[Wolf 335]

I have Griot's Garage 6" random orbital polisher that came with their Orange correcting pad and Red finishing pad.
Correcting cream that i got with this kit is the one before they refined it and eliminated excessive dusting. Regardless i was not happy with it.



I tried it last summer with Sonax Perfect Finish (cut 4/6 and gloss 6/6) and it was not able to take out some of the swirls and scratches left over from winter months ice and crap sliding over the paint.




I recently picked up some new pads i want to try:
x1 Lake Country CCS Orange Pad 6.5"
x1 Lake Country CCS Yellow Pad 6.5"




I'm wondering if i can still remove the swirls/scratches by using Sonax Perfect Finish with Yellow Pad, followed by Orange pad for refinement.

I don't have a dedicated compound as I thought Sonax would be able to give me the cut I need with a bit more aggressive pad such as yellow.

Now I'm thinking what if Yellow pad is too aggressive. Or maybe i need to get a dedicated compound (ie. Meguiar's Ultimate Compound) and just use that with Orange pad instead.

Any experience based suggestions are much appreciated.

Thank you.

[mweisdorfer]

Originally Posted by Wolf 335

I have Griot's Garage 6" random orbital polisher that came with their Orange correcting pad and Red finishing pad.
Correcting cream that i got with this kit is the one before they refined it and eliminated excessive dusting. Regardless i was not happy with it.

Attachment 2575041

I tried it last summer with Sonax Perfect Finish (cut 4/6 and gloss 6/6) and it was not able to take out some of the swirls and scratches left over from winter months ice and crap sliding over the paint.

Attachment 2575040


I recently picked up some new pads i want to try:
x1 Lake Country CCS Orange Pad 6.5"
x1 Lake Country CCS Yellow Pad 6.5"

Attachment 2575025


I'm wondering if i can still remove the swirls/scratches by using Sonax Perfect Finish with Yellow Pad, followed by Orange pad for refinement.

I don't have a dedicated compound as I thought Sonax would be able to give me the cut I need with a bit more aggressive pad such as yellow.

Now I'm thinking what if Yellow pad is too aggressive. Or maybe i need to get a dedicated compound (ie. Meguiar's Ultimate Compound) and just use that with Orange pad instead.

Any experience based suggestions are much appreciated.

Thank you.

Get the chemical guys yellow, orange, white & blue pads & 3m 1-2-3 perfect it. Be careful with the yellow pad.

[lowrydr310]

Originally Posted by mweisdorfer

Get the chemical guys yellow, orange, white & blue pads & 3m 1-2-3 perfect it. Be careful with the yellow pad.

Those Chemical Guys (HexLogic) pads are not ideal, not enough cutting power (perhaps just not enough for BMW paint) and they don't hold up well. Go search some of the reviews. I did my car with the orange pad and Meguiars Ultimate and it was OK but a waste of time since it wasn't the result I was expecting. My paint is in excellent shape too. There were just superfine scratches that didn't polish out. I experimented and did a few more passes on the trunk finally getting it, but it was way too much work to get the result I wanted.

[mweisdorfer]

Originally Posted by lowrydr310

Those Chemical Guys (HexLogic) pads are not ideal, not enough cutting power (perhaps just not enough for BMW paint) and they don't hold up well. Go search some of the reviews. I did my car with the orange pad and Meguiars Ultimate and it was OK but a waste of time since it wasn't the result I was expecting. My paint is in excellent shape too. There were just superfine scratches that didn't polish out. I experimented and did a few more passes on the trunk finally getting it, but it was way too much work to get the result I wanted.

I have had really good luck with the hex logic pads. The yellow pad will burn through the clear coat if you don't watch it.

I use the porter & cable 7424xp dual action polisher. The 3m pads are pretty good too, but they aren't cheap.

[tcphoto]

I bought a kit with a DA Polisher from Chemical Guys and went down the detailing rabbit hole. I have a BSM E92 and am still trying to figure out a good pad/compound combo for the deep scratches and swirl marks. You simply have to try different combinations till you get it where you want it but start at the least aggressive because you may do more harm otherwise. Unfortunately, I may be doing a little wet sanding in the future but I have been putting it off.

[bcmfla]

Originally Posted by mweisdorfer

I have had really good luck with the hex logic pads. The yellow pad will burn through the clear coat if you don't watch it.

I use the porter & cable 7424xp dual action polisher. The 3m pads are pretty good too, but they aren't cheap.

Which colors of hex logic did you use? I had to put in a pretty good bit of time with the yellow and orange.

[mweisdorfer]

Originally Posted by bcmfla

Which colors of hex logic did you use? I had to put in a pretty good bit of time with the yellow and orange.

Don't use yellow a bunch. You will burn through the clear coat really fast.

3m perfect it w/ porter & cable 7424xp D/A polisher

Orange - step 1 (5000-5200rpm)

White - step 2 (4000rpm)

Green - step 3 (3000rpm)

Black - wax (3000rpm)

[mweisdorfer]

Originally Posted by TheMidnightNarwhal

Chemical guys is one of the most gimmicky marketing brands out there. The lake country pads are much better quality to.

Why do you recommend those pads over the LCs?

I've had good luck with them; my only knock on them is that they don't last a long time

[BSM n54iS]

When I did my last correction I used:

Griots 6" DA
CG Orange w/ Meg 105
CG Green w/ Meg 205
CG Blue w/ Blacklight
Wax on top with red pad by hand.

Once you realize you're not going to be getting a 100%, because even if you get to that point you'll start to see the orange peel and never be satisfied, for a diy at least. I was very happy with my results, that was like 2 years ago and regular maintenance has been a breeze since.

When I go to do my next correction at some point, I'll likely get a new polisher w/ 3" & 5" pads, maybe try a new combo b/c Meg 105/205 has a lot of dust but nothing else really.