My wife has a C300...It's a 2015 I believe...paint code 755. I washed, then clayed it. The paint is in great shape other than some small scratches on it from being a daily driver, as well as a few water stains, a few small etchings, and some very light scratch/marring type lines probably from improper washing. I did a test area with Wolfgang TSR 3.0 using a LC orange pad and it didn't even hardly do anything. It took a few light swirls out but some of the other marring lines and the scratches/etchings it didn't touch. It's apparently not a ceramic paint. I've got some Griot's Boss Fast correcting cream and a few heavier cutting pads on the way to test. I'm wondering if I should send the Griot's back and get some Menzerna? I did try out a 3" microfiber pad on the small etching spots and it removed them mostly. I can still see a faint trace of them.
Mercedes Benz C300 Questions
- Thread starter nprotz
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PointClickKill
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- Jun 15, 2019
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i have a similar problem with my 2017. I have a porter cable w/ orange pads and m105. I was able to compound out alot of swirls, but not to my satisfaction. maybe like 60%. I am an amateur, but i swear i would have to do 20 passes with the porter cable to match what i can accomplish with 5 passes on the flex 3401. I just bought the flex 3401 since i wasn't getting the results i wanted. After another 3-4 passes on the flex 3401, i am like 85% correction. This led me to conclude that machine also plays a huge factor in getting the outcome you desire.
But anyways, to answer your question, a more powerful machine and/or a more powerful cutting pad will help. My next test is going to be with the flex 3401, lake country blue hybrid wool foam w/ menzerna fg400. hope this heps.
But anyways, to answer your question, a more powerful machine and/or a more powerful cutting pad will help. My next test is going to be with the flex 3401, lake country blue hybrid wool foam w/ menzerna fg400. hope this heps.
Bruno Soares
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- Mar 30, 2017
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Fast correcting cream is great. Should be enough if pared with a proper pad.
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- #6
Same here. I’m an amateur just starting out but, dang, I did one section twice with at least 8 passes and didn’t even phase it. Let me know how the flex and the wool pad works out
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- Thread starter
- #7
What pads would you recommend? I have a LC gray thin pro heavy cutting pad coming to try out. Maybe LC or Griots microfiber or a wool pad?
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Goonie75
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- Feb 16, 2017
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Griots fast correcting microfiber and the padded microfiber work very well. IMO a little better than the LC MF pads. Although they too work well. Depends on the paint at times.
We have the LC purple foamed wool as well and all I can say is WOW!
We have the LC gray thin pro and IMHO it was useless. Slung a lot too if i remember correctly.
Best of luck
Ryan
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Bruno Soares
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- Mar 30, 2017
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I think the grey pad is way too stiff and hard to use. If orange isn’t enough I would use microfiber instead of foam and then follow up with a finishing polish on a white foam pad.
Goonie75
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This!.. 
PaulMys
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- Jan 14, 2014
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I have used the LC gray pad on my cousin's neglected truck.
That thing is nasty. It will remove some severe defects, but create more problems than it corrects, IMO.
I'm happy that I experienced this pad, but I'll never really have a use for it ever again.
That thing is nasty. It will remove some severe defects, but create more problems than it corrects, IMO.
I'm happy that I experienced this pad, but I'll never really have a use for it ever again.
8 passes of clear removal followed by more aggressive machine and compound? I always work my way up with products and limit passes down to two or three. Also, where was the test area? For cars I use the hood or trunk but mostly the trunk since it gets abused the most on most cars especially baby carrying cars.
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- #13
How many of the purple foamed wool or microfiber would you need on a medium sized car?
On the 3” microfiber I noticed it always seemed too dry. Like the compound just soaks into the fibers then mattes up and doesn’t spread good like the foam. Any tips on that?
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Do you have access to an air compressor to blow clean your pads. It's a great thing to have with both mf and wool pads to blow out the excess and residue left in the pads. The first use with at least mf pads I prime them good so every fiber gets a little polish on it. I useally even blow out the pad after I've primed it and load with the amount of polish I would use. Or you can use a mf towel to wipe up the most of the polish and load with a few drops of polish for the section you are polishing. With time the amount of polish needed to be prime the pads you notice more and more. Cause with too much of polish it's easy to get the pads saturated with it.
It's a PIA until you gets dialed in on harder paints. And sometimes a 8mm free spinning DA polisher is just not aggressive enough so you would be needed to use a very aggressive combo with a wool pad and heavy cut compound. To get the correction you want. And if you don't get what you want and would go with Menzerna. I would go with their heavy cut compound SHC300 instead of the HC400. And use a less aggressive pad when you do your test spots and work your way up in aggressiveness of the pad. Or go with the Sonax Cutmax or 3D ACA 500 X-tra Cut compound. Don't know if the later one comes in a smaller bottle than 32oz though. And remember that you do a test spot with the new compounds as some can be very much more aggressive.
TTQ B4U
Well-known member
- Jan 20, 2016
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^^ all you need is a light polishing pad and some good polish or an AIO. Not familiar with the Griot's pads or polishers as I use forced rotation units but my guess is the pads are stalling or not rotating with as many RPM's needed to do the job in the time you're expecting.
TTQ B4U
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- Jan 20, 2016
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That's the power of a Flex. Use that and my point above will stand. No need to compound here.
- Thread starter
- #17
I did do a test spot on the trunk and did 3 passes. There’s a scratch there and it didn’t do anything. It removed some very very light swirls that’s it. So I went longer and still nothing. So I tried longer and still nothing. The paint doesn’t look really shiny like it’s been polished. It wasn’t until I tried a 3” microfiber the other day that I got Shine like it had been polished
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- Thread starter
- #18
The orange pad and Total Swirl Remover didn’t even put a dent in it, so would the forced rotation give enough cut to polish? If so and I use more pressure would that not heat the pad way up?
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