Newbie DA buffer /polisher and pad question

[Spiney]

I've got a bithday in a few days and Christmas. Wife asked what I want. I want a DA buffer. I'm a newbie and it would be for my own vehicles not a business. I'm thinking Meguair's, Gratiot Garage, or Porter Cable level unit. What would be a good basic pad selection to start, so once I get it I can use it? Though realistically living in PA w/o a heated garage I won't be using it until Spring.
My main objective is my 96 SVT Cobra Black paint. It was a garage queen and well kept, low miles, but under harsh light there are plenty of water spots, swirls, and small scratches. My wife wants a list so she can call or go online and order it.

Follow up question. A member of my Mustang club who used to run a detail shop told me, and unfortunately my wife that he recommends we have it pro detailed, then I can just do the maintainence clean and wax on it. He's afraid I'll take off too much clear coat. With a DA, support from this forum, and me being a very careful person, how likely is that? If this is a real concern I'll save the DA money for the detail and find the best local detailer I can in my area, Reading, Pa

As far as products I already have and have used by hand all Meguiar's products. Gold wash, clay kit, Ultimate compound, ultimate pre cleaner polish, Gold Carnuba wax, Scratch-x 2.0, Chrome wheel polish, ultimate quick detailer, and Quick Detailer in the maroon bottle. For paint correction I'll use what you all suggest but from reading the forum looks like 105 / 205.

Thanks in advance for your feedback , I really appreciate it. Spiney-Dave

[tw33k2514]

I would get the Griots DA and a 6 pack or two of 5.5 inch flat pads. Orange and white will be your mane polishing pads, so get at least 3 of each of those. And then a blue pad for your wax or sealant of choice.

As for the guy on the car forum.. Don't listen to him. Have fun and learn to do it yourself. DAs are very safe and you will not need to worry about how much clear you are removing with one. Unless of course it is a repaint, or has known clear coat defects.

The current products you have are a great starting place Ultimate Compound is awesome stuff, and you can refine the paint further with ultimate polish or scratch x 2.0.

You could also go the less confusing route and get the Meguiars microfiber system.

[ShinyRex]

I'm sure all the pro's will jump on here in a min and give you the links/info to help you decide.

just my $.02 if you spend the money on a DA now and with practice keep you car nice then you have taught your self to fish (give a man a fish feed him for a day, teach him to fish etc..). If you pay a pro it will look great but eventually it will get swirls again. Since you are on this forum you have already taken the first steps to addiction...I mean recovery :)

If you are worried about hurting your car then practice on your wife's car until you have it down then move to yours. My wife puts up with my hobby becasue I keep her car looking just as good as mine.

[A-train]

Lake Country 5.5 Inch CCS Pads 6 Pack - Your Choice! (http://www.autogeek.net/lake-country-ccs-pack1.html)

Lake Country 5 1/2 x 7/8 inch Beveled Edge Pads 6 Pack, foam pad kit, build a kit, buffing pads, curved edge pads (http://www.autogeek.net/lake-country-beveled-pad-kit.html)

These are links to CCS 5.5 pad kit and the Lake Country 5.5in Flat Pad kit, both these would be a good kit for maintaining your vehicle, since you can choose which pads you need. As for the advice on removing too much paint i totally disagree. If you watch the videos and practice you are going to be much better off financially learning how to do it yourself, that way your not paying someone polish your car every 6 months.

[umi000]

The usual recommendation for DAs is to stick with flat, 5.5" pads - and the thinner, the better. The smaller diameter (and thinner) pads are easier for a DA to rotate, while the flat surface (vs the dimpled CCS) ensures that you're able to maximize working surface of the pads.

You'll usually need cutting, polishing, and finishing pads - so the LC flat orange, white and black would be good, as would the HT cyan, tangerine and crimson. Another more recent option would be to replace the cutting foam pads with the Meg's DA MF pads. If finances permit, get three to four of each type of pad, so you'll be able to work cleaner and not spend as much time cleaning pads in between sections.

[BobbyG]

Hi Dave,

Pay no attention to your friend as you can easily go through several hundred dollars having your car "professionally" detailed just once.. Doing your own detailing allows you to produce the quality of results you desire while saving you allot of hard earned cash in the long run..

All the machines you mention are very popular here and most will have a personal preference based on their own use.

I have and like the Porter Cable 7424 polisher. It's a nice machine and has withstood the test of time and usage. It's the first generation Porter Cable dual action polisher and I've had it for 10 to 12 years now.

The latest generation dual action polisher offered is the Porter Cable 7424xp (http://www.autogeek.net/porter-cable-7424xp.html). This is a refinement of the first and has a more powerful motor and a more ergonomic design which makes it easier on the user.

While I haven't used either the Meguiar's or Griot's machine, they have a decent following and slightly different specs. Many here seem to prefer the more powerful Griot's polisher but if power is a main driver then take a close look at the Flex 3401 (http://www.autogeek.net/flex-orbital-polisher.html).

The Flex 3401 (http://www.autogeek.net/flex-orbital-polisher.html) is in a class of it's own. It's geared or forced rotation combined with it's powerful motor makes this the choice of many. I'll never forget the first time I used mine and it was like an awakening.

For all Porter Cable type dual action polishers the Meguiar's System below produces outstanding results.

Meguiar's Microfiber System will provide the level of correction correction you desire as well as a nice finishing wax. Take a close look at this system and I think you'll be surprised how much it offers the user.


Meguiar's DA Microfiber Correction System 5 Inch Starter Kit (http://www.autogeek.net/da-microfiber-starter-kit-5in.html)


Individual correction products

Menzerna makes some of the finest products available today. Their bundle will handle just about anything can come across and when combined with a right foam pad it's hard not to consider.



