First detail with the 7424 - questions.

The Engineer

The Engineer

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Well I just got my 7424 and gear this week so I was anxious to try it out. To be honest, my first detail using this machine and products didn't turn out as spectacular as I thought, so I thought I'd post my process here to see if I did anything wrong.

I started by washing the car down with Liquid Dawn soap to strip off any previous waxes as much as possible. Dried off the car with a MF towel. All was good.

The next step was to apply Optimum Compound on all the flat surfaces of my car, like the hood, trunklid, and sides of the car that face the sun. They all had what appeared to be contamination in the paint, like fine water spots. I used the OC with a 6.5" Lake Country Orange cutting pad. I spread the OC on the buffer and dabbed it on the paint where I was working. I started the PC on speed 3- for a couple minutes, working the OC into the paint. Then as it was breaking down (or so I thought) I flipped up to speed 5-6 and finished using up product.

I followed this step up with Optimum Polish, using a LC White buffing pad. Same idea, used speed 3-4 to work it in until it started breaking down, then flipped up to 5-6 to finish it off.

The water spots in the paint did not come out, they didn't even look like they were phased by these products/steps. However the fine scratches in the paint finished off nicely, but my paint still looks dull and contaminated from the fine water spots.

Did I do things correctly? Am I to assume I need a stronger cutting pad like a yellow pad or even a wool pad? Perhaps I need to consider wetsanding the really bad areas?

Tell me your thoughts. I will try to post some pics of what I'm talking about soon.
 
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Before you polish, clay. THis is essential in pulling up deposits off of your clearcote, not doing so can potentially just swirl your car more. This will pull the polutants off of your cobra, and will certainly un-dull it to a degree. After this comes the polishing.

Now the biggest thing in polishing to newcomers is not having adequate technique / product knowledge.

Asess your paint damage. Is it light, moderate, severe? ALl these factors determine pad / compound choices. Let us know with some pictures, preferably lit ones so that we may be able to point you in the right direction.

Are you working in the polish long enough? Are you putting about 10 pds of pressure onto the HEAD of the PC? Are you overlaping strokes?

Need more info! :)

OC work in at 5, final at 6.
OP work in at 5 final at 5-6.
 
You dont have to work the OC in on speed 3 for a few min just spread it around with it....
 
The surface of the paint was smooth so I didn't bother claying... was that a mistake? There wasn't anything in the paint to catch and swirl things even worse, I made sure of it. I really just wanted to get rid of the dullness and waterspots.

I am working on pics right now.
 
The Engineer said:
The surface of the paint was smooth so I didn't bother claying... was that a mistake? There wasn't anything in the paint to catch and swirl things even worse, I made sure of it. I really just wanted to get rid of the dullness and waterspots.

I am working on pics right now.
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Its not like clay pulls out large objects impacted into paint, it pulls out any dirt and contaminants. If your paint is as dull as you are saying, it sounds like there could be alot of things that a claybar would pull out of your paint.

You dont have to work the OC in on speed 3 for a few min just spread it around with it....
Click to expand...

Im confused here.... You DO have to work it in, but speed 3 is FAR too low. Turn it up to speed 5 and do your final pass at 6. You should have some better results as if you just did speed 3 with a quick final pass at 5, I dont think you even got close to fully breaking OC down.

To the OP:

http://paintcare-n-detailing.com/video/
 
1. I wouldnt recommend using Dawn on your car. ANy waxes or sealants will be removed when you use a polish.
2. Clay
3. Rewash
4. where you doing this in the sun? how much pressure were you using? Did you use any thing to remove any fillers..etc
5. did you use a different pad for each step?

I'm still learning but this is what came to mind
 
alrighty a few pics:

This is the contamination I was talking about. Notice the fine specs in the paint, they look like water spots to me.

IMG_2575.jpg


More of the same contamination.
IMG_2576.jpg


and more on the hood...
IMG_2592.jpg
 
:iagree: Spread on 3 but work it at speed 5. I always take a digital kitchen timer out with me when I polish. I put 5 minutes on the clock and then start the countdown once I kick the PC up to high speed. I work in overlapping passes on about a 2'x2' area. Take your time, let the polish do it's work. Don't move too quickly from one spot to the next. I also agree with the claying. If you haven't clayed the car in the last 6-12 months, it is due for it.
 
I should also mention that the first couple pics are BEFORE it was washed. :)
 
acid rain? Soap residue? I wonder....

Take it slow. Dont rush the process. Work on the hood until you know you got it right...then do the rest of the car. I spent 12 hours detailing my car the first time...thats just the outside!
 
I would start with the polishing again. Start with a 2'x2' section and take your time. Spread on 3-4 and then kick it up to 5 to work the polish in. Optimum's work times are a little longer than other polishes so you have to give it time to break down completely. After you finish with the OC go over the same section with the finishing polish and a finishing pad, again spread on 3-4 and work it at 5. After the polish has broken down inspect your work. The finishing polish should remove any haziness left over by the heavier polish and reveal clean shiny paint. If you are satisified with the appearance at that point then continue over the rest of the car. If swirls persist, then you may need to do a second pass with the polishes.
 
one minor question, how can I know for sure the compound/polish has indeed broken down? I've watched the videos online but it was kinda different in real life, and my inexperience made me question myself about when to stop.
 
The Engineer said:
one minor question, how can I know for sure the compound/polish has indeed broken down? I've watched the videos online but it was kinda different in real life, and my inexperience made me question myself about when to stop.
Click to expand...

That's why I always use a kitchen timer. If you have one, set 5 minutes on the clock and when you kick the PC up to high, start the clock. 5 minutes is usually just about right for most polishes.
 
FloridaNative said:
I would start with the polishing again. Start with a 2'x2' section and take your time. Spread on 3-4 and then kick it up to 5 to work the polish in. Optimum's work times are a little longer than other polishes so you have to give it time to break down completely. After you finish with the OC go over the same section with the finishing polish and a finishing pad, again spread on 3-4 and work it at 5. After the polish has broken down inspect your work. The finishing polish should remove any haziness left over by the heavier polish and reveal clean shiny paint. If you are satisified with the appearance at that point then continue over the rest of the car. If swirls persist, then you may need to do a second pass with the polishes.
Click to expand...

I finally understood this "haziness", it looks funny...at first I thought I did something wrong but all you need to do is a finishing polish and that should take care of it, the finishing polish makes a very big difference.

What ever you do just listen to FloridaNative and other experianced memebers here they trully know what they are talking about.
 
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