Okay I'm not a professional and I understand that the PC random orbital is the way to go, but there are different models to choose from and even more pads to choose from, my car has swirl marks, not really bad but they are there, I use Zaino and I have the Z fusion which according to Zaino is probably what I will need, but which pad or padsand what process. I know this was long but I appreciate the help..jon c

 

Yes, the PC is the way to go. You'll want the Porter Cable 7424.

It will clean up your car nicely, but it won't remove the swirls ecspecially with any Zaino products (Zaino is good for protection but suck with abrasive scratch removal products), the Corvette clearcoat is just too hard for it, you'll need a rotary for swirl removal.

However with the right combination of harsh pads and compounds you can significantly reduce the swirls and then fill whats left in with a glaze of polish.

You'll need some orange pads, and some white pads, maybe a yellow pad if your car's bad enough, and a velcro backing plate to get started.

Try some Menzerna Intensive Polish and Final Polish or some 3M Rubbing Compound followed up with any of there paint cleaners, swirl removers, or glazes and once you learn how to use the PC you'll see a huge inprovement.

Start off slow working the product in and then crank it up to 5-6 and apply a little pressure to really cut down swirls and scratchs.

Hope this helps, Josh

 

As Josh said corvette clear is very hard. With a PC is going to be alot of work to get swirls out, but depending how bad they are you might be able to make some progress. Menzerna IP will work somewhat and has more cut with a PC then ZPC.

ZPC will remove swirls on softer clears: porsche black, ect with a PC.

 

Take a look at bettercarcare.com they have a good combo package for pads. Or just go with an orange pad which is an over-all medium pad. Then perhaps a blue pad to finish. They push Sonüs products which I think are pretty good quality products. I like their green microfiber towels and the concours buffing towels. Also a good combo is the blue and yellow waffle weave drying towels both are excellent. I like to use the blue one for the first wipe, it absorbs a little more and a finish wipe with the yellow waffle weave. I also like their pad and towel cleaner detergent. It really works well to clean those pads up, or while washing your towels. (Their car wash product is terrible I think, probably why they give it away with most orders.)

Difference with Z-PC and say 3M Swirl Mark Remover is the 3M product as well as nearly all other SMR products have filler. While using them with your PC-DA your knocking the hard edge off the scratch so it doesn't reflect light so easily and adding a filler. To test you can always spray the finished area with alcohol/water mixture and wipe. If the swirls or scratches are still there keep working it. Z-PC contains no fillers, so what you see is what you get.

There is a very specific rotory buffer made just for buffing out swirls and scratches in clear coats. I cannot for the life of me find that link. If I do I will update the thread. It's made by one of the big tool manufacturers might be Makita. LINK

And it shouldn't go without a mention that there is debate about how effective the PC-DA really is and if it doesn't invoke swirls itself. And that the only true way to do this is with a rotary. I have a 7424 and have used it on my 93 C4. It definitely produces some remarkable results. I had to hit it a couple of sessions but it still required the use of Z5-Pro (SMR with fillers) to keep it looking nice. I have yet to use it on my '01, the finish is still near roll off the factory quality. So it only requires polish products for now.

Another nice thing about the Z-PC is that you don't have to re-wash the vehicle afterwards where you do with most others. Once your finished, (your usually wiping the area with a damp towel clear of the residue that you just worked anyway) you can simply apply your polish after your done.

The above is true, Chevy uses a really hard clear coat.

Another thing is make sure the 7424 comes with the 6" pad adapter. If not order it with the system. The 4" it usually comes with is not useful for finish work on a vehicle.

 

http://www.autogeek.net/bupo.html

First of all the PC, now owned by Black and Decker, actually was released in several models and are equal in machine. 7335, 7424, 7336. Meguiars offers it as a G100 w/ lifetime warranty but you'll pay for it. At the heart is a random orbital buffer with speed adjustability. Very popular with novice and professional alike.

For pads you have three main choices. Megs pads, Lake Country Pads, and Edge Pads. They are NOT identically colored based upon abrasive quality so you must watch carefully. Pads, just like polishes are abrasive to a degree. Consider Lake Country old faithful, great pads and very user friendly. These need a backing plate, preferably flexible, often called hook/loop (think velcro). Edge pads are the Cadillac of pads offering dual sides, no backing plate, and a unique adapter that is designed to NEVER touch or come near paint.

As you offered, Fusion is a very relatively mild polish. Perfect for finishes without much in the way of markings or swirls. Pad size and pad abrasive quality can also dictate what they can do. In the case of a Vette, usually the clearcoat is quite hard, and thus a more abrasive polish is wanted. Menzerna, Poorboys, XMT and Optimum are nice offerings also as needed. Start with finishing pad and move your way to medium and aggressive only as needed for best results.

 

where will I find Menzerna products, and thanks for all the help...

 

http://properautocare.com/polish.html

 

menzerna is on the way, now I guess I will just sit and wait, thanks for all the help as I am new to using a buffer and swirl marks...

 

It is always best to start out with the most mild product first. Give the Zaino Fusion a try with a polishing pad and your ROB set at 5.5. If that does not work then step up to the Menzerna.

 

thanks for the tip

 

This will help a lot, pictures and step by step overview of the process.

http://www.guidetodetailing.com/arti...p?articleId=47