Overwhelmed, just a few quick questions

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rypkr937

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New 2015 mustang that needs paint correction. Everyone says the paint is soft. I have no experience machine polishing but am going to attempt it on this car before I seal and wax it for the first time. Only somewhat related experience has been using meguires ultimate compound by hand on past vehicles.

First, I'm going to buy a griot GG6. I've read the tutorials but what I need guidance on is what pads to go with as well as what compound and/or polish to use considering soft paint, not terrible condition (but scratches/swirls from improper washing) and being a newbie.

Thanks,
Rory
 
I have a 2013 Mustang GT and its Black and I can tell you the paint is not soft. It is on par with the hard paints. The GG6 is a good DA. Get the 5.5" Pads

I would look into Menzerna FG400 for compound and Menzerna SF4000 for Polish. The Wolgang products are great too.

Get the Orange Pads (Lake Country Flats) for compounding the Whites for Polishing and the Red/Black or Golds for the LSP

Now IMO your new Mustang is probably hard paint not soft like most Japanese Branded vehicles.... I don't know but based on my ride I would assume yours would be similar.

But either way enjoy and nice ride
 
^^ Good advice.

I will add though, that if you already have UC, you can just use that. It's still a good compound, and probably aggressive enough for what you need.
 
The 5" backing plate is a good investment. The pad listed above are good to have around but get at least 3 of each so you can change pad between panels. When you start I would avoid the compound and use a good polish with a white pad. A good over the counter polish is McGuiars Ultimate Polish. Good work time and does a decent job.

Remember technique is what will provide results
 
Eandras said:
The 5" backing plate is a good investment. The pad listed above are good to have around but get at least 3 of each so you can change pad between panels. When you start I would avoid the compound and use a good polish with a white pad. A good over the counter polish is McGuiars Ultimate Polish. Good work time and does a decent job.

Remember technique is what will provide results
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I agree, nothing wrong with Meguiar's Ultimate line. It's and awesome place to start, and they get the job done.

Pad wise, I like the Lake Country Hydrotech line. The flat, or CCS is probably a more suitable place to start. Their durability makes them more forgiving.

The Hydrotech are a little more temperamental. They don't like or need a lot of product, pressure, or heat. Since I started using them, I don't want to use anything else.
 
Megs M105 - LC orange pad (if needed)
Megs M205 white pad
Megs #21 Black pad

Perfection... IMO. Yes I'm a Mirror Glaze guy. Wolfgang 3.0 and Spritz sealant is also an obvious perfect combo.

Good luck, have fun and don't forget the before and after pics!
 
I just finished one the other day. Did a 2-step correction process and coated w/ CQuartz FINEST.

Process was:
Rupes15, Meg's D300, Meg's MFFP
Rupes15, CarPro Reflect, CarPro Orange Foam Pad

This yielded a 95% defect free finish with zero haze.
 
Now I might be even more confused. There's so many acronyms used it's tough to follow what everyone is suggesting.

First I should ask... when using a DA - can you use it both with and without a backing plate? If you use a backing plate do you still use the same pads? If not, when and when not should you use the backing plate?

My paint is 2 months old and doesn't really have any defects (other than some water spots and swirls from improper washing). Should I compound it and then polish it or just polish it? Compounding is just more aggressive polish... right? I'm not sure it necessary needs anything aggressive because it's pretty new. Or is it pretty common/typical for brand new cars to need compounding first?

(And thanks for the help so far)
 
rypkr937 said:
Now I might be even more confused. There's so many acronyms used it's tough to follow what everyone is suggesting.

First I should ask... when using a DA - can you use it both with and without a backing plate? If you use a backing plate do you still use the same pads? If not, when and when not should you use the backing plate?

My paint is 2 months old and doesn't really have any defects (other than some water spots and swirls from improper washing). Should I compound it and then polish it or just polish it? Compounding is just more aggressive polish... right? I'm not sure it necessary needs anything aggressive because it's pretty new. Or is it pretty common/typical for brand new cars to need compounding first?

(And thanks for the help so far)
Click to expand...


1) No, you always have to have a backing plate, it's what holds the pad(s) on, but you may need more than one size ... a 5 or 5.5" for general work and a 3 or 4" plate for tight areas. Use pads corresponding to the size of the backing plate.

2) Compounding is more aggressive than polishing, should you compound? That's why a test spot is so important. On a section of the hood, use a polish with a polishing pad, complete a few passes and see if that gives you the results you want-if No, then move to a cutting pad with your polish, try a new test spot, if no again, move to a compound with your cutting pad. This is how you determine if you need compound. Just know that sometimes after compounding, a polishing will be needed to remove the "buffer haze" (looks like very small spider webs all over the surface). Just remember, the Golden Rule - ALWAYS USE THE LEAST AGGRESSIVE METHOD TO ACCOMPLISH YOUR GOALS.

This is why you start with a light polish and not just jump right into a compound. Many times, working a polish into the paint well, will give better results and remove less paint than a quick compounding.

3) Keep asking questions, it's the only way to learn and NO question is stupid.
 
Good advice from Don. I highly recommend Menzerna FG400 as a compound (if needed), and SF4000 as a polish. They are user friendly and excellent. I would not recommend using Meguiars M105 as your compound. It is an excellent compound, but in my opinion, not at all user friendly for beginners.
 
