How aggressive

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buster

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Hi folks, I'm new here and have been lurking for a while trying make up my mind up where to get started on my car. Well, let me go ahead and fire off a few questions to ya

My car has been semi neglected over the years with just a wash/wax here and there. 01 chrysler pt cruiser has a "deep cranberry" purple color.

I'm curious how aggressive of a combo I should buy into for my first purchase here. I'm on a budget and looking at getting the pc 7424 with xmt heavy swirl remover kit. The car has never been polished so I think this may be in order.

Snapped a pic just as the sun was going down and it didn't quite catch the complete extent of these swirls. In broad daylight they are quite noticable from a few feet away.

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Some kind of faded spot appeared over this last summer as the car was left in a parking lot for 3 months in direct sun. Any ideas?

mlkvnt7zoosc18h8v616.jpg
 
that car is likely clearcoated and as such has been seriously breached by the environment (ie UV). You can polish it, and likely bring it back to a degree, but this is one time where a good body shop might be needed to repaint and blend into the pillar.
 
Did you buy the vehicle new? Looks like the one shot of the faded area has been blended. I would try to polish it first and see how it looks. I would look into one of the Menzerna kits, one of the top polishes out there if not the top one.
 
+1 on Menz. Also if you want the car to be perfect eventually look into getting a rotary. You can get a Chicago from Harbor Freight for 30-40 bucks and pick up a body panel from a local body shop to practice on.
 
Ive got the full line of XMT polishes if you want them instead of Menzerna. But I recommend Menzerna.
 
killrwheels@autogeek said:
that car is likely clearcoated and as such has been seriously breached by the environment (ie UV). You can polish it, and likely bring it back to a degree, but this is one time where a good body shop might be needed to repaint and blend into the pillar.
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I am 99% sure it is clearcoated and the sun has taken its toll on it. I don't think all is lost for the majority of the paint but I'll have to live with that small faded rectangular spot. Last time I waxed it it did seem to bring back some of the color underneath it so polish may very well help.

ASPHALT ROCKET said:
Did you buy the vehicle new? Looks like the one shot of the faded area has been blended. I would try to polish it first and see how it looks. I would look into one of the Menzerna kits, one of the top polishes out there if not the top one.
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I was there when it was bought new and I inherited it about 2 years ago. Never had any bodywork or any polishing done to it.

I have been looking at the menzerna kit with the udm but I'm not sure if that's going to be enough polish for this car and $269 will stretch my budget to the max. Maybe the XMT #4 heavy swirl kit would be appropriate or poorboy 2.5 or 3? Really not sure how prepared I should be when it comes to product aggressiveness.

I read somewhere today the UDM or PC may not be strong enough for the menz line - A flex or rotary would be more suited for that particular brand of polish. Menz is particular about humidity and temperature while xmt is more versital or forgiving. I'll be working outside in the in the elements in sunny hot humid semi tropical weather (louisiana) no way around it.

tripperfx3 said:
+1 on Menz. Also if you want the car to be perfect eventually look into getting a rotary. You can get a Chicago from Harbor Freight for 30-40 bucks and pick up a body panel from a local body shop to practice on.
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It's a daily driver but I am a bit OCD about keeping it clean. I'd probably go nuts trying to keep it perfect though (kids). I was thinking the smaller DA would be more practical for seasonal / regular maintenance. If the UDM seems to be too weak and I'm left with little improvement I may very will pickup a rotary. I'd buy a flex 3401 or makita bo6040 if money wasn't tight.

D&D Auto Detailing said:
Ive got the full line of XMT polishes if you want them instead of Menzerna. But I recommend Menzerna.
Click to expand...

I'll have that in mind when I make up my mind to purchase. Hopefully in the next day or two. The more I research the more my product list gets narrowed down... just takes a lot of time to absorb and compare all this information.
 
Heres a more direct question.. If your trying to spend less than $300 on a DA, pads, polish, glaze, sealer, and some 303 protectant. What would you buy to get the best bang (shine) for your hard earned bucks considering the above pictures and lack of proper paint care on the vehicle? I do have the free shipping code from when I signed up here.
 
I would get the kit with the menzerna, its the best polish AG sells. As far as Menzerna working with the udm you will be fine. Might as well get the best polish when it is in your set budget.
 
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buster said:
I was there when it was bought new and I inherited it about 2 years ago. Never had any bodywork or any polishing done to it.

I have been looking at the menzerna kit with the udm but I'm not sure if that's going to be enough polish for this car and $269 will stretch my budget to the max. Maybe the XMT #4 heavy swirl kit would be appropriate or poorboy 2.5 or 3? Really not sure how prepared I should be when it comes to product aggressiveness.

