Newb and in need of help asap pc7424xp

[jrendant]

Ok first of all this is my first time posting and i just want to say hello to everyone. ive been looking on the forum for various how to's, product reviews, members opinions and techniques. im starting to get very frustrated and feel very stupid bc the pc is so user friendly and stupid proof. i have the following products
pc7424xp ccs 6.5 yellow orange 2 white 1 gray 1 blue (2 red 5.5 came free)4 4inch orange cutting pads also free bonus and 1 cobra 6.5 orange light cutting pad.

Originally I ordered pinnacle xmt series swirl removers 1,2,3 when i bought the pc. the first vehicle i did was my in laws 07 black volvo xc90 at this time i only had the 4 inch pads and xmt swirl removers. i started off slow since im new to using a da and swirl removers need less to say i spent 16 hrs total on this but i didnt want to mess anything up. everything came out great but now ive moved on to my car. its a 2006 mitsubishi eclipse gt red.

I just bought the car and it was never taken care of. I started using the 6.5 orange pad and pinnacle xmt #3, after i did about 5 or 6 section passes i looked at my results and they were very minimal. so i started to think how to get the job done the right way a lot faster the first time and ive been reading everyones comments about m105&m205. so this morning i went to pick up the m105 came back home and started over again right next to where i just did xmt 3. after about 4-5 passes i stopped buffed away and looked at the results. What a difference i was shocked this was exactly what i was looking for. excellent results fast.


I only have one orange pad to work with right now so i had to stop and clean the pad b4 i left for work so i could finish the other half when i got home. i cleaned it with the xmt pad cleaner let in soak for a few minutes then used warm water through the faucet and cleaned it. after washing i tried to get as much water as possible out the i set it face down on a microfiber and set it over a vent to hopefully dry by the time i got home.

it felt dry so i put it on my backing plate and set the speed to low to get any water out that mightve been in the pad still. a little came out and i mean very little. it felt perfectly dry so i started to get back to work. using the orange pad i applied a circular bead along the outside of the pad using m105.

i did the front fender and everything was fine. did my passes buffed away the residue and looked exactly the same as i first started this morning. so i moved on to the door and starting doing my passes about 3-4 and noticed that the compound started to look weird so i went to go wipe it off and it was like it baked on the paint.

i tried again and the same thing happend it dried to the paint, and was extremely hard to remove. i dont kno what i did wrong or what im doing wrong. the outide temp is 25 degrees and the garage temp was about 54-56. Is it too cold to do even if the garage was a little warmer?, could this be cause by too much product? contaminaton of water on the compound? What did i do wrong? i feel like im missing something?

I hope someone can help me to figure out what went wrong and im sorry its so long but i just want to give as much info as possible. Please any help or suggestions to help me i would greatly appreciate it. Im feeling like i wasted almost $400 o

Once again the more help the better and i thank you for your help in advance.

 

[ROMEO]

First at all, welcome to the forum!

Now to your project:

What did you do to prep the paint before buffing? Did you use clay?

55 is no too cold to buff, I've done 3 cars at 50 and had no problem, but I was using Menzerna polishes. ( If it even makes a difference )

You say the compound looked weird, it sounds to me as if you could have been using too much product, and maybe, again, maybe some of the moisture still on the pad might have not help. If I was you I would try to clean the pain good, do some clay, IPA, and then try it again, also make sure that the pad if fully dry before you start... Also, what speed were you using on the PC?

I'm still fairly new to detailing, and I'm sure someone else will stop by and help you out some more... Oh, and don't beat your self down, after all, you already know you can do it since you did your in laws car and came out good... And 16 hours does not sound too bad, specially when it was your first, and I'm sure you were taking time to make things right.

 

[hyu]

Just got my buffer today =o. Not sure if I am doing it correct. Feedback would be great.


It seems like the Pinnacle has very minimal results. Either that or I am not apply pressure. Im kinda letting the buffer sit and using its weight for now. (kinda scared to push down on it actually)

I spray the Orange 4.5 then applied a quater sized of Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover buffed it then applied the Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish (AFP).


Sorry to thread jack btw =/

May I asked if you picked up the m105 and m104 locally and how much?

 

[Fly bye]

To the op:

The reason the XMT didn't work as well with the 6 1/2'' pads, is because the 6 1/2'' pad has a greater inertia than the 4'' pad. Not only will the machine spin less with the 6 1/2'' pad, you're applying x amount of downward force over a greater area of pad, which equals less friction, or cut.

I take my hat off to you for spending 16 hours on the XC90 :xyxthumbs: These things take time, but with practice, you'll get faster.