All good advice thus far, as usual. Depending on your source of the relative hardness or softness of your paint always bear in mind the importance of a test spot. I have been surprised over the years in finding hards when the reputation is soft and vice versa. Try the least aggressive approach first to see what it yields. You can always move towards more aggression but you can't replace too much paint removed with an assumption.
 
Don M said:
1) No, you always have to have a backing plate, it's what holds the pad(s) on, but you may need more than one size ... a 5 or 5.5" for general work and a 3 or 4" plate for tight areas. Use pads corresponding to the size of the backing plate.

2) Compounding is more aggressive than polishing, should you compound? That's why a test spot is so important. On a section of the hood, use a polish with a polishing pad, complete a few passes and see if that gives you the results you want-if No, then move to a cutting pad with your polish, try a new test spot, if no again, move to a compound with your cutting pad. This is how you determine if you need compound. Just know that sometimes after compounding, a polishing will be needed to remove the "buffer haze" (looks like very small spider webs all over the surface). Just remember, the Golden Rule - ALWAYS USE THE LEAST AGGRESSIVE METHOD TO ACCOMPLISH YOUR GOALS.

This is why you start with a light polish and not just jump right into a compound. Many times, working a polish into the paint well, will give better results and remove less paint than a quick compounding.

3) Keep asking questions, it's the only way to learn and NO question is stupid.
Click to expand...

This was tremendously helpful. In your opinion Don, what would a good user friendly polish (and compound if needed) be, as well as polishing pads and cutting pads?

Thanks to the other replies as well. There's so many different recommendations on what products to use this is going to be hard to decide.
 
So right now my shopping cart consists of a griots GG6 heavy duty, five Lake Country 5 1/2 Inch Flat Pads in orange, five in white, and two in black.

Now I just need to decide on compound and polish... I think?
 
rypkr937 said:
So right now my shopping cart consists of a griots GG6 heavy duty, five Lake Country 5 1/2 Inch Flat Pads in orange, five in white, and two in black.

Now I just need to decide on compound and polish... I think?
Click to expand...

Don't forget a 5" backing plate as the GG DA comes with a 6".

Since this will be your first time machine polishing you might want to consider something like HD Polish. While it's a polish it's cut is pad dependent so more cut with the orange pad, less with the white. It's user and beginner friendly--long working time, little to no dust, easy to remove, no heavy oil left behind.
 
IMO Menzerna FG400 for compounding and SF4000 for polishing. The Wolfgang Compounds/polishes are great too.

IMO
 
Some thoughts from a fellow noob...

First, I should mention that I have not yet delved into machine correction. I've been using the Meguiar's DA Power System, which in and of itself is miles above working by hand. With that being said, I, too was overwhelmed with all of the choices and combinations of products. With all of the products from different manufacturers, there are likely many thousands of combinations. To simplify things, stay with one manufacturer for all of your products; I chose Meguiar's since it can be easily found locally. I'm sure most OTC products would do a decent job at paint correction and protection, however I believe that technique is more important than product selection. As you become comfortable in your technique with a specific machine and product, then you could start experimenting with other brands. I found that every time I decided on a product, I would second guess my choice or I would read about a different product that seemed to produce better results. I spent months going through this, to the point that I wouldn't buy anything for fear of not getting the best product. Advice from a noob like myself may or may not help you, but hopefully it can help someone who is unsure of where to start. Good luck and be sure to post before and after pics!:dblthumb2:
 
rypkr937 said:
This was tremendously helpful. In your opinion Don, what would a good user friendly polish (and compound if needed) be, as well as polishing pads and cutting pads?

Thanks to the other replies as well. There's so many different recommendations on what products to use this is going to be hard to decide.
Click to expand...


I'm a Meguiar's fan, so I'd recommend Ultimate Polish and Ultimate Compound, user friendly and readily available over the counter. They're not the most aggressive products out there, but for a beginner, that can be a good thing.
 
Supergus1 said:
First, I should mention that I have not yet delved into machine correction. I've been using the Meguiar's DA Power System, which in and of itself is miles above working by hand. With that being said, I, too was overwhelmed with all of the choices and combinations of products. With all of the products from different manufacturers, there are likely many thousands of combinations. To simplify things, stay with one manufacturer for all of your products; I chose Meguiar's since it can be easily found locally. I'm sure most OTC products would do a decent job at paint correction and protection, however I believe that technique is more important than product selection. As you become comfortable in your technique with a specific machine and product, then you could start experimenting with other brands. I found that every time I decided on a product, I would second guess my choice or I would read about a different product that seemed to produce better results. I spent months going through this, to the point that I wouldn't buy anything for fear of not getting the best product. Advice from a noob like myself may or may not help you, but hopefully it can help someone who is unsure of where to start. Good luck and be sure to post before and after pics!:dblthumb2:
Click to expand...

I like this advice very much. There's no sense in spending $3000 for a set of golf clubs when I don't know how to golf. I like your advice to keep it simple and as I gain experience then experiment.

Don M said:
I'm a Meguiar's fan, so I'd recommend Ultimate Polish and Ultimate Compound, user friendly and readily available over the counter. They're not the most aggressive products out there, but for a beginner, that can be a good thing.
Click to expand...

Perfect. So I'll start with meguiars ultimate polish on a white pad with the GG6 - evaluate the work. If needed then go to meguiars ultimate polish on an orange pad and again evaluate. If it still needs work I'll go to meguiars ultimate compound on an orange pad. If I end up using the compound on orange, should I then step back to using the polish with a white afterwards?
 
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