I would be lucky if I polished the Z once a year. Then again, I only drive the thing a handful of times a year also This is mainly due to being a lazy mother****er when it comes to polishing a car manually. When I do do it, it usually involves a number of cold beers, which in turn leads to a progressively worse job as time goes on. But anyway, looking for advice on purchasing a powered polishing pad for my z. I've got a 18V cordless 5" grinder, wondering if anyone has had success using a pad for vehicle polishing on something similar which uses the standard M14 spindle, or whether the only way to go is one of those random orbital jobs. Advice appreciated.
I looked at this a fair bit and the cost of the right equipment and materials polishes etc and then the time and effort in developing the skills. I think paying a good detailer is the way to go. Its going to cost at least $300-$400+ to setup. Getting a guy in once a year for $100 sounds a lot easier to me. If you have a heap of cars and want to learn and do the whole family fleet it could be worth it but I have a feeling after a few weekends doing it you might change your mind. Now the problem is finding a good detailer who will do it for $100. Maybe a bit more these days. http://www.aus300zx.com/forum/showthread.php?t=279862 I was going through a few car yards the other day and one yard I was in I though who ever polishes these cars can do mine.
Dont use the drill!!! You can get a hand palm polisher from Autobarn or similar auto shops for around $40, which is easy to use, for putting the polish on and polish off, and runs at a low speed. The drill, even though its only 18 volt cordless, can be a bit fast for polishing, and if you slip with it, can cause damage. I used to do polish cars years ago with a drill, but found it un-controlable at times. Since Ive owned the pad palm polisher, its easy and quick. Once you have a good finish on your car, a simple wipe over with a good quality liquid polish or paste and wipe off should keep it looking good, and you can do this without a machine. There are plenty of good products now available for simple quick polishing your car. I use "Maguires NXT Generation" polish, which is easy apply and easy wipe off. Stu
I have tried the cheap orbital polishers, for getting real work done I found there near on useless. We had a white commercial van that had some vinyl cut lettering removed and this left the shadow of protected paint on mildly oxidised paint, we burnt out 3 of the AutoBarn cheapies to get one side done in many hours, trying various techniques and compounds. From what I understand they just don't have the right combination of action and power. Whilst a drill may have the power, as you said the action can be quiet dangerous for less then an expert user. So getting a powerful orbital (safer) action seems to equate to expensive equipment from my research. $200 odd dollars is considered entry level, for machine only. http://waxit.com.au/c/4505565/1/machine-polishers.html Then you need pads, polishes etc. AND time and skill, if this interests you then go for it, but I have one car that probably would need a $100 cut and polish once in a blue moon. I like all things Meguiar's and if it was available in 240V at approx. $200 it would probably be a good buy I think. http://www.meguiars.com/en/automotive/products/g110v2-professional-dual-action-polisher/ Another well reviewed entry level unit the DAS6-Pro: http://www.carcareproducts.com.au/product/mint_protools/ro_polisher_das6_pro
Check these vids out Agree with this in principle but also suggest checking out supercheap auto- they also have some excellent orbital very low cost polishers that can give superb results The polisher should be between 2800rpm - 3200 rpm any slower means longer time, any faster it can burn - most waxes work best at these revs - you have to start with a good polisher but it also doesn't have to be expensive There are so many good polishes out there these days - that the type of polish really becomes inconsequential - as long as it has a wax in it, be it canubra or other it will polish up fine at the end. Washing the car from dirt is essential as you don't want scratches or scratching material in your pads before you start but this is not part of the three stages of polishing. Ideally you want a three stage polish and polishing action (buff / polish and final polish/wax stages) but it depends on the polish and polish pads as there is a lot of variables. But even paint and sanding paint works best in three stages i.e. prime , colour and clear or rough sand, intermediate sand and final sand so to speak/ More stages the better, but three is minimum for proper show room shine 5inch polishers tend to be easier to handle and therefore better in end result than larger 8/9in polishers, but any can do the job in the right hands For around $100 - $150 you buy everything to do the job including the polish/ polisher/ applicators/ buff pads and final fine wool buff pads! See this link as a guide - there are better vids out there - but these will get you a show room shine if you follow them to the T and they are a great start point http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/how-to/Car-Cleaning/Applying-a-Polish.aspx?id=98 http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/how-to/Car-Cleaning/Removing-Scratches-or-Swirl-Marks.aspx?id=106 pro's do it the same way pretty much - maybe an additional stage or two Some tips to remember Do not cross contaminate your buffs pads and polishes - this is critical and any pro will say this is the key to a great polish and finish Those wax sticks are awesome but not essential for a show room finish - but some pro's do use them and swear by them Hope this helps you out - those vids will certainly do the job and help you out Cheers JC
The only problem with drills is the speed is not between 2800rpm and 3200rpm - most waxes and buffing compounds work well at this speed This why drills often tend to burn into the paint - (it can be hard to keep a constant speed) i.e. too much pressure then it revs out to 7000rpm etc Hahaha The right drill however can still do the job to a pro finish!
