level of scratches you described, you may have needed to try something more aggressive than the Scratch-X, if that product did not produce the desired results. Alternately, the Scratch-X may have worked better with a cutting pad, rather than a terry cloth bonnet.



3. The use of the GC paste wax, as your last step, undid any benefit of the two steps before it. The cleaners in the GC probably stripped any of the fillers from the glaze, and the lower quality wax did a disservice to the results the #26 would have left.



Sorry to hear about the smearing. You might try using some quick detailer to smooth it out, without stripping anything. Otherwise the alcohol wipedown will work, as would another good paint cleaner or polishing.



Good luck.
 
From what I read on meguiars online, it is not recommended to apply Scratch-X by PC. The heat generated by the PC will cause this product to gum up. Scratch-X was primarily designed to be applied by hand.
 
Thank you guys for the prompt responses and usefull tips.



I had just bought the PC this weekend and there was a very limited selection of pads so i had to settle for those crappy bonnets. Im in the Toronto area is there a good place to buy those pads for the PC?



Also the products Im using are also limited to where I buy them. I dont know of anywhere to get them in the Toronto area.

Im probably gonna end up ordering them from here.



If someone wants to suggest a method with roughly the same amount of steps(or less) and what products to use that would be greatly appreciated.



Either that or Im thinking of just ordering the perfect shine kit form Autopia. along with the velcro backing plate and pads.



One more question....How do u guys clean the pads for the PC and do you have one pad for each step or do u clean and then use the next product on the same pad?



Help is greatly appreciated..



BTW...the cars not looking to bad now that its sat for the nite and got slightly rained on. I think a QD and she'll look great. Most of the swirls I got out of the hood which was my main goal with the PC but there is still some scratches. Considering that was my first time with the PC i could have done a lot worse...hopefully I will learn better how to use the PC
 
Everyone has there own personal preference regarding products to produce the ultimate shine, lord knows I've spent a lifetime's salary on car care products. Depending on the amount of swirls in your finish I would begin by claying the entire car with a quality clay kit, followed by a product like Meg's #83 or SSR 2, followed by Meg's #82 or SSR 1 to prep the surface. I would then follow up with a coat of AIO followed by three coats of UPP. You could top UPP with a carnuba if you want, but you want be able to layer anymore UPP until you remove the carnuba. You may have to order your pads online vendor if they are unavailable in your area as well as the products you use. As far as cleaning pads, I've always just washed mine in the sink under warm running water. I use a dedicated pad for each product. It would get old washing the pad inbetween each application of different products.
 
You're probably using too much product if you're getting smearing.

I just handwash my pads with hot water within 24 hrs of using them.
 
NEW QUESTION:



so i was looking at my car today in direct sunlight (the which has been non existant the last week!) and i noticed some slight "holagram" ( i think thats what u refer to it as)

this wasnt there before.



what products specifically and how do I go about fixing this.



im assuming it was incorrect use of the PC that did this because i have waxed my car many times by hand and by Orbital buffer (back in the day) and this has never happened. I thought the PC's Dual Action movement was supposed to prevent this kind of thing from happening.



Someone halp please!



I have the only BMW hologram paintjob and as cool as it looks to my 5 year old brother i dont like it:scared
 
well order some stuff online. Order a good pad set with a 6" counterweight.

Order a good set of polishes in incremntal stages and some microfibers......
 
Bimmer,



I'm in the GTA (Mississauga) and we can readily find Meguiar's Professional and Body Shop line of products that are much much better than the 1-2-3 system.



Also, that PC white pad is pretty much useless. Look in the yellow pages for Auto Paint Supply stores. In Mississauga, there's a Cmax that carries that entire product line. You can also order from Meguiar's directly but I can't believe how much they are selling everything for .. almost outrageous pricing! It might actually be better to order from the states.



