I'm having a Detailer's Paradise birthday as well. I'm getting a PC with pad and polish bundle. I do not have Epic yet, so I will probably use Zaino Z2 on the wax front.

It was not until the package was almost here that I got smart enough to order Octane Guy's DVD, and chances are good that it won't be here before the weekend.

Generally speaking, I only have time for this on the weekend, and I'd like to get started sooner rather than later. Will someone give me advice on how to use this wonderful new toy, and how not to cause any damage to my paint with it?

 

You've taken the right steps - take time to watch OG's DVD. It has a wealth of information. Even after watching the DVD I found myself rushing through the process or trying to cover too large an area on my car. Once I forced myself to slow down and let the PC do the work the results were amazing.

Good luck and be sure and post some photos.

 

You might as well wait one more week before you start the process. Get OG's DVD and watch it. In the meantime read some more in the detailing forum, build your process steps, collect any other supplies you might need and get yourself in a positive mental attitude. Set aside any nervousness or self-doubt because you can do it and do it well. It can be intimidating, but information you gather will make you more confident.
Finally after doing all the above, just know you will be ready. You will learn what works for you, shortcuts you can take, things that you can do better, how products go on and come off and the feel of your PC. You will improve over time and become more confident and the results will get better and better.
One thing to note with regards to OG's DVD is that he is using a different pad system and the amount of applied downward force required is different. For the pads that DP sells the weight of the PC is all that is required. No need to apply any additional down force.
Let us know if you have any problems or questions after you get started.
Enjoy your soon to be amazingly shiny MINI!

 

I recommend watching OG's video as well. You'll learn a lot more from it than you would reading text on the forum. Just before the dragon this year I had my first experience with the pc. My first time turned out better than I had hoped for because of the video. I watched the video the week before then while using the pc I had OG's video on the laptop in the garage for reference. It's a must have.

 

Happy Birthday, whovous!!

Edit: I just remembered that we have the documents on our website (under Advice & Tips) that I reference below. Here are the links:

Selecting Your Pad & Polish

Polishing Tips & Techniques

Email me (heather@detailersparadise.com) and I'll email you back with an attachment (that is, unless your email gets stuck in my Spam filter ... which, by the way, is a new program that is supposedly going to help prevent me from losing customer emails!). We have a document that outlines, step-by-step, the PC process. Indeed, a visual like OG's video will also be very helpful too but no need to wait for it before you get started. This document will get you started. In fact, I learn better once I mess around with something a bit and then get full instruction like the DVD... I think it's easier to understand how it all works that way.

Also, when watching OG's video and using the PC & Pad bundle that you received from us, please remember this important bit o' info:

DO NOT add any additional pressure to the PC as you use it with our (Lake Country) pads. Basically, you need to make sure that the plate is always oscillating and isn't bogged down by any pressure you add. You can add just a small bit of pressure, but not much more than what it takes to hold on to the polisher.

Because it's difficult to see whether or not the plate is still oscillating (due to the constant vibration), we highly recommend that you add tick marks to your plate. Like this:



In the video, they are using Meguiar's pads, which are different from the LC pads. Therefore, the technique is different (and easier, incidentally!). With Megs pads you use various amounts of pressure. With LC pads you do not add additional pressure.


Anyway, just email me and I'll send you the step-by-step document so you can get started. It's easy to use the PC, but it's helpful to have a guide to follow.

Again, Happy Birthday!

-Heather

 

OK, I don't like the advice, but I think I will be smart enough to take it , even though I really want to get started:impatient. Maybe I can do some work on the 4th, or the USPS will miraculously produce OGs DVD tomorrow before we head out to the cabin for the weekend.

 

Hmm, did not see Heather's until well after posting mine. Email sent.

 

I just realized after posting above that you (or anyone, for that matter!) could email me for the polishing document that we actually have the document (plus another handy one as well) on our website (under Advice & Tips). Here are the links:

Selecting Your Pad & Polish

Polishing Tips & Techniques

Both are PDFs and are therefore easy to print directly from the link.

