First time using a PC

[mcdbrendan]

alright so here the low-down:

Car: Black Vw Passat (2002?)

ive already done:

sprayed wheels with P21S
washed wheel well liners
washed car with dawn
claybarred with prima clay and slick
washed again with prima mystique
dryed most with jelly blade
dryed rest with dual-pile MF

now im off to PC

im thinking i only need Amigo (maybe a few coats and some pressure) and follow with Epic, then touch up and finalize with a little coat of Hyrdo.

Any pointers on the PC?

as i understand i am jsut going to work a small area (2' x 2') until the polish starts to dry and move onto another area, then once the car is done, wipe with a monster fluffy.

is this all right?

[kenchan]

just for reference...

http://youtube.com/results?search_query=autogeek+polish

their technique is alittle different from mine how they initially spread the polish,
but basically very similar otherwise.

[Jeremy1026]

Originally Posted by kenchan

just for reference...

http://youtube.com/results?search_query=autogeek+polish

their technique is alittle different from mine how they initially spread the polish,
but basically very similar otherwise.

In the 8:36 long video, at time code 8:15, they are showing the results, and in the reflections on the paint, you can see a LY/W MC

[mcdbrendan]

hey thanks. the car is all taped off (wow, what a pain in the a$$) and im about to go try it out. hopefully amigo will do the trick, if not, swirl should get it.

[kenchan]

yep, start with the least abrasive as common sense.

goodluck and post picts.

[mcdbrendan]

i started with amigo, but it jsut wasnt getting it done. I switched to swirl on the white pad, and its doing pretty darn good. i was wondering if i can use the same pad to put on Finish after i've used Swirl. I will ultimatly end with the black pad and Epic, so i want to keep the black pad clean.
Is it ok just to use the pad twice or should i skip Finish?

[kenchan]

i would skip Finish and go back to Amigo before you apply Epic since you
have it. if you don't have amigo, im sure Swirl will be fine enough after
you work it in that you wont need to do any more polishing before you
apply epic... but since you have Amigo.

shine a bright light at your paint and see if there are any marring (fine
scratches).

i would not use the same pad for 2 different polishes unless you wash
in between.

[mcdbrendan]

this car must have been driven through the desert hundreds of times.there is no micro marring, this is downright mega marring. swirl is helping alot, but its still not perfect at all. i would say right now its a ten foot car, but im only halfway done with the swirl stage, so its going to be a late night (which i kinda like) i think i will just skip the finish and try our Amigo again, then finish with Epic and show the owner (my dad ) after a QD of Hydro.

[mcdbrendan]

hmmm. just realized i can't Amigo unless i wash the pad. Can i use a freshly washed pad (i've heard it takes a few days to dry out)?

[mcdbrendan]

screw it. swirl took a really long time to get used to and to get the PC down, so now im taking a break then finishing with some epic.

[MiniMaybee]

mcdbrendan - You should be able to use your Swirl pad for the Amigo without harm. Just blot the pad in a microfiber towel to remove the surface Swirl from the pad, then use your Amigo. Both are water based so there should be no compatibility issues.
I doubt that you will need Finish. If your paint was really soft or you had some very fine swirls then Finish would be a good step, but you can probably skip it. Also note that Amigo on the white pad will not remove many swirls but will act as more of a filler and prep for the Epic. I know you just got your stuff, but you may think about getting an orange pad to help the Swirl work better.
So are you having fun yet? Once you get past the initial intimidation of the PCDA it does become fun doesn't it.
Can't wait to see some pictures of your results.

[mcdbrendan]

Yea it got fun tocards the end. And i have an orange pad on order, it was jsut on backorder when i placed it. I skipped it and went right to Epic instead.

As for the pictures, this car is very much a "10 foot car". maybe some 10 foot pictures, but nothing up close.

[mcdbrendan]

Will it be alright to chase Epic with hydro to cut down on fingerprints and for that extra bit of shine?

