nighthawk

Well I spent 6 hours detailing my Lex yesterday and did the following with O.K. results, I wasn't impressed as I thought I would be following the purchase of $200+ worth of detailing stuff:

-Wash using 2 bucket method and Meguires Gold Class Wash
-Dry with PakShak waffle weave micofiber towel.
-Clay with Meguires clay bar kit and supplied QD
-Polish with Pinnacle Fine Swirl Removal #2 and Orange Lake Country pad (using speeds 3 for initial work in, then upping it to speed 5)
-Sealant with Mequires NXT Tech Past (hand applied) and taken off with microfiber towel.

Anyways, I wasn't overly impressed with the results and the amount of hard labor it took. Any ideas on what I did wrong?

So...I think I am going to sell my PC 7424 after only one use along with all the stuff I bought with it. I will also post in the for sale thread but will post here as well:

PC7424-Paid $120, will sell for $100 (Used once) w/5" & 6" counterweight
Pinnacale Series Package: ----$40
Pinnacle #2 Fine Swirl Remover (used for one application 90% still left)
Pinnacle #1 Ultra Fine Swirl Remover (Never used)
(1) Blue Microfiber towel

Not part of the package but also for sale:
-Pinnacle Series Pad Conditioner (used once for one pad)
-Pinnacle Series Pad Cleaner---both for $15 (used once for one pad)
-Orange LC Pad (used once & cleaned), White LC Pad, 2 LK Gray Pads---all for $40

I will sell everything for $170 + shipping (add 4%for paypal)

tod071

You're expecting to drive a stick like a race car driver the first time getting into a car. Don't give up. If you got ANY results, you've made progress.

Working with a pc takes some time. Watching videos, reading procedures, and listening to what others have to say, is just the beginning. Applying that is the real test.

1st of all, what were you trying to achieve? Swirls, scratches, nothing? If swirls were bad, you might need XMT3. If they weren't too bad, its possible that you werent working the polish enough to break down and remove the imperfections. I would give it some practice. Isolate it to a 2'x2' area, overlapping passes, moving 1" per sec, and working until the product disappears or your scratches disappear.

Don't give up! Hang in there.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

Listen to this man!! Dont give up! I remembere when I first had my PC a long time ago. I didn't know what the heck I was doing. It takes practice and researching. Eventually, you'll get the hang of it. There should be nothing that the PC can't handle for your car (since your car is new). What are you trying to do. What didn't come out right? How fast are you moving the PC? What speed are you using?

TLe2006

where you get your pc7424 for 120?

nighthawk

The swirls I was trying to remove seemed Light to Moderate and I do have some resulsts. In the sun it is not as swirly (if that makes sense) as it used to be....definetly a differance.

Is anyone here in the SoCal area that would mind coming over my place this weekend to show me how to use it? You can use my products and detail your car as well if you show me how to do it...I'll provide the beer.

4ntvings

iTrader: (6)

wui (waxing under the influence)? hhmmm, sounds tempting. i' ve never used a pc7424...

i say keep at it. from what i've read here, it takes time before u notice a difference. i recently waxed my acura by hand (3 coats, my first time ever waxing a car, and 5 hours later) and it came out pretty good (i was impressed-but i'm no pro). and i was thinking, what if i had an orbiter...wow! its pretty soft now, it'd be crazy soft after a 7424! next is my GS baby. oh and i used maguire's products only.

hang in there!

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

Can you take a picture of your result? Move 1"-2" per second at speed 6 with moderate pressure on the Orange pad. Keep on moving the buffer until the polish is almost gone. You do not need a lot of polish. I would say 5 pea size blop per 2'x2' area is sufficient. Too much product will take too long to break down the abrasives. Too little product will break down too soon and may not be enough to get rid of the swirls.

Remember that you're also using the light cutting pad. A less abrasive pad (like the white pad) may be needed to correct marring and other finer swirls. Try the Orange pad first and see if you can get the result you want.

Lexkost

To me it looks like you miss a step in your detailing that is why you car does not look right. You miss the polish step, you went from a cleaner/swirl remover to a finish coat of wax and thats where your problem is.

If you are a Socal guy look me up and I will give you some help.

One HoT

iTrader: (5)

Lexkost; Sorry but I'm a little confused here but isn't a swirl remover and polish the same exact thing?

