electric car polishers - any good ?

[billywoblyneck]

Thanks for the great feedback everyone - Thanks giantvanman for suggesting youtube I will have a look at some instructional videos. , Im pretty sure I,m going to invest in one , I Have got right into polishing and cleaning my car during the lockdown - its like new and I intend to keep it that way - Thanks again all who contributed.

 

[Sicario]

So i bought the Wido polisher which arrived yesterday and turns out to be a rotary polisher, so i also ordered the DA from ebay, just a cheapie one, im not a pro detailer and lets face it, once you have done your compounding, your polisher will go in its case and probably not really be used again. So at some point im going to source an old bonnet from either a salvage yard or a bodyshop and tape it off and do a rotary/DA comparison from a beginners perspective. Im not afraid of using the rotary, to me its just a case of being more careful, going slower, 2 passes instead of 4, maybe even using pad lube, either way its trial and error.

And to keep it a fair fight, ive ordered chemguys hex logic pads

Electric Car Polisher 1200W Variable Speed - Wido

Buy our Electric Car Polisher 1200W Variable Speed today with FREE Next Day Delivery - Wido.com

www.wido.com

Dual Action Random Orbital Car Polisher Buffer Sander Platinum Package with Case | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Dual Action Random Orbital Car Polisher Buffer Sander Platinum Package with Case at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[Y15HAL]

I bought one YEARS ago with the intentions of making good use of it.....

Here i am now, still thinking i need to tackle the car - but now the weather has turned

I do need to do it on the car though, as the dealer must have used a chimp to give the car a once over, and now can see marring/hologramming, which needs a good going over.....

About time (once the weather improves) to get it done i think......

 

[flowrider]

So i bought the Wido polisher which arrived yesterday and turns out to be a rotary polisher, so i also ordered the DA from ebay, just a cheapie one, im not a pro detailer and lets face it, once you have done your compounding, your polisher will go in its case and probably not really be used again. So at some point im going to source an old bonnet from either a salvage yard or a bodyshop and tape it off and do a rotary/DA comparison from a beginners perspective. Im not afraid of using the rotary, to me its just a case of being more careful, going slower, 2 passes instead of 4, maybe even using pad lube, either way its trial and error.

And to keep it a fair fight, ive ordered chemguys hex logic pads

Electric Car Polisher 1200W Variable Speed - Wido

Buy our Electric Car Polisher 1200W Variable Speed today with FREE Next Day Delivery - Wido.com

www.wido.com

Dual Action Random Orbital Car Polisher Buffer Sander Platinum Package with Case | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Dual Action Random Orbital Car Polisher Buffer Sander Platinum Package with Case at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

Be very careful with the Wido polisher, no DA polishers are generally not recommended for beginners.

 

[flowrider]

I bought one YEARS ago with the intentions of making good use of it.....

Here i am now, still thinking i need to tackle the car - but now the weather has turned

I do need to do it on the car though, as the dealer must have used a chimp to give the car a once over, and now can see marring/hologramming, which needs a good going over.....

About time (once the weather improves) to get it done i think......

You're kidding yourself, "once the weather improves", what do you think the weather has been for the last 2 to 3 weeks!

 

[Y15HAL]

You're kidding yourself, "once the weather improves", what do you think the weather has been for the last 2 to 3 weeks!

I know! thats why i said it

Wish i had a garage where i could spend time on the car(s) properly

It definitely needs to be done as i don't like it when the imperfections can be seen when the sun shines on it.....

If i don't use it, i'll get them removed from a professional

 

[zipdip]

I was given a rotary polisher about 6 years ago,I never had the courage to actually use it on the car,it is nearly as big as my 9 inch angle grinder that I am using cutting granite setts,but of course not as heavy,it has mops and discs,if there was alocal class in how to use it I would pay and join up,seems a waste sitting in the garage,like another poster you feel like you need a spare bonnet or boot lid to practice on

 

[Chrishazle]

The pros all use rotary polishers, but they're trained and know what they're doing, a rotary in unskilled hands can create more swirls than it removes - as I witnessed with my 968 coupe when my local Porsche dealer let an unskilled bloke use one on it! That's why a DA is the place to start for the unskilled - been there, got the T shirt but now too knackered to use it again. However, got excellent results on the coupe, the 968 cab I swopped the coupe for, my S203 silver and S204 Carneol Red, unfortunately don't now have the stamina etc to do the Fire Opal Red SLK.

