OK...last check-in before I PC my car! Did I choose the right stuff?

[Drjones]

Ok all. My dad brought home the PC 7336, and I'm gonna order pads and do it when they arrive. Here's my equipment I plan to use and my method. Any advice or approval/disapproval is MUCH appreciated, as I'm nervous (and anxious!) about using the PC for the first time.

- Order DM-Kit: http://www.properautocare.com/porcabac.html Is this a good kit? Most here seem to recommend their stuff...

- PC 7336

- Wash car thoroughly and dry. (Duh!)

- 3M SMR. I know some people will object, but it seems that about 50% here love it and the rest are indifferent or don't like it. Well, I already have it and I'm gonna try it. Besides, its less abrasive than the 3M FI2, and my swirls are very light, and I want to start with the least abrasive product.

- Here is where I need some advice. I'm thinking either Meguiar's Show Car Glaze or Klasse AIO. (Red bottle.) I'm leaning towards the Klasse however.

- Finish with Meguiar's Gold Class Liquid wax. I know its not the best out there, but it has produced pretty remarkable results for me by hand and I don't wanna just let it go to waste. However, it doesn't seem to protect very well (doesn't bead water too well) so closer to winter I will use a full synthetic (Klasse sealant) and Meguiars #26 carnauba.

Does that sound good? Any other recommendations?

Thanks for your help!!!

[Kyle K.]

PC is good, SMR is fine, but the Show Car Glaze and AIO are both completely pointless if you use GC as your wax... reason being GC is a cleaner wax and will remove the Klasse and/or oils from the 7. Go get some S100 from a Harley shop... seriously (or at least get some #26 Hi Tech Yellow).

So basically, I'd say your best bet is the SMR, AIO, S100 combo. If you really want to use your GC just forget about the inbetween step and go SMR, GC.

[Drjones]

Thanks for your reply.

I already have the #26 and am very pleased with it; both with the shine and protection.

Could I use the PC with that? What, just put it on by hand and remove with the buffer?

[MojoMoto]

The SMR has no abrasives so it will not actually remove the swirl marks; rather, it will just fill them and they will become visible again within a relatively short period of time. If you want the swirls to go away you will need to use the FI2 or something like it.

[Kyle K.]

Sorry Mojo, but thats not correct. SMR has abrasives as well as fillers. It will only remove light swirls and imperfections because they aren't very harsh abrasives, but SMR does definately have abrasives in it.

[David]

Kyle is correct. SMR has some abrasives in it.

Drjones,

I would seriously recommend AIO (especially AIO) + SG + wax topper. Skip the meguiars. Once you try better products you'll never go back to megs.

[MojoMoto]

Originally posted by Kyle K.
Sorry Mojo, but thats not correct. SMR has abrasives as well as fillers. It will only remove light swirls and imperfections because they aren't very harsh abrasives, but SMR does definately have abrasives in it.

My mistake - I must have been thinking about IHG.

[hal9000]

Sounds like you're on the right track.

Unless you've got a black car, I'd skip the Meg's #7 Glaze. It's just not worth the time IMHO. Black is the only color that it makes a visible difference.

If you're going synthetic, then go AIO followed by SG. If you're going carnuba, then I'd recommend S100/P21S SEC/GEPC followed by their wax. If you want the best of both worlds, go AIO, followed by 4-7 coats of SG (wait between coats - it'll probally take you a month or so to do this), then top with S100. Meg's #26 is a very easy to apply/buff wax, but S100/P21S is a superior product - better optics, durabilty and shine IMHO. S100 is also about the same price as #26 and it's available at your local Harley Dealership.

Throw the GC in the trash. Optically, it's nice, but durability wise it sucks (somewhere on the order of 2 weeks). Also it's a cleaner product so it's going to remove anything you put under it.

[NoSoup4U]

followed by 4-7 coats of SG (wait between coats - it'll probally take you a month or so to do this),

Okay -- that's just a tad extreme .... ... and "slightly" time-consuming

[David]

I usually stop at 3 coats of SG.

[Drjones]

Thank you so very much, gentlemen!

Klasse AIO it is, followed by the Klasse Glaze!

Ordered the stuff yesterday, will do it as soon as it gets here!


Thank you so very much!

[hal9000]

Originally posted by NoSoup4U
Okay -- that's just a tad extreme .... ... and "slightly" time-consuming

Yep, but remember BMW=OCD....

Actually on my car, I prefer the look of carnuba...just not feeling the flat look of Klasse. Ask Ben - he's the designated Klasse Boy. I just use it on the front spoiler and rims.

[shragon]

if you want to remove swirls, i say skip 3m smr and jump to 3m fi2. i used 3m smr, and it looked like it removed a lot of swirls. a few washes later, there they are again (i use micro fiber). basically, only some swirls were removed, and the oils/filters (which washed away) covered the rest. what a waste of time and energy. i plan to use 3m fi2 next time.

[hal9000]

Originally posted by shragon
if you want to remove swirls, i say skip 3m smr and jump to 3m fi2. i used 3m smr, and it looked like it removed a lot of swirls. a few washes later, there they are again (i use micro fiber). basically, only some swirls were removed, and the oils/filters (which washed away) covered the rest. what a waste of time and energy. i plan to use 3m fi2 next time.

Are you sure you worked it enough? SMR not worked long enough is a filler/glaze, not an abrasive polish.

[MojoMoto]

With SMR you really need to be using a PC to get good results and usually two or more passes. If you're already using a PC and not getting the results you want then you might try turning up the speed of the PC, using a slightly more abrasive pad (yellow or orange) or some combination of the two. If that doesn't work then the swirls/scratches/oxidation may be too much for SMR and you'll need something like the FI2.

If you've got really bad scratches or bird poop etched into the paint, some 2000 or 2500 grit sand paper, patience and a little bravery, can be used to wet-sand the scratches/etching out. Follow up with FI2, and then SMR or some other polish. I wouldn't go at the whole car with this method though; save this approach for the really bad spots that FI2 or rubbing compound won't get out.

[Drjones]

Thanks for the replies so far.

The reason that I decided to start using a PC is because I tried some 3M SMR by hand and left light swirls in my paint. I'm confident that SMR + PC should be able to remove the light swirls I created.

When you say "passes" do you mean separate applications? From my understanding, (and the directions on the bottle) you are supposed to work the SMR until it is gone, whether by PC or by hand.

I would consider that to be one application or "pass."

Is that accurate?


Thanks!

[hal9000]

Usually a "pass" is one application of product. In the case of most SMR's that'll require working an area with the PC passes, not just one pass and you're done. Most people when working SMR do the following: left/right, up/down, ///, then \\\. Work a 2x2 area using that pattern until the product has broken down to a fine powder. Because SMR is a diminishing abrasive, you may have to apply more than once to remove deeper swirls.