Need Pad Recommendations for PC 7436SP

[davey g-force]

Re: Need Pad Recommendations for PC 7436SP

[Top Gear]

Re: Need Pad Recommendations for PC 7436SP

So, you've never tried it in serious humidity or conditions like I've described, which I've asked about several times now, but I'm in the wrong for not "stepping up" to order something I have no idea will solve my problem?? Got it.

I realize you're joking around, but please consider how frustrating it is to hear the equivalent of "should work" and "this one is better than that one because it's from a pro line" over and over without any definitive proof that it's any different from what I'm using. Thanks for the feedback, but I'm still waiting on something more than peer pressure.

[davey g-force]

Re: Need Pad Recommendations for PC 7436SP

For me, part of the fun is trying different things and seeing what works best.

I am guided by people's (and my own) experiences / recommendations rather than trying to find definitive proof. It's too easy to overthink these things..

[Eldorado2k]

Re: Need Pad Recommendations for PC 7436SP

It's hard for me to imagine what super humid are like. So I'll assume it pretty much never really gets like that around here.. Stepping up is basicly the same as trying something new. What's so wrong with that? Especially since your current methods don't seem to be working.

[Top Gear]

Re: Need Pad Recommendations for PC 7436SP

Whoever said my methods weren't working? You assumed that, Man. I've clearly explained many times on this site that due to weather I have to do more frequent maintenance than you do in LA in order to keep the same level of detail. That means more swirls, or at the very least, less durability of the finish.

I've also said many times that due to weather I've found that any product I spray onto the paint can and will streak and cloud, so I've learned to save that trick for very dry weather, which isn't often. How does that implicate the Gold Class line?? Lots and lots of similar complaints can be found here on MOL from other members who aren't even using Gold Class products. Thus, I've gone back to bucket washing more frequently, and waxing more frequently.

So, I've described the actual problem I'm having many, many times, now. I guess what some of you keep hearing is an apparent dislike of anything Gold Class is confirmed. Thus, Ultimate this or Detailer that suggestions often do not answer my weather concerns. Hydro-dynamic physics still applies to those other lines, right? I like trying new approaches, which should be obvious to anyone who's read this thread - duh. However, I hate wasting my time and money on non-solutions to problems I don't actually have.

I respect the experts on this site, but many of you who live in SoCal have no real experience daily detailing in the wild weather swings I'm talking about. On a humid day I could spray distilled water on my paint and wipe it off with a brand new Meg's MF from a sealed bag and it would still streak and cloud. For another illustration, raindrops can also stay on the surface for many hours without drying, yet they leave spots. That's how humid/muggy it can be. It's not the product, but the "California" or "waterless" wipe-happy method itself that sometimes just doesn't work. In fact, it can make life much worse with a black car. What I've described, perhaps with too much passion for MOL, are the various methods I've learned to cope with these facts.

Now, I rarely use GCQD. Usually it's just for bird dropping situations, or to clean a panel before using the DA. It always streaks or clouds, and usually has to be cleaned up with something else, usually GCQW. I never actually "waterless wash" anymore with QD/QW, because the wiping causes too many swirls, wipe holograms, and overnight streaks from the condensation cycle. Even the duster can cause grime holograms on a humid day, and is powerless on dust that has become mildly bonded - you guessed it - from the condensation cycle. It's no different with the celebrated UQD and UQW in that respect and for the same reasons.

On a typical day here, whatever I spray has to be thoroughly dried, and that means too much wiping, which causes swirls and defeats the purpose. I can't justify using a dozen MF towels just to dust off the car every day, which then have to be washed. On a very dry day the "California" ways can often be brilliant, but we don't get many super-dry days, not like you have all the time. So, the conclusion is that I simply have to wash and re-wax more often than you would (using the method I described in post #51 above). All of this also points to the leaf blower method I've raved about.

As for replacing GCQD and GCQW outright with D114/115, I've read a lot of non-Meguiar's reviews on other sites about UQW, UWWA, D115, etc, from people who also do not live in LA. Some of them report the same problems I've experienced, despite these not being Gold Class products. I'm also only on my 3rd bottles of GC QD and GC QW since starting with them almost three years ago, so it's not like I'm going through gallons of the stuff and need to go bulk. Therefore, I do not want to waste my money and time on a non-solution.

