Help w/fear of PC on my camaro....

[Mdun6]

I've never used any of Adams products but I'm sure they are top notch. From working in body shops years ago i've always liked 3M products. Finesse It and Perfect It are really good. I'm using Meguiar's M105 Ultra Cut and Meguiar's M205 Ultra Finishing Polish now and like them very much.

[BrianGriffin78]

Originally Posted by h2oplay

OK, I've buffed out boats of mine and friends for 20 years, no one can match my results, but I know 20mil gelcoat and clearcoat water based paint are galaxies apart. My 67 is lacquer and is very easy to care for by hand.


The bottom line is my 2010 IOM looks like crap (to me). You can see fine scratches in the sunlight and with the light test. I've tried a few products by hand including ADAMS hand buff kit. There was slight improvement but not enough for the amount of effort.

I've seen the Junkmans videos and I'm almost ready, but if I in ANYWAY
screw up this car, I will NEVER hear the end of it from the family. They all think I'm insane to even think of using a machine on a brand new car that looks fine to them. I'd love to hear from some "non expert" folks about their use of the PC on their brand new camaros..

You need a machine to get out most of the scratches. You won't get them all out, but if you can get 80% of them, that should make a huge difference to you.

My family thought I was nuts also, but I showed my Dad before and then after and he saw the difference.

[Mdun6]

Sorry missed the fact that he did it by hand.

You will not burn through the clear with a PC with a foam pad so you won't damage the paint. I am really careful when I polish and tape off all the trim or ANYTHING you would not want the pad to touch while polishing. Watch the Junkman's video and take your time. Another great resource is http://www.detailingbliss.com/

[Junkman2008]

Originally Posted by h2oplay

thanks folks, I'm diving in......

Another one takes the red pill.

Originally Posted by BrianGriffin78

You need a machine to get out most of the scratches. You won't get them all out, but if you can get 80% of them, that should make a huge difference to you.

I 100% disagree. It totally depends on your technique, the products you use and your dedication to do the work. Also, not everyone has the same amount of damage in their paint and thus, some folks will find the repair a cake walk while others might have a little more work ahead of them. It can definitely be done so you can't generalize everyone's experience to that of your own.

[Junkman2008]

Originally Posted by Mdun6

... Another great resource is http://www.detailingbliss.com/

I think he'll just end up more confused by going over there. Not that there's anything wrong with the site, I just know how information overload works on big detailing boards. Then there's the egos and product snobs....

[h2oplay]

for now, I'm sticking with ADAMS products since I have most of what's needed already, Junkmans videos pretty much spell it out in the simplest terms and are very clear on technique and use of those products.

On boats I use 3M/megs products and test spots, every boat seems to have it's own personalty when it comes to cutting the gelcoat. You need to be super aggressive on gelcoat to cut through the haze and discoloration from the sun. With 20mil thickness, it would take a lifetime to cut through. I've seen paint burn in seconds from guys using a rotary tool on cars.....

[Junkman2008]

Originally Posted by h2oplay

... I've seen paint burn in seconds from guys using a rotary tool on cars.....

Tell me about it. The invention of the PC as a polisher has been a lifesaver of car paint for millions of enthusiasts.

[Mdun6]

Originally Posted by Junkman2008

Another one takes the red pill.



I 100% disagree. It totally depends on your technique, the products you use and your dedication to do the work. Also, not everyone has the same amount of damage in their paint and thus, some folks will find the repair a cake walk while others might have a little more work ahead of them. It can definitely be done so you can't generalize everyone's experience to that of your own.

I also disagree but it takes so much longer. I think cars that have been hand polished look the best and I would go that route if I never drive my car.

[Junkman2008]

Originally Posted by Mdun6

I also disagree but it takes so much longer. I think cars that have been hand polished look the best and I would go that route if I never drive my car.

Whether done by hand or machine makes no difference once the paint is perfect, getting there is another story. If a car's paint is perfect, you won't necessarily be using any kind of cutting compound so waxing is the only thing that you'll be doing. That can be done by hand or machine and the results will be equal.

Originally Posted by BrianGriffin78

LOL, yeah find me a car that has no marks or sratches and I will pay you a million dollars, lol.

You need to come look at my car. I've posted enough pictures on this forum to show the paint. Does it stay like that 100% of the time? Of course not. But once I do an inspection, all and any scratches are addressed and for the moment, my car is perfect again.

So where do I pick up my million?

[MSG']

OMG WHAT IS A PC!!!! I have crazy swirl marks in my black camaro

[Junkman2008]

Originally Posted by MSG'

OMG WHAT IS A PC!!!! I have crazy swirl marks in my black camaro

First, watch these videos and find out what the PC is. After that, watch these videos on how to remove the damage from your paint with the PC and Adam's Polishes.

Before you actually go to fix your paint, you need to learn about what you are doing wrong which is creating the damage in the first place. That's another set of videos.

[MSG']

Ok so its just a orbital polisher, I feel stupid, I have a cheap one from sears and I used Mcquires swirl remover from autozone...it doesnt remove swirls. I will diffently check out the videos

[Wild Bill]

Originally Posted by MSG'

OMG WHAT IS A PC!!!! I have crazy swirl marks in my black camaro

Porter Cable buffer. Available on the Adams site.

[Junkman2008]

Originally Posted by MSG'

Ok so its just a orbital polisher, I feel stupid, I have a cheap one from sears and I used Mcquires swirl remover from autozone...it doesnt remove swirls. I will diffently check out the videos

The one you got from Sears is half your problem. You couldn't cut butter with that thing, much less clear coat. The products you were using weren't much help either. Not because they are Meguiar's, but because they are the cheap, consumer grade Meguiar's products. Their professional stuff is pretty good.