Machine polishing advice

[daniboy1_2_3 0]

Hi there, ive been thinking about getting a machine to polish my car but not sure which one to go for, random orbital or a straight forward polisher. Ive been reading that its important to know how hard the paint is before selecting which products to use so my question is is the corrado paint generally hard/soft or somewhere in between and has anybody here successfully machine polished there car. My main reason for doing it is to remove the nasty swirl marks that have built up over time along with many scratches. Looking for any advice from fellow diy detailers :).

[Goldie 2]

Im not a machine polisher although i think eventually i could get amongst it..

 

The bit of advice that seems to be standard is buy a bonnet and practice, deliberately burn through the paint so you know the feel of how much force it takes..

 

Probably a good idea to go onto detailing world or such a like...

[Bazmcc 0]

Hello

I actually own a company which sells detailing products and accessories. There are plenty of polishers and plenty of backing plates and pads to use.

 

My advice for a first timer would be to go for a Dodo Juice Buff Daddy, aka a DAS6 dual action polisher. Then get a range of 3 polishes. Poorboys SSR1 - light, SSR2 or 2.5 - medium, and SSR3 - coarse. And get a heavy polishing pad, a medium polishing pad, a finishing pad, and a very soft light finishing pad for glazing. Then you can apply a glaze with a pad like the poorboys black hole glaze. Start with the lightest polish and pad first, if it doesn't remove the swirls, go up to the medium stuff, if that doesn't work go to the heavy ones. Then after you get the swirls sorted you go to a very fine polish like ssr1 or even dodo juice lime prime and refine the finish to remove light marks or buffer trails. Then to get rid of anything left and to add a bit of gloss you put your glaze on, let it haze, buff off. Then wax. If I'm being totally honest I would tell you to look out for detailing days in your area and get some training from a professional. Alternatively watch loads of videos on youtube and get a spare panel or 2 and give it a go.

 

P.S don't even attempt machine polishing without washing, detarring, and clay barring first.

[daniboy1_2_3 0]

Thanks very much for the advice! ive heard there is a detailing day at the end of november ran by autobrite (ive not heard of them before) its £50 and you get a basic introduction to all things related to detailing, including an introduction to machine polishing. Sounds like the kind of thing i need although maybe the best thing for me to do would be to get the kit and practice on a panel. Would you recommend i stay away from a rotary then? Can the same results be easily achieved with a dual action machine?. Bearing in mind i have no equipment whatsoever, where should i start with wash mitts, lances etc as i dont have a pressure washer just now.

[Bazmcc 0]

A rotary can do damage in the wrong hands but like anything it's fine with practice although with a rotary it's good to have a bit of experince and if possible access to a paint depth gauge especially if you plan on using any heavy cutting pads or polishes.

 

As for equipment. How long is a piece of string. Essentials for normal maintenance I would say is:

2 buckets with grit guards

wash mitt

seperate mitt for wheels and sills (really dirty bits).

Good shampoo

All pupose cleaner

Possibly tar remover

Claybar and clay lube

Loads of microfibre cloths for wiping, buffing, and general use.

polish or prewax cleanser

Applicator pads for hand polishing or applying glaze.

Good Glaze

Good Wax

Glass cleaner

Interior plastics product like poorboys natural look.

 

That would be a good base to start from.

Adding to that you could get loads of different polishes and various pads, different wheel cleaners, fallout removers..... and the list is endless.

[daniboy1_2_3 0]

Thanks for the input! I think the Dodo juice buff daddy sounds like the machine for me, being a complete beginner. After rummaging around on a few forums ive heard good reports of scholl polishes, microfibre DA pads and mequires 101 polishing compound which apparantly was developed for the european market. Lots of choice! now its time to try and narrow it down a bit. Ive also heard great things about the dodo juice products and im going to invest in their shampoo, clay bar and lube and then a selection of waxes. Lime prime looks like a great product for refining, Supernatural hybrid looks great for waxing, and ive heard good things about orange crush. Thats a fair old christmas right there :)

[c11yan 10]

Could just buy what a bodyshop would buy to cut and prep a car...

 

ebay item 330825987561

 

then 250814288918 with standard white mop head as per previous

 

then 160603602281 with a soft buffer head 360487526304

 

There is no need to clay bar the panel, just wash the car, no need to completely dry it as this works with the compund.

 

Always mask plastic trims on edges of pannels eg door trims, door handles etc

 

None of these have fancy names, they are designed for business to business, do not be fooled by marketing nonsense.

 

Correct application, depending on vehicle paint, age and colour - will make you realise for the most part it is in the skill of the worker and not the product.

