Kevin Bacon 5 Posted February 23, 2011 OK I've done my baseline research and decided a torquey rotary with variable speed is the polisher for me. Only snag is choosing one. As per usual, 10 different people say 10 different polishers are the best. One make that does get mentioned a few times is this fella :- http://www.powertools2u.co.uk/sanders-and-polishers/makita-9227cb---180mm-sander-polisher.htm I can't find anywhere that sells this polisher as a 'kit' with various cutting compounds and pads etc. Any know of somewhere that does? Ta 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C5 OEM 0 Posted February 23, 2011 Jesus dont pay that much..!! get a silverline one for about £45 and then onto elite car care for a pad and backing plate set, £100 top wack should see you started. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Critical_Mass 10 Posted February 23, 2011 I got one off Amazon that was a rotary polisher with variable speed. I THINK it was a silverline one, id have to take a look. It came with various pads and wool pads. Cost about £80. Doesnt seem to be on there anymore. Though to be honest when i got it, it was quite big, no where near as small as the Meguires DA and was quite hard to handle to be honest. It soon when back in its box and i havent used it since. Will be looking to getting a meguirs DA. Found this on Amazon, again not cheap though - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Basic-Machine-Polishing-Featuring-Meguiar/dp/B0041O0LSC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1298468125&sr=8-4 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OllieVR6 0 Posted February 23, 2011 Kev, I don't want to sound patronising but have you considered a dual action polisher instead? Unless you have something to practise on I would recommend using a DA for a while first (I've had 2 in the last 2 years and still don't feel ready for a rotary). It simply allows a bit more room for human error and still provides very solid results. There are plenty of us on here that frequent detailing world so I'm sure someone will disagree with me anyway. I've done the whole Corrado once with the DA and it took a very long time, but I was happy with doing it that way rather than jumping right in with a rotary. Shame your not closer or I would offer to lend you my DA to have a go. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Supercharged 2 Posted February 23, 2011 That Makita is what most bodyshops use - pretty much industry standard. I've got a Silverline variable speed one like that but was only £35 from Toolstation Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim Bowen 1 Posted February 23, 2011 i've got the kestal kit thats pretty much the same as the megs g220, got some pads and polishs too, if you wanted to have a play with it your more than welcome as i don't think we are too far apart. its can be time consuming with the 90's vag paint but i seemed to get a finish i was happy with Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OllieVR6 0 Posted February 23, 2011 Here is a 50/50 I achieved with my DA: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted February 23, 2011 Nice one chaps! And cheers for the offers of a lend, that's what I love about this place :) I've got a list of 4 or 5 cars building up already, so probably best I get my own. I was looking at Makita level stuff because the missus said she'll get a polisher for my birthday, so may aswell exploit that and get a good one :lol: I don't mind wrecking my paint tbh. It's a good car to practice on as it's far from perfect. 3 or 4 different colours and textures, it's going to need a respray regardless. I've also got a spare door to practice on as well and I won't be using it on plastics ;) Ollie, I see your door seal doesn't sit flush above the door handle either. Annoying that! Nice job with the polishing! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim Bowen 1 Posted February 23, 2011 the only area on my corrado where i had a problem was a rear quarter which i think wasn't original paint, i went through the paint really easy and revealed a white base coat or primer, hardly noticable though. all the original paint i could literally put on my harshest pad and compound, then turned machine on full and held it on the bonnet with quite a bit of pressure and it didn't do anything, the way i viewed it was that i didn't have to correct it all that day, i just whoop out the polisher every now and then and give it a going over, eventually i'll either have no paint left or i'll reach a defect free stage on the paint. Must be removing very tiny amounts of laquer at a time Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted February 23, 2011 When skim reading some polishing info, I saw german paint being mentioned several times for being very hard, and therefore time consuming to polish. If a machine struggles with that kind of paint, what hope do people have doing it by hand?!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Abdul 0 Posted February 23, 2011 Jesus dont pay that much..!! get a silverline one for about £45 and then onto elite car care for a pad and backing plate set, £100 top wack should see you started. Dead on, I've been using this polisher with Elite's own pads and menzerna polishes with incredible results for the last 2 years. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OllieVR6 0 Posted February 23, 2011 Ollie, I see your door seal doesn't sit flush above the door handle either. Annoying that! Nice job with the polishing! Haha yeah, if only that was my biggest Corrado issue! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