I read somewhere today the UDM or PC may not be strong enough for the menz line - A flex or rotary would be more suited for that particular brand of polish. Menz is particular about humidity and temperature while xmt is more versital or forgiving. I'll be working outside in the in the elements in sunny hot humid semi tropical weather (louisiana) no way around it.

I was thinking the smaller DA would be more practical for seasonal / regular maintenance. If the UDM seems to be too weak and I'm left with little improvement I may very will pickup a rotary. I'd buy a flex 3401 or makita bo6040 if money wasn't tight.
Click to expand...

The oxidation could be from a crappy touch up spot done by the dealer (or from the factory) to fix any defects before selling it. However they don't tell customers this and there's no way to get records of it either, like on Carfax.

I think if you are just working on your own vehicles, there is no need for a rotary. Honestly the marring on your vehicle isn't horrible and a PC or UDM should improve the finish a lot. I will commend you for reading and researching ahead of time, you are definitely heading in the right direction.

If I were a beginner yet know about the experiences that I have had, I personally would go with the Poorboy's PC kit: Poorboy’s Porter Cable 7424 Polish & wax Kit . All that is missing from the kit is a clay bar, which I would strongly suggest, no need for lube with the clay since you have S&G and S&W in the kit. You will also need your interior protectant. I have only used samples of 303 but I never decided to buy a bottle, I prefer Meguiar's #40 protectant. But again, these are just my preferences and everyone has a different opinion. The SSR2.5 with one of the orange freebie pads in the kit will cut through a lot of the swirls. You may need to do it 2 times but it'll get there. You also may need to follow up with SSR2.5 and a polishing pad to remove any micromarring and finally polish with SSR1 with a polishing or finishing pad to restore the shine and gloss. You may also want to throw in a sealant for extra durability. Duragloss 105 seems to be popular this year. After 24 hours you can top the 105 with the Natty's Blue included in the kit. I think the whole shooting match with the kit, clay, sealant, and protectant should be just shy of $300. Of course you may want a few extra MF towels as well.
 
ASPHALT ROCKET said:
I would get the kit with the menzerna, its the best polish AG sells. As far as Menzerna working with the udm you will be fine. Might as well get the best polish when it is in your set budget.
Click to expand...

That is what I'm leaning towards. I was just concerned I may rather the compound or super intensive polish instead of the regular intensive polish that comes in the kit. Try and do this all in one step and I have some other vehicles in the family that could use a good compound.

budman3 said:
The oxidation could be from a crappy touch up spot done by the dealer (or from the factory) to fix any defects before selling it. However they don't tell customers this and there's no way to get records of it either, like on Carfax.

I think if you are just working on your own vehicles, there is no need for a rotary. Honestly the marring on your vehicle isn't horrible and a PC or UDM should improve the finish a lot. I will commend you for reading and researching ahead of time, you are definitely heading in the right direction.

If I were a beginner yet know about the experiences that I have had, I personally would go with the Poorboy's PC kit: Poorboy’s Porter Cable 7424 Polish & wax Kit . All that is missing from the kit is a clay bar, which I would strongly suggest, no need for lube with the clay since you have S&G and S&W in the kit. You will also need your interior protectant. I have only used samples of 303 but I never decided to buy a bottle, I prefer Meguiar's #40 protectant. But again, these are just my preferences and everyone has a different opinion. The SSR2.5 with one of the orange freebie pads in the kit will cut through a lot of the swirls. You may need to do it 2 times but it'll get there. You also may need to follow up with SSR2.5 and a polishing pad to remove any micromarring and finally polish with SSR1 with a polishing or finishing pad to restore the shine and gloss. You may also want to throw in a sealant for extra durability. Duragloss 105 seems to be popular this year. After 24 hours you can top the 105 with the Natty's Blue included in the kit. I think the whole shooting match with the kit, clay, sealant, and protectant should be just shy of $300. Of course you may want a few extra MF towels as well.
Click to expand...

Thanks budman, I have a mothers clay bar kit and qd along with a good selection of mf's. Definately wanted the glaze and the slightly more powerful udm the menz kit offered but I'm still torn between the other xmt kit or poorboys kit with the heavier polishes. I hear the difference between menz and the other products is substantial and I'm hoping to get some attention to the shine after all the work and maybe a paying customer to get some more experience. I could trade the 303 for super intensive polish. I was also concerned how far does 16oz go with the UDM/PC?

You said..

