suggestions for these deeper swirl marks?

**s1uma1** · 07-31-2016, 10:38 PM

So i just started getting into detailing and started with a porter cable, CCS Orange pad with Meguiars #105. It took out a lot of the superficial scratches, but some deeper ones remain, any suggestions other than going rotary?

suggestions for these deeper swirl marks?-dsc_8627-jpg

**AutowerxDetailing** · 07-31-2016, 10:51 PM

It's hard to say exactly what will help the most without watching your technique in person but in general if you are looking for more correction from a particular pad/product combo these tips will help:

- More downward pressure
- Fully prime the pad with product
- Slower arm speed
- Higher machine speed
- Clean the pad often

**s1uma1** · 07-31-2016, 11:07 PM

so i've been doing roughly 2ft x 2ft sections at a time with maybe 5-6 passes going roughly 1-2in / second. machine speed was 6. i wasn't using that much pressure, maybe 1-2lbs more than the weight of the machine. i'll try more pressure.

will try to prime the pad also, but how does that help with the cutting?
How should i go about cleaning the pad? i basically used brush and ran it across the pad while it was running to get rid of some dried compound. Is it okay to use the same pad for the whole car if i brush it every so often?

**ShaneB** · 07-31-2016, 11:32 PM

Eventually your pad will get saturated with product and this is very bad for pads to continue to use them like that. You will want 3-4 pads minimum to do a whole car. Otherwise you'll want to stop, clean your pad (more than just brush it) then continue with a clean pad. I would still brush it after every section you do, but brushing only does so much.

You'll want to use more pressure as stated above too. 1-2 lbs of pressure isn't enough to really engage the abrasives with the paint to make them cut. Compounds and polishes are kinda like sandpaper just on a more microscopic level. But the need for pressure still applies to make the abrasives do the job. With your PC you'll want to put maybe 10-15 lbs of pressure on it to really make it do work. You'll get a feel for it with practice but you want to learn to put enough pressure on it to make it cut, but not so much pressure that you lose pad rotation (mark your BP with a bold black line to be able to monitor rotation). It takes some getting used to but it all comes with practice.

As for how to clean your pad, you can spray them with an APC or pad cleaner, brush and rinse well then spin them on your polisher to get most of the water out. I personally keep enough pads to be able to just swap them out and clean them all when I'm done but that can sometimes be cost prohibitive for those who only do their own car.

**Mantilgh** · 07-31-2016, 11:42 PM

Like said above, you can alter your technique to possibly get better results, but....some questions first.

How old is your vehicle?

Is this a daily driver(DD), or is it a special interest vehicle that rarely sees the light of day?

I think where you are at now is a great improvement, and if this is your first time and a DD, I would just continue along and refine your process as you go.

If you can be happy with leaving the RIDS(deeper scratches), saving as much of your original clear coat and adding gloss should be your main priority.

If you do not have a paint gauge, do not go chasing perfection.

**s1uma1** · 08-01-2016, 12:30 AM

Originally Posted by ShaneB

Eventually your pad will get saturated with product and this is very bad for pads to continue to use them like that. You will want 3-4 pads minimum to do a whole car. Otherwise you'll want to stop, clean your pad (more than just brush it) then continue with a clean pad. I would still brush it after every section you do, but brushing only does so much.

You'll want to use more pressure as stated above too. 1-2 lbs of pressure isn't enough to really engage the abrasives with the paint to make them cut. Compounds and polishes are kinda like sandpaper just on a more microscopic level. But the need for pressure still applies to make the abrasives do the job. With your PC you'll want to put maybe 10-15 lbs of pressure on it to really make it do work. You'll get a feel for it with practice but you want to learn to put enough pressure on it to make it cut, but not so much pressure that you lose pad rotation (mark your BP with a bold black line to be able to monitor rotation). It takes some getting used to but it all comes with practice.

As for how to clean your pad, you can spray them with an APC or pad cleaner, brush and rinse well then spin them on your polisher to get most of the water out. I personally keep enough pads to be able to just swap them out and clean them all when I'm done but that can sometimes be cost prohibitive for those who only do their own car.

thanks for the suggestions. i'll try to put more pressure i noticed in mike's videos, there's a lot of compression on the pads, so i guess he's pushing down pretty hard also.

is it okay to spin the pads w/o contact to a surface? i think i read somewhere it's bad for the bearings?

**s1uma1** · 08-01-2016, 12:34 AM

Originally Posted by Mantilgh

Like said above, you can alter your technique to possibly get better results, but....some questions first.

How old is your vehicle?

Is this a daily driver(DD), or is it a special interest vehicle that rarely sees the light of day?

I think where you are at now is a great improvement, and if this is your first time and a DD, I would just continue along and refine your process as you go.

If you can be happy with leaving the RIDS(deeper scratches), saving as much of your original clear coat and adding gloss should be your main priority.

If you do not have a paint gauge, do not go chasing perfection.

the vehicle is ~1988. it's a friend's Mercedes 190e-16v. I was just slightly disappointed at the amount of deeper swirl marks that wouldn't come out, but like i said in original post, i wasn't compressing the pad that hard ...

suggestions for these deeper swirl marks?-image-jpeg

it's such an awesome car, wanted a mirror shine!

**David Hayward** · 08-01-2016, 12:36 AM

You should make a mark on your backing plate with a permanent marker so you can see it rotating and then run the machine at speed 6 and apply pressure until you see the backing plate begin to slow down rotation but still continue to rotate. Also you may have to try microfiber cutting pads to get a little extra cut pending it's safe to keep going.

**David Hayward** · 08-01-2016, 12:37 AM

And as already stated if you can't measure the paint you may not want to go chasing everything.

**s1uma1** · 08-01-2016, 12:41 AM

Originally Posted by David Hayward

And as already stated if you can't measure the paint you may not want to go chasing everything.

i had marks on the mounting plate so i know it was rotating. For the thickness, at what point would you back off? my understanding is that the meter will give you thickness from clear all the way down to primer... is there a general thickness to the clear coat? i might invest in a meter, but the one for sale on autogeek is way more then what i'm willing to spend. any recommendations?