Things i need to know between Flex and PC!!

[fenderpicks]

Alright guys... im going to be doing a full detail with a FLEX 3401 for the very first time this coming Tuesday....

I was wondering are there anything i need to know before i do this detail... since i only used the PC before...

Will the flex be much stronger and burn my paint off....?
Things like that?

ANy tips will be great.

[Rsurfer]

Because the Flex is a forced rotation machine, you need to keep the pad flat and both hands on the polisher. At times it may want to walk on you, so pay attention.

[fenderpicks]

okay so just keep it stable and flat on the surface, and not let it fly around lol

[sscully]

Keep your head about you when doing correction work.
If you are used to correcting with a PC, the Flex will cut your time down, so you might not need to have as many passes

similar to how a rotary can do more correcting faster that a DA, a Flex is a mid step in that example.

I don't know how you could burn paint off with it. I guess if you used a yellow LC pad with PB SSR3 on it, you are going to do damage
- SSR3 is Swirl Mark remover 3, which Steve calls liquid sand paper to start with
- Yellow LC pad is a very aggressive pad, just above foamed wool pads.

If you are using LC pads, keep an eye on how aggressive the pad is, and if it is applicable to the product you are using. Some products have max pad aggressiveness, others the pad change is how you make a product more aggressive.


just follow the common sense detail wise you have been practicing, and you will be fine.

[Kaban]

Just go for it man. It's a piece of cake to learn to use a XC3401. Keep the buffer moving at all times, but don't go too fast because you won't correct squat that way. Once the polish is spread, you can use speed 5.5-6 until it's completely broken down.

[fenderpicks]

Yea i only use orange pads ~> red

So is the WG Swirl remove consider light duty compound? Or what is it consider as?

Flex has the same speed as the PC right?
Like 1-6?

[Mike.Phillips@Autogeek]

Originally Posted by fenderpicks

Will the flex be much stronger and burn my paint off....?

The Flex offers more power but won't burn through, or abrade through the paint unless you use bad technique and your car's paint is already thin to start with, like some other caveman detailers recklessly detailed it using to abrasive of product before you took possession of it.

Originally Posted by fenderpicks

So is the WG Swirl remove consider light duty compound? Or what is it consider as?

Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover is a Medium Cut Polish, for most people and most cars across the world, it offers more than enough cut with the right pad, tool and technique to remove the majority of swirls and scratches. Anything it doesn't remove would probably be deep enough that if the car is a daily driver then it's better to live with the defects then remove so much paint off the surrounding areas to actually remove the deeper defects.

Originally Posted by fenderpicks

Flex has the same speed as the PC right?
Like 1-6?

Yes, dial goes from 1-6, what the OPM's are doesn't matter because in reality, like the PC you're going to use the

• 5-6 to remove defects
• 4-5 to polish to a high gloss
• 3-4 to machine apply a wax or paint sealant

You don't need to know what the OPM's are because at the end of the day you're always going to use one of the above settings on the tool for the task at hand.

Like Ron aka rsurfer pointed out, because of it's direct drive design, if you hold the tool with more pressure to one edge of the buffing pad it will feel like the tool is trying to "walk" away from you, toward you or side to side, (depending upon where the pressure is applied), what this does is TEACHES you to hold the pad flat. Thus the tool is what I call self-teaching.

Smaller pads are easier to control than larger pads but all pads are controllable as long as you hold the pads flat to the surface.

[Hellspawn]

Originally Posted by Mike.Phillips@Autogeek

The Flex offers more power but won't burn through, or abrade through the paint unless you use bad technique and your car's paint is already thin to start with, like some other caveman detailers recklessly detailed it using to abrasive of product before you took possession of it.





Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover is a Medium Cut Polish, for most people and most cars across the world, it offers more than enough cut with the right pad, tool and technique to remove the majority of swirls and scratches. Anything it doesn't remove would probably be deep enough that if the car is a daily driver then it's better to live with the defects then remove so much paint off the surrounding areas to actually remove the deeper defects.





Yes, dial goes from 1-6, what the OPM's are doesn't matter because in reality, like the PC you're going to use the

• 5-6 to remove defects
• 4-5 to polish to a high gloss
• 3-4 to machine apply a wax or paint sealant

You don't need to know what the OPM's are because at the end of the day you're always going to use one of the above settings on the tool for the task at hand.

Like Ron aka rsurfer pointed out, because of it's direct drive design, if you hold the tool with more pressure to one edge of the buffing pad it will feel like the tool is trying to "walk" away from you, toward you or side to side, (depending upon where the pressure is applied), what this does is TEACHES you to hold the pad flat. Thus the tool is what I call self-teaching.

Smaller pads are easier to control than larger pads but all pads are controllable as long as you hold the pads flat to the surface.

Can (should!) the Megs MF system be used with the 3401? Shortcomings or cautions about it?

[sscully]

Originally Posted by Hellspawn

Can (should!) the Megs MF system be used with the 3401? Shortcomings or cautions about it?

I have heard the same rumors as you might have.
I did a test with the opti MF pads and hyper combo vs the Megs, both using my Flex and the Megs 6" MF kit worked fine for me.

I was using the 6" kit, not the 5" so that might have an impact on the results. I followed the video from Mike P and the Megs guys and got the kit I should have for the Flex.

[eaglefan]

Let the Flex do the work, not you. If its walking on you, if its wearing you out, adjust. Make the tool do the work. You can man handle a PC, not a Flex. For example, if you try and work a 20 lb sledge hammer and swing it like a wild man it will wear you out. If you pick it up and drop it where it needs to hit, instead of swinging it, you do more work with less effort.