I put my new 7424 to the test on Saturday and did my wife's black on black 2006 Impala SS.

I did the Meguiar's 3-step Deep Crystal process, Cleaner followed by Polish followed by NXT (Instead of Carnuba) and 3 Lake Country VC pads (White, Grey and Blue).

I'm pretty happy with the results. I used the least aggressive pads so I could get used to it with less chance of introducing any problems, and I kept it between speed settings 2 and 3...wasn't sure how high to go, so these were probably lower than I needed to be.

Overall, took me about 6-7 hours to complete and that was only stopping for lunch and the occasional 'admiration break'.

I'll probably tackle my MCS this coming weekend - if I can wait that long!

Here's some pics - the first one has a reflection of something you might recognize.

 

Looks good. For future uses, generally, when polishing out swirls/scratches, a speed of 4 or 5 is recommended .

 

Thanks...is that 4 or 5 for all stages, i.e., cleaners, polishes, waxes?

 

4 or 5 for abrasives. 1-2 for applying wax.

 

For Meguiar's products, you want to use speed 3 for applying waxes/polishes with the W9006 polishing pad.

Otherwise use speed 5 with the W8006 pad or W7006 pad with a MF bonnet for removing wax.

Now the real issue here, is that you do understand that with the DC 1,2,3 that the paint cleaner is a chemical paint cleaner right?

That is, there are no diminishing abrasives and therefore the benefits of using it with a PC is less than using a paint cleaner like M80 or M83.

Your reflection shots are great. Try doing a test spot and get a direct sun shot and compare your results.




And to get the most out of your new PC, I highly recommend this video which I shot, edited, and helped buff behind the scenes.

It'll be the best detailing investment you will make.
http://store.northamericanmotoring.c...&cat=10&page=1

 

No, I didn't know that about their step 1 cleaner. I haven't used 80 or 83 before, but I'll give one of them a try.

With a direct sun reflection shot, the surface is clean of any imperfections (like the one on the right half of your image), but I was surprised that a couple of the light surface scratches did not go away during the process. I guess the lack of abrasives is the reason - granted, they did become very difficult to see if you're not specifically looking for them right where they are, but they did not go away 100%.

Thanks for the info!

 

You did a very good job for your first attempt! But that's correct, light scratches can be removed with the right foam pad/chemical combination even with a PC.

I know I've pointed you to my video a couple of times already, but it's only because of the fantastic responses we've been getting from our customers. ADS is selling it now, and they are ordering weekly because of demand.

Come on over to my discussion forum at ShowCarGarage.com for detailing and PC usage help. We got several MINI owners over there, and we aren't brand specific, though there is an obvious bent on what products we like to use.

 

I'll venture over to your site later today/this evening.

One thing is for sure...I knew the paint job on our SS wasn't as good as the one on our MCS, but man oh man, is it sure obvious now. The amount of orange peel in the finish is awful! Even to the point that to me, it's distracting.

 

Yeah orange peel varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. MINI's paint job is pretty good compared to most cars. That's good that you're "tuning" your eye. You're gonna start seeing the world in a new way. And that's good, because a big part of keeping your cars looking their best is being able to identify the defects and then deciding the best course of action to treat it. The more your work with the PC, the sharper your eye will get.

Pretty soon, you'll start eyeing cars in parking lots and on the street thinking "WOW look at those swirls!!".

Richard

 

Okay, so this past weekend, I had the first chance to use my new PC on my MCS. While it took less time than my wife's SS, it still took me about 4 hours or so, and that is with 3 products being applied and removed.

For my MCS, I went away from the consumer line of Meguiar's Deep Crystal 3-Step process, and instead used their professional line, with the exception of the final wax - the shop I purchased the products at did not have the #26 wax, so I used NXT instead.

Step 1 was #82, step 2 was #7, step 3 was NXT. Some pics attached below.

These were applied with LC VC pads (White, Grey, Blue - in that order), and the NXT was removed with a microfiber bonnet.

 

Oh, and here is an up close shot of the fender.

 

Great work! If you can get away with M82 to begin with, then swirls aren't much of a problem! By the pictures, it looks great. Both #7 and NXT have some swirl filling properties--#7 is just a pure polish without any abrasives. Not saying you didn't work them out, just making an observation. Regardless, that deserves a

Richard

 

I was considering #80, which is what the guy at Meguiar's recommended, but I made an executive decision that I didn't need that much abrasiveness and went with #82 instead - I think it worked well.

I haven't really had any of what I would call 'true swirls' in it at all - but enough of an imperfection (to me anyway , to most people not really) that I wanted to use just enough of something to remove anything that might be there. But, I'll use it sparingly in the future.

Like I said before, I was going to go with the #26 over the #7, but since they didn't have it, I used my NXT. From what I understand, NXT will last longer than #26 and it has the most 'shine' properties of any Meguiar's wax (again per a guy at Meguiar's).

So, I think I've found my product trio to use, unless you have any other suggestions to add?

I was really shocked at how much more gloss/shine there was using the #7 followed by NXT - I mean it REALLY made a difference, hopefully that can be seen in the pics.

Thanks! BTW, I surfed around your site the other day...lots of good info there, I just may have to join!

 

Thanks for the info guys. I ordered my PC yesterday, and will soon experience it. I'll practice on my Wifes MC.

Scott

 

You'll love it, you'll wish you had gotten it sooner and you'll never look back (except to see the awesome job it did on your ride)!

 

Still waiting for my PC, but the pads and other stuff should arrive today. Can't wait to get the PC.

Scott

 

How about product? What do you have or what did you get to apply with the DA (cleaner, polish, wax, etc...)?

Which pads did you decide to go with?

 

I ended up going with some Sonus polish/wax/pads/etc. I bought the products from Autopia. The PC I bought from Amazon.

Scott

 

Update, got my PC7424 today. Anyone know what type of pad it came with? I mean what would it be good for? How aggressive is it? Is it for compounding, polishing, finish application etc. I'll update more after I use it.

Scott

 

Throw that pad out immediately. You will need to get a velcro backing plate and some proper pads.

Some people have tried the included pad, and it will disintegrate and possibly cause more damage to your paint.

Have you ordered the PC DVD yet??

Richard

 

I used the pad it came with, but only for one purpose:

I covered it with a microfiber bonnet and used it for final wax removal.

 

I just got this video this week and highly recommend it. Tons of great little tips that you wouldn't learn by yourself without a lot of trial and error

 

Thanks, no I didn't get the DVD yet. Is it mastered in High Definition? Just kidding. I will think about it.

Scott

 

Update: Got my PC, borrowed my neighbors Tacoma 4x4 to practice on. I washed w/ Dawn, clayed, washed again. Then used Sonus #1 pad and polish followed by #2 pad and polish. I didn't do #3 step because I got really tired/sore and I by the end of step 2 I felt very comfortable using the PC. Very cool machine and very easy to use. Next I will try it on my Wifes Mini! Here are a couple pics:

Before


After


Scott