Newbie! Lurker taking the plunge! Few questions!

[Dom958]

Hey guys! NOT entirely sure if this is the right topic to post on but bare with me!
So I've done some reading on this forum and I've decided to take the plunge and buy the products I need to get my daily looking beautiful again!

I have a Volkswagen Passat Wagon R36
I live in Australia, don't know if it makes any difference buying the products from AutoGeek, not entirely sure if they have an Australia Distributor!

Okay so here is what I've come up with from reading on these forums!

- Porter Cable 7424XP
- Iron X
- Clay bar
- Lake Country 5" Backing plate
- Lake Country 5" thin pro
- 4-5 Orange
- 4-5 White
- 2 Red
- 2 Black
-Recommend a cutting compound please!
- HD Speed ( I've gone with the AIO as the swirls on my car aren't that bad and I think this will remove most of it )
- HD Poxy (Went for this as people recommend it when using HD Speed, but any other sealants/waxes that will be good for me?)

- Wolfgang Uber Ceramic Kit(gone with this if I'm happy how my car comes up I will be applying this, it looks easy enough in my personal opinion? But if you disagree please, don't hesitate! I'm starting out so any little bit of information is great!

- A bunch of cotton terry towels

Now what's been bugging me for the first few weeks is how to get into certain places as I believe the machine has to have 100% contact? Correct?
So how would you go about pillars, mirrors, under door handles, side skirts, the front bumper is a bit of a paint on my car also where the number plate is in the rear, do I have to purchase really small pads or?

Also how do you guys do the roof, with ease!

Sorry to bundle all my questions at once, thank you in advance I know you guys are great and am looking forwards to your responses!

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160416/db50e667d2d3a49cc893d8a7cf618553.jpg





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[mankave1]

Well I'm no expert.... but mask off that luggage rack off, I also remove the plate and frequently hand polish tough to get places. I been playing around with removing compound/polish/wax from plastic trim textured & rubber molded components and it is a pain. To get the roof I have used a 2 step ladder and often balanced one leg on the ladder & one in the door jam.... but not when I mask everything completely shut. I also cover the tires w/ old towels and wet the floor keeps dust down.... as I excessively clean my pads.
I also use MF cloths exclusively, just because.... !

[Dom958]

Well I'm no expert.... but mask off that luggage rack off, I also remove the plate and frequently hand polish tough to get places. I been playing around with removing compound/polish/wax from plastic trim textured & rubber molded components and it is a pain. To get the roof I have used a 2 step ladder and often balanced one leg on the ladder & one in the door jam.... but not when I mask everything completely shut. I also cover the tires w/ old towels and wet the floor keeps dust down.... as I excessively clean my pads.
I also use MF cloths exclusively, just because.... !

Thanks for the pointers ! :) will take into consideration!


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[Dom958]

Bump


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[pheerix]

Replace cotton towels with microfiber towels.

[brettS4]

I'm just curious... will the PC7424XP rotate counterclockwise down under? :buffing:

[ski2]

You might want to consider the Griots Garage polisher--it is considerably more powerful which you will need on that hard VW clear coat. Equipped with a 5" backing plate and 5" pads it can handle anything you can throw at it. And, it has a lifetime warranty. My GG6 has done a great job on our two VW's--07 Passat Wagon, 12 Golf.

You can also equip it with smaller backing plates for use with 3" or 4" pads for polishing the tight spots. Some areas will have to be done by hand such as under the door handles.

Poxy over Speed will look great on your wagon.

[Robsresto]

If you don't have much experience buffing I wouldnt start on your roof. Besides, you may not need all that correction work bc it looks like u take pretty nice care of it. I recommend a thorough wash then a polymer nutrient sealer. While still wet apply a spray wax as lube for claybar(I use P&S epic eco green water less wash) . Do not rinse! Quick Squeegee dry then I immediately apply a carnauba. Use microfiber cloth or orbital to remove. One more wipe with microfiber n spray wax n it should b golden. If it needs buffing tho dry after wash n sealant, and use a dressing on all vinyl/plastic. I use cooks dash vent magic (it works great last long n smells like cream soda) in all hard to reach areas. That way any splatter comes right off.

