suggestion please new to DA polisher

[sunstealth]

I've received my GG polisher a little less than a month ago and i never was able to try it, since my rotary is out of reach for now, i would like to know what would you suggest me for this.

situation: 2009 chevrolet impala charcoal color. Light hand wash marring and swirls. time for correction i have less than 5 hours to do it (paint only) as it's the only time my schedule and the client schedule match up.

normally i would test my stuff up and take my time but i cant this time.

product at my disposal :
-orange , light cut green and blue orange country pads
-3M white and black 7" eggshell pads
-surbuff 6.5"
-presta ultra cut creme (not sold here, sound like M85 from description)
-ultimate compound
-meguiars #2
-presta swirl remover (looks like a fine cut polish)
-optimum poliseal
-optimum finish polish
-autoglym super resin polish

can you give me an idea on what to use ?

paint condition looks a little better than this, slightly less swirls.

photo used as an exemple of paint condition.
(thanks to Mike Phillips, they were posted by him on the meguiars board)

 

[john b]

if it was me i would do the ultimate compound /oarnge pad %poly seal with the light green pad assuming its the light cut green-that usually one would use with aio

 

[Wills.WindowsAndWheels]

5 hours huh...thats a tight squeeze. I hope the customer knows you can't deliver PERFECTION in that time frame.

With that being said you probably can only do a 2 step process...remove swirls as best as you can..and then seal it up.

I agree ultimate compound would probably be your best bet to remove the most swirls...then you'd have to go to a sealant since time is so tight.

I saw a post on here where someone did a blue SUV with m105 (very similar to UC) and then straight to wax..and it looked great...you might have to do the same.

As always thought...do a test spot..maybe even try something less aggressive than UC...if it gives you what u want..run with it...if not..up your aggression (either with a stronger product or pad).

Not sure if you've used a DA ever before...but since you're use to a rotary...remember with a DA...SLOWER is better...unlike a rotary where you have to make faster passes...with a DA take your time...put a little pressure on the head of the machine and just keep that pad flat. You will LOVE the GG..i sure love mine...and so you know it is pretty powerful for a DA...so you may be able to dither down the speed to 5.5 or even 5 rather than a full blow 6...but like i said...test things out...and remember to keep your pad clean..if you do that you'll be fine :dblthumb2:

 

[BobbyG]

If you're time constrained then I'd start with the following;

Wash
Clay

Polish

Optimum Finish Polish on your Surfbuf pad

"As with all Optimum polishes, this incredibly smooth, long working, zero dust formula is body shop safe, VOC compliant, and will work with any buffer, any buffing pad, and on any paint surface. It's virtually impossible to make a mistake with this product. The Optimum Final Finish will turn you into an all-star detailer, and every vehicle into a show car! Optimum Final Finish buffs wet and finishes off even wetter. Optimum Final Finish lays the foundation for a perfect, glossy finish once wax is applied."

Optimum Finish Polish 8 oz., car polish, finishing polish, final polish, black car polish

Test this combination on a flat 2X2 area to determine it's effectiveness and if the desired results can be achieved then proceed.

Wax

Autoglym Super Resin Polish

What you're trying to achieve is customer satisfaction and not perfection. Perfection is an elusive if not impossible goal to achieve so keep expectations realistic.

 

[SeaJay's]

5 hours huh? Man your going to be cutting it close. With a DA the correction process can be very slow. I think hitting it with the Megs UC and orange pad should get you to almost LSP ready. At least IME.

 

[Crazy Amos]

I would more than likely go with the UC, but test your pads....all of them and see which produces the best results.

Remember since this is only a "one-stepper" make sure you do AT LEAST one good clean section pass with very light pressure to produce the best result possible. Usually on the compounding step this isn't so much an issue as the next step will clean that up if forgotten. Then definately do a "blending" pass to bring it all together.

I am thinking of doing this same process on a car this weekend.

 

[sunstealth]

ok, i did a test spot today on another car with pretty much the same paint condition and weirdly the best working combo is the ultra cutting creme and the surbuf pad followed by optimum poliseal and green pad.

the wax will be optimum, still need to dial the usage of this product, gives me hell on application!