Thanks for reading, to anyone who did

[Eldorado2k]

Re: Need Pad Recommendations for PC 7436SP

2. Other areas of the car that were perfect started look mildly swirly again. Oh no! At first, I was afraid I'd have to do the whole deal again, but I then reasoned these were just "love touches" from using QD/QW and the duster, as well as micro-scratches from driving.

I didn't assume, that's what you said.^^^
And how does 1 get swirls from simply driving?? I've never heard of that ...

[Top Gear]

Re: Need Pad Recommendations for PC 7436SP

Right, I was talking about those illusory surface lines, usually straight lines, that LOOK kinda like swirls, yet are not hard to remove like true spiderwebs. Also, it doesn't take much for a grain of sand or the like to scrape across the paint at speed and leave one of these "micro-scratches", yet they do not require compounding to remove - they're essentially in the wax and polish layers, rather than in the clearcoat. Where I live, I also get a lot of real spiderweb lines, as in, from spiders in the trees. Because all of these micro-defects look like swirls on my black paint, I was JOKING that "Oh no!, I'll have to re-compound!," but I realized all I had to do was quik wax, re-wax, or just wash and they're gone. Sorry for the confusion, Man.

[Top Gear]

Re: Need Pad Recommendations for PC 7436SP

Two more hard black paint discoveries, continuing the post above:

3. "What it says on the tin." Okay, I figured out the DMX5 Xtra Cut pad at max speed does cut when I need it, but I have to admit, it's so thin it too easily bounces and pancakes with product, and even with very frequent brushing it can easily produce pigtails, DA trails, holograms, or just micro-marring, while it's also cutting other defects. A narrower band of speed works compared to the DMC5, as well, so it's pretty much 5-6 or the DMX5 stops spinning. So, I again tried the "standard" combo, DMC5/D300, speed 5, medium to heavy pressure, slow movement. This pulled out the above issues and others for perfection. I figure the softer, plusher pad, which doesn't bounce or pancake with product, polishes better by getting into the defect grooves better, even though when I first tried it (earlier in thread) it didn't cut so well (hence using the DMX5 in the first place, later with UC).

4. "Clutch your pearls." In test spots, I've very lightly sanded with 1500 & 3000 (3M papers, easy to find locally). My old thick foam/UC combo took many passes to pull the 1500 marks, but eventually did. The DMC5/D300 pulled them out in one pass. 1500 followed by 3000 were even more instantaneously gone, while even 3000 scratches (not sanding marks) were also easy to remove. Test successful. Now I can finish paint chips even better than before.

BTW, now that I'm basically out of UC, after a lot of reading and vids, I think I'll replace it with M101

[Top Gear]

Re: Need Pad Recommendations for PC 7436SP

I wanted to respond to another layer in this thread, on maintenance. This is for you, Eldorado and Guz

I don't know about super humid conditions... All I know is that D115 works. I've never had it streak on me, and after using it every 4-5 days or so, the paint on the Kia is still as smooth as the day I clayed & waxed it a couple months back...
8 gallons>40oz.

So, I've tried UWWA (ie. Detailer D115 in a consumer "sampler" bottle, or vice versa), and I've also got some UWW I haven't washed with yet (I'm sure it will be fine, might double wash with it and GC).

It rained hard all afternoon yesterday, looks to rain more today, and I had tree droppings and rain spots all over the car, with all my previous wax washed away. It's very humid today as well, and the car was parked in a partly shaded spot with some full Sun - a perfect time to put Ultimate Wash & Wax Anywhere to the test and see how it compares to my GCQD/GCQW experiences in the same situation. So, that's what I did.

O.M.F.G.!! The fool I was before!

I tried UWWA with two different towels. One is an older Supreme Shine that came with a clay kit. This towel is matted, purplish and "hard", despite being ostensibly clean, as I'd used it in rotation with GCQW over a few years. Another is a new, clean, Supreme Shine I got recently with the DAMF upgrade. The older towel, despite being clean, streaked with UWWA and needed extra buffing. "Ah ha!," I snickered (thinking of Eldorado). However, the newer towel was quite literally a one wipe affair - I snickered at myself, because the only streaks were where the outer wiping edge of the towel barely smeared the dirt, which is to be expected. The newer towel also worked well, though not perfectly, on glass, with minimal streaks and wipe holograms. On glass, you don't have to care about extra wiping or buffing as on paint, so this result is great, saving me having to do QD followed by QW (the best thing on glass is sudsy washing, or in-field touch-ups with a waxy towel). I also sprayed less UWWA product with the newer towel, as its moist edge could be used more.

