Yellow pads with SMR

S

schoi

New member
You guys that have a PC and have used a yellow pad w/ SMR or other abrasive polish: in reading the e-book (that I just bought today, actually), he mentions how doing this will leave lots of swirls. Which is, of course, what you're trying to get rid of.



Could someone clarify this for me a little bit?



Also, I'd love to hear some experiences from first-time PC users or what it was like the first time you used one, as I'm probably going to get one pretty soon.



:xyxthumbs
 
I have a silver car, so I can't really see if it leaves more swirls in the finish. But, the CMA yellow cutting pad might leave minor swirls because of its abrasive nature. The cutting pad will take more of the top layer of paint off to remove imperfections the polishing pad won't. The swirls caused by the cutting pad should not be as bad as the ones you are trying to take out. You would then use the polishing (white) pad to remove the swirls left behind by the yellow pad. It's also why many people will go to the cutting pad or polishing pad after using the wool pad. Does this makes sense? I'm really bad at explaining things.



I got my PC in August last year. The first time I used it, I thought it was vibrating too much, even at speeds 4-5. I still think it vibrates too much. Otherwise, it was easy to use and was effective in removing some of the light swirls and scratches I had. Before using it, I just read up on a few posts and when I had gathered enough knowledge, I went at my car with it. I had a few blisters and was sore for a few days after using it, but I've gotten use to it.



Good luck! :D
 
Polaris- My silver cars DO show marring when I use a yellow pad, but those are shallow enough to remove with the white pad. Why "introduce" swirls with the yellow? tkr128 got it right, but, OK, I'll take a stab at it too:



You use the yellow pad when you can't make the progress you want with the white pad, i.e., when you have some fairly serious swirls/scratches. The yellow pad removes those serious flaws by "sanding" down the paint to at/near the level of the bottom of the scratches' "valleys". In the process of this "sanding", the yellow pad makes some MUCH FINER swirls/scratches of it own. These flaws are mild enough for the white pad to remove.



It's like sanding down wood- you start with a coarse grit sandpaper to make quick headway and then remove the resulting marks with a finer sandpaper. It's also why you don't want to go nuts with this process on a daily driver. You'll never avoid having SOME flaws and you don't want to polish off too much paint.
 
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Lots.



It would kind of suck to have to do the entire car twice with the same product on a different pad... besides, for some reason, I'm thinking that SMR and a white pad would be sufficient to get rid of my swirls... dunno why, but I do. Well, maybe. We'll see, I guess. And it's not so much all the flaws that I don't like, it's these swirls... really pisses me off on a black car, you know? I'd love to SMR them out, further clean with AIO, layer up SG, and hit that with P21S.



What were you guys' experiences with various products on different pads and how it looked on your paint?
 
With bad cars I have had to use stronger products on the yellow pad then less strong on the white pad.



Doing the whole car twice over isn't the most fun thing in the world but it does the job.





About the vibrating nature of the PC, if you think about how a PC works, its GOTTA vibrate... and make you hand numb while its at it.



One REALLY tough job I had, I used the wool pad (for the first time), then the yellow then the white pad all in 1 day.
 
Since you guys are on the subject, I also have a question pertaining to the use of a yellow or white pad. I took my car in for an oil change a few weeks ago and the dealer washed my car. When I got it home, I noticed major swirls right away under the light in the garage. I can't feel them with my finger tip and I don't want to go too aggressive, so is my safe bet to just try the white pad and see what happens?



I also would like to know what procedure you guys use while buffing to evaluate each panel as you move along the vehicle. Do I need to use a shop light and look at a specific angle to each body panel or is there an easier way? I have a black car that makes it kind of difficult. Thanks for your help!
 
Polaris- Sorry, I wasn't clear: "it's not so much all the flaws that I don't like, it's these swirls"- I count swirls as "flaws".



Some paint is "soft" and SMR/white pad will work fine, even for serious swirls and scratches. Other paint is "hard" and will need a strong product (DACP, or at least FI-II) with a yellow or even wool pad. And yeah, the multiple-step bit is a pain, but sometimes there's no way around it. I've had minor swirls that Griot's Machine Polish#1 (pretty strong, similar to FI-II but without diminishing abrasives) with a yellow pad didn't do ANYTHING to. It was just hard paint. Sooner or later you'll possibly need a range of products on hand. But get those swirls out before you apply Klasse. You'll REALLY kick yourself if you get all done, find you're not satisfied, and end up stripping it all off!



OLD GTI GUY- First, make a sign that hangs from the rearview mirror that reads: "DO NOT WASH VEHICLE. THANK YOU." And tell the service manager to WRITE it on the work order. We went over this on another thread and it's something you sometimes have to work at. And even after all this time, I'd call them up and POLITELY tell them what happened and how you feel about it. Just had two cars serviced this week, no problems on either, so it CAN be done. OK, end of rant :o



Try the white pad first, use the yellow if the white doesn't cut it. For examining your progress, I have a somewhat different opinion from many, so "just my experience/$.02". I have both florescent and incandescent lighting in my garage and halogen worklights. I see "problems" under the INCANDESCENT lights that disappear under the florescents and often under the halogens also. Especially when the lighting is somewhat indirect. For me, this is the toughest test. Similar to what you see under sodium lights at night. Or try looking at a panel using a flashlight in an otherwise dark garage. Few things are more frustrating than thinking you got them all and finding out you missed something in different lighting.
 
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