My technique concerning the 3401, Menzerna products, and Hybrid pads

[jehsautosalon]

WOW! thank you so much for this trend. I just purchase The Flex 3401 at the Sema show and I can't wait to use it on my BMW 530i 03. It is heavily swirled up and needs a heavy correction. I saw the Menzerna Fg400 at the Sema and I was impress with the results of a high gloss compound.

I also purchase the hydro tech pads, 3 blue cutting pad and 3 orange polishing pad for polishing. I don't think I will be needing the red pad because I will be coating it with opticoat optimum gloss coat.

I will post the results and I will used these technics that I just learned in this thread. Lower speed on Fg400 and higher speed on fg4000. Prime the pads and clean/change pads as needed.

Thank you Mike for the thread. and thank you Mr.Phillips for the passion that you share to us.

[Tato]

Well, I followed Smack's technique exactly and am completely & thoroughly impressed with the final results.

After meticulously decontaminating My new Mazda6, I ended up going right to work with my Flex, sf400, and a white pad.

As mentioned previously, the paint on my new ride was already in great shape so little corrections were needed…mostly just the polish to make it pop.

I was then able to get the results I was looking for with only 6 passes per section.

next, I sprayed each panel with an IPA before adding Optimum Gloss Coat.

This was also my first experience with any kind of coating so i was very nervous at first.

But after trying it out on a little test panel first, I quickly became confident that I would be able to completely coat the car with no problems….so long as I stayed on top of it.

So yea, this was my very first experiences ever with a Flex 3401, Menzerna, Hybrids, and Opti-Gloss Coating.

I still have to coat all the exterior trim and wheels with Dlux (first experience with that too) and will be getting started on that as soon as I have my morning coffee.


Again, I just want to thank Mike (Smack) and everyone else who contributed to this thread which helped me to achieve the desired looks and outcome I was hoping for.

But I'd especially like to thank Tato for taking the time to sit with me over a video chat and emails to help me also achieve my goal(s).

Thank you sincerely for your help & guidance along the way.
Much Love & Respect!

®ick~

Dear Ricky,

Glad to hear about your positive experience detailing your new car.

'when I arrived' you already had done your homework, did an extensive research and even ordered everything needed.

Like I told you, my participation was towards guiding and encouraging you to believe being able to get the results. And you did it.

Once upon a time, Smack gave me similar support, so I just wanted to pass it forward.

That said, I'd feel comfortable if we give all credits to him: directly or indirectly, Smack will always be Guilty for our success as detailers.

Please, count on me when needed,

It was a great pleasure to meet you, Wish you a very nice day.

Kind Regards from Brazil.

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

Sincere thanks Mike!

I think I can finally do this without too much worry now….as most all of my questions have been answered.

Tomorrow it's supposed to rain so i'm going to wait until Friday to get started.

Supposed to be in the mid 70's all weekend

Sure thing Rick.

Well, I followed Smack's technique exactly and am completely & thoroughly impressed with the final results.

After meticulously decontaminating My new Mazda6, I ended up going right to work with my Flex, sf400, and a white pad.

As mentioned previously, the paint on my new ride was already in great shape so little corrections were needed…mostly just the polish to make it pop.

I was then able to get the results I was looking for with only 6 passes per section.

next, I sprayed each panel with an IPA before adding Optimum Gloss Coat.

This was also my first experience with any kind of coating so i was very nervous at first.

But after trying it out on a little test panel first, I quickly became confident that I would be able to completely coat the car with no problems….so long as I stayed on top of it.

So yea, this was my very first experiences ever with a Flex 3401, Menzerna, Hybrids, and Opti-Gloss Coating.

I still have to coat all the exterior trim and wheels with Dlux (first experience with that too) and will be getting started on that as soon as I have my morning coffee.


Again, I just want to thank Mike (Smack) and everyone else who contributed to this thread which helped me to achieve the desired looks and outcome I was hoping for.

But I'd especially like to thank Tato for taking the time to sit with me over a video chat and emails to help me also achieve my goal(s).

Thank you sincerely for your help & guidance along the way.
Much Love & Respect!

®ick~

Sounds good! Im sure you were able to polish it to perfection. Now we need some pictures.

SF4000 on a white Hybrid has more pulling power than what you would think and surprises most people at what it can achieve.

Glad to hear of your experiences. Thanks for sharing.