 

[ChrisEdu]

When I was thinking of getting a polisher this was the one nearly everyone recommended......

DAS-6 PRO v2 Dual Action Polisher

DAS-6 PRO Dual Action Polisher v2 Brand new to the market is the DAS-6 PRO Dual Action Polisher v2 which quite simply is the best random orbital car polisher available. We've taken the DAS-6 and improved it with an all new more powerful 900w motor which delivers much more low

www.cleanyourcar.co.uk

I got one of those just the other week! It's good, but a bit loud. I had a complaint from a miserable old bag that lives across the street from me!

 

[ChrisEdu]

The thing I found to make a big difference was using a clay bar. I cleaned my wife's car, which was covered in all manner of crud, including tar spots and bee crap, and the clay got it beautifully clean and smooth.

 

[Chrishazle]

It's after washing, decontaminating (to get rid of brake dust and tar spots) and claying that the DA comes into it's own, a bit of paint correcting, a machine applied polish like 3M Perfect-it then elbow grease for wax and buff off. Get beer in hand, stand back and admire your handiwork!

 

[bob6600]

I've just taken delivery of a Meguiars MT320 Pad Kit. Was a toss up between the Das 6 pro plus V2 and this...decided to go with this as it wasn't much more and I'm only paying half as I'm splitting it with my brother

 

[Londonscottish]

The thing I found to make a big difference was using a clay bar. I cleaned my wife's car, which was covered in all manner of crud, including tar spots and bee crap, and the clay got it beautifully clean and smooth.

Yeah, next time I'm clay barring. Tried a clay mitt this time and just couldn't use it.

Felt guilty DA polishing over all the gunge stuck in the paint. Made me cringe.

 

[Chrishazle]

Sounds like you need to decontaminate with something like Iron-X after washing and before claying, you'll be surprised by how much purple you see as it reacts with the brake dust particles stuck in the paint!

 

[bob6600]

Tried a clay mitt this time and just couldn't use it.

I found a clay mitt far, far easier than a clay bar and much quicker

 

[Deleted member 126251]

I know! thats why i said it

Wish i had a garage where i could spend time on the car(s) properly

It definitely needs to be done as i don't like it when the imperfections can be seen when the sun shines on it.....

If i don't use it, i'll get them removed from a professional

Why are they on the professional.....???

 

[Deleted member 126251]

Yeah, next time I'm clay barring. Tried a clay mitt this time and just couldn't use it.

Felt guilty DA polishing over all the gunge stuck in the paint. Made me cringe.

Do you mean clay marring? I cannot see how a tiny bit of clay that gets gunged up with bits of dirt and hard stuff is a good thing to rub your paintwork with unless, you are going to polish after.

 

[Sicario]

I get on quite well with a clay mitt too, it gets excellent results, and as far as rotary polishers goes, if you`re careful and have common sense then you wont burn your finish, if you go overboard and just plain silly then yeah you`ll need a respray. But honestly how hard can it be? Either way i will be practicing on a scrap yard panel first. In my opinion you cant be trained to use a rotary, you can only get experience with one and find a way that works for you.

General rule of thumb is that the rotary is best for paint correction, then use the DA to polish & finish.

 

[Kongshavn]

Do you mean clay marring? I cannot see how a tiny bit of clay that gets gunged up with bits of dirt and hard stuff is a good thing to rub your paintwork with unless, you are going to polish after.

I thought the same when I last used a clay bar. However, since then have read it's best to cut the clay bar into smaller pieces, use and dispose of them as you go along. Largely avoiding this problem. Which is what I'll be doing next time!

 

[Deleted member 126251]

I thought the same when I last used a clay bar. However, since then have read it's best to cut the clay bar into smaller pieces, use and dispose of them as you go along. Largely avoiding this problem. Which is what I'll be doing next time!

I am not a "detailer" . However, I used a clay mitt on my wifes B Class. Couple of wipes with a 4x6" ( one up and one down) mitt, rinse well in soapy water, repeat etc ...quick, easy, no marring and a super smooth feel on the paint.

I think cutting clay into smaller bits will help. But the concept taking a small piece of clay (2"x2") diligently rubbing your paint until the clay is dirty, makes zero sense and is guaranteed to scratch you paint. Then, folding and stretching it again and rubbing that contaminated bit of clay on my paint makes no sense. Possibly as a prelude to a correction polish to pull the bigger bits makes sense.