My frustration tonight is Adam's gain

[AudiOx]

I hoped to make a long night of it (edit: with the Flex) and get both sides of the A8 corrected tonight, or at least one side.

 

-Wash and strip with shampoo+APC mixture....check

-Clay reminder of uncorrected panels on car.....check (killed that clay)

-Quick waterless wash buff off of clay/DS residue....check

So far, so good.

 

The sides didn't seem too bad, so I started with my 'middle' polish (non-Adams) and the orange pad. I did a single pass on the entire driver's side.

 

I then do a 'final' polish pass with the white pad on the rear quarter and buff to inspect. NOTHING! Micro-scratches galore.

 

Alright, let's kick it up a bit with the harder cut polish (I would call it 'medium'). We'll just work the easiest portion of the rear quarter panel with the green pad.

-One pass, inspect...negligible effect

-Two passes, inspect...negligible effect

-Two passes of the middle polish on orange. Still there

-One pass of the final on white. Lots still there.

 

I got good correction on the hood, etc, so my technique can't be that bad despite my admitted noob status. So I figure these being side panels w/o the weight of the Flex, I'd add a touch more pressure.

-One more medium

-One more middle

-One more final

Better, but still very visible.

 

It's getting late, do I stay up really late and do the rest of the side for mediocre results? Nah, so I just buff of the side of the car despite only having one 'middle' pass on the doors and front quarter. Grrrrrrr.

Inspecting the entire side, the rear quarter test area is noticeably better that the rest of the side, but it's still totally unacceptable compared to the hood, roof, and trunk.

 

Well, Adam's got another order tonight (to go with my, ummm, other order I made a few hours ago for the weekend special ....I'm such a sucker for that daily special):

SSR, SHR, FMP, and a 2nd set of pads.

 

At least I'll be on the same page as everyone else. This'll make it so much easier to get help on here.

 

What a waste of my time tonight!

[BlueGenCoupe]

I was gone for a couple months but when did people start mixing shampoo with APC for stripping wax?

[AudiOx]

I was gone for a couple months but when did people start mixing shampoo with APC for stripping wax?

 

I couldn't tell you 'when', but there have been a lot of posts recently about the topic. Read through Dylan's Honda Accord detail. It has a lot of info on it.

http://www.adamsforums.com/forums/detailers-write-ups/14035.htm

[Vincenzo]

I have been mixing DS, APC, and shampoo for months.

 

 

Anyways, I feel ya. My rear quarter was the same way. Still alot of swirls, after 6 passes with the SSR, 10 with the SHR, and 5 with FMP, there is just no fixing short of a repaint. Fortunately the whole 1/4 has to be replaced now that I wrecked my car. Gives me a nice blank slate to work on.

[70'sChevyGirl]

Practice makes Perfect!!

[Chris@Adams]

Practice makes Perfect!!

This is true!

[MichiganSRT8]

Practice makes Perfect!!

 

this is the one most important thing ive learned here, no doubt it does!

[luvmyride]

Are you using a PC? You might need to step up to a Flex to get the deeper stuff out.

[AudiOx]

Are you using a PC? You might need to step up to a Flex to get the deeper stuff out.

 

I'm using a Flex

[chrisguga]

To be honest, don't expect a whole lot of cut with the products you ordered. I consider the SSR to be the "middle" product in my arsenal.

 

Are you using 500 watt halogens to inspect your work?

[AudiOx]

To be honest, don't expect a whole lot of cut with the products you ordered. I consider the SSR to be the "middle" product in my arsenal.

 

Are you using 500 watt halogens to inspect your work?

 

I have three 250W halogens: a single clip-on that I attach to my 6' ladder, and then a tripod mount dual one. I have a Maxfire dual xenon handheld en route also.

Seeing them is not a problem. Getting rid of them is the issue.

Now that I've cooled down a bit and gotten some sleep, I'll inspect the area more and see if I can feel them with my nail. I don't think so. It's not a couple of isolated ones, but they are mostly running front to back, not like swirls. I'll shouldn't have problems getting pictures of them to report back.

 

If I don't get results with the SSR once it arrives, I may look into something more aggressive with a yellow pad or similar. With a few more passes of SSR though, it may be good enough.

 

Thanks.

[Chase@InsanePaint]

This is exactly how I felt with my water spots last month. I feel ya Dylan buddy!!