I just ordered a PC buffer. I will be using it on a 5 year old mercedes with lots of swirl marks and my brand new Mini Cooper S. What prima products should I use to remove the swirl marks? What pads do I need?
Thanks.

 

First I would buy OctaneGuy's DVD on how to use the PC.
Next I would get an orange pad, 2 white pads and a black pad for the PC.
Prima products would be Swirl, Amigo & Epic and possibly Cut.
Cut is the most abrasive Prima polish I rarely use it but have a special bottle that is 50% Cut & 50% Swirl for harder paints and deeper swirls.
Swirl is the most used Prima polish and is less abrasive then Cut.
Amigo is a paint cleanser, swirl filler and prep and is generally used after Swirl but before Epic.
Epic would be your long-lasting synthetic wax.
Combining pads and polish will give you a wide range of tools. The orange pad is the most aggressive, white is less so and black is soft. They also have a yellow pad, but it is very aggressive and I've only used it once.
I generally use Swirl on a white pad unless the swirls are tough or the paint is hard then I might move up to an orange.
I also use Amigo on a white pad.
Epic will be applied with the black pad.
You can get the DVD at www.showcardetailing.com as well as the Prima products & pads. You can also get the Prima products and pads from www.detailersparadise.com

 

There is some great advice in this forum and I'm sure someone will follow me with their $.02. I've done only 5 cars so far, so take mine with a grain of salt.

I do not know about Mercede's paint hardness. That matters alot. I might start with SWIRL with a white pad. Go slow and check how it is doing after your first 2x2 section. There is a learning curve to preparing and polishing paint. I purchased the DP bundle with CUT, SWIRL, FINISH and AMIGO. I also purchased the PC with a pad bundle of white and black pads with some bonnets. This is a good place to start.

I did a 10 year old Ranger pick up to practice. I used CUT and a white pad, but wished I had had an orange pad to try. I'll order one to have on hand, to use on older paint or scratches. I will be very careful using it to begin with.

I have done my 1 year old MINI. The paint was in pretty good shape and all it needed was FINISH with a black pad. Same with a 1 year old Caddy.

What I have learned is that you should never skip the CLAYing step before you begin. You don't want contaminates being spun around on your finish by the PC.

 

Actually a VERY important thing that hasn't been pointed out..this is a 5 year old Mercedes. Ceramiclear clear coat began in 2003 I believe. If this Mercedes has Ceramiclear, you will find the paint VERY HARD. What this means is that you try the normal polishing combinations and they just mar the surface. The scratches and swirls don't go away, but the paint just gets hazy. Mosts of the time for hard paint, you need to use an aggressive system of pads and chemicals. So Orange Pad and Swirl or Cut would be where I'd start once you've confirmed it is painted with Ceramiclear. Possibly even yellow pad and Swirl or Cut depending on the desired correction level.

Btw, Thanks Chuck for the plug. Right now my store is down thanks to a server problem...so anyone wanting to order anything should call my toll free number and I'll process it manually.

1-866-707-9292 (M-Sat 9 to 7pm) PST

Thanks