"Safest" pad for noob w/rotary

[rkf76]

I have a detail to do next weekend on a 2004 Mercedes Benz S430, it's black and has heavy swirls all over. I own a rotary and a PC and I'm having serious doubts that my PC could handle this job by itself. That being said, I've only used my rotary once on my own vehicle and loved the results, although I did burn through the paint in one area on the last panel, which happened to be the plastic rear bumper cover.



I see the car everyday and the more I see it the more I realize that the rotary is the only way to go, so is there a pad that will give me the heavy correction needed while minimizing the possibility of burning or incurring excessive marring? The only pad I've used on the rotary was the burgundy Meg's cutting pad and it was a PITA. It liked to jump around alot, which made my day alot longer than it should have been.



Any suggestions on pads?

 

[I.A.S.]

not gonna like my answer here but.......



i would suggest spending the extra time on it and just use the PC IMO.......i have about 5 years roghly under my belt with a rotary and still dont use unless absolutely necessary when doing wet sanding and heavy corrections (ie. scratches)...



and in my experiences MB's have fairly soft clears like other European cars and would hate to see someone burn through the clear on a ncie car like that...

 

[rkf76]

not gonna like my answer here but.......



i would suggest spending the extra time on it and just use the PC IMO.......i have about 5 years roghly under my belt with a rotary and still dont use unless absolutely necessary when doing wet sanding and heavy corrections (ie. scratches)...



and in my experiences MB's have fairly soft clears like other European cars and would hate to see someone burn through the clear on a ncie car like that...

I plan on tackling it with IP/RMG combo, do you think I should use a green CCS pad or would yellow be the better choice? Keep in mind it looks like somebody washed the car with a handful of sand mixed in the wash bucket, it's so swirled the paint is dull.

 

[I.A.S.]

is it just swirled up or is it actual clear coat scratches?......if it is just swirling i dont see why that shouldnt be able to come out fairly easy....

 

[rkf76]

is it just swirled up or is it actual clear coat scratches?......if it is just swirling i dont see why that shouldnt be able to come out fairly easy....

it's swirls. I hope they come out easily, but seeing how heavy it is i'm not so sure. But I guess time will tell.



I think i'm gonna get the CCS 6 pack from danase and get one of each color.

 

[I.A.S.]

if you have the time and you must use that rotary just start out at your lowest speed and and your least agggressive pad and go from there to figure out what is needed......dont jump into it with a heavy cut thinkin thats what needed cuz thats where you will run into problems

 

[kastanaras]

Out of all the posts I have seen on this forum and other forums I reckon the PC will do the job, like I have heard in another forum, that you start with least aggressive product first and start working your way up.



Why start with rotary when a PC will do it. Also if a pc does do it your leaving yourself with more clear coat to work with in the future.

 

[firegate]

I wouldn't want to tackle that hard Mercedes clear with a PC. If you have a rotary, you might as well put it to good use.



I'd recommend an American Buffing Green pad (Propel Green, Optimum Green or Kleen Car Green) - they're my go to for just about everything on the rotary since they're very easy to control, don't generate a whole lot of heat, and finish out nicely. Definitely not very aggressive pads on their own, but they can do a whole lot of correction when paired with the right polish.



Just be careful to check the panel for excessive heat while you're buffing, and if you can't get it to finish out hologram free, maybe do the final polishing step with the PC.

 

[Way2SSlow]

Personally, I use the Edge 2000 pads. I havent ever had a problem with holograms and have been successful in finishing down on the rotary (even on black). What products will you be using? Remember, you can get away with less agressive of a pad on the rotary, so dont jump right to the cutting pads.



When I first started on the rotory I would spin it about 1000-1200 rpms. Make sure not to leave it in one spot for too long, and just be careful about letting the panels heat up too much. For a beginner, I say stop frequently and check panel temp before you continue to buff. Stay clear of edges and trim, and PAY ATTENTION! IMO, it's not as scary as a lot of people make it out to be, but you've also picked a hell of a first car to try it on. I started on my own cars (which are not Mecedes) and didn't attempt to use it on someone elses until I was comfortable. Best of luck.

 

[rkf76]

I wouldn't want to tackle that hard Mercedes clear with a PC. If you have a rotary, you might as well put it to good use.



I'd recommend an American Buffing Green pad (Propel Green, Optimum Green or Kleen Car Green) - they're my go to for just about everything on the rotary since they're very easy to control, don't generate a whole lot of heat, and finish out nicely. Definitely not very aggressive pads on their own, but they can do a whole lot of correction when paired with the right polish.



Just be careful to check the panel for excessive heat while you're buffing, and if you can't get it to finish out hologram free, maybe do the final polishing step with the PC.

