smoothcts

I have a black 2007 lexus es 350 that has some fine scratches and swirl marks that I would like to remove. After looking online, and asking around, it seems everyone has a difference of opinion. I have decided to go with a porter cable 7424 buffer with backing pad. I am using the follwing products. Meguires Paint cleaner, Swirl remover, Polish, and wax. I am also going to clay bar the car before any of that...

My question is what pads do i want to use on the buffer for each step?...Are foam pads the best for the swirl remover?...

Any advice is greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks

Bryan

Stokdgs

Since you asked-- The Porter Cable 7424 is good, you need to get a good backing plate for it. Then you need to get good foam pads for it.
Yes, wash with something like Dawn Dishwashing soap the first time, then claybar it really nice, use your clean dry hand to feel the paint lightly for any non-smoothness, and that is where you need to possibly claybar again. Lots of people like to wash the car, then rinse, and claybar it or after the wash, before rinse, claybar it. Just get it clean, smooth, and it should be ready for your swirl mark removal.
I prefer Lake Country Pads, they seem to be leaders in that industry. Not seeing your paint makes it hard to tell what you need, but I would start with a yellow (the most aggressive foam pad) or an orange (getting less aggressive) pad. Dont know much about your product, quit using that stuff years ago. It might work, it might not. I prefer to use the Zaino ZPC-Fusion product to remove light scratches and swirls because it goes on easy and breaks down to a light dust and leaves no new swirl marks to remove with a yet finer product. It is really a 1-step cleaner, remover product. Wet the foam with some water or their Z-16 quick detailer to allow the product to work longer, and you should be incredibly suprised at the finish. Use good lighting so you can see the finish clearly. You can press down on the pad and get better results depending on how bad the paint is scratches, marred, swirled, and sometimes you have to go over it again maybe couple of times. If this new paint, you should not be in danger of removing too much. Just dont leave the equipment running on one spot - you need to keep moving it back and forth over the paint - always..
I have the 7424 and its good for what it does, but recently bought the Flex 3401 and it really rocks!!
A good place to get a great backing plate for the 7424 and the L/C foam pads is classic motoring accessories, www.properautocare.com I believe
They also sell a 4" backing plate and pads for the same machine.. Have had lots of black cars, and know well the pain involved in keeping them clean, clear, and shiny!! Good luck, take your time, ask alot of questions. DanF

Stokdgs

The Lake Country foam pads are yellow, orange, green, white, black, and red, going from yellow - most aggressive to red the least.
Alot of people like to start with the white one and see if they can get the marks out with that first. It is in the middle of the aggressive scale and it may be a good spot for you to start if you want. The yellow and orange pads are not really aggressive when compared to a wool pad, etc.. which is professional type stuff..
Lake Country sells a foam wool pad now for rotary machine work that is supposed to be good, but dont know how it would act on a random-orbital like the 7424 - probably not made for the 7424...
Some people like to take a more aggressive cleaner to clean the paint initially and then use a finer cleaner and pad, to get all the marks the former one makes out, and this works just fine.
I would rather use one product that gets the defects out of the paint, cleans it, leaves no new marks to remove with yet another product/pad, and has low dusting. Hence my vote will be the Zaino ZPC-Fusion product every time.. And no, I dont work for any of these companies, I just really appreciate their products and want to share my experiences.
I tested my method on 4 different year, black SUV's that belonged to my kids and their families, were totally neglected and had never been detailed. All of them came out looking like glass. Clear, smooth, no swirls, marks, scratches.. It totally wore out the yellow pad by SUV #3 and lucky I had a new back up one to finish.. Good luck with your project ! DanF

chiamx

very nice info stokds.

I am also a newbie to the detailing world, it can get addicting once
you started getting into the detailing products. I almost feel overwhelm with which brands to choose
but reading and researching about other detailers experience really helps me make a better decision.

UDel

If you are trying to correct defects like light scratches, swirls, stubborn water spots, then you generally will need to go with 4 inch pads with a 3 1/2 backing plate as they correct much better then larger 6 inch pads. I have Lake County pads and use orange CCS the most for correcting. I would go with at least four 4 inch orange LC CCS pads as they get soft and compacted and need to be washed while detailing so backups are good, I would also get maybe two 4" yellow pads for tougher jobs. I have a white wool 4" pad I got that works pretty well, wool generally corrects faster and a little better and does not produce as much heat but can cause some hazing which you will need to get out with less aggressive pads/polishes. The polish I use is Menzerna IP which is excellent for all around correcting. Having a PC and using it correctly with the right products makes a night and day difference in polishing and what your finish will look like compared to do everything by hand.