So it appears the grinder (not drill) runs at 8000rpm... so probably a bit fast for polishing, if there is indeed a RPM limit for wax / polish working effectively. I do have a variable RPM hi torque drill that would do the job, but it would just be awkward to use. Between the 2 of us, we have 4 cars, so shelling out for a detailer is not really practical. One's a work car, so it sees a wash every other month. It's amazing what a fleet company can do to a car to tart it up before sending it to auction ;-) I've looked on ebay, and there seems to be a massive range- from the palm type, thru to air powered, and large corded looking units. If I could find a wax/polish that works at the higher RPM, that would almost be ideal.
It's not the revs, it's a combination of the revs, pressure used and the heat generated. The waxes work best at a certain temp. That's where the practice comes in. The waxit site is great if you are anal about polishing your car. Meguires or bowdens is probably the cheapest you'd want to use if you want a decent job.
If you really want good results this guy is a detailing geek http://youtu.be/7cAnevFwZeY Watch a few of his vids, regular maintenance (washing and waxing) is is going to make your car's paint last longer than just polishing every time you want it to look shiny for something
Yep - totally agree with that statement - which I pointed out in a post But tests show that the combination of all that however is easiest to achieve with a speed between 2800rpm - and 3200rpm (where wax melts on but doesn't affect paint burns with reasonable pressure) The site is a good start point - its not the best as I pointed out - but a good start point There are too many good polishes around to be selective to a few - quite a few pros swear by turtlewax but again this is a selective opinion and most will do the job very well f applied and polished properly My personal selection is Nu-Finish polish and swirl remover - both work very well for me and last a very long time and both are cheap compared to others - I have tried most and this is my personal opinion based on my equipment and the length of time between polishing needed Try not to twist the context of my posts into something they are not - keep the whole context and don't single out one part without the rest - happy to be retaught or learn more anytime, but don't need to write pages of info just because of a single part taken out of the context applied - I don't profess to be an expert in anything - just trying to help answer his question with the basics behind getting a good polish Cheers anyway JC
The problem is that nearly all waxes have a low melting point - it will be hard to get a type of wax that will have a very high melting point for a 8000rpm grinder - its just way too high and will burn right through to the paint even with the lightest of pressure The variable drill would be better as black beast points out in this case, but hey even the low cost $20 - $40 polishers from Super cheap will be a better option, as at least you get the steady reasonable 2800 - 3200 rpm speed and some decent proper handles to make the job easier. Its not that much money for a dedicated polisher. The rest is up to you Happy Polishing! JC
Dude never use a small polishing pad in a drill, it'll leave horrific swirl marks in your paint. I've been a detailer for 14 years and the best thing to get is a variable speed buffer. Use foam buffing pads because they are more forgiving and easy to use. Don't worry about using cutting compounds yet but SuperZ is right about the swirl remover, I love that stuff. You need to buff in a certain way and sequence "e.g" start with the abrasive compounds and pads and then work your way down to the softest pads and waxes to finish. So for what you want to do I'd say start with the swirl remover and a medium grade foam pad (blue or white, depends on brand) and buff the entire car once with them. The soft pads are good for taking out minor scratches and swirls but won't cut back heaps of paint. Do panel by panel and spray a mist of water onto each section to help it cut and keep it from burning. Clean the pad after every panel at the least. Wipe it clean with a microfiber then buff the whole car again with a soft waffle pad and hand polish. Just apply the polish by hand with a polish pad and buff it off straight away, again, panel by panel. Wipe down the car with a microfiber then apply the wax by hand and also take it off manually. This is how I advise people with minimal experience to do safely but effectively. Also, it helps to clay bar or fallout cloth the paint before doing any buffing.
Yes, Nu Finish does contain silicone. Car polishes and waxes that contain silicone are not bad for your car. In fact, all car polishes actually contain silicone, if only for lubricity. Today's silicone emulsions found in car polishes will not cause "fish eyes," which are small circular craters that appear in the finish of new applications of paint. Applying fresh paint to the surface of your car that was recently waxed or polished may cause fish eyes in the paint if the proper steps weren't taken to remove the silicone or wax prior to repainting the car. But fish eyes don't appear in your paint's surface if you are polishing a dry, painted surface.