**In addition to making sure you don't add much pressure (if at all) as you polish, I think the other important tip is to work each section long enough when using Swirl (or any other Prima abrasive). Work each section at least 2 minutes. You may work it longer but often times not shorter. Each paint is a little different, but use the "2 minutes per section" as a guideline and you're good to go!

Happy Polishing!

-Heather

 

Thanks for the links and the tips, Heather.

The USPS wound up outdoing itself, and delivered OGs DVD from CA to DC in two days. Watched it last night and, weather permitting, I start today.

 

Haha cool! With my new helper, I've been able to fulfill orders within minutes of when I get email confirmation of the order. I'm often surprised by the USPS too!

Like people have said here, the difference between Prima and Meguiar's system is the pads are different which means the pressure you apply on the PC to work effectively is different, and the chemicals are different--but the concepts, the arm movement, the preparations, the thought processes are the same.

There are several analogies that can be made.

The Yellow W8006 pad and M80 Speed Glaze in the video is very similar to the Orange Prima pad with Swirl

The tan W9006 finishing pad is just like the Black Prima pad.

The difference is that you've also got a white Prima Pad which is between the Orange and the Black and you've got a Yellow Prima pad which is higher than the Orange.

Thus, you've got two more levels of correction. If you considered the Orange as the baseline, then you can either go more aggressive by using the Yellow Pad and a more aggressive chemical like Cut (let me add that you will use this combination pretty infrequently on your MINI, but the option is there), or you may find that the Orange is too aggressive and the White pad with Swirl will do the trick. I also like the White pad with Amigo on black paint.

I know it sounds confusing, but just thinking of the pads on a scale of increasing or decreasing aggressiveness and understand that the proper chemical or polish (listed in decreasing order of aggressiveness: Cut, Swirl, Finish, Amigo) can either give you more power or less power-you've got a lot of correction capability.

In the past, I've told people to try Meguiar's first then Prima because it's so simple to use. No thinking is required. One pad for polishing, one pad for waxing. 2 chemicals for polishing (one more or less aggressive) that will work for 85% of the cases out there.

With Prima, you can increase that percentage to probably 99% of the cases out there. More capability, requires a bit more thought.

My advice today is start with Prima, skip Meguiar's--start with the Prima Orange and Prima White pads and a bottle of Swirl and a bottle of Epic. And you'll be set!

Btw, a new updated video with Prima is in the works.

Richard

 

I have the DP pad and product bundles. I do not have Epic. I do have Z2. My BRG Mini has 106,000 miles on it, and some marks that no amount of poishing is going to remove. The car is clayed occasionally, but almost never garaged.

I've been thinking Orange and Swirl, White and Amigo and Black with Z-2. Does that make sense? I have more than a whole bottle of Z-2, and that stuff is just too expensive not to use. I will likely transition to Epic eventually. Oh yeah, I also have both Slick and Z-10 with me here (Hydro and Z6 at home).

Oh yeah, I really need to stop thinking and to start doing all of this. Happy birthday to me!

 

Hi Richard, what's the time frame for that new DVD?

 

Yeah, Richard and USPS certainly won the race to the east coast. Package came yesterday
And on Monday or Tuesday my DP package should arrive

 

I've used Z2 & Z5 with a PC with good results. The Swirl you should first try on the white pad. I seldom have to step it up to the orange pad. Step it up if you need to after testing a section. Email Heather because I think there was an issue she found with using Amigo under a Zaino product. You may need to go from Swirl straight to Z2 but ask Heather for sure.

 

Well, it is now too late for some of these issues. Also, bear in mind that mine is a 100,000 mile car, and so a little more oomph may not be a bad thing.

I've done a couple rounds of Orange and Swirl on the bonnet. I did not really have spider webbing before, but I did have a number of straight line scratches. Some came out, and some did not.

I then did White and Amigo (starting out by forgetting to reduce the speed, though I am not sure how much difference that makes), and followed with Black and Z-2, and then some Z-10 for good measure.

I have also Swirl'd and Amigo'd the roof. With hindsight, I suspect Swirl might not have been necessary. The roof has just two or three scratches, and only a sander is gonna them out!