delfinis38 1 Posted February 23, 2011 silverline or clarke.. I've used both... bought my clarke from machinemart with the foam heads too.... I use it on three cars and a to polish the hull of a 45 foot yacht once a year.... my only tip is if your using it regularly try and get something light to hold. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DIGGER B 0 Posted February 23, 2011 I would go with the MAKITA top class power tools . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bristolbaron 10 Posted February 23, 2011 I bought the Meguiars DA and it really doesn't touch VW paint. I've used it on other cars and been happy with my novice results, used it on the rado and it looked like it had just had a hand polish. I'm going to invest in harsher abrasives for now as I'm using Meguiars #82 & #83 but they don't seem to touch the paint. There are a few courses out there to show correct methods with a DA or rotary.. about £150 for a 2 day course, which i think would make a great birthday gift! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C488ADO 0 Posted February 24, 2011 (edited) I bought a hammach digital for £120 4 years ago awesome bit of kit it finally died after polishing 20 t 4's 2x 30 ft boats and a shed load of cars .... I bought a silverline digital for £54 18 months ago and it is fantastic loads better than the hammach best value for money polisher on the Market I'd say, 3 year warranty quiet smooth etc easy to get parts moderate weight good all-round polisher I'm a stickler for farecla products so I always try and use their pads as I know exactly where I am with them an know what they can and can't achieve with them I have used the big ass foam heads you can get for £3 again yes ok but when it comes to my car fareclal pad all the way so much better..... Edited February 24, 2011 by C488ADO Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peebee 0 Posted February 24, 2011 Erm, hand and a load of elbow grease? ;) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Supercharged 2 Posted February 24, 2011 Erm, hand and a load of elbow grease? ;) With original VW paint?? It would take weeks to cut the paint if you have a few heavy sctratches compared with a few hours with a machine Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mike2006 0 Posted February 24, 2011 IF you've never used a polisher before I would not start with a Makita. The makita while a great machine is unforgiving to a novice. If you use a Makita v a Kestrel, Meguiars G220, Porter Cable you will physically note the pad heat far more. I would suggest a Megs or Kestrel and buy a selection of pads and compounds. Any good supplier can advice. In advance of that, watch youtube videos to build you understanding and better still attend a course. 1/2 day to 1 day will help you get the right feel, get you exposed to a few different makes and models as well as compounds and pads enabling you to home in on what suits you best. Get an old door or panel to practice on and your there. Always be patient and you'll get the right finish no matter what paint type you are dealing with. No harm looking out for a paint depth gauge and be familiar with each panel before you start any car. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A1 VR6 0 Posted February 24, 2011 I'd recommend the Kestrel DAS-6 dual action. Worth talking to the guys at Elite Car Care as they will advice on the best pads and compounds to use on harder german paints. I'm well happy with the results it gives. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
herisites 0 Posted February 24, 2011 All this "don't start with a rotary polisher" is balls imo, it's not hard! Kev's a smart guy and knows his stuff so I'm pretty sure he won't pick up a rotary and put it on full whack whilst putting his whole bodyweight on it! Kev mate I use the Silverline, it's cheap and it's not let me down in the 4 years I've owned it and many cars I've polished. The foam pads aren't great for correction work though, nice for just quick appliance of basic polishes like super resin etc though. I just got a backing plate and some megs pads and use the Menzerna polishes and get great results. We can have a chat at the weekend about it ;) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OllieVR6 0 Posted February 24, 2011 All this "don't start with a rotary polisher" is balls imo, it's not hard! Kev's a smart guy and knows his stuff so I'm pretty sure he won't pick up a rotary and put it on full whack whilst putting his whole bodyweight on it! I don't think anyone is suggesting Kev isn't smart but it really doesn't take much to burn through paint. I burnt through the clear coat on my VR twice with a DA (one was me being an idiot, the other was just plain unlucky patch of thin clear coat). Luckily it doesn't look to bad but it can happen. Also without knowing how thick the paint is, it's better to play it safe especially if you are doing other peoples cars. I want to upgrade to rotary but not until I have forked out £200 odd for a PDG. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Abdul 0 Posted February 24, 2011 I used a Kestral DA6 for a while and bloody hell it took me 4 days straight to get a perfect finish on my old valver, i can do that in half the time now with the rotary and get a 'good' finish in a day no probs. The Kestral's good don't get me wrong and is very handy for the bumpers which are plastic but it's too time consuming imo. The one thing i noticed was the weight increase when going from DA to Rotary, it shags your wrists by time your done lol. I've never corrected anything non german and tbh, they've all been a pig! As long as the car hasn't had a shoddy paint job or been polished like mad in the past you should be fine imo. I've done 12 cars now inc my own and never had a problem. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted February 24, 2011 Unashamedly pinched from Clean Your Car's website, but it gets the point about 'burning' across quite nicely: The picture above shows intentional burn through on a panel! The exercise was to see if paintwork could really be 'burnt and also to allay peoples fears on how much effort was needed to burn through paintwork. The pad actually started off flat but crumbled and exploded long before the paint was destroyed! I've never used an electric polisher before but already it's pretty obvious to me that a good deal of common sense is required here. I.e. Go in gently and let the tool do the work. Check and comb the pads periodically. Don't polish the same spot, keep it moving. That doesn't sound like a difficult concept to grasp to me :) If my car looks like a DeLorean afterwards, then I'll know I've gone a bit too far :lol: I appreciate your concerns though. If I had mint paint I'd probably think twice as well, but it certainly can't get any worse than it is now. Out of interest, how hard is modern VW paint compared to the Corrado's? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
