Recent content by rmagnus

Phil now that’s quite a rant, lol. I live in Laguna Hills not far from you. Base coat clear coat paints don’t last forever especially parked inn the sun 24/7, potentially near the oceans salt air. You got pretty good longevity from both vehicles. No need to compound a bunch on daily drivers...

Heat is the enemy of clear coat so yes heat isn’t good. That said modern paints and clears are very durable. I doubt your polishing did the damage. Where do you live? What was your regular polish regime? How old are the cars? Lots of variables here to deal with. Sent from my iPad using...

nvestr, Mike provided you a wealth of information. I’ll give you my expierence and hope it doesn’t contradict the Master. I had a Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer edition about 2005ish give or take a couple years. It was white base coat clear coat. After about a year I noticed the same thing you did...

My bad yes Dawn soap with water in a spray bottle for clay lubercation. Just a few drops will do.

Your process sounds methodical and sound. IMO you're using way too much product like twice the amount needed. As suggested you may need a compound with more cut but I think the tools you have should get the job done. If you are going to compound cars even your own you should have a paint...

I don’t think there is one. 43 is chilly to cold in my book. Just don’t let the IronX dry on the paint. I usually clay after using IronX then polish and wax/seal/coat. Use heated water in your buckets to keep your hands warmer. Spray bottle with hot water couple drops Sawn for your clay lube and...

Pictures are always helpful. “C” Pilar is it clear coated plastic or painted metal? Do you know how thick the clear is? What about sanding with 3000 grit to get uniformity then remove with the buffer. Smart move not going for 100% correction on a daily driver. I like using wool pads on forced...

Not sure why your question wasn’t answered but I’ll provide you with my expierence. Go with the least aggressive solution first and work up to the correction Many Detailer don’t have a paint gauge for plastics so not knowing the depth of the clear coat requires some guess work. Plastic parts...

I must admit I’ve been slow to move to ceramic coatings. I find it hard to believe these coatings last up to 2 years. I prefer to wax cars every 6 months and in between use spray waxes each week. That said I plan to ceramic coat 3 cars with McKeys next week. I use Mequires for most everything. I...

Sorry I missed your question about smalle pads. Yes I run smaller 1, 2 & 3” pads on my Flex 14-2. Now I run dedicated 3” pads on my PC (Porter Cable and leave the 1 & 2 inch pads for the Flex 14-2 when I’m doing small detail work. Remember any time you start running smaller pads due to their...

Nick consider the Flex 14-2. IMO its more versatile. You can put an extension on it and run smaller pads or run larger pads. I know the PE8 is smaller and lighter but it cant do what the 14-2 can do w/o stressing it out yet the 14-2 can do everything. Rotary buffers can do finish work but like...

Seems like a good price if it’s the delux system on the it website. Honda 3K genera5or is $2k alone. The extractor/vacuumed/ relcaim unit, air compressor air hose, water tank + sliding stee powder coated frame yea that’s a decent price. Not sure why anyone would want such a large water tank...

Get the Flex 14-2, Buy Once Cry Once. That polisher can do it all. The quality today means it really come down to personal preference.

Pads actually last quite a while but many factors come into play. The quickest way to kill a pad is over heat it by using too much speed and pressure and perhaps not enough product. You can start out with 2-3 pads for compounding and polishing and 1 for wax application. It really depends on what...

I personally prefer Flex 14-2 my other rotary is the Dewalt (Bumblebee) which is old school heavy workhorse. Rupes makes a great polisher as well although I have yet used the new 19E. I doubt most people can tell the difference in 150 rpms in rotation. There are many ways to control the cut...