bringing my old thread back as the day come closer to pulling the S out of storage and ready for a good clean.

Anyone now try the PO203? Since im using a PC, I should probably wind up using the orange pad correct?

OR, would it be better off for me to just do two steps with the

PO91E
PO106FA
then wax?

Thanks in advance.

 

On a Sebring with a PC, I'd do orange pad and Power Finish. I haven't used Power Finish much with a PC, mostly with my Makita rotary.

As to how many steps - tell you the truth, that's your decision to make. If you're happy with the finish after the first step, then stop. If you want to see if it can be improved further, try it. If you can't see a difference, not much sense in doing the entire car. Just try the second step on a small section.

Power Finish, if you work it long enough, can certainly be finished with on a light colored car. I've done it several times now. Phil's even done a dark blue Subaru with it and finished with it. It's usually the polish I reach for first, since it's sort of "somewhere in the middle." You can also sort of tune it to taste with pad selection. It's very versatile. If you look at the red E39 M5 I posted, a lot of the heavy lifting on that car was Power Finish, orange Lake Country flat pad, 1800RPMS with a rotary.

There's a lot of trial and error involved, so the answers to your questions really are "try stuff and see what works" a lot of the time. With practice, you get better at making your first guess the right guess.

 

^^^^^ when you mention power finish, are you talking about the po203?

I was thinking of making the first pass with that and an orange pad. Then, if need be, make another pass with white pad. make sense?

 

Yes. PO203 = Power Finish. **NOT** Power Gloss, which is different. I know, the Menzerna naming conventions are puzzling...I struggled with them for a long time too. I even downloaded the charts from their website, and they're all outdated and make things worse.

My recommendation is try the orange + PO203S first, see how it looks. Satisfied? Job done. Not so satisfied? Change to the white pad to refine it further. Try the second step in small sections just to see. I anticipate that the first pass will be fine, but the white pad *might* finish a little better under the right lighting.

Keep in mind, though, that almost all my work with PO203S has been with my rotary. A PC corrects less well, so if others disagree with me, they might be right, just on experience with the PC. As you often see, "YMMV."

Good luck, and take pictures. We want to see what you come up with

 

how well would the p203 work on suzuka? i've got light swirls and 1 scratch that might not be too bad, hopefully itll get it out, but would it work as a 1 stepper on a suzuka with a flex DA+orange or white? could 203 even be used with a yellow for maximum cut? what about on a atomic blue civic?

 

with krshultz recommendation. it'll matter on how u want to finish things down. if u want slightly more cut - then you can either step up the polish or step up the pad.
keep in mind if you plan on trying to do a one step - the goal is minor correction that finishes down smooth enough to be "lsp ready" rather than hazy which needs to be refined with a less agressive combo. So when you're trying to get around 95%+ in the correction ability - the more you'll use. guys in the 98-100% are using three step polishing with possible wet sanding. One stepping will most def lighten swirls and round out RIDs making the finish look a lot better - but you're only talking 70-85% correction at best i think (% could be lower or higher depending on what is used i'm sure).
honda clear coat as a whole is very soft so it can correct easier - but that also means a higher chance for harsher polishes to haze and need refining. It'll matter how you work the product. Doing lower RPM passes after high RPM passes can help finish some products out better - but it's all timing / knowing your product+pads / how gunked-up is the pad with product or clear / etc. It'll give you more appreciation for seeing some of this experienced and pro buffers that post more frequently - I know it has for me. Guys with more experience will know the small things that can't easily be explained which allows them to choose their combo quicker. that's the answer to the famous "how did they choose that combo?" answer. many times they have two or three combo's already in mind before starting - then it's just seeing what gives them the desired result.
SO... look back at peoples posts of buffing s2k's and see what they used. paint can vary slightly even with the same auto-maker (like NFR paint has a pigmented clearcoat / jetblack BMWs are supposed to be wicked soft), but if it worked with tool A + combo B in the past - chances are it will for you too

 

I can't imagine it not working. Always, always try the least aggressive combo that you *think* might work, do your work, and then examine it. If it meets your needs, you have your combo. If it doesn't, bump up your pad selection.

PO203 also rewards you working it for a pretty long time. Usin

Remember, though, that most of my use of PO203 has been with a rotary. I still use a PC some, but mostly on plastic (mirrors, bumpers). I've also never used a Flex, which I understand corrects a little better than a PC.

So, with your example, I'd try the white + 203 first, evaluate your results. Then try orange. Evaluate. Then try yellow. My guess is that orange will be the money pad for the whole car, and *maybe* yellow for the deeper stuff.

It's a guessing game. It gets easier to get the first guess right with experience.

 

BTW, Mutt's post is full of good information, particularly this bit here.

With the red M5 from last month, it took my buddy JL and I a good hour and a half to find what worked on that car. Between his collection of stuff and mine, we tried a BUNCH of different things. Wool, compounds with a LOT of cut, higher speeds...until we were satisfied.

Trial and error. Just like learning any other skill, it gets easier with practice, I promise.

 

how about using the 203 + orange or white pad on a berlina blacK? great thread for beginners btw
just bought my pc 7424 kit w/ pads

 

any1?