[Whit45]

I've been polishing family and friends cars for the last 4 years. Been using the PC RO sander/polisher with either Lake City or Uber pads and Meguiar's products. Results have been ok, but slow. I decided to go with Rupes LHR21 with their blue, green, and yellow pads, using Meguiars 101 and 205. I got the feel of the 21 on one of my work truck hoods first, and the results were fast and good. Bring the wife"s black A3 in the garage and get started on it. The paint had a few scratches and swirls, but nothing major. Starting with the Rupes blue pad and Meg. 101, I remove all of the imperfections. I back the car out into the sunlight and let mother nature shine. I notice a little bit of hazing, and some very fine swirls, but the paint is slick. Slap on the green pad and Meg. 205 and go to work. After buffing off the 205 the paint was about 90% micro swirl free. I then hit it with the Rupes yellow and the Meg.205 and got it into the 95% range, I'm happy.
The downside to this, is that the Rupes blue and green pads were shedding like a long haired cat at the end of the job, and look worn out. 6" pads are $12 a piece! I bought the Rupes pads because the are suppose to hold up under the LHR21' large throw. One supplier told me that the blue and green pads break down faster using the Solvent based products compared to H2O products, but I cannot find any info to support this theory. The supplier suggested Meg. Micro Fiber cutting and polishing pads, and then use the Rupes yellow as the last step. What do you guys think?

[psnt1ol]

How often do u switch the pad for a fresh one? How much product are you using?? It sounds like the pads were over saturated.

I hardly use M105 these days since there are products on the market that are so much easier to deal with. With all the new innovations in machines and liquids, I rarely has to do more than 2 steps. I get to LSP ready in one step in most cases. Don't get me wrong...a SMAT products such as M105 still has its place but I find that it is not needed for most DDs.

On your next time out, try doing some test spots to define your approach prior to diving in straight with a compound. This would save you time and be better for your paint. There is a finite amount of clear coat on your car and always use the least aggressive approach to get the job done.

[Whit45]

I am using the Meg. 101 which is claimed to be designed for foam pads. I use the 4-5 drop method on the pad for each section I do. I cleaned the pad twice during that step with Simple Green, rinse with water and spin dry. I had another new blue pad still in the pkg. Most of the time I'm just removing light scratches and swirls, even though I hand wash with the 2 bucket method using a foam gun with a PW. What pads, compounds/Polish, and steps do you use?

[psnt1ol]

M101 was originally designed for rotary. The abrasives in it doesn't breakdown. You can often reactivate it with a squirt of distilled water without adding more product.

I think your pad was saturated. When the pad gets saturated...the pad gets softer. This plus the heat and the 21mm throw can create havoc on the pad. Solution is to get more pads and swap them out. I tend to swap pads out every 2-3 sections (depending on the size of the section).

I have Rupes pads as well as Lake country hybrid (I also has a Flex 3401), LC HD orbital pads, Meguiars MF, and bunch of other traditional pads. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. My choice for the job strictly depends on what I am doing. It is important to do test spots to see which combination works best.

You should try a Medium diminishing polish such as Menzerna SIP 1500 or PF2500 (less aggressive). It has a longer work time and has very minimal dust. The abrasives gets smaller as you work it so you have to work through its work cycle to get the maximum benefits.

Using a long throw machine is slightly different than a traditional DA polisher. The machine does the work for you but you have to take your time around curves and monitor your pressure to keep it from stalling.

Another factor to consider ...is the type of paint you are dealing with. Your approach to Soft sticky paint and hard ceramic clear should be different. Unfortunately, there is no one size fits all formula.

[cpie168]

I use Buff n Shine pads. They're great!

[Whit45]

I would have to agree that my pads are usually on the wet side, and could cut down on the product, especially since I could reactivate it. If I was to use the Menzerna 2500, would I need to still to use the Meg. 205 for a finishing polish?

[psnt1ol]

Originally Posted by Whit45

I would have to agree that my pads are usually on the wet side, and could cut down on the product, especially since I could reactivate it. If I was to use the Menzerna 2500, would I need to still to use the Meg. 205 for a finishing polish?

Most cases it will finish down extremely well. on a scale of 1 - 10...its around 7. 10 being a show car finish. Most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Since this is a medium cut polish, use this instead of M101 for those times you have slight to moderate defects.

One more tip on the Rupes 21... Its kind of counter intuitive. Use a harder pad for soft paint. From my experience, it finishes better.

Before you polish the entire car....do some test spots to verify you have the right approach. Move up or down on the aggressive scale by your selection of pad (cutting, polishing, finishing). You could also vary your technique and working area to achieve the same outcome but that's another topic for another day.

[Whit45]

Thanks psnt1ol for the info, I'm going to order some of the MC2500 as well as some LC HD pads. Would you consider the 08 3 series in Monaco Blue to be a soft or hard paint?

[psnt1ol]

Originally Posted by Whit45

Thanks psnt1ol for the info, I'm going to order some of the MC2500 as well as some LC HD pads. Would you consider the 08 3 series in Monaco Blue to be a soft or hard paint?

I do believe its hard ceramic clear but do your test spot just to be sure. Paint Formulation from the factory changes quite often. Within certain paint system, its only hard within the first 15-20 microns then it is soft after that. I don't know the history of your vehicle. I don't know how many times the car has been compounded. Every time you compound the car, you are taking chunks of clear off the paint. This is the reason I say...use the least aggressive method to get the job done.

Before I compound any car, I generally measure the paint thickness of the vehicle but I understand most people don't have such equipment laying around the house. You should be fine with regular polishing. On average...regular polishing takes very little off.