Now we're talking! Most of the posts I read here about MB said they have hard CC, but someone in this thread said MB have soft CC. Now i'm thoroughly confused. I'm gonna give it a go with the PC and a green pad and see how that works, if it doesn't put enough of a dent in it then I'll break out the rotary with a green pad and have at it.

Personally, I use the Edge 2000 pads. I havent ever had a problem with holograms and have been successful in finishing down on the rotary (even on black). What products will you be using? Remember, you can get away with less agressive of a pad on the rotary, so dont jump right to the cutting pads.



When I first started on the rotory I would spin it about 1000-1200 rpms. Make sure not to leave it in one spot for too long, and just be careful about letting the panels heat up too much. For a beginner, I say stop frequently and check panel temp before you continue to buff. Stay clear of edges and trim, and PAY ATTENTION! IMO, it's not as scary as a lot of people make it out to be, but you've also picked a hell of a first car to try it on. I started on my own cars (which are not Mecedes) and didn't attempt to use it on someone elses until I was comfortable. Best of luck.

I'll be using IP/RMG/VM/CMW/JW CY. I may pick up some Presta Ultra Cutting Creme Light if I can find it locally, I've been hearing alot of good things about it. This isn't my first car to use the rotary on, I did my black 2002 Ford Taurus when I had it a couple years ago, it was swirled up pretty bad and I was able to get them all out. I was on my final panel, the rear bumper cover, and trying to get tight in one of the curves and burnished a dime size of the paint away. But other than that it went well and the car was swirl free when I was done.



I had read about the Edge Waffle pads and wondered if they would be a better choice than the others due to the heat reducing properties of their design. I was also thinking about a foamed wool pad which are claimed to cut like wool but finish like foam.

 

[Way2SSlow]

Now we're talking! Most of the posts I read here about MB said they have hard CC, but someone in this thread said MB have soft CC. Now i'm thoroughly confused. I'm gonna give it a go with the PC and a green pad and see how that works, if it doesn't put enough of a dent in it then I'll break out the rotary with a green pad and have at it.

I'd do a test panel to see how hard the clear is on THAT particular car. It has been known to vary a little by car (think Audi).

I'll be using IP/RMG/VM/CMW/JW CY. I may pick up some Presta Ultra Cutting Creme Light if I can find it locally, I've been hearing alot of good things about it. This isn't my first car to use the rotary on, I did my black 2002 Ford Taurus when I had it a couple years ago, it was swirled up pretty bad and I was able to get them all out. I was on my final panel, the rear bumper cover, and trying to get tight in one of the curves and burnished a dime size of the paint away. But other than that it went well and the car was swirl free when I was done.

May want to consider some FP in there as well. I dont think RMG will have the ability to take care of any holograms that IP might leave behind

I had read about the Edge Waffle pads and wondered if they would be a better choice than the others due to the heat reducing properties of their design. I was also thinking about a foamed wool pad which are claimed to cut like wool but finish like foam.

I have never tried them, but I'm sure they are good quality. I use the flat pads

 

[RyanDe680]

Also what size pads will you be using?

 

[elitemobile]

i would say keep the pad small to start out and look into one of the new technology foam pads like LC CCS or the edge waffles...i have never had as good results with the PC as i do with the rotory esp. on the hard jobs and the rotory when used correctly will cut down prep time

 

[David Fermani]

For black Benz's, I love using EDGE yellow cutting foam followed by their blue finishing pad. Stay far away from wool!!!! Rotary is a must for me.

 

[rkf76]

I'd do a test panel to see how hard the clear is on THAT particular car. It has been known to vary a little by car (think Audi).

Will do

May want to consider some FP in there as well. I dont think RMG will have the ability to take care of any holograms that IP might leave behind

Isn't the VM more aggressive than the RMG?

I have never tried them, but I'm sure they are good quality. I use the flat pads

I was just wondering if the waffle pads would be a little more forgiving since, in theory, they don't build up as much heat.

Also what size pads will you be using?

On the rotary, 6.5" for cutting, on the PC, 5.25" for the initial polish, 6.5" for the final polish and for the wax application as well.

i would say keep the pad small to start out and look into one of the new technology foam pads like LC CCS or the edge waffles...i have never had as good results with the PC as i do with the rotory esp. on the hard jobs and the rotory when used correctly will cut down prep time

Yep, i'm gonna get the 6pack of the LC CCS pads from Danase. Yeah, I detailed my old, heavily swirled car with my rotary and noticed that it corrected the paint pretty quickly, but it was my first time so surely I induced alot of marring/halograms due to my inexperience.



I am pretty confident that I can make this Benz look nice again, I just want something that's a little more forgiving than the Meg's W7000. The rotary had a tendency to jump around and walk on me a bit too, I wonder if the Edge waffle pad would be a good one to use for me. I guess only one way to find out.

 

[rkf76]

so does anyone have any suggestions on a pad size/type. Any particular size/type more forgiving than another?