Help with flex 3403 & XMT Swirl Remover Kit

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metalli445

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Hey Everyone,
I wanted to get people's opinion on the products I'm about to try on my 2005 metallic grey pickup truck. I wanted to buy the Flex 3403 along with the Pinnacle XMT Series Light Swirl Remover Kit. My steps would be to wash the truck, clay it and then begin with the following steps
  1. XMT Swirl remover #2 - Orange Pad - What speed setting on the flex should I use?
  2. XMT Swirl Remover #1 - White Pad- What speed setting on the flex should I use?
  3. XMT Carnuba Finishing Glaze - Gray Pad - What speed setting on the flex should I use?

Now after the finishing glaze I was going apply the Pinnacle Signature Series II Carnauba Paste Wax with a Gold pad. I was going to then remove the wax with a lambswool pad and microfiber bonnet. Will applying the wax over the finishing glaze make that much of a difference? Does it sound like I'm on the right track with my steps and products used? Any and all opinions are welcome! Thanks!

Pat
 
Personally, I had no luck with the XMT polishes. I recommend the Optimum spray pair. It's worked really well on a few different cars for me.
 
Honestly, the more threads I read about the XMT line and people's opinion of the product I'm becoming discouraged. It sounds like alot of people are impressed with the poorboy's product, especially when used on a metallic or flaked paint like what I have. Now it's a matter of what poorboys products should I use to remove minor swirl marks and in combination with what pads to use. Keep in mind I'd still like to apply a nice coat of carnuba wax so I don't know how this would effect what products I use leading up to the carnuba wax.
 
I also did not like the xmt line up.If you would like some samples of menzerna or meguiars let me know as i live in Timonuim MD.
 
I've personally never used Menzerna but I hear great things and plan to get some with my next order. Along with some Meguiars 105 and 205
 
I just wanted to double-check to make sure you realized this; the Flex 3403 is a rotary, the Flex 3401 is the forced-rotation DA polisher.
 
redg35 said:
I also did not like the xmt line up.If you would like some samples of menzerna or meguiars let me know as i live in Timonuim MD.
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redg35,
Do you prefer menzerna over the meguiars? I've heard good things about the menzerna products but I'm not sure what menzerna product would be good for minor swirl removal. I'm off topic here but I see you have twin turbo's on your G35. Do you ever go to capital raceway?


Setec Astronomy said:
I just wanted to double-check to make sure you realized this; the Flex 3403 is a rotary, the Flex 3401 is the forced-rotation DA polisher.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads up. I realize it is a rotary polisher. I have some old cars and fenders I can practice on to get the hang of things before I actually do my truck. I wanted to practice with the products I'd eventually be using to do my truck. So far I've spent alot of time watching mike phillips video's on how to remove swirls and apply\remove waxes but there's nothing like hands on experience.
 
metalli445 said:
My steps would be to wash the truck, clay it and then begin with the following steps
  1. XMT Swirl remover #2 - Orange Pad - What speed setting on the flex should I use?
  2. XMT Swirl Remover #1 - White Pad- What speed setting on the flex should I use?
  3. XMT Carnauba Finishing Glaze - Gray Pad - What speed setting on the flex should I use?
Click to expand...

Hi Pat,

Good general speeds for using a rotary buffer to remove swirls and scratches are a range from #1000 RPM to 1500 RPM. The slowest the 2403 dials down to is 1100, so that's your low range.

Most companies and detailers recommend speeds around #1500 for compounding and for most defect removal that is a good speed. I also use lower speeds sometimes without any problems, depends on what I'm trying to do and what products and pads I'm using. With lower speeds you don't heat up the paint as quickly but you do loose faster cutting results. So experiment to see what you find works for you but you'll probably be around the #1300 to 1500 range.

Smaller pads are easier to learn with than larger pads, not sure what size you're using.

After you do the #2 with the orange cutting pad, be sure to remove all residue off the paint before moving to the #1 with the white polishing pad and again, try RPM's around 1100 to 1400 range.


Do you have a DA Polisher like a PC, Megs or Griot's? If you do, use it with the #1 to make sure you remove any swirls left by the direct drive rotating action of the rotary buffer.

metalli445 said:
Now after the finishing glaze I was going apply the Pinnacle Signature Series II Carnauba Paste Wax with a Gold pad.

I was going to then remove the wax with a lambswool pad and microfiber bonnet.

Will applying the wax over the finishing glaze make that much of a difference? Does it sound like I'm on the right track with my steps and products used? Any and all opinions are welcome! Thanks!

Pat
Click to expand...




The Carnauba Finishing Glaze is a wax, not a glaze as most people think of glazes. Normally you don't apply your LSP's with a rotary buffer as it will tend to leave the paint looking swirly, even if it's just in the wax.

Again, if you have a DA Polisher finish out with it and apply the wax with it or apply the wax by hand.


:)
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
The Carnauba Finishing Glaze is a wax, not a glaze as most people think of glazes. Normally you don't apply your LSP's with a rotary buffer as it will tend to leave the paint looking swirly, even if it's just in the wax.

Again, if you have a DA Polisher finish out with it and apply the wax with it or apply the wax by hand.


:)
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Thanks for all your help. I do have an additional question. You mention not to apply the wax with a rotary but use a DA or by hand. By finishing out with a DA, do you also mean not to use the rotary to remove the wax once applied by hand. Does this go for waxes that need to haze over as well. After reading about the durability of collinite 845 I'm now leaning toward using this as a wax since my truck is a daily driver that is never garage kept. From what I've read many people are happy with how it holds up to the elements.
 
metalli445 said:
By finishing out with a DA, do you also mean not to use the rotary to remove the wax once applied by hand.

Does this go for waxes that need to haze over as well.
Click to expand...


Yes and yes.

  • Use the rotary buffer to remove deep defects via compounding or polishing
  • Use the rotary buffer to polish to a high gloss by refining the results from the compounding process
  • Use the rotary buffer to jewel the paint to perfection - optional


After the above you are done with the rotary buffer. Everything else should be done either with a DA Polisher or by hand to avoid swirls.

I don't know anyone that applies a finishing wax using a rotary buffer. You can try if you like as theoretically it should work without problems, what I've seen in my life though is swirly looking paint, with the swirls either in the paint or in the wax.

Production detailing uses the rotary buffer to apply everything including one-step cleaner/waxes and the results are usually swirled-out messes. In the forum world we call this hack work and the people that do it hack detailers.

With most production detailing work, speed is king, quality is second, or third...


Rotary buffers are fast... that is they can remove a lot of paint quickly. Thus if speed is king, production work will be done using a rotary buffer.

The Meguiar's Microfiber DA System is actually an attempt to break the mass production detailing industry away from rotary buffers because they are the root cause of so many swirl problems and transition the entire production detailing industry over to a 2-step DA system that won't leave swirls. The two step is trying to offer speed with quality.


As for trying to remove any product using a rotary buffer with some type of pad or bonnet... you're going to end up instilling swirls into the paint due to the direct drive single rotating action of the tools and the material spinning against the paint.

Easy to show yourself, just try this on a perfectly polished black finish, then strip the paint and move the car into bright, overhead sunlight.


When it comes to finishing work, it's really hard to beat a DA Polisher for both the finishing polish step and to machine apply your LSP


:)
 
Wow! What an informative post! Thanks again. :urtheman:

After reading your last post, I'm now leaning more toward the Flex 3401 over the 3403.
 
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