Step-by-Step How-To Article using Pinnacle Products with the new PC 7424XP

[Mike.Phillips@Autogeek]

Continued...

After buffing out all the panels with the Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover we re-buffed all the panels using the Lake Country 6" White Foam Flat Polishing pad and and the 4" Spot Buff CCS Pads with the Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish.

Basically for this step you just duplicate everything you just did with the Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover only you step up your carefulness and for your last passes on each section you decrease your downward pressure. With this final polishing step you're not trying to remove below surface defects, you're insuring there's no haze from the first more aggressive step while maximizing gloss and clarity.




When working on the vertical panels of a car, don’t bend over and try to hold a buffer against the paint as this can cause back problems. A good rule of thumb is to always be able to look straight across from the panel you’re working on, so instead of bending over to buff out a vertical panel like a door, sit on the ground or on a stool across from the paint you’re working on.








Buff up to hand-painted pinstripes but don't buff directly on top of them



After the polishing step and wiping all the panels spotlessly clean it was time to apply the wax.

Set the speed setting to 3.0 to 4.0 for applying waxes and paint sealants



Here we're using the Pinnacle Liquid Souveran Wax with a Lake Country Charcoal Gray 6.5 Flat Finishing pad. We start out using the Kissing the Finish Technique.






Applying a wax or paint sealant is much different than removing below surface defects because when you're applying a wax or paint sealant you're not trying to remove paint but instead you're just trying to spread a layer of wax or sealant over the paint and to whatever degree possible, work the product into the paint.









Allow the wax or paint sealant to dry
Unlike compounds, swirl mark removers and polishes, with most waxes and paint sealants you want to apply a thin coating and then allow enough time to pass to let the coating fully dry before removing it. The idea behind applying a wax or paint sealant to your car's paint is to create and leave behind a barrier-coating of protection.

Part of how the protection ingredients bond or stick to the paint is through the drying process. If you remove the wax or paint sealant before it fully dries you will in essence be wiping some of the protection ingredients off the surface. Read the directions for specific instructions by the manufacture as to how long to leave the product on and use that as your guide.



Removing Wax by Hand
Removing wax by hand is pretty basic but here's a few tips to help insure you remove the wax in gentle manner so as not to instill any swirls or scratches in the process.

First, fold a plush microfiber polishing cloth 4-ways to provide you with a thick, plush wiping cloth with 8 dedicated sides you can use to remove and hold wax. I like to have one for each hand and often times will use one hand to support myself if I'm reaching for lower sections. This way I don't get finger oils on the freshly wiped-off paint.







After you've worked your way around the car and removed the majority of all the dried residue then give the paint a final wipe using the technique outlined here,

The Final Wipe













The Lexus is now ready to return to the owner.


Products Mentioned
Pinnacle Gel Wheel Cleaner
Montana Original 360° Boar’s Hair Car Wash Brush
Telescoping Handle
Pinnacle Bodywork Shampoo
5 Gallon Professional Wash Bucket with Grit Guard Insert
Montana Original 10 inch Boar’s Hair Car Wash Brush & Telescopic Handle
Cobra 16 x 24 Guzzler Waffle Weave Microfiber Waffle Weave Drying Towels.
Pinnacle Ultra Poly-Clay
All Purpose Cleaner Plus
Spray Bottle
hand pump
single 4 ounce clay bar
two 4 ounce clay bars
Pinnacle Clay Lubricant
foam applicator pad
Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing Lotion
Porter Cable 7424XP
6" Lake Country Dual-Action Hook & Loop Flexible Backing Plate
3.5" Lake Country 3.5" Dual Action Flexible Backing Plate
Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish
LC Flat 6.5" Orange Light Cutting Foam Pad
Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover
Menzerna Top Inspection
Pinnacle Liquid Souveran
Lake Country 6.5" Charcoal Gray Finishing Pad
3M Scotch 233+ Premium Automotive Masking Tape
Edge Products Smock
CCS 4 Inch Spot Buffs Foam Pads
3.5" Dual Action Flexible Backing Plate


Further Reading
Tips & Techniques for using the Porter Cable 7424XP
What it means to remove swirls, scratches and water spots out of automotive clear coats
The Final Wipe


Resources
Autogeek Online Detailing Forum
Autogeek Online Store

[Meghan]

This was great watching Mike detail this Lexus, it was in rough shape when it came in!