[seanl82 23]

Sorry but thats bollox! I would not rotary polish a car without claying or using some sort of tar or tfr product. All that u would be doing is moving contaminents around and creating as many swirls as you'd be removing, and contaminating and destroying your pads. Its all well and good for a body shop to do, but they would be working on fresh paint, not 15+ year old paint in most cases. Drying is also very important as areas with hard water will cause just as much damage.

[VW_OwneR_85 1]

if your gona do it stay away from the edges! as the paint is at its thinest there , make sure its absolutley as clean as possible before you start! just think what would happen if there was abit of grit or something swirling around on the buff pad! not nice! , do small sections at a time so you dont end up biteing off more then you can chew!, keep the pad flat to the surface! btw i dont want to put you off but if you buff through the clearcoat it will need re doing! , my friend did this on his bonnet , he was just buffing away on the curve thinking about that nice glossy look that hes about to get , THEN BAMM! he hits primer! he wasnt happy. no need to buy into these expensive polishing kits for something you aint going to use everyday , i use a cheap variable speed angle grinder/polisher {£30 jobby} but i use the 3m sponges, its also made its money back as a grinder

[c11yan 10]

Farcela G3 and G6 are a sand based cutting compund which will remove a top layer of paint, it will rip off any surface contaminants and suppose they are just part of the fall out / broken down from mopping. You should always clean mop head between vehicles. The 3m products contain petrolium and disolve and displace tar etc and remove the sirls and haze from G3. Once these have been completed the surface will be silken smooth and incredibly shiney. For this reason I do not see why it is necessary to clay a car prior to machine polishing.

 

Bodyshops and mobile repairers use these products on freshly cured and older paintwork - in a process call paintwork correction / mopping / machine polishing - it's all the same. Ie removing scratches, restoring paint colour and finish for high end forecourts, enthuisiasts and car shows.

 

It is good practise to not completely dry the surface before mopping as the water will work with the compound make it go further and to produce higher finish the water cools the product allowing it to work for longer before it cures. A novice is much less likely to burn the paint if the surface is wet.

 

I do machine polishing all the time and so have good understanding of what is necessary to produce high end results.

[jimbob88 10]

As a beginer i'd try stay away from ferecla. Its a good product but holy **** its hard to use. Im use maguairs ultimate compound. Its not heavy but itcsn be quite effective.

 

Im a mobile valeter and use it with a variable speed polisher on a regular basis to remove light scratches and scuffs etc with good results :)

[seanl82 23]

Agreed, water is a good thing to reduce the polish drying out, and cool the area being polished, and I also use water is a spray bottle whilst polishing for this. What I don't agree with though, is not drying. The water will dry naturally, bearing in mind it takes a good couple of hours to mop a whole car, therefore the chemicals/limescale will harden before you get to it if its dried out. Even spraying water on afterwards will not break down the limescale after, so this is just rubbed around whilst polishing. You sound like you know what your talking about, and don't get me wrong I'm no pro, but I just disagree with some of what you are saying. Hell, maybe you are even right! But I'd rather take that extra precaution, knowing I've removed every possible contaminant before spreading it around with a polishing mop. Every pro I know uses the same procedure I'm talking about though tbf.

[clumpy1 11]

Agreed, water is a good thing to reduce the polish drying out, and cool the area being polished, and I also use water is a spray bottle whilst polishing for this. What I don't agree with though, is not drying. The water will dry naturally, bearing in mind it takes a good couple of hours to mop a whole car, therefore the chemicals/limescale will harden before you get to it if its dried out. Even spraying water on afterwards will not break down the limescale after, so this is just rubbed around whilst polishing. You sound like you know what your talking about, and don't get me wrong I'm no pro, but I just disagree with some of what you are saying. Hell, maybe you are even right! But I'd rather take that extra precaution, knowing I've removed every possible contaminant before spreading it around with a polishing mop. Every pro I know uses the same procedure I'm talking about though tbf.

Soak your buffing head in water first as well as using a spray.

[seanl82 23]

I prime it using a couple of pumps of the spray bottle, yes.

[clumpy1 11]

I prime it using a couple of pumps of the spray bottle, yes.

The wetter the better most of the compounds for buffing have been made to work with water don't worry about the spray from the polisher going everywhere as you should be immediately washing the car after buffing.Before buffing tho you should be cleaning the bodywork first ie tfr then thoroughly washing car tar removal a further wash clay car wash again and dry only then should you be thinking about machine polishing car.It may sound a little ott but if you want it to look as best as you can get it looking i am afraid it is not a quick easy fix why do you think detailer's charge from a couple of hundred quid to way over a grand it is a very time intensive process but the results are if done properly awesome.