Stokdgs

Glad to help. Udel also has great advice and he is absolutely correct - the smaller L/Country pad on scratches is way easier to use and control for specific areas. With my kid's black monsters, the entire finish was scratched, hazed, swirled, etc. so the 6" size Yellow was the only way to go, and it took a few passes to clear up the mess. I have finally just bought some Menzerna P0106FF Ceramic Clear Coat Polish from those same people I mentioned earlier, and will experiment on a car that needs more help than mine. I keep mine up using the products mentioned earlier and once you get it to that level, and the longevity of the Zaino products I use, its alot easier to maintain all 4 of our vehicles.This particular Menzerna product has no silicones, so it would also be a good base for getting the paint clean and clear and then putting on your choice of wax, polish, etc..
And yes, this is addicting, and as you spend more time on it you learn so darn much! You will also spend a bit of time talking to total strangers who want to tell you how beautiful your car looks ! Good luck you guys, with your projects, you will also find this will get/keep you in shape from all the movements you have to make for hours at a time. Dont get discouraged, take a break from it and come back if you get angst, and try to make it fun. I try to get my wife out there to help/watch, and she now really appreciates the hard work that goes into this.. Hope you all have a great Labor Day weekend !! DanF

jfelbab

Based on the products you have I think you may be a bit disappointed in the results. Meg's Paint Cleaner and Swirl Remover are really mild products. You didn't mention what polish you have.

Meg's Paint Cleaner is a chemical cleaner, good for removing grime, stains and mild oxidation but it is non-abrasive making no dent in scratches and most swirls. The Swirl remover is extremely mild. Not bad if you have soft paint but it hardly touches defects in most hard clear coats.

Be sure to clean your pads frequently on the fly. As you use polish you will find that the polish breaks down leaving the lubricating oils in the pad. Too much lubrication means less correction. I clean the pad by holding it against a clean cotton towel and turing on the PC and rub the towel across the pad. I clean the pad after every pass. Another tip, don't use too much polish. You only need a small amount to be effective. Too much and you load the pad and the performance goes downhill quickly. Failure to clean the pad and using too much product results in a flattened pad that doesn't perform.

Work on a single 1.5' to 2' square area until you get the results you want. Then you know what it will take to do the rest of the car. Make sure the paint is cool and work in the shade. You might use a halogen light to highlight the defects you are trying to remove. Use enough pressure on the pad to slow the rotation of the pc but not stop it. The pad needs to rotate. I put a sharpie mark on the back of the pads to help me see the rotation. Don't work the polish dry. You will see the polish clear as it breaks down and polish should be wiped off when it is broken down. Use lots of microfiber towels for this. You should not work the polish until it dusts.

I like the Lake Country pads. They are made a few miles from my Wisconsin home. Lots of choices and good durability. Probably too many choices. LOL. I also like Meg's pads. Their SoftBuf polishing and finishing pads are first rate too.

You didn't say what kind of backing plate you have but it is worth noting that you should own a high quality backing plate. There is a lot of junk available and if there is one place you don't want to skimp it is here. A poorly made backing plate can come apart while polishing and can severely damage your paint.

Finally there are a couple of speeds on the PC that probably shouldn't be used. Speed 1 and 6. Speed 1 is not useful for much and speed 6 requires great care or you may ruin your pad.

jcat_350

ive done a good bit of cars myself, including my own and I can honestly say that you really only need orange, white, black, and blue if you're not seriously detailing for a living or have huge amounts of correction to do.

the orange should go with the swirl removal, the white with the polish, the black with the finishing polish, and the blue for the wax. I'd say follow this order:

-wash/dry
-clay
-wash/dry again
-spot swirl/scratch removal
-polish whole car
-finishing polish
-wax/glaze/sealer, whatever you choose.

a few helpful hints: save the tire shine and exterior glass for last as you never know when youll accidentally spatter some product. Also, mask off the areas that are a pain in the *** to clean the product off of. And my favorite, if you find the power cable to be getting in your way, run it through your belt loop and pull as much slack as possible to keep the cord away.

good luck and make her sparkle!