I am now called away to manly duties involving fire, and will pick up in the morning. I am taking pictures, but for now I am not sure how they are turning out.

 

Although it sounds like it may be moot at this point, MiniMaybee is right...
Some of the polymers in Amigo and Z2 do not get along well. In other words, Z2 typically will not bond properly (if at all) to Amigo.

Did you find that the Z2 sort of "balled up" when you used it? This is usually what you see when you top Amigo with Z2. It indicates that the Z2 is not able to bond. This is what happens when certain polymers get into an argument.

We have seen cases where Z2 doesn't do this balling up sort of thing, but it's very rare and we really don't know why it doesn't happen these few cases. Even in these rare cases though, in which we assume there is possibly some Z2 successful bonding, the Z2's durability is negatively affected.

*If you want to go back and re-do your Z2 step, I would re-Swirl with the white pad (you wouldn't have to spend a whole lot of time this time around) to remove the Amigo and then reapply the Z2 with your black pad.

I wish I had read into the fact in your first post that you have the entire Prima Polish Bundle and the Z2 and therefore may choose to use Amigo then Z2! If I had, I would've stopped you then. At the time I was focused on your abrading (using Swirl) and paint correction and didn't even think of Amigo (or Z2 for that matter) until you just mentioned it. (and I'm only catching up on NAM today... even though you posted this yesterday!) Sorry I didn't see it sooner!

Bottom line: When using any finishing component of the Zaino system, do not use Amigo or you will likely have bonding issues. However, the Prima abrasives (Cut, Swirl, Finish) work great with the Zaino system.

-Heather

 

I did not notice any bonding issues whatsoever with the Z2 over the Amigo'd surfaces. I went back over the bonnet again today, first with some Slick as a QD to clean up some raindrops, and then with another coat of Z2 followed by Z10. No balling whatsoever.

As for durability, do you mean I might have to do this again in a few months? Dang, I really resent having to spend the time making my car look purtier and purtier.

Not.

In any case, I avoided the potential problem with the rest of the car, as the finish is in better condition elsewhere than on the bonnet. I used Finish, followed by Z2 & Z10, on the rest of the car.

I've been thinking I should claybar in the fall in any event, and there is always more Hydro, so I am not too concerned about whatever problems I might have later with my choices. The PC is a pretty amazing toy. I especially like how quickly I can wax the car with very little product. Then again, I want to use up the Z2 and get Epic, so maybe this is not such a great thing after all?!

 

That's great that you didn't see any of the balling sort of thing... you may be in good shape then! Yeah, so maybe you'll have to rewax sooner than later if the durability is affected, but like you said, the PC makes it fun and very quick!

It sounds like everything turned out great, despite some wee bumps along the way. Sounds like you had fun too!

I think your experience illustrates a great point, especially for newbies...
There truly is nothing to fear when you use the PC and pretty much any of the standard premium quality stuff out there (including several brands). The worse that can happen is that you might have to re-do something and/or go through more product than normal if you goof up or something. So, sometimes you cause yourself extra work or have to take extra time, but it's sooo difficult to actually do any harm with the PC.

Most people who fear the PC don't realize that they can actually do more harm with what are considered basics, like washing and drying!

Thanks for posting your experience and questions so others can learn too!

-Heather

 

I was quite nervous starting out, but fairly quickly got over it.

Among the things I learned:
1. It really is hard to do much damage.
2. Careful taping pays rewards. We taped, but still found some white product streaks on black trim that were far from pretty. Black Wow seems to be doing the trick, but we will see.
3. The weirdest part: I did half the bonnet first as a sort of test. Swirl, Amigo and Z2 before doing any other part of the car. I thought it looked good, but was still a bit disappointed, as it did not look as good as I hoped it would. I knew there were some things about my car that a PC could not fix, but still...

Then I did the other side of the bonnet as well, and for some reason the whole thing just looked a whole lot better. A done side against an undone side was just OK, but a completely done bonnet was much better.

Not sure I understand that.

Probably no pics till tomorrow at the earliest.