electric car polishers - any good ?

[Alex225]

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...

Couldn't agree more. I recall talking to Ed at Divine Detail and he said you'll get quicker correction with a rotary, it builds heat quicker and is more aggressive. This is also a chap who will measure paint depth prior polishing so knows exactly what you can cut back. A DA on the other hand is so much more forgiving, it doesn't build the heat and burning through paint would almost take a lot of effort to do. That said you can correct swirls with a DA. I used my DA on my old E Class the summer I had it, it removed quite a few more stubborn marks that hand polishing wouldn't. It wasn't fully corrected but looked excellent.

Talking of unskilled polishing. There's a large Facebook group for detailing which has tonnes of questions and posts each day. A chap came on there last week saying that his friend had 'mopped' the roof of his car and he had these marks round the edges, is there anything he could do to sort them out. He received quite a lot of replies, many of which asking what had actually been done. Sounded very much like his mate had got a bit handy with some kind of rotary polisher, probably a big old woolly thing and from the looks of the pictures, burnt round the curved edges of the roof.

 

[Sicario]

Yep, the edges of any panel are where heat builds up quickly, i would use lighter pressure just lifting the weight of the polisher, use a pad primer (lube) and make sure there`s enough polish on the pad, i.e not dried out. And spend less time in any one patch on the edges, move quicker.

Common sense

 

[Chrishazle]

Any edges should be masked off with 3M blue 10mm masking tape before starting to correct even with a DA, let alone a rotary! Learnt that lesson the hard way many years ago doing the boot lid on my RR - thankfully the stripped area was hidden by the closed boot when I PX'd it!

 

[Alex225]

I would understand that paint/lacquer thicknesses will vary on edges of panels and corners such as spoilers so you'd exercise caution around those areas by default.

I worked with a guy about five years ago who was always chopping and changing cars. He must have had six to ten different cars each year I knew him. Anyway, he was very gung-ho with bodywork everything was mop this and t-cut that. He loved the mechanics but wasn't sympathetic to making cars shiny. He was telling me how he had a Renault 5 that he'd modified and decided to go at with the old fashion mop type polisher. Doing the bonnet and noticed a weird mark on it, so went over it again the mark got worse. Before it licked he'd burnt a hole through his paint! haha

For the type of polishing I've used my DA for, it's been quite light and not in view of a full correction. You just have to be careful and a bit logical really. Then again in the current climate we know that seems to be lacking a bit haha

 

[Sicario]

So i had my first crack at using a DA yesterday, on the bonnet of my E350 which had medium swirl marks and a few marks from what looked like maybe cat paw/nail scratches, i planned to go in gently, over priming my chem guys orange hex pad with a medium cutting compound and using to chem lube, initially i though the wetter the better, for my first time. Split the bonnet into 4 quarters and went to work, using criss cross, 4 passes on each on medium speed. Then another 4 passes on each qtr, finished off with 4 passes of Auto Finesse tripple until the polish went clear.

Prognosis, super smooth finish, feels like silk, got rid of 75% of the swirls which i only really noticed under the lights of the petrol station later on last night, and the scratches, well maybe 50% of them gone. So i would say i corrected 50% of my entire bonnet, i had already ordered some meguiars ultimate compound which im still waiting for, which apparently is the stuff to use, so i will wait for that and do another few passes until the scratches and swirls have completely gone, then polish with AF tripple, then finish with Turtle wax hybrid ceramic.

I became quickly apt at using the DA, it was only a cheap MOSS one on ebay for £55 but seems adequate for my amateur needs, i didnt feel at risk when compounding high points, i just moved over them a bit quicker constantly checking for heat on the paint and the pad, it really wasnt scary at all.

maybe my "wetter the better" approach was a tad OTT but as far as im concerned its what im sticking to.

 

[Chrishazle]

When using my DA for paint correction I always had a water spray bottle to hand as you can see the correction fluid drying out (which is not good!) and give it a quick spritz. Well done you, sounds like you got it right first time!

I bet you've also learnt (like me, the hard way) not to turn the DA on after putting fluid on the pad and before putting the pad onto what you want to work on. I got correcting fluid everywhere, as if I'd used a spray gun!!