[Dom958]

Replace cotton towels with microfiber towels.

Will do :)


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[Dom958]

I'm just curious... will the PC7424XP rotate counterclockwise down under? :buffing:

Hahahahaha oh no! Maybe! We'll have to see :)


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[Dom958]

You might want to consider the Griots Garage polisher--it is considerably more powerful which you will need on that hard VW clear coat. Equipped with a 5" backing plate and 5" pads it can handle anything you can throw at it. And, it has a lifetime warranty. My GG6 has done a great job on our two VW's--07 Passat Wagon, 12 Golf.

You can also equip it with smaller backing plates for use with 3" or 4" pads for polishing the tight spots. Some areas will have to be done by hand such as under the door handles.

Poxy over Speed will look great on your wagon.

Thank you so much for your response !
With the Griots Garage Polisher, is it just as safe and user friendly ?

Also with the the chrome on the side, will I have to do tape that up or can I just run upto it with no harm?

Thanks in advance :)


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[Dom958]

If you don't have much experience buffing I wouldnt start on your roof. Besides, you may not need all that correction work bc it looks like u take pretty nice care of it. I recommend a thorough wash then a polymer nutrient sealer. While still wet apply a spray wax as lube for claybar(I use P&S epic eco green water less wash) . Do not rinse! Quick Squeegee dry then I immediately apply a carnauba. Use microfiber cloth or orbital to remove. One more wipe with microfiber n spray wax n it should b golden. If it needs buffing tho dry after wash n sealant, and use a dressing on all vinyl/plastic. I use cooks dash vent magic (it works great last long n smells like cream soda) in all hard to reach areas. That way any splatter comes right off.

Thank you for your response!
Oh I wasn't planning on starting on the roof it was just a general question if I did do the whole car, but it does have swirls I do want to remove so yeah I probably will end up doing so!

Thanks again!


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[ski2]

Thank you so much for your response !
With the Griots Garage Polisher, is it just as safe and user friendly ?

Also with the the chrome on the side, will I have to do tape that up or can I just run upto it with no harm?

Thanks in advance :)


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Yes, the GG6 is just as safe as any DA polisher. I started as a newbie with the GG6 a few years ago and have had no problems what so ever. You will appreciate the extra torque of the GG6 with your hard VW clear. It is much safer as a beginner to tape the edges of the chrome and the edges of any black trim to avoid any damage. Only takes a few minutes.

[Dom958]

Yes, the GG6 is just as safe as any DA polisher. I started as a newbie with the GG6 a few years ago and have had no problems what so ever. You will appreciate the extra torque of the GG6 with your hard VW clear. It is much safer as a beginner to tape the edges of the chrome and the edges of any black trim to avoid any damage. Only takes a few minutes.

Lovely to hear :)
Thank you for your responses! Helped a heap!

Another question, see the guards on my car, how it has a lip, is it safe to go over with the machine? And how much of a surface do you cover when doing a correction? I've seen photos of like little squares to do but I thought that was too little or am I wrong? See I thought you could do say, half a bonnet in one go.
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160420/cf24e042dfa2992111380ea73774f8c9.jpg

Also tips on doing side skirts?

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160420/0e45e5f59656af96b1062b5cc06d24fa.jpg

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[alao]

Hey, I'm a lurker from Australia too. Just checking, are you planning to use those DA with a voltage converter? I'm not sure if you know but all the polishers sold here are made for the US market, therefore the voltage requirement is 110, whereas Australia voltage is 230v so you'll need to have a converter for it to not blow.

I originally wanted to purchase one from here too but did not want to use a converter so I'm currently looking at some local suppliers for a polisher. Don't think I'm allowed to mention here though.