Edited November 19, 2012 by clumpy1

[seanl82 23]

I know all this mate, don't worry. You don't need to wash after buffing though, so by soaking the pads, all you will be doing is flicking polish all over the place, which is an absolute pita to remove once its dried. Use of a dedicated product to remove polishing oils is a good idea though. (I use Carpro Eraser). Like I said I'm no pro, but do have a fair amount of experience detailing mine, friends, and families cars for the last few years. I started slowly though, and read and re-read the guides on Detailing World. I'd advise anyone who is unsure to give that a thorough lookover. It will also help explain my reasoning behind all of the above.

Edited November 19, 2012 by seanl82

[clumpy1 11]

I know all this mate, don't worry. You don't need to wash after buffing though, so by soaking the pads, all you will be doing is flicking polish all over the place, which is an absolute pita to remove once its dried. Use of a dedicated product to remove polishing oils is a good idea though. (I use Carpro Eraser). Like I said I'm no pro, but do have a fair amount of experience detailing mine, friends, and families cars for the last few years. I started slowly though, and read and re-read the guides on Detailing World. I'd advise anyone who is unsure to give that a thorough lookover. It will also help explain my reasoning behind all of the above.

Everybody has their own way of doing things mate i was a valeter for a few years working at mainly bmw/merc dealers and owned a small valeting company for a couple of years i was only giving you an outline of what to do and obviously was talking about doing it in the correct enviroment ie indoors so the polish would not have the time to dry why would you not wash it after buffing.

[KIPVW 0]

Some good info chaps, what would anyone recommend for smartening up the rear lights? i have a DA and quite a few Menzerna polishes like super finish & final finish etc would these buff them up a little and what speed would you recommend as dont want to make a mess of them with them being plastic.

 

thanks!

[clumpy1 11]

Some good info chaps, what would anyone recommend for smartening up the rear lights? i have a DA and quite a few Menzerna polishes like super finish & final finish etc would these buff them up a little and what speed would you recommend as dont want to make a mess of them with them being plastic.

 

thanks!

I wouldn't use any cutting compound you could try using a multipurpose cleaner meguiars is pretty good use it neat with a little elbow grease and a scrubbing brush old toothbrush for awkward corners etc then you could polish with with a finishing polish ideally one without wax in it maybe supaguard/diamondbrite.

[KIPVW 0]

Ah just heard a few people actually buffing them to remove swirl marks etc. they are very clean just look a bit naff when the sun comes out with all the hazey marks on them.

[clumpy1 11]

Ah just heard a few people actually buffing them to remove swirl marks etc. they are very clean just look a bit naff when the sun comes out with all the hazey marks on them.

You could try it mate try using something like 3M extra fine plus it means you can always go coarser if you have to wouldn't think you would have to though.

[KIPVW 0]

I'll try it on the daily first and see :)

[clumpy1 11]

I'll try it on the daily first and see :)

Take before and after pics i am interested to see the outcome :thumb right:

[seanl82 23]

Everybody has their own way of doing things mate i was a valeter for a few years working at mainly bmw/merc dealers and owned a small valeting company for a couple of years i was only giving you an outline of what to do and obviously was talking about doing it in the correct enviroment ie indoors so the polish would not have the time to dry why would you not wash it after buffing.

 

Didn't mean to sound funny or patronising, I'm just stating that I have reasonable experience, and know the preferred methods of most pro "detailers", and also know that these methods work for me too. Regardless of whether the car was inside or out, flicks of polish would dry out is all I'm saying. If you have a different method then that's fine, each to their own. There is no need to wash after polishing. You simply buff off the residue using microfibres, or if you are a little finicky (like me), go over it with a polishing oil remover. Its not really necessary, I just always seem to find the very occasional and very small haze of polish I've missed whilst buffing it off. Like I said though, there is no real need. The cutting/polishing process is complete, and the paintwork is at its best. All it needs afterwards is to be sealed/waxed.

Why do you wash after polishing may I ask?

[clumpy1 11]

Didn't mean to sound funny or patronising, I'm just stating that I have reasonable experience, and know the preferred methods of most pro "detailers", and also know that these methods work for me too. Regardless of whether the car was inside or out, flicks of polish would dry out is all I'm saying. If you have a different method then that's fine, each to their own. There is no need to wash after polishing. You simply buff off the residue using microfibres, or if you are a little finicky (like me), go over it with a polishing oil remover. Its not really necessary, I just always seem to find the very occasional and very small haze of polish I've missed whilst buffing it off. Like I said though, there is no real need. The cutting/polishing process is complete, and the paintwork is at its best. All it needs afterwards is to be sealed/waxed.

Why do you wash after polishing may I ask?

Because if you are going to seal the paintwork you want it as clean and grease free as possible it makes the product you are using to seal the paintwork easier to remove