Da help

[Paulhick]

As you’ve probably gathered from my earlier posts I love a bit of car cleaning. I regularly do both of ours with clay bar,polish,wax etc but really fancy giving a da a go. They’re not that expensive to buy and the finish they can achieve is superb as you all know. There’s no way I running out to buy all the kit only to burn the paint off the bonnet the first time I use it so anyone got any words of wisdom they would like to share?
Many thanks.

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Unless you hold it really hard down in the one posistion for a couple of mins its highly unlikely you will burn anything, just keep sweeping across and keep the pad moist.

 

[Chrishazle]

2 essentials - 3M 25mm blue masking tape for panel edges, screen wash jets etc, and a water spray bottle, because as Karl says, paint correcting fluid will dry very quickly so you need to keep spraying water every roughly 20 seconds while using the DA. Get a DA with adjustable speed (I had a Kestrel DAS6) and the correct pad - there are a few makes, Sonax, 3m were the 2 I used, Sonax for paint correction and 3M for their Perfect-it polish, other makes are available! Start at low speed and keep the DA moving as you learn, you'll not regret it!

However, before going down the DA and paint correction route it's worth investing time in decontaminating (you'll be amazed how quickly that stuff goes red from the barke dust particles in your paintwork!), tar spot removal and claying - and now is not the time of year to be playing those games, it's too cold and wet, which gives you time to read and think before spending money!

 

[chrisk2010]

You really have to go some to burn the paint as Killerhertz has said, i mean you have to want to do it to be able to do it.

Best thing to do is watch a few youtube vids, do worry about compounds and pads too much to begin with but instead get a good one step compound like Scholl S20 and get a few medium pads.

The above will give you a nice result with a DA depending on the condition of you clear coat.

Best tip is have few spare pads don't try to keep using an over saturated pad, either blow it out with air or give it a wash. If you have a few pads then you simply swap then out when it become too saturated with product.

 

[Paulhick]

Thanks for the advice. Wil be looking more into this over the next few weeks.

 

[AltonAnt]

This is where one of the cheaper DAs can be better in that they are lower powered.
For the amateur this isn't so much of a problem as it will work but may take longer, whereas this is not acceptable for a professional who is on the clock.
I bought the 600w Argos one when it was <£40 (Challenge but now rebranded but identical) and it does the job fine.

I used it for this

to get it to this in 2-3 hours