NOOB questions for Prima Swirl, PC7424, and Pad selection

AutoKA24DE · #1 01-22-2008, 08:56 AM

So I just took the plunge and bought a 7424, Prima Swirl, Amigo, and Epic.

Here's my process so far, and I'm not confident its the correct one.

- Swirl + Orange Pad
- Amigo + White Pad
- Epic + Black Pad

At first it looked good, but looking closer there's a lot of small swirl marks.

So I have a few NOOB questions. I watched the DVD and learned a great deal of info, but its obviously aimed towards meguiar's system.

- With the Swirl + Orange pad, how do I know when to apply more product to the pad? I cant exactly determine when the pad "dries" out. The video said something about doing 3 slow passes? Also, I guess with all the dead paint on my Lancer, the orange pad loaded up pretty quickly requiring me to rinse out the pad after 2-3 sections.

- I skipped the Swirl + White pad. I have a feeling I shouldnt have done that.

- The Amigo + White pad felt and looked great. I'm not too sure of the application process though. I applied it the same why I did the Swirl. Is that correct? Another problem was that the product didnt want to rinse out of the pad easily, possibly because I used too much?

- I applied one coat of epic after doing the above steps. It looks great, but I feel the need to do the swirl + white pad, so is that okay if i just go straight into the swirl step? I'll do the Amigo and Epic stages again afterward.

Thanks in advance!!!

OctaneGuy · #2 01-22-2008, 01:20 PM

The process is almost right---try this:
Swirl with Orange and and White pads
Amigo with White Pad
Epic with Black Pad

re: DVD
The only difference with the techniques in the DVD would be the pressure applied to the pad. When we use M80 Speed Glaze, use Swirl. No need for #7 Show Car Glaze as Swirl and Epic provide all the gloss and depth you could want.

Prima with the Orange Pad will provide the most cutting ability for your paint. Follow with Prima and the White pad. However I think when we worked on your Lancer, the Orange pad with the PC was all that needed.

Pad Loading
My pad didn't load up that much for the test spot I did.
Swirl with White Pad
I would do both the orange and white pad process for your paint.
Hard to wash pad
Amigo has polymers in it which prevents it from washing out the pad easily, so that's normal.

Swirl after Epic
Yep, if you've put Epic on already and want to continue polishing, go right ahead, but you will need to repeat all the steps after that.

Polishing Help
If you can stop by the shop during the week or this weekend--think I"ll be at the shop on Saturday, I"ll be glad to review the process with you.

Richard

Quote:

Originally Posted by AutoKA24DE

So I just took the plunge and bought a 7424, Prima Swirl, Amigo, and Epic.

Here's my process so far, and I'm not confident its the correct one.

- Swirl + Orange Pad
- Amigo + White Pad
- Epic + Black Pad

At first it looked good, but looking closer there's a lot of small swirl marks.

So I have a few NOOB questions. I watched the DVD and learned a great deal of info, but its obviously aimed towards meguiar's system.

- With the Swirl + Orange pad, how do I know when to apply more product to the pad? I cant exactly determine when the pad "dries" out. The video said something about doing 3 slow passes? Also, I guess with all the dead paint on my Lancer, the orange pad loaded up pretty quickly requiring me to rinse out the pad after 2-3 sections.

- I skipped the Swirl + White pad. I have a feeling I shouldnt have done that.

- The Amigo + White pad felt and looked great. I'm not too sure of the application process though. I applied it the same why I did the Swirl. Is that correct? Another problem was that the product didnt want to rinse out of the pad easily, possibly because I used too much?

- I applied one coat of epic after doing the above steps. It looks great, but I feel the need to do the swirl + white pad, so is that okay if i just go straight into the swirl step? I'll do the Amigo and Epic stages again afterward.

Thanks in advance!!!

AutoKA24DE · #3 01-22-2008, 01:40 PM

Thanks richard!!!

I re-did the hood, and using the white pad with swirl did produce a nicer finish.

however, the small swirls still exist. i dont know what it is, possibly when i used the MF bonnet with the orange pad to take off the epic?

I'll swing by this week for sure. I'll probably pick up some more items, namely some more MF towels.

OctaneGuy · #4 01-22-2008, 02:04 PM

Cool np. I just received a new shipment of towels today. As for the swirls, we'll have to take a look at your process. The bonnets shouldn't cause it.

Might just need more time with the white pad--unless we're looking at deeper scratches--where the orange pad just needs more time.

Richard

Quote:

Originally Posted by AutoKA24DE

Thanks richard!!!

I re-did the hood, and using the white pad with swirl did produce a nicer finish.

however, the small swirls still exist. i dont know what it is, possibly when i used the MF bonnet with the orange pad to take off the epic?