[kenchan]

Originally Posted by mcdbrendan

Will it be alright to chase Epic with hydro to cut down on fingerprints and for that extra bit of shine?

yep, most definitely.

if how much pressure were you applying when you used Swirl? a good 20lbs?
were you using the orange pads or the white ones? might want to try the
orange pads, put it at about speed 5 and give some firm pressure until
the pad spins once every 2.5-3 seconds and keep at it for 3min in the same
15x15" area.

if that doesn't work i guess you need to use Prima Cut.

ive no first hand exp with Swirl so cant give you any more specifics. but
dats wat i would first try. im sure octaneguy can chime in.

[MiniMaybee]

If it were me, I would use the Slick instead of the Hydro. Doing Hydro on Epic is like waxing wax. Slick will remove any remaining dried Epic, any pad dusting and fingerprints. Just use it by hand, spray a couple of squirts onto your Monster Fluffy and wipe an area. It goes really far so you won't need much on the towel.
Once you got the Epic on and have used some Slick on it - leave. Come back tomorrow. No need for another coat or anything else for at least 24 hours.

[mcdbrendan]

Sounds good. I was putting a good 15-20 pounds on it, but i was using the white pad (orange should be shipped soon according to DP). I didn't want to go all the way up to the yellow pad, so i stuck with the white.

It turned out pretty good. Still plenty of light swirls, but in normal lighting conditions (not under a 500 watt halogen) it looks almost perfect. Now i need to touch up the chrome.

I got P21S multi-surface restorer, but some of the chrome still remains cloudy. Any suggestions?

[BlimeyCabrio]

I followed Epic with Hydro last time with GREAT results - it does do that last little bit of "filling" to make remaining swirls less noticeable. Just let the Epic cure 24 hours first!

This is my regimen now - I QD with Slick. Every time I wash, I finish with Hydro. After Epic has cured, I QD with Hydro. If after QDing with Slick it seems like it needs a little something else, I follow with Hydro...

This is getting expensive....

But it looks awesome. My coworkers think I have completely lost it, my car is so friggin clean. And they accuse me of washing it every day. More like once every three weeks in reality. I just know how to keep it clean now, thanks to Heather and Richard and Ken and others who have led me to OCD nirvana...

[kenchan]

Hydro on clean surface works great. i tried hydro as a QD on my
wheels and it didn't have much lift capabilities so used Slick and then
followed up with Hydro. wow~ very deep look.

[BlimeyCabrio]

Yeah, what Ken said...

[mcdbrendan]

Originally Posted by kenchan

Hydro on clean surface works great. i tried hydro as a QD on my
wheels and it didn't have much lift capabilities so used Slick and then
followed up with Hydro. wow~ very deep look.

Is that on the tires or wheels??

I just finished with a light coat of Slick. I cleaned some of the chrome up, but its not perfect. I think tomorrow i will QD with Hydro and finish cleaning the wheels (i hate it when i forget things).

Well, its 10:16, and i guess its time for dinner.

[kenchan]

Originally Posted by mcdbrendan

Is that on the tires or wheels??

I just finished with a light coat of Slick. I cleaned some of the chrome up, but its not perfect. I think tomorrow i will QD with Hydro and finish cleaning the wheels (i hate it when i forget things).

Well, its 10:16, and i guess its time for dinner.

slick + hydro for wheels.

on my weekend cars i use Griot's RubberCleaner to wipe off
the gunk on the sidewalls, then re-apply Meg's Insane Shine.

[mcdbrendan]

Originally Posted by kenchan

slick + hydro for wheels.

on my weekend cars i use Griot's RubberCleaner to wipe off
the gunk on the sidewalls, then re-apply Meg's Insane Shine.

sounds good. tomorrow i am going to stop off at wal mart and get some Insane Shine. last time i bought tire dressing was about 8 months ago and was an aerosol kind (shows how much i have learned in the past 8 months). thanks for the help everyone. im turning in for the night. i will finish up the wheels tomorrow and post picks.

[BartMack]

hmmm... and I was going to say CTRL+ALT+DELETE

[kenchan]

oh, i should say epic + slick + hydo for wheels. i haven't tried
Prima WheelSheild yet, although i have it on my shelf.

get the InsaneShine in the spray bottle, not the can (not the foam one).

[mcdbrendan]

maybe i will try the endurance shine stuff, i think thats a gel (a bit messy, but it tends to last longer, from what i hear)