To nighthawk;

I noticed the PC takes several passes in order to get "most" swirls removed..On average, I would say 3 passes on each small section to remove most, if not all, of the swirls...

Did you inspect each panel under direct spotlight or sunlight after each pass? Otherwise, the swirls can be very stubborn and you can't see it unless you are directly under a beam of light...

You might also consider some paint are much harder than others..For example BMW paint tends to be one of the hardest clearcoats, it might be more ideal to work with a beefer rotary buffer with more abrasive cutting pad than a weaker PC..Perhaps a rotary might meet your standards, as it breaks down polish and cuts into the paint a lot faster than a PC and creates a more shine than a PC will...However, it takes some practice to work a rotary as it is used slightly differently than a PC..With the correct techniques the rotary gives excellent results..

Claying is vital to your overall outcome as well..For myself, I always take my time (about 1 & 1/2 hour) to clay each panel of the car throughly and to use plenty of QD (Megs Final Inspection #34) lube during claying stage..the wipe down with a clean MF towel every panel clean afterwards..As we know, claying helps even out the surface from contaminants and is also very important for machine polish as it evens out the surface..This makes swirl removal/polishing with PC easiler since the surface is leveled and free of foreign debris...Leaving your paint with a greater amount of depth (shine) after you are done...

I hope this helped..

As others have mentioned, don't give up so easily...There is a reason why people pay hundreds to get their car detailed..The process of learning can be extensive, you can't just expect great results from your first try...You can buy all the "top notch" supplies but if you don't get the correct technique the final product will not exactly be "top notch" itself...It's mostly in the technique...

One thing I've learned about detailling is that it takes a lot of time and patience..Stick with it and it will be rewarding at the end..

shftup

No, they are very different.
Give this a try - buy some Menzerna intensive polish, and final polish II.

Now, first try the Final polish II with the white pad, polish a 2'x2' area at speed 4-5. complete a few passes, then clean the area with 50/50 mix of water and rubber alcohol. See the results
Now, if you dont like what you see, then use intensive polish with pad, repeat.
If nothing, then go to intensive polish with orange/yellow pad - you will see results, the do the car in this order.
Finish the car with a complete polish of final polish II, before using any wax. You will definitely see results.

Remember - go slow, polish, see the results, rework/reapply, continue. Always, start with the least abravise, and move up from there and some patience with the PC.

Some guys spend 8 hours polishing ------ that is a long a$$ time, but it all depends on paint condition/level of skill with pc/products used/and how defect free you want it!

Hope this helps.
also - www.properautocare.com and www.autopia.org are 2 good places to read and learn more about PC detailing.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

A swirl remover, particularly the Pinnacle, is a polish. Granted the Menzerna FPII have much finer abrasives than the IP, both the FPII and IP are polish. One is just finer than the other. Most likely it's his technique that is giving him problems.

I was able to use the more abrasive Menzerna Super Intensive Polish down to a clean finish with a rotary, followed by a polishing pad with a PC. He's probably not letting the polish break down enough. Plus it already takes long as it is with speed 6, speed 5 will take an eternity to remove defects.

tod071

What pad were you using the XMT2 on? It looks like that's the most agressive product you have. If you were using the XMT2 on the white, move up to orange pad. If you were already using the orange pad, either do more passes or move up to a little more agressive polish. XMT3 should compliment what you already have. Lexus black paint should be a single stage and the paint should not be that hard.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

I hear ever since 2001+, most if not all black Lexus have clear coats. But still, it shouldn't be hard as a mercedes

Tranman

iTrader: (1)

Great thread guys...I'm waiting for a PC to come in the mail... trying to get as much as info as possible

jfelbab

One thing most new PC users don't do right is apply enough pressure to the PC when polishing. Take your pc to a bathroom scale and press down until you hit about 20 pounds. Notice how hard you are pushing down and do that when polishing your car. Apply to a 2x2 foot area and see if the swirls are removed. If not repeat again. Check and see if they have gone. Move the PC very slowly, as others have mentioned about an inch or two a second. Don't do the whole car until you have resolved what is needed in the 2x2 foot area or you will just be wasting your time. Once you determine what products and technique will achieve the results you are looking for then move on to the whole car. Don't give up after one attempt. There is a skill and technique that has to be acquired to use this or any tool. Stick with it and you will be rewarded.