First Correction Attempt-Looking for advice/help!

[UR2SLO]

Hi.

The products I am using/have:

-Menzerna Power Gloss (Yellow Pad, Speed 5)
-Menzerna Super Intensive Polish (Orange Pad, Speed 5)
-Menzerna Super Finish SF4000 (Green Pad, Speed 5)
-Menzerna Power Lock (Gtechniqe Black Pad by Hand)
-Griots Garage Random Orbital
-Uber 5.5" and 4" Pads



I spent 3 hours doing the rear of my car (09 Dark Grey Sentra) to get about 85-90% of the scratches removed, but does this seem to long? I started to do pillars and near the gas tank (http://www.amazon.ca/s?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=gas%20tank) but it seemed like I would use Power Gloss two times and the rest of the products once and end up with some scratches still there. These scratches are your regular swirl marks and random scratches you see people removing with ease. I hear that Power Gloss shouldn’t even be needed as it’s a heavy compound. Am I using the wrong color pads for the product? I am applying enough pressure I believe (max till you notice the pads is not rotating). The whole process today seemed annoying, like I wasn’t going anywhere, I fee; the products are right, but the way I am applying them is wrong perhaps. Should I swap the Power Gloss for M105?

***ANY ADVICE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!***

Other Questions:

How often should I be cleaning my pads?

How should I be applying product to the pads? Example: X, dots, spread with finger?

How much of the defects/scratches should be removed using Power Gloss to give me an idea to move to Super Intensive Polish?

How many times should I be passing up and down/left and right?

On average roughly how long does it take to do one door or rear of a car?

[ForceField]

I think the problem you're having is your DA polisher or improper technique.

Honestly I've seen videos of DA polishers and when I see videos of the Griot's, it seems like the pad is not rotating. Maybe that's improper technique, but the video I watched was Richard Griot using their machine.

If the pad is not rotating you are not cutting therefore not doing any paint correction. 2-3 hours should be how long it takes to do the whole car.

Now having said that, I've heard from people who swear the Griot's works fine for them but I've yet to see any evidence of this in the form of a video showing in detail, before, during and after correction of a 2x2 panel.


How should I be applying product to the pads? Example: X, dots, spread with finger?

You can apply an x, and 1 squirt of detailing spray on a brand new foam pad. Once the pad has product on it, to do the next panel just put 3 or 4 dots otherwise you'll have too much product and that's just as bad as too little.


How often should I be cleaning my pads?
If the product dries on the pad, clean the pad.

In this video: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m7LpC1jkgE]Griot's Garage 6" Random Orbital: Polishing Basics - YouTube[/video]
Notice how the pad is not rotating at around the 1:21 minute part.

You can see it because the pad is written on with marker.

You need to mark your pad or the backing plate with a line so you can see if the pad is rotating.

If the pad is not rotating, apply a little bit less pressure until it rotates, or bump up the machine's speed higher.

If the pad is rotating too fast, apply a bit more pressure.

I've never used the Griot's nor have I seen a video of it used successfully so I'm sure someone else will chime in to give you their first hand account of it's ability to correct swirls.

Or you can come back and let us know when you find the right technique, products and pads that work for you.

The Flex3401VRG forced rotation polisher has faster correcting ability, however it's more expensive and dangerous with improper technique as it can burn through the paint due to it's forced rotation it will not slow down if you apply too much pressure.

P.S. I recommend marking your backing plate and not the pad itself in case you bump into the paint with the outer edge of the pad, you don't want magic marker ink on your paint. Even though you can clean it off, it's best not to put it on there in the first place.

[ski2]

Sure looks like it's rotating to me. On my GG RO it's very difficult to stop the rotation at speed 5-6.

[ForceField]

Sure looks like it's rotating to me. On my GG RO it's very difficult to stop the rotation at speed 5-6.

