Menzerna help-what am I doing wrong? - BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum

zeeman335 · 06-26-2009, 12:41 AM

Hey guys, so i decided to finally use some of my menzerna products today and for some reason not much got removed. I still see all the light scratches, swirl marks, etc that are all over my car. It sucks and its killlling me.

Here is what i did. I first washed the car with dawn and then clayed then car.
I then used:
1)Menzerna Power Gloss Compound with yellow pad
2)Menzerna Super Intensive Polish with orange pad
3)Menzerna PO106FF with white pad

I am pretty sure that i worked in the product fairly well. I first spread it around an area, and then switched it up to speed 4 on my porter cable machine to work in the product. However, after many hours i still see all the light marks, scratches, swirl marks that are visible everywhere on my car.

What am i doing wrong? It's really bugging me! What the frig!

burkey · 06-26-2009, 01:29 AM

geeeeez.... how many scratches were on your car?

even lowly 1066 is pretty agressive... It's designed for hard (ceramic) paints like late model BMW's is gets out a lot of problems with an orange lake county pad.

1066ff is supposed to get out 2500grit sanding marks (from memory its cut factor is 2.5/5.) this is not a compound to take lightly.

I would have never used powergloss on a new OEM finish unless it had been steelwooled or something obscene.

you're working in smallish areas, around 2sq foot, and working to try and maintain some heat in the paint (not too much!).

common mistake, imo, is also using too much product. I dont use a whole lot and I know when I have worked the product in because the product basically disolves into nothing leaving very little to wipe away.
maybe thats aa guage, how many MF towels are you using to mop up/buff off the product for the whole car? 1-2 should be doable and for them to not be soaked...

maybe video yourself doing a section so we can see what youre up to??

burkey · 06-26-2009, 01:32 AM

also, post us some macro shots of the paint.

get a strong light behind you. focus on the scratches and also focus on the light bulb reflection so we get an idea of whats going on

TSC17 · 06-26-2009, 06:17 AM

You're not going to accomplish much correction on speed 4. Start out on 4 to spread it around, and then kick it up to speed 6 until the polish breaks down.

zaxjax · 06-26-2009, 06:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TSC17

You're not going to accomplish much correction on speed 4. Start out on 4 to spread it around, and then kick it up to speed 6 until the polish breaks down.

This is your answer, TSC17 nailed it on the head! Menzerna products were designed for rotary use not the PC. The PC lacks the umph to break polishes down so you need to use speed 5-6.

zeeman335 · 06-26-2009, 11:22 AM

Word....I'll try your advice and up the speed a bit. Also, should I just try the PO106FF or should i try out the compound again?

Instead of going to Step 2 on the trunk or whatever, should i just try Step 3 to take out the light marks, swirl marks, etc?

TSC17 · 06-26-2009, 12:13 PM

It's always a good idea to start with the least aggressive method first, and work up from there. I don't know exactly what condition it's in, so I can't give "exact" advice. If 106/white isn't cutting it, then move up to SIP/orange...

tintivilus · 06-26-2009, 08:49 PM

The mistake I made when starting out was trying to work too big an area with the PC. On the hood, for example, switching from four regions to six made a huge difference! You must resist the temptation to work progressively larger areas if you get impatient -- it will backfire.

I've found that with a PC, using SIP and an orange pad only on the bad spots, then 106FF with a white pad on the whole car yields great frustration-free results in... well not a short time, but it doesn't take forever.

And for the record, I have used SIP and a yellow pad on a PC to take out 3000-grit sandpaper marks on our E46. If you need Power Gloss, you should be using a rotary.

BK · 06-26-2009, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tintivilus

I've found that with a PC, using SIP and an orange pad only on the bad spots, then 106FF with a white pad on the whole car yields great frustration-free results in... well not a short time, but it doesn't take forever.

I use a Flex, but I do essentially the same thing -- SIP and orange for the few areas that need it, 106FF and white on the whole car for the light swirls that inevitably are everywhere.

This next time, I plan to throw 85RD with a black pad into the mix as the finishing polish to see if I notice any difference from 106FF with white. Supposedly, 85RD finishes even better than 106FF.

And to be clear, I work my way up, not down. So for a panel that looks like just minor swirls, I'd start with 85RD and a black pad. If it looks like there are still swirls on the panel, I'd switch to 106FF with white. If that's not working, SIP with orange. Whichever works, then finish with 85RD. So far, I haven't come across anything on my own car that SIP with orange didn't completely take care of it.

328i · 06-27-2009, 12:12 AM

OP, as others have said, turn up the speed on the pc, and work smaller sections. When using the PC, I also like to apply a bit of pressure initially to get more cut, once the polish has broken down then ease up. As far as 106ff having a lot of cut, I strongly disagree, I believe it does more filling that makes it seem like it has more cut than it really does.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BK

I use a Flex, but I do essentially the same thing -- SIP and orange for the few areas that need it, 106FF and white on the whole car for the light swirls that inevitably are everywhere.

