Noob sighting: First time clay/wax and machine use :O

I would say you used too much compound on too slow of a speed - using too much can diminish the cut by over lubrication ... there is so much product that the oils don't let the abrasives do their job and a slow speed can compound (pun not intended) the issues. After initially priming the pad, all you need is 2-4 dime sized drops of product to move to a new section. Your use of nearly a full bottle kind of proves my point.
 
Agreed with Don. A full bottle is too much, I have my UC even after doing 3 cars and its almost still half full. Doing section passes should be slow as well. I mention this because I also fell for the wrong technique because I was doing section passes before way too fast and the result did not meet my expectation.
 
Otis didn't mention the polisher you used but I recently found a huge improvement in results when I took the loop handle off my GG 6"z. The increase in direct pressure behind the mechanism heavily reduced the swirls and scratches.
 
Ok guys I definitely used too much compound then! Being new to this I wanted to make sure I didn't end up damaging the paint and I guess couldn't get myself comfortable with seeing so little polish applied to the car. (Forunately I was ok doing s with the wax or I would have had a hell of a time removing it!)

I did move pretty slowly. I did not feel that arm speed was an issue.. Every now and then I would lapse into a quicker movement, but caught myself almost immediately.

How long should I wait before trying again? I imagine you can't make this a monthly exercise, but I am eager to try again. How often is too often?

Irv - I removed the handle on my GG6 as well. I'm still a bit iffy on how much pressure to apply though.

My polishing pad did catch on a sharp corner and started to fray a bit on the edges.. Is that pad considered done now?

One thing is for sure.. I have a spare computer chair that I will be stripping down to use as a rolling chair for detailing lol.

All in all.. It was a good experience and I did see improved results in many areas, just hoped for more, but again that is obviously due to user error. Gotta be able to learn from your mistakes.
 
peternorth said:
Ok guys I definitely used too much compound then! Being new to this I wanted to make sure I didn't end up damaging the paint and I guess couldn't get myself comfortable with seeing so little polish applied to the car. (Forunately I was ok doing s with the wax or I would have had a hell of a time removing it!)

I did move pretty slowly. I did not feel that arm speed was an issue.. Every now and then I would lapse into a quicker movement, but caught myself almost immediately.

How long should I wait before trying again? I imagine you can't make this a monthly exercise, but I am eager to try again. How often is too often?

Irv - I removed the handle on my GG6 as well. I'm still a bit iffy on how much pressure to apply though.

My polishing pad did catch on a sharp corner and started to fray a bit on the edges.. Is that pad considered done now?

One thing is for sure.. I have a spare computer chair that I will be stripping down to use as a rolling chair for detailing lol.

All in all.. It was a good experience and I did see improved results in many areas, just hoped for more, but again that is obviously due to user error. Gotta be able to learn from your mistakes.
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Indeed - what is the saying? A failure is only when one forgets to learn from mistakes? Anyway I am still learning the pressure and polish amount on the pad.

On my 2002 Volvo black I used probably just a bit more pressure than I would feel petting a cat - there's a new measure :-).

Enjoying the learning!
 
hokay.. question about hazing. i have no hazing on the car whatsoever except on the hood. the hazing is showing once the engine is warm. it is an aftermarket cf hood that has been painted and my thinking is that there likely is less insulation making the hood prone to hazing if any excess product remains.

to me that means i need to buff again, but since waxing the car last weekend it has rained a few times. At this point do I need to wash and buff harder than I usually would to remove the expanded excess wax?

I also want to try compounding the car again since I used too much product this time around. I'm going to wait about a month or so, but is my logic correct that since I used too much product I didn't really remove any clearcoat?
 
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