I'm just stating my experience. I don't think there is any reason to throw insults at me.
Okay, two things here. First I was not insulting you. I was treating you like a man. If you go back through all the threads where I answer questions, you'll notice that I treat everyone here like a man. I am a Marine. It is in my blood. So thicken up that skin somewhat and don't take anything that I say as an insult. Call it tough love or bringing the beef but never consider anything I say an insult.
As my drill instructor once said, if I wanted to insult you, trust me... you'd know it.
I have watched your videos, repeatedly. And I have practiced what you preach. Even in the above video you have removed the swirl marks but there are still scratches left.
You lost me on that video. That is Charles Barkley swinging a golf club. What video are you referring?
That is similar to the result I have gotten. So do I need a more agressive pad to get those left over scratches? Wet sand as you did in one of your vids on a Lambo? (Don't think I will attempt that)
Without seeing your paint, standing next to you and watching what you are doing, I can't say exactly what you need. But by reading some of your comments, I can clearly see that you are NOT following the instructions in my videos to the letter. For one, it sounds like you are working outdoors. It DOESN'T MATTER that you are in the shade because the surface of your car is TOO HOT. That's 50% of the issue you are having. The other issue is exactly what I said before, your technique *****. This is typical of people who try and do this the first time. That's not an insults, that's just putting bluntly. I like being blunt. It helps me get my point across.
Now here's what I want you to do. Watch this video posted by forum member KCOBean. He posted this video so that I could see exactly what he was doing and so that I could critique what I saw. Then, read my responses below the video. You will see everything he did right and wrong and then you can read my responses below the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir1VocZj5UU
Now for my responses:
Okay, first off, outstanding video! You really showed me a lot and I got a very good look at exactly what you are doing. First, let's address what you are doing incorrectly.
1. You're using way too much product!!! Allow me explain the the technical reason why using too much product renders your technique ineffective.
The pad that you use has holes or "pores" in it. The bigger the pores, the more cut the pad has. This is similar to those facial exfoliating sponges that women use to deep clean their faces.
By using too much product, you totally clog up the pores in the pad and render it useless! You could be using the most aggressive polish known to detailing but if the pad has no cut, you're just exercising! You should either be using a very thin bead around the pad or 3 pea-sized drops as I do in my videos. Less is more with this stuff. As they say in medicine, just because 1X is good doesn't make 2X better.
2. Always start with a clean pad. I didn't understand if you had used that pad earlier in the day or the day before but if that pad had sat overnight with product in it, you definitely want it cleaned before you start using it.
3. Crank the speed up on that polisher! You are using one of the safest polishers on the market. You are NOT going to hurt anything as long as you don't get crazy with it and the polishes you use. Work on a speed setting of
5. You can spread the polish around within the area that you are about to work on a setting of 1 but other than that, the setting of 1 is totally useless on that machine. When I was looking at the polish you were using, I couldn't understand why the paint wasn't finishing down as it should (according to you, the paint was dull looking and didn't "pop" like you thought it should). Now you know why. You were not allowing the polish to do the work that it can do by working it at such a low speed.
Speed of 5, using 9-15 pounds of pressure. The pressure you use includes the weight of the polisher.
4. You are working WAY to large of an area! That fender should have been split up into 3 different sections. There is no way that you can work that large of an area with that polisher. You should only work a 1.5' - 2' area with each application of polish. Bring your work area down to those parameters.
5. You are working much too fast! You need to slow it WAY down. You are not allowing the polisher to do anything at that speed. The polisher needs time to correct the paint because of its limited abilities and the faster you work, the less work you allow the polisher to do. Sloooooow down! Watch how I work the polisher
in this video.
You need to go SLOWER than I'm going. Also notice how small of an area that I am working. That is how small of an area you need to work also.
6. You really need to consider using M105/M205. There's nothing wrong with the product you're using but it is a more advanced product which needs to be followed with something else. This is the problem with Meguiar's professional line. You can go in a few different directions with the stuff they make and that causes confusion among novice detailers. Also, some of their compounds are made just for the rotary and not the orbital. The M105/M205 combination has eliminated that confusion. One removes the paint damage and the other brings the shine back. This is just like Adam's Swirl & Haze Remover and Fine Machine Polish. Simplicity rules in novice land. I highly suggest you go that route if you want to use the Meguiar's line.
I would also suggest that you check out the Hex-Logic pads at Chemical Guys. Their orange pad may have more bite than the pad you're using. The pad you have appears to be an older design. If your back plate is a 5" plate, go with the 5.5" pads that Lake Country sells. All you need is the orange for M105 and the white for M205.
Okay, those are the major things that I see which need to change. One thing that I am not sure of are those towels you are using. I went to the site where you buy them and it looks like they sell some of the same "made in China" towels that you can buy over the counter. Those towels are horrible. You should have taken you son's suggestion and gotten a close up shot of the towels. When he said that, I was like, "Yes!" Then you shot his suggestion down and I wanted to bonk you over the head with that polisher. Tell him he did good.
Zaino and Adam's both have some excellent microfiber towels. I would highly suggest you look at either the Zaino Borderless Blond towel or the Adam's Superplush White towel. Both are excellent as I said before.
One thing that I was happy to see was your overlapping sweep technique. Up and down, back and forth is exactly how it should be done. I also appreciate you being honest with your technique and showing me exactly what you were doing. That gives me the opportunity to direct you to a successful resolution to your problem. You provided plenty of information which is always the best route to go. Kudos to you on that.
If anyone else wants to make a video for me to critique, this should be the template that you follow. Again, kudos to you KC on a really good production.
So as you can see, he learned a lot by making a video of what he was doing and now he is having major success compared to where he started. I suggest that you do the same and post that video in this thread.
There are times that the PC will not spin, even with no pressure applied. It just vibrates.
Impossible, unless something is wrong with your polisher or you are using it on the wrong speed with too much pressure.
Doesn't it need to spin to be effective?
Yes.
So I wonder why it doesn't spin.
Because you are applying too much pressure or your machine is broke.
Are you using a Porter-Cable 7424XP??? If you have some Harbor Freight or Auto Zone crap polisher, you're wasting your time and money.
Yes, I start at 3 to spread the polish around. Yes, I move the setting up. So what do you think, too much polish on the pad, not enough?
The polish on the pad has nothing to do with the operation of your polisher. The wrong technique has a TON to do with the effectiveness of the polisher.
Also, after one pass a small ammount of dried polish will sometimes spray off the pad. Is that normal?
Yes, this is normal if you use TOO MUCH POLISH or you are working in the wrong environment (OUTSIDE or on a surface that is too hot). If you are doing stuff wrong, this is normal. If you are doing stuff right, this is NOT normal.
Yes, I use the detail spray to prime the pad. Yes, it's a clean fresh pad. Yes, I'm in the shade. Yes, I spray again to get more polish out as you recommend in your videos.
You don't prime the pad with detail spray, you prime the pad with polish. Detail spray is used to rejuvenate any polish on the pad or to flush out excess polish on the pad.
I am on 50 different detailing forums across the Internet. From Lambo's to Mazda's. You are having the same issues that I have seen a thousand people have and the bottom line is that they did NOT follow my instructions TO THE LETTER. I don't post instructions and tell people to just believe me, I make videos and SHOW you up close and personal what to do. You see me do it and you see it work. The best thing is that I show you on some paint that is more jacked up than anything you will ever work on. If I can fix that paint, then YOUR paint is child's play. You just have to follow my instructions TO THE LETTER. If not, you will just waste product, money and you'll end up frustrated.
Don't be that guy.
