Questions on using UC

[JonH]

I worked on my wife's '07 Mustang today. Using a Porter Cable DA I started with UC. It didn't seem to do that much of eliminating some light scratches.
1. I ran the buffer slowly twice in each diredtion before wiping off. I worked a 2x2 section for about one minute. Is this too short of time?
2. Trying to figure how much product to use. How long does the abrassive quality last? I kept the pad wet but it seemed I lost the cleaning quality fairly quickly. How much producty should I use for a 2x2 section?
3. What is the next more agressive product Meguirs offers that would be consumer clear coat safe after UC?
Thanks in advance.

[Murr1525]

Re: Questions on using UC

What pads, speed were you using?

1. You want the buffer running fast, arms moving slowly. A minute should be good.

2. About a bead around the perimeter of the pad.

3. #105.

[JonH]

Re: Questions on using UC

I was using an orange pad with UC at a speed of 5 and 6. I then used a white pad with UP and finished up with NXT by hand.

From reading other posts it sounds like UC has this "SMAT" technology and really doesn't break down and instead keeps being staying abrassive as long as you work it (within reason of course).

I haven't tried 105, maybe that is worth a shot on older paint.

[kkarasch]

Re: Questions on using UC

I also am doing a job and i'm using the UC with a Yellow LC pad and its getting about 80% of the scratches doing about 4 passes with moderate pressure. Should I switch to the #105? I'd like to get them all out in one step because the customer doesn't want to drop a lot of $. Thanks.

[sproulman]

Re: Questions on using UC

my sisters 2004 cavalier was badly scratched from car wash.i put some UC on microfiber pad and rubbed it on .

i worked great ,looks much better.i used UC on my honda shadow 1100 on tank that has swirl marks and it took them out.

this was all by hand, no machine.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Questions on using UC

Depending on how hard the paint is, whether it's old and dried out (some seem to get harder as they age), what liquid you're using, and what your technique is like, some defects can be a piece of cake to take out and others can be a real challenge. We've seen defects that didn't look all that bad but the paint turned out to be highly resistant to buffing so removing them took some pretty seriously aggressive steps. If you're making 4 passes with UC on a DA at speed 5, working just small areas at a time and using decent pressure - you can use enough pressure to almost stop the pad from rotating to gain maximum cut on some paints - then it may well be time to step up to M105. Or the DA Microfiber Correction System, which provides a lot of cut and loves really hard paints.

But when faced with defects that aren't coming out fairly quickly, it's always best to double check your technique on the DA. Lots of pressure, very slow arm movements, and a smaller(er) work area will usually get the job done. People have a tendency to use too little pressure, work too large an area, or move too quickly over the paint. Any of these can lead to diminished results, and combining them will really slow down the correction process.

[Murr1525]

Re: Questions on using UC

You may want to make a Sharpie mark on the pad, so you can see when it is rotating or not, so you can get the most pressure with it still spinning.