Jack wrote -
Tried on the blue hyundai. One side of bonnet. P203S on orange using your 400mm 4 peas 4 minute method. Cant see much difference between the sides, in shadow or sunlight. Maybe need a second cut? Is it normal for the head to get warm???
Hi Jack, P203S on an Orange Pad should be a fairly aggressive combination. Couple of questions - What speed were you using on the Flex to Polish? Did you break the Polish right down? ie Very little excess Polish left to wipe off.
To check your results - put the car out in the sun. Look at the area you polished from all angles. Are there any swirl marks remaining? Is there orange peel in the paint which would dull down your result? Rub the flat of your hand over the surface - does it feel extremely smooth?
Here is the procedure to use for the Flex. As you stated - 4 pea sized dobs of polish on the Pad. One only spray of quick detailer on the Pad. Dab the Polish on a 400mm x 400mm area. Start the Flex on speed 1 and quickly spread the Polish. Crank the Flex up to speed 5 or 6( Maximum ) and move it SLOWLY over the area in a cross hatch pattern, overlapping about 50% with each pass. Use moderate pressure only. ie push down on the Flex - but not enough to dent the panel. You should go over the area about 6 times in the 4-5 minutes that it takes to break down the Polish . Make sure the Polish is fully broken down before stopping - even if it takes 6 minutes.
There should be very little excess Polish to wipe off afterwards.
The head of the Flex does get extremely hot, nothing to worry about.
The tendency for a newbie at this type of Polishing is to move the machine too fast, but you need to move slowly in order to make the Polish, Pad and Machine do the work.
Make sure to Polish in the shade, preferably in the garage and do not polish the car while the metal is hot. Outside temperature under 30 degrees is best.
I have never come across paintwork that did not show an improvement after machine polishing, so i think it is just a matter of refining your technique.
Is any of the above different to how you Polished the bonnet today?
We are heading down the South East as soon as i can get the missus moving in the morning, otherwise i would come to your place and give you a hand. If you want to wait till we return i will be more than happy to help.
Rocket.