 

[Sicario]

You hit the nail on the head mate, it was my first lesson before the pad even touched the bonnet lol

 

[Sicario]

I just spent the last 4 hours cutting one half of my bonnet, i used Meguiars Ultimate compound and a Chemical Guys hex logic Orange cutting pad, the cut was REALLY slow, i followed all the guidelines to a Tee, i did a total of 8 x 4 passes per third (i split half the bonnet into thirds) just using the cutting compound, obviously the polishing (Auto Finesse with a hex logic white polishing pad) was fairly quick, and used a larger white foam finishing pad for the Hybrid ceramic wax.

Proper impressed with the half i have done, 90% flawless, still a few marks here and there but you have to properly look to see them, but i cant help but think that theres a quicker way, its common knowledge that Mercedes clear coat is thick and hard but thats no reason to go at it with a hammer and chisel. I deduced that either:-

a) my clear coat is uber hard
b) the orange hex logic pad just doesnt cut it (pun intended)
c) the Meguiars Ultimate just wasnt up to the job
d) the cheap £55 DA by Moss made it slow

My gut tells me its the pad, and that a rotary polisher is the way to go with Mercedes clear coat, i do have a rotary polisher but i wont even consider trying that until i test it on a scrap panel, which would be really handy right now but i cant get one obviously.

When i do my roof im going to order & try a Lake Country micro fibre cutting pad (as its all flat surface) with the Meguiars and continue with the white hex logic for polishing, and i need to get a detailing spray for clean ups in between passes.

Im even considering using 5000 grit wet n dry on my roof its that bad

 

[moodi]

Love my DA, wouldn't be without it and makes everything detailing-wise a much easier job.

 

[RaceDiagnostics]

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

I was also given one, do people buy them then get too afraid to use them? They are not difficult to use for those with a bit of dexterity and common sense. I used wet and dry paper and then a rotary polisher to get rid of all the orange peel on my car, having never used one before. Just take care on edges and always polish off the edge, it was very easy to use.

 

[Atavus]

I also prefer a rotary and stopped using the DA once I acquired one. I don’t miss the vibration.

 

[Sicario]

Well the chem boys orange hex pad is fubar, coming away from the velcro backing and the sponge is flat as a pancake, its gone in the bin and it didnt even manage to do my entire bonnet. Back to the drawing board as far as cutting pad goes, time to order the lake Country MF pad

 

[Sicario]

Just had a browse through the cleanyourcar website and ordered a lake country 6" micro fibre cutting pad, Menzerna Heavy Cut 400 compound & some proEraser, oh and some 3m Blue masking tape, £42 delivered

 

[DetailerDan]

Just had a browse through the cleanyourcar website and ordered a lake country 6" micro fibre cutting pad, Menzerna Heavy Cut 400 compound & some proEraser, oh and some 3m Blue masking tape, £42 delivered

Enjoy

 

[clk320x]

Just had a browse through the cleanyourcar website and ordered a lake country 6" micro fibre cutting pad, Menzerna Heavy Cut 400 compound & some proEraser, oh and some 3m Blue masking tape, £42 delivered

Is that the orange lake country Pad?

 

[Sicario]

This one

Lake Country HDO Heavy Cutting Microfibre Pads (various)

Lake Country HDO Microfibre Pads The Lake COuntry HDO pads are designed for use on a dual action (random orbital) car polisher. This HDO Microfibre cutting pad is designed to give anear rotary level of cut on a dual action acr polisher. The pad has low heat generation, with a high cutting action, p

www.cleanyourcar.co.uk

 

[thugusher]

This one

Lake Country HDO Heavy Cutting Microfibre Pads (various)

Lake Country HDO Microfibre Pads The Lake COuntry HDO pads are designed for use on a dual action (random orbital) car polisher. This HDO Microfibre cutting pad is designed to give anear rotary level of cut on a dual action acr polisher. The pad has low heat generation, with a high cutting action, p

www.cleanyourcar.co.uk

Hi Sicario.. I am based in Kent. Unfortunately i am unable to reply to my post about the icarsoft v2 scanner. I am getting the insufficient privileges message

 

[Sicario]

Ok pal, only reason i was asking is if you were local to me you couldve borrowed mine

 

[thugusher]

Ok pal, only reason i was asking is if you were local to me you couldve borrowed mine

thanks anyway

 

[219]

What do the detailers out there recommend ?

I don’t consider myself a ‘detailer’ in that I’m not obsessive about cleaning and polishing , but having bought cars which have paint fading etc I bought one of these years ago : it is a great piece of kit , and Machine Mart also do all the polishes , pads etc as required

Clarke CP185 180mm (7") Sander & Polisher - Machine Mart - Machine Mart

www.machinemart.co.uk