UWWA's scent is like D301's blueberry aroma, and so this subtly reaffirmed that wax choice for me. It also left behind an obviously waxed, swirl-free, filling, carnauba finish, perhaps even waxier than GCQW in this situation, with a deep look to the clear similar to GCQW or re-waxing. This is great because D301 seems to wash away faster than Gold Class DA waxing did, at least the outer layers (probably because Gold Class is oilier and goes on thicker than D301). Fourthly, UWWA was the same in full Sun as in the shade, did not require a lot of product, but when spraying a lot to test it did NOT cloud up, not like GCQW can cloud when using it for WW (GCQW really works best for post-wash re-waxing).

So...now I can leave my GCQD for trim and other dressing areas, clay lube, and panel cleaning before DA work, where it excels. For example, GCQD can help revive the dressed look for a trim piece that was done with Ultimate Black but where UB has washed away. I can also now leave GCQW for dedicated re-waxing after a Gold Class Shampoo or Ultimate Wash and Wax sudsy bath, where it likewise excels as a dedicated step.

Still need to see if the daily condensation cycle produces its own wipe holograms, but I'm quite happy to be proved wrong on this with UWWA/D115. I can plainly see that UWWA looks to totally solve my daily maintenance, travel, and pre-show problems, replacing GCQD AND GCQW as a one-step maintenance product, even in the hot-n-humid weather where I am...something I truly did not think was possible! How amazed do I sound??

[Eldorado2k]

Re: Need Pad Recommendations for PC 7436SP

Reading that just made my day.^
It's really great to be able to interact and hear other people's success stories like this

As always, my cat takes all the credit for detailing advice and can now rest peacefully, knowing that she's made a difference in someones paint. Lol

[Top Gear]

Re: Need Pad Recommendations for PC 7436SP

Cats are very wise I keep a 14 yr-old outdoor Zen-like Siberian. She'll often sit nearby when I'm detailing the car. It seems to meet with her approval.

BTW, I also have not seen any magically appearing overnight wipe holograms as I often did before. It's been a few rainy days, too, and UWWA has already taken a huge weight off my shoulders in keeping this car clean. It's SUCH a relief just to wipe off dirt, boost the wax, and not have to worry any more with it

[Top Gear]

Re: Need Pad Recommendations for PC 7436SP

Thought I'd update here that I finally tried the Ultimate Wash & Wax (UWW) I'd bought with the UWWA. I'd been to the beach, picked up some bugs on the way back, and had a car show today, so what better time to try it. That I went almost two weeks before trying it is a testament to the game-changer that is UWWA, in fact

Now, I can't say UWW is hugely different from GC Shampoo other than the obvious - it's opaque yellow instead of transparent gold, it smells fruity instead of baby shampoo-ish, and leaves a tiny bit of carnauba and polymer behind. It does seem to clean near enough as well as Gold Class Shampoo, which is saying a lot. UWW might be the same or slightly sudsier than GC, but overall it's a great wash product, as is GC. Both are awesome, almost interchangeable, really, but for the wax. In this case, I did not follow the wash with a GCQW wipe down.

[Top Gear]

Re: Need Pad Recommendations for PC 7436SP

Once again, I wanted to update here (and here). I've finally had a chance to get myself some M101 (32oz from AutoGeek @ 39.99). Reading lots of threads here, particularly the debate over M100, M101, and M105, and then those vs UC and others, and then recalling my own maddening experience with my hard paint, all led me to just go for the maximum cut combo, M101. Here's what I've found, so far:

Ultra-Cutting (without Getting Medieval, Revised)
- Cutting Disc (or Xtra Cut MF Disc for heavy needs)
- M101 Compound
- Speed 5/max
- Slow arm movement, medium pressure
- 1 pass/load with touch-ups
- Hard paint: buffing trails, holograms, deep scratches, scuffs, swirls
- No appreciable haze, but follow with polish and/or wax

So, where on my paint D300 would hardly do more than polish or remove sanding marks, and where UC would cut defects only with many, many passes, M101 can do the job with a great cut and finish in one pass!!! Combining this with "Waxing with an Attitude" (above) and now I've got a two-step process for most correction needs.