As far as drying pads is concerned, I find that water doesn't easily evaporate from the millions of tiny cells, unless the ambient temps are 80-85 degree's with little humidity. A sure fire way to dry your pads, is to place an mf, or terry towel over the pad, and turn the machine on while pressing the towel firmly againts the pad.

As far as to why the 105 dryed and hardened on the paintwork? I don't know.

 

[Crazy Amos]

Are you cleaning your pad after each section? If the the product is caked on the face of the pad you may be trying compound with "spent" polish. I can't post link on my phone but do a search for mike Phillips how to on cleaning your pad on the fly. Also, I am not too familiar with the megs polishes but is it water based? If so, when first starting you may not have enough product on the pad whereas untilt
The pad is primed all of the product may be getting absorbed by the pad. Try either priming it by coating the face with polish as you would butter on toast and let it soak in or use a spritz of pad conditioner. This will help with the pad absortion if that is the problem.

Good luck and don't down on yourself-this stuff takes practice. There are alot of variables to consider and learning them takes time.

 

[BobbyG]

:welcome: To the Autogeek forum!

Ok first of all this is my first time posting and i just want to say hello to everyone. ive been looking on the forum for various how to's, product reviews, members opinions and techniques. im starting to get very frustrated and feel very stupid bc the pc is so user friendly and stupid proof. i have the following products
pc7424xp ccs 6.5 yellow orange 2 white 1 gray 1 blue (2 red 5.5 came free)4 4inch orange cutting pads also free bonus and 1 cobra 6.5 orange light cutting pad.

The Porter Cable 7424XP is a good machine. Its size, weight, and balance are just about right but in my opinion is a bit underpowered for use with 6 1/2 pads. It's important to apply the correct amount of pressure to allow the product and pad to do their job but it's also important to ensure that the pad and backing plate continue to rotate smoothly. To make the 7424XP a great machine it's much better suited for the 5 1/2 flat or Hydro-Tech pads.

Lake Country 5 1/2 x 7/8 inch Beveled Edge Pads 6 Pack, foam pad kit, build a kit, buffing pads, curved edge pads

Lake Country Hydro-Tech 5.5 x 1.25 Inch Foam Pads, hydrotech foam buffing pads, Lake Country dual action foam pads

Originally I ordered pinnacle xmt series swirl removers 1,2,3 when i bought the pc. the first vehicle i did was my in laws 07 black volvo xc90 at this time i only had the 4 inch pads and xmt swirl removers. i started off slow since im new to using a da and swirl removers need less to say i spent 16 hrs total on this but i didnt want to mess anything up. everything came out great but now ive moved on to my car.

Initially going slow isn't a bad thing. Proceeding cautiously allows you learn and get the feel of the process without accidentally damaging the area. 16 hours is a long time but the SUV you detailed is also has allot of surface area.

Did the 16 hours include the interior, tires, wheels, glass etc.?

A 2006 mitsubishi eclipse gt red. I just bought the car and it was never taken care of. I started using the 6.5 orange pad and pinnacle xmt #3, after i did about 5 or 6 section passes i looked at my results and they were very minimal. so i started to think how to get the job done the right way a lot faster the first time and ive been reading everyones comments about m105&m205. so this morning i went to pick up the m105 came back home and started over again right next to where i just did xmt 3. after about 4-5 passes i stopped buffed away and looked at the results. What a difference i was shocked this was exactly what i was looking for. excellent results fast.

Meguiar's M105 is a great product for removing swirls and defects fast. I'd categorize this as a heavy compound right there with Menzerna Power Gloss. Both of these are aggressive and will reach your goal much faster

Pinnacle XMT 3 is also a good product but this is for finer swirls and I'd categorize this as a medium swirl remover.

I only have one orange pad to work with right now so i had to stop and clean the pad b4 i left for work so i could finish the other half when i got home. i cleaned it with the xmt pad cleaner let in soak for a few minutes then used warm water through the faucet and cleaned it. after washing i tried to get as much water as possible out the i set it face down on a microfiber and set it over a vent to hopefully dry by the time i got home. it felt dry so i put it on my backing plate and set the speed to low to get any water out that mightve been in the pad still. a little came out and i mean very little. it felt perfectly dry so i started to get back to work. using the orange pad i applied a circular bead along the outside of the pad using m105. i did the front fender and everything was fine. did my passes buffed away the residue and looked exactly the same as i first started this morning. so i moved on to the door and starting doing my passes about 3-4 and noticed that the compound started to look weird so i went to go wipe it off and it was like it baked on the paint. i tried again and the same thing happend it dried to the paint, and was extremely hard to remove.

