Well I went ahead and splurged on the PCDA last week from Autopia. Given the sale price, as well as selling off some cycling equipment I could justify it to my wife.

A couple of questions though. I used it on her Passat this weekend and was pretty impressed with the results. But given that it is reflex silver in color, it wasn't gonna be easy to screw it up. What are the thoughts on moving from progressively more aggressive compounds? I tried the SFX-3, then the 2 and finally the 1 on a couple of deep scratches, and got a bunch of them out (I need to post some pictures when she gets home). The I reversed the process. But in between do you just buff it out with a MF towel? Do I need to wash the areas?? Z7??

Also how much pressure should I be putting on the PC? I know from the autopia website I shouldn't angle it like a buffing tool, but hold it flat. It seems that the general reccomendation is that the machines weight itself is enough pressure? What do you all think?

Also, SFX-3 vs. Sonus Paint Cleanser. For general use at the semi annual de-swirlathon and re-zaino fests I get the sense that the paint cleanser is best, but what about spot work on scratches and heavy swirl markings??

Thank again for the help. Only spent 4 hous working on the Passat this weekend. Oh, and BTW, my wife thinks the PDCA was more than worth its price after she saw her car!!!

Joel

 

In response to your questions, here is what I do:

1. What to do between grades of compounds: Just make sure that you have all of the old compound off before moving to the next. Wiping off w/ a microfiber is good. I often add a spritz of QD and buff off with a fresh microfiber, just to get a really good look at the paintwork and to make sure that the surface is clean. Remember to use a fresh pad for each grade of compound.

2. Pressure: I use just enough pressure with my PCDA to keep the pad from spinning around... it really isn't much... probably less than the weight of the machine.

3. Paint cleanser vs. SFX3: To me, there really isn't much difference between SFX3 (it is 3 that is the finest grade, right... I can't remember off the top of my head and autopia's site is down temporarily) and paint cleanser. Maybe the SFX3 has a 'bit' more bite to it, but probably not much. You aren't going to get much effect from either on your scratches, or even swirls. You will have to bump up to the midgrade SFX2 to do that without spending 20 hours per body pannel.