This next time, I plan to throw 85RD with a black pad into the mix as the finishing polish to see if I notice any difference from 106FF with white. Supposedly, 85RD finishes even better than 106FF.

And to be clear, I work my way up, not down. So for a panel that looks like just minor swirls, I'd start with 85RD and a black pad. If it looks like there are still swirls on the panel, I'd switch to 106FF with white. If that's not working, SIP with orange. Whichever works, then finish with 85RD. So far, I haven't come across anything on my own car that SIP with orange didn't completely take care of it.

You will love the finish of 85rd and a black pad, it really gives the paint extra gloss, you can break the polish down and then just keep working it almost forever at a slower speed.

06-26-2009, 12:41 AM	#1
zeeman335 Lieutenant Drives: 2013 M3 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 443 iTrader: (2)	Menzerna help-what am I doing wrong? Hey guys, so i decided to finally use some of my menzerna products today and for some reason not much got removed. I still see all the light scratches, swirl marks, etc that are all over my car. It sucks and its killlling me. Here is what i did. I first washed the car with dawn and then clayed then car. I then used: 1)Menzerna Power Gloss Compound with yellow pad 2)Menzerna Super Intensive Polish with orange pad 3)Menzerna PO106FF with white pad I am pretty sure that i worked in the product fairly well. I first spread it around an area, and then switched it up to speed 4 on my porter cable machine to work in the product. However, after many hours i still see all the light marks, scratches, swirl marks that are visible everywhere on my car. What am i doing wrong? It's really bugging me! What the frig! __________________
	Tweet

06-26-2009, 06:17 AM	#4
TSC17 Esoteric Auto Detail Drives: 2007 TL Type S Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 45 iTrader: (0)	You're not going to accomplish much correction on speed 4. Start out on 4 to spread it around, and then kick it up to speed 6 until the polish breaks down. __________________ Todd Cooperider

06-26-2009, 11:22 AM	#6
zeeman335 Lieutenant Drives: 2013 M3 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 443 iTrader: (2)	Word....I'll try your advice and up the speed a bit. Also, should I just try the PO106FF or should i try out the compound again? Instead of going to Step 2 on the trunk or whatever, should i just try Step 3 to take out the light marks, swirl marks, etc? __________________

06-26-2009, 12:13 PM	#7
TSC17 Esoteric Auto Detail Drives: 2007 TL Type S Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 45 iTrader: (0)	It's always a good idea to start with the least aggressive method first, and work up from there. I don't know exactly what condition it's in, so I can't give "exact" advice. If 106/white isn't cutting it, then move up to SIP/orange... __________________ Todd Cooperider

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

06-26-2009, 01:29 AM	#2
burkey New Member Drives: AW 335i Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: australia Posts: 14 iTrader: (0)	geeeeez.... how many scratches were on your car? even lowly 1066 is pretty agressive... It's designed for hard (ceramic) paints like late model BMW's is gets out a lot of problems with an orange lake county pad. 1066ff is supposed to get out 2500grit sanding marks (from memory its cut factor is 2.5/5.) this is not a compound to take lightly. I would have never used powergloss on a new OEM finish unless it had been steelwooled or something obscene. you're working in smallish areas, around 2sq foot, and working to try and maintain some heat in the paint (not too much!). common mistake, imo, is also using too much product. I dont use a whole lot and I know when I have worked the product in because the product basically disolves into nothing leaving very little to wipe away. maybe thats aa guage, how many MF towels are you using to mop up/buff off the product for the whole car? 1-2 should be doable and for them to not be soaked... maybe video yourself doing a section so we can see what youre up to??

06-26-2009, 01:32 AM	#3
burkey New Member Drives: AW 335i Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: australia Posts: 14 iTrader: (0)	also, post us some macro shots of the paint. get a strong light behind you. focus on the scratches and also focus on the light bulb reflection so we get an idea of whats going on

06-26-2009, 08:49 PM	#8
tintivilus Lieutenant Colonel Drives: E92 335i Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Lake County, IL Posts: 1,826 iTrader: (0) Garage List 2007 E92 335i [0.00] 2003 325i [0.00]	The mistake I made when starting out was trying to work too big an area with the PC. On the hood, for example, switching from four regions to six made a huge difference! You must resist the temptation to work progressively larger areas if you get impatient -- it will backfire. I've found that with a PC, using SIP and an orange pad only on the bad spots, then 106FF with a white pad on the whole car yields great frustration-free results in... well not a short time, but it doesn't take forever. And for the record, I have used SIP and a yellow pad on a PC to take out 3000-grit sandpaper marks on our E46. If you need Power Gloss, you should be using a rotary.