"The SSR2.5 with one of the orange freebie pads in the kit will cut through a lot of the swirls. You may need to do it 2 times but it'll get there. You also may need to follow up with SSR2.5 and a polishing pad to remove any micromarring and finally polish with SSR1 "

Did you mean SSR 3 followed with ssr 2.5 and finish with ssr1?
 
There is no need for SSR3, it is like liquid sand paper, too aggressive for your situation. If you don't want to get a PC (tried, true & reliable) then I'd look towards the Meguiar's G110. I have both the PC and UDM and the differences aren't major. And Menzerna won't be much better than other polishes when using a DA either, definitely not substantial. Intensive polish is a complete bear to use with a PC / UDM. I could use it all day with a rotary and be fine yet with a PC / UDM it's nasty. I haven't tried SIP yet, but have had nice results with the Nano 106FF with a PC. If you want polishes that will not act up on you and will work in all conditions, XMT and SSRs are hard to beat.

If you go with the kit, you'll want to start with the least aggressive way possible, which in your situation is probably SSR2.5 and a white polishing pad or the orange light cut pad. Since you will probably be using an aggressive pad (orange) you may need to go over the car again with the white polishing pad and SSR2.5 to remove any pad marring or swirls left behind. And then when that's done, the SSR1 to restore the shine and gloss.

And a 16 oz. bottle should probably last about 10 vehicles.
 
budman3 said:
There is no need for SSR3, it is like liquid sand paper, too aggressive for your situation. If you don't want to get a PC (tried, true & reliable) then I'd look towards the Meguiar's G110. I have both the PC and UDM and the differences aren't major. And Menzerna won't be much better than other polishes when using a DA either, definitely not substantial. Intensive polish is a complete bear to use with a PC / UDM. I could use it all day with a rotary and be fine yet with a PC / UDM it's nasty. I haven't tried SIP yet, but have had nice results with the Nano 106FF with a PC. If you want polishes that will not act up on you and will work in all conditions, XMT and SSRs are hard to beat.

If you go with the kit, you'll want to start with the least aggressive way possible, which in your situation is probably SSR2.5 and a white polishing pad or the orange light cut pad. Since you will probably be using an aggressive pad (orange) you may need to go over the car again with the white polishing pad and SSR2.5 to remove any pad marring or swirls left behind. And then when that's done, the SSR1 to restore the shine and gloss.

And a 16 oz. bottle should probably last about 10 vehicles.
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Thank you. That's the push I needed to hold off on the menz and udm. I plan on going the least aggressive just didn't want to be under prepared you know. Gonna sit down this evening and put together my purchase with the poorboys kit in mind. Thanks a bunch!
 
Menzerna is good stuff, no doubt about it, but it isn't for everyone (or any machine :)). The UDM is also a nice machine but a lot of people are having brush failures and actually I think the Meguiar's G110 is having issues as well. I have had my PC for 3+ years without issues and using it side by side with the UDM there isn't a huge difference. The only noticeable difference is that speed 6 on the UDM is faster but using them side by side yeilded the same results. If you were to get a UDM or G110 and it does fail, both MFGs are good about giving replacements so you won't be out $150. But yeah, keep researching and hopefully you'll make the right choice... I know one thing, everything AG carries has its place in detailing and are all quality products.
 
I've tried using IP for 4 years and it's been figting me every time with a PC or now the UDM. I've probably gone through 20 ozs on various details and haven't found any special tricks to get it to work well. I've practically given up on it. However when used with a rotary polisher, it works really well.
 
Smokindiesel said:
Did I read right that the UDM & Menz IP do not work well together?
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I've used IP with a UDM and it worked perfectly. Others have not been so lucky. I was really worried about Menz being temperamental, after all that I had read, but (knock on wood) I haven't had any issues with the Menz products and the PC or UDM. A rotary will definitely give you the best results from Menz, but a PC or UDM still works well.
 
Well I've put together my first order.

PC7424 w/Pad Kit
Poorboys SSR 2.5 & SSR 1
Menzerna Finishing Touch Glaze
Poorboys EX-P Sealant

Looking forward to less defects and more SHINE. Haven't ordered a wax yet, Is all caranuba created equal? Quite a broad range of prices for it.. For instance I was considering nattys blue or red paste wax. how big of a difference between those two?
 
To me if you got the menzerna SIP and 106FF there would be no need for the glaze. Menzerna does work well with the pc, and it does end up with better results than other polishes sold here. Natty's is a very good wax for the price. One trick with Menzerna is to keep it warm this will help with it acting up. Plus if BLK45 can get it to work with a pc/udm anybody can.Im the MAN
 
How do you guys (that used both) compare Menz IP & FP to Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover & Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish?
 
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