Meguiar's M105 can be a difficult product to master as it's intended to work fast and dry fast. What I suspect happened is you might have been using too much product and over a too larger area.

i

dont kno what i did wrong or what im doing wrong. the outide temp is 25 degrees and the garage temp was about 54-56. Is it too cold to do even if the garage was a little warmer?, could this be cause by too much product? contaminaton of water on the compound? What did i do wrong? i feel like im missing something? I hope someone can help me to figure out what went wrong and im sorry its so long but i just want to give as much info as possible. Please any help or suggestions to help me i would greatly appreciate it. Im feeling like i wasted almost $400 o
Once again the more help the better and i thank you for your help in advance.

You're not missing anything and you didn't waste $400 on detailing supplies. What you're doing is learning that detailing is an art, not a science. It takes time to develop your own skills and these are just some of the bumps in the road. Read, understand, experiment, and practice so your skill level improves.

Everyone goes through this so take a couple of deep breaths and relax!

It was a bit cool to work but 55 to 60 degrees should be fine.

Because some find it a little difficult to work with Meguiar's M105 they've also created a few work-arounds to help deal with the quick or short working times.

Many here will give a couple of squirts of clean water to keep everything fluid or in suspensive. Others prefer detail spray and some actually use a couple of squirts of regular baby oil to add additional lubricity to the mix and it does work!

I'm not advocating changing a manufactures formula but becuase some of these products are meant for professional shops and more experienced workers so we sometimes struggle with them.

For a heavier compound equal to Meguiar's M105 you might want to give Menzerna Power Gloss a try. I use this and really like the working time and the way it performs.

Also, try switching to the 5 1/2 diameter pads, you'll see an immediate difference.

 

[SeaJay's]

M105 does tend to dry up quickly and will really stick to the paint. A good spray with some IPA, should loosen it up and enable you to wipe it off easier.

Does sound like you may be using too much product. Also, take the advise and get yourself some 5.5 pads. The 6.5 pads just don't work very well with the DA, and you'll find that using the 5.5 pad will give you the results you want faster. I'd still suggest you take your time though. The 1st couple jobs I did with my DA it took me between 14-20 hours. Just because I was new to it and wanted to ensure I was taking my time and not rushing it. It is a time consuming process and you may still find that some paints take way longer than others.

A good hint that I got off one of the forums here (can't recall who initially posted it as I'd like to give credit where it's due), is to use a spritz of baby oil or mineral oil on your pad prior to adding the M105. This enables a longer working time, less product needed, and enables the product to wipe off easier. I won't use M105 now without the baby oil. It also helps cut down on the dusting that M105 is famous for!

Your going to come across things like this as you try out new products and techniques. Don't get frustrated with it, just come here with your questions. There are tons of knowledgeable people here that are willing to lend a helping hand!

 

[bodavenport]

Megs Ultimate Compound is available at most places Megs is sold and has almost the same cut as M105 and has a much longer working time so IMO is much easier to use. I use a Griots Garage DA with 5.5 pads and usually end up with Megs UC as my goto when a vehicle is heavily swirled. If you have really hard paint Megs UC with 5.5 surbuf pads will knock down just about anything pretty darn quick. Do not get discouraged as we all have learned through trial and error for the most part and three years later I still have a lot to learn.

 

[Dubbin1]

hyu I sent you a PM to keep this thread on topic

 

[Kurt_s]

A few things to consider that I learned the hard way. I am also not the last word on this subject so take my comments and experience with a grain of salt.
1) when you wash your pad, you can spin a great deal of water out of the pad using the speed 6 setting on your PCXP, however I now always put the pad (pad face down) and head of the DA into a bucket when spinning dry. Why? I have produced the famous frisbee foam pad. Probably don't want to use pads once they've rolled around in the dirt.

2) Not all the water comes out when you spin dry them.

3) When I am in a hurry, I put my pads into a terry towel and wring them to remove water, then spin them dry. It seems to get the most water out, so they can dry faster.

4) if the pad is wet, the pad tends to get very hot under the spindle on the backing plate. It gets steamy. That heated steam can melt or break down the foam, especially in a 4" pad (I've killed 2 4" LC pads). Dry pads with a little spritz of pad conditioner works best.

5) if your pads are damp or wet when using M105; in my hands M105 tends to turn to cement on the paint as you work it. You may need IPA or perhaps a detailer to remove it from the paint (I've used both IPA and Megs Final Inspection). Megs Ultimate Compound is MUCH easier to use but M105 cuts a little faster. I was detailing this summer in 100+ temps and M105 was a pain in the neck with high temp and low humidity. But it works very well!

