Ordered a PC 7424, what pad and product for light swirling and protectant?

[str8shot]

I ordered a PC 7424xp yesterday.

What pad and product should I use to buff out light scratches from incorrect washing?

Also, what's a good wax to finish up with. I have Zanio, but it's not lasting very long. Any other comparable products out there?

Someone mentioned Megs 205 and blackfire in another thread?

[Red Bread]

Buy a few pads. I use Lake Country orange and white pads the most frequently, with yellow and black fairly rarely.

I prefer Menzerna polishes, but it's a personal thing. I like Intensive Polish (PO91E) on an orange pad for correcting RIDS, followed by Final Finish (PO85U) on a white pad. I tend to use Chemical Guys EZ Creme glaze as a final polish on a black pad and then either Blackfire Wet Diamond or Menzerna Power Lock by hand, followed by Dodo Juice Purple Haze the next day, also by hand.

I tend to have at least three of each pad on hand, usually I can get by with two for each polish, but it's nice to have a spare just in case.

[vanbmw]

I recommend finding a supplier first...I have used detailed image and detailers domain before. I thought they both had excellent products, prices and advice. I recommend emailing them your car type and paint colour and let them give you a recommendation. Chances are they have worked on your car/colour combo and will have a recommendation for you. If one of the pro's have figured out a good pad/product combo for your car then you might as well go with their recommendation.

I personally use M105/M205 and follow up with Menzerna Powerlock sealant. I use the pads that I was recommended by Greg at detailed image and I have had excellent results.

I apply all 3 stages with my PC7424. I have a fine finish pad to use with my Powerlock sealant. It applies it in a very nice even coat. The only part I do by hand are the edges the machine can't reach into.

[Greg@DetailedImage]

Here is a brief summary of how I generally use each pad which I hope helps you pick out the pads you'd like:

Surbuf R Series - Heavy Cutting Polishes
Yellow and Purple Foam - Medium to Heavy Cutting Polishes
Orange and Cyan - Medium Cutting Polishes
Green - Light Cutting Polishes
White and Tangerine - Polishing Pad for Light Polishes, AIO
Black and Crimson - Fine Polishing Pad for Glazes, Sealants and Liquid Waxes
Blue - Ultra Fine Polishing Pad for Liquid Waxes and Sealants

Let me know if you have any other questions and I'll be happy to help.

Greg @ DI

[TOGWT]

The foam pad is attached to the machine with a Velcro backing plate; product is then applied to the foam pad. Clean foam pads soon after use, if left saturated for extended periods of time the chemicals used in polish will cause the foam to deteriorate.

Between wool and foam pads, in general, wool pads are considered "cutting" in nature, they also produce less friction induced heat than foam. That is, the fibres of the wool pad "cut" into the paint, removing top layers of paint much more rapidly than foam pads, which do a relatively small amount of cutting but instead rely on greater kinetic friction to do their work.

Purple Foamed Wool (*Purple) 5.0+/5 - these cutting foam pads are typically used on rotary buffers, but can also be used on a dual action buffer or random orbital. What makes them so effective on a rotary buffer is that it offers

Compound/ Heavy Cutting Pad (*Yellow) 5.0/5 - a harder more dense open cell pre-polymer foam (50 PPI) composition with an abrasive cutting action, for use with a medium abrasive polish

Light Cutting / Polishing Pad (*Orange) 3.0/5 - a middle range, high density open cell pre-polymer foam (60 PPI) composition with a medium abrasive light to heavy polishing cutting action

Medium Cutting / Polishing Pad (*Green) 1.5/5 - high density open cell polyurethane foam (65 PPI) composition with a medium abrasive cutting action

Polish / Waxing Pad (*White) 2.0/5 - a softer less dense blended pre-polymer foam (70 PPI) composition with a light abrasive cutting action

Light Polishing Pad (*Black) 1.5/5 - an ultra-smooth open cell polyurethane foam (75 PPI) composition that has very minor abrasive cutting ability

Finishing Pad (* Red) 1.25/5 - this open cell polyurethane foam (80 PPI) pad has no cutting or cleaning action but is softer foam than the black pad. It should be used for paint burnishing or to apply a glaze or a finessing polish.

Finessing Pad (* Blue) 1.0/5 - soft enough composition (85PPI) for applying paint cleaners, glazes, sealants and liquid waxes or burnishing paint

Jewelling Pad (* Gold) 0/5 - this foam is 40% softer (95 PPI) than the red making it the best pad for applying your finishing wax or sealant, and for use as a jewelling pad with a fine finishing polish.

Difference between these pads (Red, Blue and Black) is their compressibility

*These colour identifications are for Lake County Manufacturing (LC) foam pads.


There is no common standard colour system used to identify the abrasiveness of foam each manufacturer uses their own colour identification system

P21S Carnauba Wax is a great wax for a beginner



“Foam Pads I” - http://www.autopia.org/forum/guide-d...am-pads-i.html


Within these articles you’ll find pretty much everything you need to know about detailing; if you do your research correctly. TOGWT® Autopia Detailing Wiki - http://www.autopia.org/forum/autopia...yperlinks.html