WOW! thank you so much for this trend. I just purchase The Flex 3401 at the Sema show and I can't wait to use it on my BMW 530i 03. It is heavily swirled up and needs a heavy correction. I saw the Menzerna Fg400 at the Sema and I was impress with the results of a high gloss compound.

I also purchase the hydro tech pads, 3 blue cutting pad and 3 orange polishing pad for polishing. I don't think I will be needing the red pad because I will be coating it with opticoat optimum gloss coat.

I will post the results and I will used these technics that I just learned in this thread. Lower speed on Fg400 and higher speed on fg4000. Prime the pads and clean/change pads as needed.

Thank you Mike for the thread. and thank you Mr.Phillips for the passion that you share to us.

Congrats!

Pair FG400 with the blue pad to kill the defects in the paint. Then pair SF4000 with the tangerine pad to clear up any hazing left behind while leaving a crystal clear finish.

Be sure to share your results.

Dear Ricky,

Glad to hear about your positive experience detailing your new car.

'when I arrived' you already had done your homework, did an extensive research and even ordered everything needed.

Like I told you, my participation was towards guiding and encouraging you to believe being able to get the results. And you did it.

Once upon a time, Smack gave me similar support, so I just wanted to pass it forward.

That said, I'd feel comfortable if we give all credits to him: directly or indirectly, Smack will always be Guilty for our success as detailers.

Please, count on me when needed,

It was a great pleasure to meet you, Wish you a very nice day.

Kind Regards from Brazil.

Thanks for sharing some of your side Rafael.

Very nice thing to say good sir. But I'm just a regular Joe with a passion for detailing and like to share.

[HateSwirls]

Thanks Mike for taking the time to write this awesome "How to" article.
Well written and makes a lot of sense to me.

[D.Kinsey]

Are you able lift all or most of the polish off the panel of do you still have to wipe it down between passes? Thanks for the great write-ups!

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

Thanks Mike for taking the time to write this awesome "How to" article.
Well written and makes a lot of sense to me.

Thanks Kevin. Hope you enjoyed it.

Are you able lift all or most of the polish off the panel of do you still have to wipe it down between passes? Thanks for the great write-ups!

Welcome to AutoGeekOnline. No Problem!

After 6-8 passes the polish is fully broken down and resembles a very thin transparent haze. At this point it is time to remove the thin film of polish.

[GoodToGo1]

Hi Mike, I have question about holding the flex 3401 for curved panels. Is it ok to hold it like this?

Also for panels which have smaller concave parts, the pad edge is too big to enter to buff them. What is your recommendation then?

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

Hi Mike, I have question about holding the flex 3401 for curved panels. Is it ok to hold it like this?

It is perfectly fine to hold the polisher like that on curved panels. The biggest thing you want to do is rotate the machine to follow the curve of the panel as depicted in the picture.

Also for panels which have smaller concave parts, the pad edge is too big to enter to buff them. What is your recommendation then?

If I can not get a 3401 into where I need it, out comes the PE14 with 3" pads. If this setup is still to big then I will resort to hand polishing.

Now with the upcoming release of the smaller 3", 2", and 1" pads from Flex I'm sure that will change things and allow me to get into those tight areas by machine.

[GoodToGo1]

It is perfectly fine to hold the polisher like that on curved panels. The biggest thing you want to do is rotate the machine to follow the curve of the panel as depicted in the picture.



If I can not get a 3401 into where I need it, out comes the PE14 with 3" pads. If this setup is still to big then I will resort to hand polishing.

Now with the upcoming release of the smaller 3", 2", and 1" pads from Flex I'm sure that will change things and allow me to get into those tight areas by machine.

Thanks again. When is flex releasing the small pads?

For raised body panels, only a portion of the pad is in contact with the panel. Is it OK to buff like that?

What applicator do you use for hand polish?

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

Thanks again. When is flex releasing the small pads?

Should be real soon. I would say they will be available within 2 weeks. Hopefully the PBMG crew could chime in on their availability.

For raised body panels, only a portion of the pad is in contact with the panel. Is it OK to buff like that?

Yes this is fine. You always want to make sure that you rotate the machine to follow the contour of the panel. Also ease up a bit on the pressure because of the reduced contact patch.

What applicator do you use for hand polish?

EZ Grip Hydro-Tech Applicators