I'll swing by this week for sure. I'll probably pick up some more items, namely some more MF towels.

AutoKA24DE · #5 02-01-2008, 10:28 PM

I'm probably 14-18 hours into this project...and I'm still not done!!!

I totally re-did the hood with a much more slower/deliberate use of the swirl + orange pad.

The color change is dramatic, but now that I know what to look for with my LED flash lights, i'm still seeing haziness.

I'm doing 6 passes over each area -
2x orange + swirl
1x white + swirl
1x white + amigo
2x black + epic with waiting time of over 24 hours between application (as per instructions)

I dont even want to think how this would be possible with a "customer's" car, but the results are pretty dramatic and hopefully when its all done its worthwhile!

OctaneGuy · #6 02-02-2008, 06:46 PM

The thing to realize is that not all paints can result in a super sharp reflection. Because your paint is single stage, what you've achieved is huge--removal of swirls, a night and day color change from a "coffee stained" white to a brilliant gleaming white paint. Even cars that have clear coats don't necessarily polish out to a completely flawless finish--it depends on the quality of paint used. What's most important, especially for a non show car--one that is driven daily--is the relative improvement from Before to After.

And fwiw, polishing single stage paints is more time consuming especially if you're limited on the number of pads---I used like 6 or more pads for some of my SS restores, and had a second person wiping off the sticky polish/paint residue as I polished. Plus the rotary works atleast twice as fast as the PC in terms of polishing.

Still great work!

Richard

Quote:

Originally Posted by AutoKA24DE

I'm probably 14-18 hours into this project...and I'm still not done!!!

I totally re-did the hood with a much more slower/deliberate use of the swirl + orange pad.

The color change is dramatic, but now that I know what to look for with my LED flash lights, i'm still seeing haziness.

I'm doing 6 passes over each area -
2x orange + swirl
1x white + swirl
1x white + amigo
2x black + epic with waiting time of over 24 hours between application (as per instructions)

I dont even want to think how this would be possible with a "customer's" car, but the results are pretty dramatic and hopefully when its all done its worthwhile!

blackcls63 · #7 02-03-2008, 06:14 PM

any pics auto ? i still haven't started... was set to do it this weekend and its been raining all weekend.... argh...

AutoKA24DE · #8 02-04-2008, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackcls63

any pics auto ? i still haven't started... was set to do it this weekend and its been raining all weekend.... argh...

tell me about it. luckily its not supposed to rain this week.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OctaneGuy

The thing to realize is that not all paints can result in a super sharp reflection. Because your paint is single stage, what you've achieved is huge--removal of swirls, a night and day color change from a "coffee stained" white to a brilliant gleaming white paint. Even cars that have clear coats don't necessarily polish out to a completely flawless finish--it depends on the quality of paint used. What's most important, especially for a non show car--one that is driven daily--is the relative improvement from Before to After.

And fwiw, polishing single stage paints is more time consuming especially if you're limited on the number of pads---I used like 6 or more pads for some of my SS restores, and had a second person wiping off the sticky polish/paint residue as I polished. Plus the rotary works atleast twice as fast as the PC in terms of polishing.

Still great work!

Richard

thanks for all your insight and help Richard. it really means a lot!

on the ohter hand, i have pics but i want to post them when i'm completely done...

the front bumper, hood, roof, a/b pillars, front fenders are done with 2 coats of epic (with the 24 hour waiting time between coats).

the passenger side doors/rear fender, passenger sideskirt, trunk, and wing have 2 passes with swirl + orange pad, and 1 pass with swirl and white pad. its getting there. so i have the driver side doors/side skirt/rear fender, and rear bumper to tackle.

you're right richard, i'm finding that i have to clean my orange pads once after each panel. my gf assisted me yesterday with the passenger side and it really helped time go faster, but by the time we finished the doors, the big game started. go giants!

OctaneGuy · #9 02-04-2008, 03:19 PM

Yeah and so I drove to the post office and saw water sprinkles from the dark clouds above, lol! You're welcome on the help! That's what I'm hear for buddy.

Can't wait to see the great unveiling!

Quote:

Originally Posted by AutoKA24DE

tell me about it. luckily its not supposed to rain this week.

thanks for all your insight and help Richard. it really means a lot!

on the ohter hand, i have pics but i want to post them when i'm completely done...

AutoKA24DE · #10 02-05-2008, 06:52 PM

so the remainder of the car is having its first coat of epic "cure".

so this brings me to my next question:

How important is it to let each coat of Epic cure for 24 hours before adding the next one, and why? (obviously something to do with the product bonding to the paint) The reason I ask, is that its not always possible to have the car sit for 24 hours in a clean environment.

Thanks in advance.