First time with a machine polisher!

[herisites 0]

Yeah thats very true, at the moment i putting the miles on it quite quickly so it will be good to keep them down and yes it will be awesome driving it every now and then! Especially as i am going to get a sh*tter diesel to use for uni and most every day driving so getting in the rado will be quite nice :twisted::lol:

[scarlet_vr6 0]

yeah you're right, if you love your rado now just wait :lol: I've been abroad since the beginning of March and can't wait til next week when I'm home and can go for a drive again! I'm getting very impatient now...

[G60Jet 1]

looks far better than the vxr

[scarlet_vr6 0]

looks far better than the vxr

 

:lol: too right!!

[ben16v 0]

good work!!

 

liking the idea of a rotary polisher, where have you been researching how to use them etc..

[A20 LEE 0]

I've just bought a Porter Cable after being shown the ropes by L200 Steve on detailing world. Highly recommend spending a day with a pro to learn the little tips and tricks.

[Andy665 0]

After doing much reading this evening I decided to play safe and purchase a Porter Cable from Autopia in the US, much cheaper when bought with polishes, extra pads etc than it would be in the UK and they have a great reputation for great customer service

[herisites 0]

good work!!

 

liking the idea of a rotary polisher, where have you been researching how to use them etc..

 

Detailing world mate http://www.detailingworld.co.uk. It has some very good guides and knowledge on pretty much everything to do with cleaning a car. The Porter Cable is the weapon of choice on there and with a lot of people machining for the first time but there is also a good guide on using a rotary polisher so thought i would save money and go rotary.

 

Practise is the only way you will learn really, i have read guide after guide and even watched videos on how to do it so in theory i knew exactly what to do and even what to expect but when you first put the polisher on the car and turn it on all that goes out the window and you have to become comfortable with the polisher yourself, following a guide may help but only you know how to get comfortable using a polisher.

 

I've just bought a Porter Cable after being shown the ropes by L200 Steve on detailing world. Highly recommend spending a day with a pro to learn the little tips and tricks.

 

I agree mate, i wanted to get my car done by Nathan at some point to learn the ropes with everything not just machine polishing. But i happen to know a guy who does smart repair and he also does paint restoring with a rotary machine polisher so he has taught me a fair bit as well with basic tips.

[marcus 0]

All i would say for first time buffers is dont try it on your Corrado. LOL.

Keep the mop slowish and damp otherwise its easy to cock up and cause damage.

Make sure ur using the right compound with the right pad in the right way and u shouldnt need to push too hard.

Most of all its gonna look better than it did either way so have fun.

[herisites 0]

Few more pics as i finished it over the weekend. This time with proper menzerna products. Used 3.01 Intensive Polish on a cutting pad followed by 106FF Final Finish on a finishing pad.

 

Rear Quarter Before:

 

Rear Quarter After:

 

Roof Before:

 

Roof After:

 

Door Before:

 

Door After:

 

I now feel 100% confident at using a rotary machine polisher. I can even do it with one hand which i did on the roof where i couldnt reach fully! The menzerna polish is great stuff, very easy to work with and although i only got the small 250ml bottles it seems to last as you dont really need a lot of polish per panel. I want to do my car now but its finding time as i have a few mates wanting theirs done :lol: Just as well i have a 4 day weekend this week being easter :D

[herisites 0]

I will be machine polishing a black mk4 golf this weekend, its VERY swirly, had a lifetime of car washes and cheapy hand washes and it shows under a spot light!!

 

I will add the pics to my 'Me, a day, a whole bunch of products ...' thread :)

[Jim 1]

Nice work Rob! Does look really impressive. Look forward to seeing how the MK4 comes out. My black MK4 was swirled to HELL and back and I always wanted to get it machine polished to see how it came out but never got round to organising it!

 

Keep us posted :)

[herisites 0]

Cheers Jim, yeah this guys is the same, really bad swirls! I was cringing (sp?) when i saw it at night with flood lights on :shock:

 

He wanted me to do his car a while back but i told him to wait a while as i knew i would end up buying a machine polisher at some point and as his was so swirly it would benefit from a proper polish so he waited and now cant wait for me to do it :D

 

Also my mate at work wants his Evo 8 doing, but it doesnt really need much machining so i might just give a quick go over with some final finish polish and then SRP the rest. Will get plenty of pics though as its a lovely car 8)

[herisites 0]

Oh and Jim, you thought your arms ached after a 3 step polish!!! Try machine polishing for 2 days straight and THEN applying polish and wax after :sleeping: i am gunna be one beefy mother after a few cars as well as my usual weight training at the gym!!! :lol:

[marcus 0]

Glad it went well herisites,.

Hope your not planning on stealing too much business :lol:

Try getting through 2+ cars a day including interiors then see how your arms feel. my knuckles are always dragging across the floor :lol:

[herisites 0]

I can imagine mate! :lol:

 

Only stealing business of close friends and friends of friends at the minute, never know though, i might not have to get a part time job when i go back to uni i can just detail a few cars a month and i will be laughing :lol:

[dukest 0]

Rob, are you just using the pads that came with the silverline or have you bought any of the special (eg.menz/megs/sonus) ones?

 

Also, did you buy the Menzerna Sampler pack? Now you've used it how long do you see the bottles lasting for?

 

Have you got any links to any of the "how-to" vids you watched?

 

Need to give my other car some attention before I sell it and this is looking like the cheapest way to go about it! :D

[herisites 0]

Rob, are you just using the pads that came with the silverline or have you bought any of the special (eg.menz/megs/sonus) ones?

 

Also, did you buy the Menzerna Sampler pack? Now you've used it how long do you see the bottles lasting for?

 

Have you got any links to any of the "how-to" vids you watched?

 

Need to give my other car some attention before I sell it and this is looking like the cheapest way to go about it! :D

 

At the minute i am just using the pads that came with my polisher, but i want to get some better ones soon as although mine do the job, they have squared edges so they tend to rip apart a bit if you catch something, so im gunna go for the sonus SFX pads i reckon as they have rounder edges.

 

Yes mate i am using the menzerna sampler pack and i was also thinking 250ml was a tiny amount but you dont really use that much and i still have plenty left after doing a whole car using mainly 3.01 Intensive Polish and 106FF Final Finish. I reckon you will get a couple of cars out of a bottle, depending on the condition really as some areas you may find you need to go over again.

 

I mainly followed THIS guide on Detailing World which was very useful. As for videos i just went on youtube and did a few searches and watched a few, they are mainly videos for the Porter Cable though so not really for how to use a rotary, but it gives you an idea of what speed you need to do it at, how much pressure to apply, how many passes to make and also how the polish looks when its completely broken down etc.

 

HERE are some videos of the porter cable being used.

 

And i also found

video of a guy polishing a corrado :D

[dukest 0]

Thanks Rob, thats great, I'll have to decide whether to dive right in or try to watch someone first!!

 

Maybe I could come up and watch one of your many bookings :lol:

[herisites 0]

You say bookings, but its more like friends taking advantage of my new found skill knowing they wont have to pay much :lol:

 

I shall have some good pics up at the weekend as friday i am doing a black mk4 golf which is really bad. Will get some good before and after shots and some of the whole car.