Using edge of the pad with PC

[NVCobra]

Hi,i got my PC and after a few areas im knoticing that the larger main areas are getting polished real good but not the outter parts towards the trimming etc. Im keeping the pad flush with the surface..but can it be tilted to put more pressure on the outter edge of the pad to get more pressure up next to the trim ?

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Using edge of the pad with PC

Originally posted by NVCobra
Hi,i got my PC and after a few areas I'm noticing that the larger main areas are getting polished real good but not the outer parts towards the trimming etc. I'm keeping the pad flush with the surface..but can it be tilted to put more pressure on the outer edge of the pad to get more pressure up next to the trim ?

What are you trying to accomplish in these areas with the dual action polisher?

Mike

[NVCobra]

Hi Mike, im trying to get the same gloss up close to trimming and other areas that the main part of the pad is not is not getting to.

[NVCobra]

Sorta like trying to mop in the "corners" as well as the main part of the floor. My paint was so dull that the PC'd areas look some much better that the dull areas stand out real bad..

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by NVCobra
Hi Mike, I'm trying to get the same gloss up close to trimming and other areas that the main part of the pad is not is not getting to.

This is what I suspected...

The reason the dual action polisher isn't effected at the edge has to do with the backing plate. If you're using a 5" backing plate, (Meguiar's has a 5" diameter) on a Meguiar's small foam polishing pad which has about a 6.5" diameter, you have between 3/4 of an inch to one inch of foam around the outside edge with no backing plate exerting pressure directly against it. So when you push down on the foam pad, the foam b[]gives[/b] or flexes back making it difficult to exert pressure.

This is actually a safety feature in that it prevents you from exerting too much pressure on the edge. Also, because the backing plate is a little smaller diameter than the foam pad, it prevents you from gouging the backing plate into your car's paint.

Here's a suggestion, for these hard to polish by machine areas, use ScratchX by hand to clean and polish the paint to match the gloss created by the dual action polisher on the larger panel surfaces.

Mike

[NVCobra]

Ok great , thanks Mike as usual

[Wul]

Can I ask if masking the trim and then overlapping the PC over the masked area would help solve this? I have a new MINI cooper S with plenty of trim and this could be a problem for me too when I finally get a chance to take my PC out the box

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by Wul
Can I ask if masking the trim and then overlapping the PC over the masked area would help solve this? I have a new MINI cooper S with plenty of trim and this could be a problem for me too when I finally get a chance to take my PC out the box

Hi Wul,

Welcome to Meguiar's online!

Read through this thread and you'll see how we prepped Mini Coopers for this event... I think we buffed out 16 Mini Coopers on this day...

Mini Coopers at Meguiar's NXT Garage!

Here's Brian helping another member tape their car off,



Head to any Lowe's hardware store and pick up some Blue Painters tape. It works great!



Mike

[Wul]

Cheers Mike - will have a good read through that!

Here in the UK we only get the white paper type masking tape - is the blue painters tape any different?

[Mike Phillips]

Well, I'm going to guess that by the term/words, white tape you mean normal masking tape and if this is the case then yes there is a lot of difference.

Real painters tape uses an adhesive that is not as sticky as regular masking tape so that you can remove the tape without removing the paint it is placed on or leaving behind a sticky, adhesive mess...

It's definitely worth it if you can find it...

Mike

[Wul]

Thanks for that - will take a trip to my local B&Q (DIY store) and see what I can find - the 3M website lists the blue tape as being available in the UK now.

Cheers