DA Polishing and Detailing, my experiences!

[CockneyPlayboy]

I use Sonus Pads and these can be bought from www.cleanyourcar.co.uk as can the DA I use.

UPDATE:

.........Spent the last two nights down the workshop until the extreme small hours of the morning detailing and paint correcting the AMG.
"It already looked shiney" you may say, but I was unhappy with a number of small swirls and imperfections so I started stripping the polish off, three-stage machine polishing with a DA before sealing in with Carlack Nano-system and then a top coat of Collinite just to finishe the sealing process.
I will leave it to 'cure' for a week now it has been buffed and then I will give it a couple of coats of R222 just for the final wet-look show finish.
I am extremely happy with the results and have just the bonnet and front bumper to do and its all finished. The paint looks better and deeper than when it left the factory! lol
(Please excuse the shattered look on my face... it was 4 hours into the job....and after a long day in the office too!)
[YOUTUBE]H1nEpW66zAo[/YOUTUBE]

Please excuse the crappy Blackberry pictures..... when the whole car is finished I will take some decent photographs.
Time consuming....yes. Worth the work?...Definately! I estimate the whole car will take me around 13-14 hours in total to do. (Its a big car! )
Sometimes when people see a 'shiney' car they really dont appreciate just how many hours go into getting that amazing look on their paintwork. I just thought I would share this process with you so you can see how I cherish my cars and the work that I put into them!

 

[Chrishazle]

Found an unexpected use for the DAS6 yesterday - clarifying a murky plastic rear screen on a cabrio! Just bought a 1993 Porsche 968 cabrio, the rear screen was scratched and cloudy. Had a read round t'internet about how to make it better, figured that a lot of what I was reading involved using something very similar to paint correction fluid.

So, Sonus applicator pad and Autoglym Bodyshop 02B (2000 grit) paint correction fluid, elbow grease applied - Hmmm this seems to be working but it's hard work.

Masking tape round screen, DAS6 plus 4" Sonus spot pad, slowest speed setting, put 02B on pad then pad on screen before switching on (reduces spatter onto roof!), buff off with microfibre cloth then finish with Meguiars glass cleaner - did what I could of the inside too. End result, screen now a hell of a lot clearer!

Just got the car to do now!

 

[Superspec]

It looks sparkling, very nice.
I see that you used a DA.

I assume that you have Nano lacquer.
Was the paintwork in pristine condition beforehand i.e. just swirls with no minor scratches ?

The reason for asking is that many professional detailers that have experience of
working on similar very hard finishes, indicate that a rotary is preferable.
They explain that if such paintwork has suffered any more than just superficial effects,
the DA is barely man enough for the job (Vibration included)

I was poised to use a DA & would be interested in your comments, particularly if you
have experience of these hard finishes ?

Splitpin.

I use a DA - DAS6 Pro - on my Merc paintwork. It is perfectly capable of correcting defects it just takes a lot longer than a rotary but is a lot safer if you are new to machine polishing.

The key is using the right polishes and pads. I use Menzerna stuff which works really well with the Mercedes hard paint.

I will upgrade to a decent rotary fairly soon though.

 

[Superspec]

My mistake, but I've never heard the expression "Burr paint". A burr is a rough edge when cutting a hard object like metal or plastic.
Have you actually measured the paint thickness after using a DA or rotary polisher?
You will find that due to requiring a more coarse abrasive with a DA it removes more paint thickness than a rotary with a less abrasive polish, which tends to warm the paint enough to smooth it without removal.

As long as people use a soft enough pad and fine polish they are very unlikely to damage the paint. The pad will be destroyed well be for the paint gives out.

I have a spare car at present which may be seeing the scrapyard in the sky, if so I'll do some paint damage tests...

Anyone wants a play with a rotary is welcome to come and do their worst...

You've never heard the expression "Burr through" because it is actually "burn through."

Anyway, DA's don't remove more clear coat than a rotary, they remove the same amount just a lot slower. They generate a lot less heat than a rotary which means the polishes take longer to break down. As such you are much less likely to burn through your clear coat than you would with a rotary. The results obtainable are pretty much the same providing you have the patience!

If you use a hard cutting pad with an aggressive cutting compound and use it badly even a DA will burn through. Soft pads only burnish the surface, they don't cut at all so won't correct swirls.


**I've just re-read this thread and watched the video and I have to say if you are interested in getting into machine polishing head over the detailworld before you do. As good as the OPs intentions are his technical advice and terminology is poor. There are some great "newbie" sections on there that will talk you through "How to do" things in detail that have been written by professionals.**

 

[CockneyPlayboy]

**I've just re-read this thread and watched the video and I have to say if you are interested in getting into machine polishing head over the detailworld before you do. As good as the OPs intentions are his technical advice and terminology is poor. There are some great "newbie" sections on there that will talk you through "How to do" things in detail that have been written by professionals.**

The OP put together a very quick clip (not in depth video) which introduces just one of the stages that I undertake during the cars prep work. If you are anally into it then yes I can come out with all the correct terminology as I also have been posting and reading on detailingworld for yonks.......however for a Marque-based forum post I felt it was more than adequate.

Here are the pictures of the car paintwork, no swirls, deep gloss....... I may not have gotten the results by using the flash terminology but I sure got the results didnt I! lol

 

[billywhiz]

Nice result - hard worked but certainly paid off. Great car

 

[pimpmyc250td]

awesome results....

picked up a meguiars G220 DA last saturday, just started to play....am amazed at how much more depth you get with a machine rather than manual elbow grease...

 

[mikec32]

You can paint correct merc paint with a d.a., your just looking at about 2-4 hours a panel to get rids and swirls out of the paint.

 

[umedc]

Hi
can one da on new paint work