6) If you use M105, follow Kevin Brown's method and don't use too much product. To much product slows down your correction rate. Use dry pads too.

7) I have not tried the mineral oil addition with M105 although there was a great thread about 2-3 months ago. It may slow correction but work longer without making cement. You may like it and it seems to work for other people. I've also added a little Opt polish to my compound pads to get them to work a little longer.

8) Remember to clean your pads often when correcting to remove the paint removed from the finish and dried/spent compound polish. Mike Ps on the fly method and using a foam brush work best.

9) Try not to get any compound on the flat sides of the pad. It drys out and dusts. Kevin Browns method of priming the pad then adding small amounts should help keep the compound off the side of the pad. Again don't use too much product.

10) Own more pads. The 5.5" pads are easier to use than 6.5" pads and cut much faster with the PCXP. I switched from 6.5" CCS to 5.5" flat pads and it made my detailing life much easier. I find that the CCS pad dimples get caked with gummy polish, whereas flats are easier to keep clean. I just ordered HT "thin" pads to try after holding off for months. Hopefully they will give faster cut, clean easily and finish down nicely.

Good luck!

 

[BobbyG]

Kurt,

Great information, nicely put!

I remember the baby oil / mineral oil post and video. I did give it a try and who ever the poster was, we can do a search, was spot on with his video and the results. While I was out I picked up a small bottle of baby oil and repeated this test and absolutely confirm his results, it worked very well..

 

[Mazda.Mark]

I'm also thinking about using megs 105 how long do you let it haze before removing the product?

 

[ROMEO]

I'm also thinking about using megs 105 how long do you let it haze before removing the product?

You don't let it haze, you only let sealers, and some waxes haze, polishes you want to remove as soon as you are done making your passes...

 

[Mazda.Mark]

Thank you Romeo!

 

[Kurt_s]

Kurt,

Great information, nicely put!

I remember the baby oil / mineral oil post and video. I did give it a try and who ever the poster was, we can do a search, was spot on with his video and the results. While I was out I picked up a small bottle of baby oil and repeated this test and absolutely confirm his results, it worked very well..

Thanks Bob!

We have baby oil around the house, so I may give it a shot. I have a couple of family-member cars that I hope to play with over the Christmas holiday. M105 and Megs UC will be two "go to" products as they are beat up black cars. The mineral oil might save my bacon!

 

[Mazda.Mark]

Damn I love this site I wish I could quit my day job and do this all day!

 

[ROMEO]

Thank you Romeo!

You got it! rops:

 

[ROMEO]

Damn I love this site I wish I could quit my day job and do this all day!

You need the day job to pay for all the toys you will end up getting from this site! Now that I think about it, you might want to start looking for a second full time job!!!!!!! :hungry: :dblthumb2:

 

[Mazda.Mark]

You need the day job to pay for all the toys you will end up getting from this site! Now that I think about it, you might want to start looking for a second full time job!!!!!!! :hungry: :dblthumb2:

HAHA! touche my friend!

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Here's a question for you...

How large an area are you working?

I wrote an explanation as to how trying to work too large an area can lead to your product drying up as you're trying to work it here,

Tips for working in warm/hot weather or direct sunlight


Here's the exceprt...

Why to only work small sections at at time
The larger the area you work the more the product is going to dry up on you because while you're working one portion of the area, the portions not being worked will tend to start drying via evaporation. By shrinking your work area down, shrinking your pad size down and using ample product you'll better be able to maintain a wet buffing cycle over a smaller area.

Note: The larger the area you work the less abrading action each square inch of paint will get in relation to the time spent working the total area.

As for cleaning and drying your pads... first.. if you're going to be doing any kind of machine polishing on a regular basis, then when you can pick up a few more pads.


Here's a technique for drying a pad after you've washed it...


How to dry a foam pad after hand washing


After washing your foam buffing pads by hand the question often comes up,

How do I dry my foam pads?

Here's one way to dry your foam pads, please feel encouraged to find a way that works best for you.

Using a clean, dry cotton terry cloth towel or clean, dry microfiber waffle weave towel or any clean microfiber towel, roll your washed and rinsed pad up inside the towel.

Press the towel into the foam as you're folding the pad into the towel.

Then squeeze, squish and wring the towel which will force any excess water out of the foam and into the towel.

Afterwards, place your foam buffing pads upside down some place where they will stay clean where air can circulate around them and moisture can evaporate out of them.

Not a perfect method but it works...


Also just to let you know... both of the above articles can be found in my list of articles which you can get to by clicking the link in my Signature Line, there's over 200 articles and usually something for everyone and most topics with more being added all the time.