Love the article, Mike would have made a great teacher, the steps are explained so anyone from Novice to Pro can follow along.

[SRHTX]

Originally Posted by Meghan

This was great watching Mike detail this Lexus, it was in rough shape when it came in!

Love the article, Mike would have made a great teacher, the steps are explained so anyone from Novice to Pro can follow along.

Very nice and excellent detailed information Mike. There is only one lil problem for me.

#1 - Reading and memorizing all the information do to head damage

#2 - By reading the information and seeing videos, It will NOT help me learn and memorize such information. Once I do things hands on, THEN, by wonderful messed up brain memorizes the work and what needs to be done.
I just hope no one in our AG family gets brain damage such as mine. I will have to learn more hands on information in March.

Stephen

[GMC83]

Awesome work on that Lexus, Mike.

Was this a paint correction detail only? or did you detail the interior,engine etc.

[Mike.Phillips@Autogeek]

Originally Posted by GMC83

Awesome work on that Lexus, Mike.

Was this a paint correction detail only? or did you detail the interior,engine etc.

Exterior paint only. Started early in the morning, finished late in the day and had to hustle the entire time. One thing about the correction steps is you can't really rush them, it takes a certain amount of time to move the polisher over each square inch to remove below surface defects or they'll still be there after you wipe the wax off. One thing that helped a lot was the power the PC 7424XP offers as there was no problem keeping the pad rotating under pressure as long as the pad was held flat to the surface.

Usually it would have taken me a lot longer because it takes time to stop buffing and capture photos, that's why for years when other detailers post their write-ups I'll take a moment to thank them for taking the time to capture photos and the create the write-up to share with others.

It's a lot faster to just buff out a car and not take any photos at all, so anytime someone takes the time to do it for our forum it's appreciated.

In the next few months most of my focus will be using all the different paint care systems. Tomorrow will be spent either with Menzerna or Optima.

[GMC83]

Yes, the amount of products you used for simply an exterior paint correction job was a lot and demonstrates how much work it takes to do the actual corection work, and like you also mentioned: document your process.

Cannot wait to see more.

[wisemonkey]

that was just a awesome right up my head hurts from so much info

[BigAl3]

nice explanation and write-up how did you like the pinnacle line of products?

[Rsurfer]

Awesome job and write up Mike. Looks like you had some help with the photos.

[Mike.Phillips@Autogeek]

Originally Posted by BigAl3

nice explanation and write-up how did you like the pinnacle line of products?

They worked great on this car! The Pinnacle polishes aren't for cars that need serious correction work, so as long as the defects aren't too deep and the paint isn't too hard they'll work well and with only two polishes in the line it's pretty "Bubba-Proof".

The liquid Souveran really goes a long way and I found myself overusing it when I tried to use as much as I would normally apply when using NXT Tech Wax. So I had to really cut down on how much product I was applying to the face of my foam finishing pad. It wipes off easy and really leave a deep, wet shine.

One thing that's real apparent in this first write-up is that I'm a big fan of always doing a Test Spot when you're either working on a paint system you've never worked on before or a chemical line you've never worked on before and in this example it was both for me.

This also re-enforces the importance of good lighting, you either want to check the results of your testing by backing the car out into the sun or using the Brinkman Swirl Finder, make sure your system is producing great results to one small area before using it on the entire car. Don't find out the hard way your products aren't working.

On another note, the 4" pads are a must-have if you're buffing out new cars, there are just too many thin, intricate panels to try to do good correction work with large pads and body curves and body lines will stop your pad from rotating, even with the new generation dual action polishers.

This was also my first time with the new PC7424XP and while it has more power compared to the first generation PC's you can still stop the pad from rotating by simply applying too much pressure to an edge, so always try to hold the polisher in a way that the pad is flat to the finish.

The hardest thing about this project wasn't detailing the car, it was uploading and inserting around 200 photos.