2004 Ford Expedition questions

[50spence]

My mom owns a 2004 Ford Expedition she is thinking about selling. This thing has never seen more than a wash and dry by my dad (who dried it with bath towels *shudder*). It MIGHT get washed once a year. I asked her if she'd let me use this opportunity to practice since I'm relatively new to detailing as a hobby. I own a PC 7424XP, so my first question is what pads do I need? How hard/soft is this paint? Will the Pinnacle XMT stuff that came with my PC be aggressive enough to get out 10 years worth of swirls? She's agreed to buy some of the supplies I may need since I'm basically doing this for free. I already have all the soaps/brushes/cleaners/etc, so I figured this would be a good time to stock up on extra pads along with a few new microfiber towels.

Any other tips/suggestions?

Thanks!

[Scott@IncrediblyDetailed]

You'll need 2 compounding pads & 2 polishing pads.

I would buy either Menzenra FG400 or Wolfgang Uber for compounding and Menzenra SF4000 for polishing.

[jankerson]

You'll need 2 compounding pads & 2 polishing pads.

I would buy either Menzenra FG400 or Wolfgang Uber for compounding and Menzenra SF4000 for polishing.

:iagree:

And get some HT Cyan Pads and Orange Standard Flat pads for the compounding step. Don't know how bad it really is, the Cyan cuts very fast, but leaves a nice finish while the Orange Flat is not as aggressive.

Then WG Finishing Glaze for the Polishing step using the LC White Pads, or Meguiar's M205.

The Expedition is a BIG Vehicle, a lot of paint to be doing for free, even for family in the shape that it's in.... If it was in better shape then yeah OK... Not being washed but once a year etc.....

Might want to get 3 of each pad....

[Just02896]

I agree with all above! Definitely grab 3 of each pad, 32oz bottle of FG400, and 32oz bottle of SF4000!

[50spence]

Yeah I know I'm getting myself into a big job, but at this point I just want the practice and she really won't care if I miss a spot or try something new. Thank you all for your responses!

[HateSwirls]

You'll need at least four pads for each step unless you wash them when they need cleaning, problem is getting it to dry before your next pad needs cleaning.
Being it hasn't been maintained well you need to wash it with a good soap and a little APC, Iron-X and clay before you begin the correction.
Take your time with the prep work, most important.