how many should i do?

[KIA HYBRID]

Hello MOL ...I would like to know how many passes should I do with a DA on my car ?I will be using M205 POLISH and M26 WAX.no compounding will be done.but will use a NANO SKIN sponge(med) because it stay outside...Father day is almost here and my sister is getting me the Porter Cable 7424xp ..So I will not be doing any hard hand work.An which pads should I use to lay down the M205 (i'm thinking a Meguiars Yellow Soft Buff Foam Polishing Pad) and for the M26(i'm thinking about using Meguiars Black Soft Buff Foam Finishing Pad).Please let me know if I have the right pad with the right product.WISH ME LUCK !!Will be my 1st time using a buffer.As with me at all time every bit of info is welcome.Thanks in advance.

[Jarhead0754]

The pads are are correct and a good choice, however I think the pc a 5.5 inch pad is better and people like the lake country pads for that.
As far as passes I would do left to right, up and down, and left to right again and then check. That's good for compounding, but I stick to that for all 3 steps.

[C8N]

Re: how many should i do?

When I first started paint correction, I inquired on the forums as to what pads? how much pressure? how many passes? which chemical?
I never got a straight forward answer and this makes things difficult in your purchase decision for detailing supplies.

The reason being is that every paint is different and in addition, it will depend on the condition of the paint.
Unless someone has work on your very specific car, no one will be able to.
This is why a test spot is so very important and you also need to have the understanding that the clear coat on your car is finite. Not to mention OEM clears are very thin to begin with. Once its gone, its gone and there is no other recourse other than a respray. Even the most experienced detailers will start with a test spot on cars they have never worked on before.

Test spot and start with the least aggressive method first.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: how many should i do?

C8N really summed it up nicely: it's virtually impossible to tell you how many passes to make with ANY pad/product combo because there are just too darn many variables. What's the current condition of the paint and how good to you want to make it? How does the paint respond to a given input? What speed settings, pressure, arm speed and size of work area are you working with?

That said, given your specific comments we have a feeling you're not looking to create a show car shine, but rather just want to do a nice clean up on the finish simply to improve the overall appearance. That's great, and quite frankly it's waaaay beyond what the average guy on the street even thinks about doing. If you're looking to do just that, and not spend an entire weekend doing so, you might want to change up your pad and product selection a bit. The DA Microfiber Correction System is great for this as it consists of basically two steps - correction compound and finishing wax. If you already have M205 on hand, you might be very surprised at how much correction can be achieved with that product when used on a microfiber pad. In fact, more than surprised - downright shocked!!!

While a more traditional approach given your stated parameters might be M205 on a polishing pad and M26 on a finishing pad with number of passes to be determined by you, don't just dismiss the microfiber pads with M205.

[KIA HYBRID]

Re: how many should i do?

Thanks to every1 for the feed back. I see that I need to do a test spot to see how the pads/products work and how the paint respond to it. I'm new to the whole traded of detailing. But I'm watching many how to video(4 to 5 ) a day. One thing 4 sure I'm not a know-it-all. An need help. Because for the fact that I'm a rookie to this the size I will work a 12 x 12 section at a time.An I'm looking forward to taking a whole weekend to do it so I don't mess anything up and to take my time to hope to get it right. An to also re watch the video of the next stage I'm going to b4 I start that stage. The pads I pick was because the paint do need some minor correction(cob webbing ). So I was thinking that I don't need a strong cutting pad. That is why I did not pick the microfiber pads. An due to the fact it need minor correction I pick not to compound because I was hoping that M205 will remove the minor defects and also bring out a good shine. The car is black. Then from all the post about wax,it look as M26 will turn that black shine into black "super black wet look shine". I want the wet look. But a show car shine would be lovely also because they look wet to me. If I can take it to that level please tell me how and what products I should use. I'm on a working on a buget.4 sure I don't want to have to replace a clear coat. In need of all the help I can get.I THANKS EVERY1 ONCE AGAIN!

[Michael Stoops]

Re: how many should i do?

It really is all but impossible for anyone to tell you exactly which product or pad to choose, how many passes to do, or exactly what speed and how much pressure to use. Without seeing the car in person, or at least good images of the current state of the paint, and without knowing how the paint is going to respond, and not knowing for sure exactly what your expectations are, the best anyone can honestly do is give you a good starting point for your first test spot. We have certainly seen situations where M205 on a foam polishing pad was all that was needed to return swirled paint to a very high level, but more often than not you need something a bit more aggressive; at least on par with Ultimate Compound. Don't be overly concerned with removing too much clear coat though - even Ultimate Compound or M105, when used with a polishing pad on a PC7424XP just isn't that aggressive. You would have to polish for a very long time indeed to remove a damaging amount of clear coat. A very, very long time!

As a starting point then, for you initial test spot, set the tool at speed 5 and fix a polishing pad to the backing plate, apply some M205 to the pad and work an area no larger than 2' x 2' using moderate pressure. In fact, use enough pressure to almost stop the pad from rotating, then ease up just enough to allow it to spin, even though it will be spinning rather slowly. Polish that area in overlapping passes, first moving from side to side, then up and down, then repeat both directions and wipe off the residue. Now compare this area very closely, under good lighting, to an area you have not polished and determine from there how to proceed. If you've removed the majority of the swirls, you're on the right track and a second polishing in the same area may well correct the remaining defects. If it appears as though you've made almost no progress at all, even after a second pass, then it's time to step up to something like M105 or Ultimate Compound. You may need to follow either of these compounds with M205 on a finishing pad to obtain maximum gloss and clarity, or you may be able to go straight to wax. That will be determined by how the paint responds and your ultimate goal.

[KIA HYBRID]

Re: how many should i do?

thanks