Just bought pc 7242xp questions

[g60rabbit]

I just bought the starter kit from Adams and have a couple questions.

My sister has donated her 1999 Corolla with 220k on the clock to be my first test subject

After washing and claying the full car I was going to tape off anything that's rubber/black plastic, To protect it from buffer.

Question one. Can I buff over the badges on the trunk or tape those off as well?

Question 2. Small things like mirrors are better off to be buffed by hand?

I'm sure I will have more questions. Just want to get it right before I move on to my r32

[TXR32]

Go ahead and tape over your emblems so not to tear up your pads as they run over that uneven surface. If you're really wanting to correct in and around the emblem, its best to remove them and the glue residue that is left behind, and then go in and correct the panel. You can then re-apply the emblem.

As for the mirrors, if you're trying to correct issues like scratches and swirls, you won't get as good of results if you were to use your machine. 4" pads are great for tight areas and mirrors.

Don't be afraid to work on your R. I'll admit years ago I was a little intimiated but your PC 7424 XP won't let you down with that built in clutch. If anything you won't get the results you were expecting the first time around versus doing permanent damage to your paint. Just take your time, keep your work space small and you'll certainly get results.

Good luck and keep us posted on the progress.

[g60rabbit]

IMO... Did not go well.

Took 6 hours and I didn't finish.

Car was worse then I thought. I washed it 3times! Then clayed then went ahead with the pc.

I only buffed about 2 thirds of the car then had to throw a quick coat of wax on the h
Whole car because it was getting dark.

I just think I haven't found the right pressure and or how much product to use.

I followed the videos but I just wasn't wowed like I thought I would be.

Turns out that the car has been through a car wash exactly 1 time in about 4 years. The parts I was able to do looked good not great. Again more pressure or stronger product.

Also let's say the car wasn't in bad shape. Using 2 different products/pads how long should it take to get a corolla done?

The 3 car washing just killed me time wise

[David802]

IMO... Did not go well.

Took 6 hours and I didn't finish.

Car was worse then I thought. I washed it 3times! Then clayed then went ahead with the pc.

I only buffed about 2 thirds of the car then had to throw a quick coat of wax on the h
Whole car because it was getting dark.

I just think I haven't found the right pressure and or how much product to use.

I followed the videos but I just wasn't wowed like I thought I would be.

Turns out that the car has been through a car wash exactly 1 time in about 4 years. The parts I was able to do looked good not great. Again more pressure or stronger product.

Also let's say the car wasn't in bad shape. Using 2 different products/pads how long should it take to get a corolla done?

The 3 car washing just killed me time wise

If your first cut and buff only took you a day to do you're not doing to badly IMO. I made my first attempt at paint correction the end of May with a pc7424xp. It took me 3 days and I only corrected about a third of the swirls and scratches in my paint. People in the video tutorials make it look so easy that I got fooled into thinking that paint correction was easy, but its really not. Keep working at it and you'll get it. What product/pads are you using? I found that the harsher cutting pads were much harder to use at first. For practice I picked up a couple of LC blue pads and started using my PC to apply my weekly coat of wax on the car. It took me longer to wax my car than when I do it by hand but after about the 3rd or 4th application I felt way more comfortable handling the machine and gauging how much product I needed for a given section of a car. Keep up the good work and post pictures. We like those around here.

[pwaug]

Six hours isn't too long.

I'm not familiar with Adams products so can't comment on them, but you should have at least 4 pads for each step (at least for compounding and polishing) and you should be cleaning them on the fly after every other panel at least-I sometimes clean them on the fly after every section. During the compounding step the pads become clogged with product and clearcoat so they lose their cutting ability. Rather than try to tackle the entire car you should do a 2' X 2' test section first to test out the pads, products, polisher speeds and number of passes--once you get a combo that is doing the correction you want then move on to the remainder of the car.

Here is a link with allot of good info--towards the end of the list are some live links to videos:

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...-phillips.html

[g60rabbit]

Not sure of the names off the top of my head. But I believe it was Adams scratch and swirl remover first with orange pad. Then polisher with their white pad.

I think I should have started with the green pad and their severe scratch and swirl remover.

The paint is so bad on her car Not sure how good I can get it with how long it takes to do each panel. The car isn't in my possession long enough and ain't borrowing my r or d90 lol.

My plan is to tackle it piece by piece. Even in stages it will look far better then it does now.

Also what do you mean by 4 pads for each step. I am using I believe 6.5 inch pads. I have one orange, 1 white, and 1 black for sealant.

1 of each isn't enough to finish the job?

[David802]

Not sure of the names off the top of my head. But I believe it was Adams scratch and swirl remover first with orange pad. Then polisher with their white pad.

I think I should have started with the green pad and their severe scratch and swirl remover.

The paint is so bad on her car Not sure how good I can get it with how long it takes to do each panel. The car isn't in my possession long enough and ain't borrowing my r or d90 lol.

My plan is to tackle it piece by piece. Even in stages it will look far better then it does now.

Also what do you mean by 4 pads for each step. I am using I believe 6.5 inch pads. I have one orange, 1 white, and 1 black for sealant.

1 of each isn't enough to finish the job?

I believe he means 4 pads per color, i.e. 4 white pads, 4 orange pads and 4 green pads. No matter how hard you try to keep the pads clean by wiping or blowing them off with compressed air, eventually its time to switch to a new one when you're working on a car. (The pad is fine, it just needs to be washed out with soap and some finger massaging) Its worse if you are working on stage one paint. I've been working on wet sanding my bug for months now and I go through all 6 of my white LC pads in about 2 panels (I don't have compressed air to blow them out so I use until clogged and then stop for the night.)

[pwaug]

Also what do you mean by 4 pads for each step. I am using I believe 6.5 inch pads. I have one orange, 1 white, and 1 black for sealant.

1 of each isn't enough to finish the job?

As David mentioned I mean you need at least four of each color pad for each step -- compounding or heavy polishing, polishing and finishing so in your case you should have at least 4 orange, 4 white and then one black or red for each LSP you plan to use. I would highly suggest you switch to a 5" backing plate and 5.5" pads before you invest too much money in 6.5" pads. The XP is not the most powerful machine and will correct and polish much better with 5.5" FLAT pads. You can get a mixed six pack of 5.5" pads for $35 while 6.5" in the same six pack will be $50 so on your first order you save enough to buy the 5" backing plate.

[g60rabbit]

awesome thanks for all the advice guys. Will be plaicing a new order hopefully today

Looks like Adams doesnt sell a 5.5?? I see 7 and 4??

[pwaug]

My personal preference is Buff & Shine pads bkz they have recessed velcro which is an added safety measure when polishing near proturding objects and they are excellent pads and a simple line of products to understand. That being said Lake Country has a low profile flat 5.5" pad that works well with the XP as well as some others, just stick to 5.5" and low profile as there is less mass for the XP to move around so you'll get better correction.