1. Get yourself a very good backing plate (velcro). Meguiar's makes one (W-64DA) but I prefer the 3M version.



2. Get yourself some 6" pads from Meguiar's. 1 cutting (W7006 - maroon in colour), 2 polishing pads (W8006 - yellow) and 1 finishing pad (W9006 - tan). The Lake Country one's are good as well but I haven't found those in the GTA but I know they do exist here. Note: The colour / pad aggressive isn't consistent between vendors. So yellow for Meguiars may not be the same as yellow from XYZ company.



3. As for products. 3 options:



Scratch X should be used by machine. It's made for hand application to correct trouble spots.



A. Some Canadian Tires carry Meguiars No. 9 Swirl Mark Remover (tan bottle). It's much better than the 1-2-3 line. You might have to try a couple of stores before you land one that carries it.



B. Auto paint supply stores like Cmax. Then pick up:



Dual Action Cleaner Polish (medium like polish, anything more and you'll need a rotary).

Swirl Free Polish or Speed Glaze



Personally, I'd stay away from the No. 7 for now as you need to know how to apply it to get good results and avoid the oily smirring issue. Mike Phillips wrote a great how to on No. 7 here so do a search.



They'll also carry 3M (Perfect It III line is pretty good) or probably Fracela etc. I'd stay with Meguiars and experiment later if you like.



S100 GEC (gloss enhancing cleanser) as a final step prior to your topper.



C. Ordering online - Product choices are endless.

Meguiars, 1Z, Poorboy, Clearkote, Menzerna, Klasse, Wolfgang etc.



4. Get some good quality Microfiber (MF) Towels. I personally have bought from JTInternational a few times and have been very very happy with the quality. Randy from Pakshak is also highly rated and is a board member so in the future I'll be purchasing from him.



5. Final Topper.



A. Meguiars gold class is good and can be bought at CT.

B. Meguiars NXT is getting good reviews and will be available there shortly.

C. Meguiars No. 16 or 26 are old faithfuls. Easy to apply, good durability.

D. S100 is a great product as well. (Harley Shops).

E. Zaino (Get out your local "Barber's Chair" hairstyling salon. Square One in Mississauga carries the Zaino line.

F. Klasse can be ordered online from the address above.



6. Misc.

Interior - 303 can be bought at Zellers.

Glass Cleaner - E1 20/20 or Stoner's Invisible Glass (CT)

All Purpose Cleaner - Orange Blaster (CT)

Wheel and Tire Cleaner - E1 A2Z

Car Wash - Meguiar's Gold Class, NXT or E1 Wet. I don't personally like the deep crystals.



Bonnets are really only to be used for product removal. Wash your car and you'll probably find most of the smirring go away as the oils are wash off. Any remaining hazing is probably because the products were not allowed to work properly because of the bonnets.



For polishes, you shouldn't have to wait for them to haze. You need to work the polish to the point where it almost dries and then wipe the surface clean using either 100% USA Made Cotton towels or MF. The haze thing is only a wax thing (and then, only for certain waxes as some of them you are not supposed to the let them haze or they'll be a pain in the arse to remove).



Good luck. We're lucky, Toronto's not too bad for product choices.



:xyxthumbs
 
P.S. I may be placing an order shortly for some 1Z and Clearkote products, if you're interested, Private Message me and we can talk about sharing shipping / duties etc on the order.
 
paco,



thank you soo much for your extremely detailed and helpful post, people like you is what makes this site a huge pleasure to browse and be apart of.



i have noticed the hazing left by the glaze is pretty much completely gone, but i have taken a break from detailing my car as i have really picked up on the business side of detailing

(much less involved then my own critique.)



I will be looking into many of those products that you specified. Thanks again for giving me a starting point on what products to go after and then compare and judge from there.



:bounce :up :xyxthumbs
 
325iSBimmer - If I were you, I'd take Paco up on his offer regarding some 1Z and/or ClearKote products. They are *VERY* user-friendly and I'm confident you'll get great results with them.
 
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