In the video I posted at around the 1:21+ minute mark? It's oscillating but hardly rotating enough. By rotation I mean the spin of the pad in circles not just the oscillating or orbiting action.

A pad that's just oscillating and not spinning will not perform any paint correction at all. It just vibrates on the paint. That's what makes it so safe in case you apply too much pressure it will not cut too fast and too deep.

[UR2SLO]

I will mark my backing plate on my next attempt. I found when washing that pads you cant really use them for 24 hours or more since it will make your product liquidy on the car since its still wet on some parts of the pad. Is there a better way of cleaning the pad that doesn't involve water if you want to continue correcting on the same day?

Is the pad for the products I am using correct? Should I replace Power Gloss with M105?

[ForceField]

I will mark my backing plate on my next attempt. I found when washing that pads you cant really use them for 24 hours or more since it will make your product liquidy on the car since its still wet on some parts of the pad. Is there a better way of cleaning the pad that doesn't involve water if you want to continue correcting on the same day?

You need multiple pads of the same type.


Is the pad for the products I am using correct? Should I replace Power Gloss with M105?

The product and pad you need depend on how hard the clear coat is, and how much correction it needs, in other words how deep the scratches are and how perfect you want the paint to be. Sometimes it's best to live with some of the deeper scratches rather than remove too much clear coat. Maybe use a glaze to cover up those deeper scratches. A PTG is a wise investment to make sure you're paint isn't getting too thin if you're doing any serious correction work.

[ForceField]

Found a good thread with a similar situation to yours here: http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/47743-what-am-i-doing-wrong.html

[UR2SLO]

You need multiple pads of the same type.



The product and pad you need depend on how hard the clear coat is, and how much correction it needs, in other words how deep the scratches are and how perfect you want the paint to be. Sometimes it's best to live with some of the deeper scratches rather than remove too much clear coat. Maybe use a glaze to cover up those deeper scratches. A PTG is a wise investment to make sure you're paint isn't getting too thin if you're doing any serious correction work.

I'm willing to buy different pads to try out. Which ones should I be looking for? Should I only change my pad options for the compounds like Powergloss or if I get M105?

[swanicyouth]

I will mark my backing plate on my next attempt. I found when washing that pads you cant really use them for 24 hours or more since it will make your product liquidy on the car since its still wet on some parts of the pad. Is there a better way of cleaning the pad that doesn't involve water if you want to continue correcting on the same day

*****What I do is wash the pad very well, and place them on a fan. You can buy a Wind Machine Fan for 30 bucks. It sits on the ground, but the fan part swivels up so it faces the ceiling. Then you can sit the pad on it
and place a weight on top of it so it won't blow away. Your pad dries in about 25 minutes on high. Now, some people will say this can cause dirt to "blow inside" the pad which will cause more scratches, but inside my house is pretty clean and it just hasn't happened for me. Pads come out clean and dry. I guess if your worried about dirt blowing into the pad you can place some cloth under it as a "filter", (like curtain material, etc...).

[ForceField]

I'm willing to buy different pads to try out. Which ones should I be looking for? Should I only change my pad options for the compounds like Powergloss or if I get M105?

Well I hear really good things about the MF pads. They generally cut more than the foam lineup. If that's not enough cutting ability to take out the swirls you might have to step up to surbuf pads.


*****What I do is wash the pad very well, and place them on a fan. You can buy a Wind Machine Fan for 30 bucks. It sits on the ground, but the fan part swivels up so it faces the ceiling. Then you can sit the pad on it
and place a weight on top of it so it won't blow away. Your pad dries in about 25 minutes on high. Now, some people will say this can cause dirt to "blow inside" the pad which will cause more scratches, but inside my house is pretty clean and it just hasn't happened for me. Pads come out clean and dry. I guess if your worried about dirt blowing into the pad you can place some cloth under it as a "filter", (like curtain material, etc...).

You can buy Filtrete air filter material at any hardware store. I got some for my home air conditioner once, it worked really well.