 

[fredcandetail]

Man Bobby we usually agree most of the time but this time I have to disagree and flat out say that the OPT COMPOUND AND FINISHING POLISH for me did diddly squat...
Hit it with the UC and report back your findings

 

[sunstealth]

late report, optimum finish is HELL to remove, hardens like a rock on the car , the poli seal gave a better final result than the finish polish weird

UC and surbuf pads did remove about 80% defect on first pass on the santa fe test vehicule while the same pad and Presta UCC removed about 90% on a single pass, i think theyre pretty similar, UC is just a bit more oily.

 

[john b]

sounds like you worked the opt.finish in to long or had to much product-dont give up on optimum-i found i didnt need a alot of product when useing opt finish-3 or 4 size pea drops after a very light prime

 

[BobbyG]

Man Bobby we usually agree most of the time but this time I have to disagree and flat out say that the OPT COMPOUND AND FINISHING POLISH for me did diddly squat...
Hit it with the UC and report back your findings

Fred,

That's fine, we all have opinions and strategies, that's why we're here. rops:

I've based my comments on on the original posters assessment of the following criteria.

1. The finish condition; "light hand wash marring and swirls"
2. The products and accessories that he has on hand,
3. Less than 5 hours to do all.

It doesn't sound as if the finish requires a great deal of correction. Meguiar's Ultimate Compound isn't quite as aggressive as their M105 however it is more aggressive than Optimum Finish Polish.

Optimum Finish Polish is aggressive enough to remove 2500 grit sanding scratches and if necessary, can finish up nicely by just changing to a less aggressive pad.

I'd rather someone start off less aggressive and if necessary, switch to something stronger. If the finish defects warrants a full two step paint correction, to do it right will take allot longer than 4 to 5 hours thus my reason for recommending Optimum Finish Polish.

The bottom line is the customer has to drive away satisfied.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

situation: 2009 chevrolet impala charcoal color. Light hand wash marring and swirls. time for correction i have less than 5 hours to do it (paint only) as it's the only time my schedule and the client schedule match up.

I used a similar Impala for a demo vehicle at the 2010 Mobile Tech Expo and ended up sanding and buffing on it all weekend and the factory paint corrected easily. Lots of pictures in the link below from that event...

Pictures from Mobile Tech Expo 2010

Actually made a lot of friends at that event that I've seen here at Autogeek for classes and Detailfest...

paint condition looks a little better than this, slightly less swirls.

photo used as an exemple of paint condition.
(thanks to Mike Phillips, they were posted by him on the meguiars board)

That was a 1964 Bentley S3 we prepped for display at the 2004 Irvine Concours d'Elegance. It was dark after we finished the car, I was out of the office the next day, suffice to say we never took any "after" pictures and the owner never sent us any of the car at the event.

It was a swirled out mess though, kind of the norm for anything special interest until a forum member from somewhere gets the chance to undo the damage.

1964 Bentley - Swirl Removal and Concours Preparation


Photos courtesy of Meguiar's Online

In order to prepare this 1964 Bentley S3 for display at this years 2004 Irvine Concours d'Elegance, we will be removing the swirls from the paint and restoring a deep, wet, show car shine.

This is one of approximately 175 Bentley S3's built for the year 1964. The car features right hand drive, Scarlet Connelly Hides, and a 6.2 liter V8 with twin Carburetors. The paint color is called Black Pearl and is a clear coat finish that is approximately 25 years old. As such, we will be proceeding with extreme caution as we carefully massage out the surface imperfection and restore a show car finish worthy of the Bentley marque.

While in the above pictures, it would appear as though this car is immaculate in every dimension, (and it is compared to 95% of the cars on the road), however, closer inspection of the finish reveals that the paint is in need of a little polishing work in order to remove the swirls and take it to the finish to its maximum potential.

Here's a shot of the finish on the driver’s side front fender under direct sunlight,

Here's a close-up of this same area,

General swirls throughout the finish

Buffer Swirls, also referred to as Holograms

 

[sunstealth]

paint is 90% corrected with a combo of surbuf 6.5" and ultimate compound, still need to finish it with a quick pass of optimum poliseal or finish polish IPA wipedown and wax.

didnt have time today since i was called in to work but I atlest had the time to do the rough part.

pictures to come since they were taken with the client camera! (my camera batteries were dead.)