Menzerna Bundle (http://www.autogeek.net/menzerna-polish-bundle3.html%3Cbr%20/%3E)

Here's some great information that will help you if you need it.


Sectional Pass With a DA Polisher (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-car-garage-how-videos/24074-show-car-garage-video-how-do-section-pass-when-machine-polishing-da-polisher.html)
Removing Swirls (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/tricks-tips-techniques/20021-definitive-how-article-removing-swirls-scratches-water-spots-using-porter-cable-7424xp-g110v2-griot-s-garage-polisher.html)
DA Trouble Shooting Guide (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/37769-da-polisher-trouble-shooting-guide.html)
Waxing With a DA Polisher (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/pinnacle-wax/28651-how-machine-apply-wax-using-da-polisher.html)

Porter Cable 7424 style backing plate & Pads


Lake Country Backing Plate (http://www.autogeek.net/lc43125.html)
Lake Country Flat Pads (http://www.autogeek.net/lake-country-beveled-pad-kit.html)


Hope this helps a little.....

[Mike Phillips]

I've got a birthday in a few days and Christmas. Wife asked what I want. I want a DA buffer. I'm a newbie and it would be for my own vehicles not a business. I'm thinking Meguiar's, Griot's Garage, or Porter Cable level unit.


Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas and Lucky Guy!





What would be a good basic pad selection to start, so once I get it I can use it?



The easiest pads to learn how to machine buff with are the 5.5" Lake Country Flat Pads. They are open cell so they are easier to wash and dry. The flat surface makes them easier to clean. Besides that it comes down to personal preference.

I can go out into the garage and get great results with any foam pad as long as my chemicals work and I use good technique. So pad "type" is the least crucial factor if you nail the other to factors.




Though realistically living in PA w/o a heated garage I won't be using it until Spring.
My main objective is my 96 SVT Cobra Black paint. It was a garage queen and well kept, low miles, but under harsh light there are plenty of water spots, swirls, and small scratches. My wife wants a list so she can call or go online and order it.


More pads is better...
You're going to want at least 4-6 foam cutting pads like the orange versions in the Lake Country CCS or Flat pad selections or the Cyan in the Hydro-Tech selections.

The longest step of any multi-step paint correction is what I call the Major Correction Step in my how-to book. It is this step that will decide the final results. If you don't remove the defects during the Major Correction Step they will still be there when you wipe off the wax only they'll be shiny.

After that you'll need some polishing pads, again more is better but you could easily do the car with 3-4 pads. You can use less pads but it's always faster to switch to a clean, dry pad as you work around a car versus use a pad that becomes wet with product.

Cleaning a pad helps to maintain pad rotation so heck if you wanted you could buff out an entire car using minimum pads, for example 2 foam cutting pads, 2 foam polishing pads and just one finishing pad to machine apply the wax.




Follow up question. A member of my Mustang club who used to run a detail shop told me, and unfortunately my wife that he recommends we have it pro detailed, then I can just do the maintenance clean and wax on it.


That's a good approach as long as you can VERIFY that the "Pro Detailer" actually knows what they are doing and the best way to do that is to interview them of find a Pro Detailer that also hangs out on a forum like this and has a known track record.

I recommend this approach for older people that get educated via forums like this on paint conditions and discover their car's paint condition is lacking but don't want to do the grunt work themselves but are more than willing to maintain their car's finish after a Pro does the hard parts.





He's afraid I'll take off too much clear coat. With a DA, support from this forum, and me being a very careful person, how likely is that? If this is a real concern I'll save the DA money for the detail and find the best local detailer I can in my area, Reading, Pa


Removing too much clear would be the least of my worries if I were in your shoes... We'll keep you using safe pads, products and techniques. The only time you need to worry about removing too much clear is if you're a Caveman, using a Caveman Compound and that isn't going to happen now that you've joined us.




As far as products I already have and have used by hand all Meguiar's products. Gold wash, clay kit, Ultimate compound, ultimate pre cleaner polish, Gold Carnauba wax, Scratch-x 2.0, Chrome wheel polish, ultimate quick detailer, and Quick Detailer in the maroon bottle. For paint correction I'll use what you all suggest but from reading the forum looks like 105 / 205.

Thanks in advance for your feedback , I really appreciate it. Spiney-Dave


Those products will work great. With a black paint job in neglected condition you're going to need either a compound like M105 or UC or a Medium Cut Polish. The M105 and UC are SMAT products and completely safe to use because after the defects are removed you can simply stop buffing.

Get a copy of my book too... lots of detailed info...


:xyxthumbs:

[ski2]

The easiest pads to learn how to machine buff with are the 5.5" Lake Country Flat Pads. They are open cell so they are easier to wash and dry. The flat surface makes them easier to clean. Besides that it comes down to personal preference. :xyxthumbs:

Are the Lake Country 5.5" Flat Pads (with appropriate backing plate) good for a beginner in machine polishing (GG6") considering they are only 7/8" thick and the velcro runs to the edge? Or would something thicker and with a recessed velcro be better? They certainly are a bargin compared to others and I'm leaning in their direction, but just wanted to get your thoughts. Thanks!

[ski2]

Thought of another question--Is it a good idea to also pick up 4" pads (and appropriate backing plate) to work in the small/tight areas of the car?

[Ron Atchison]

Are the Lake Country 5.5" Flat Pads (with appropriate backing plate) good for a beginner in machine polishing (GG6") considering they are only 7/8" thick and the velcro runs to the edge? Or would something thicker and with a recessed velcro be better? They certainly are a bargin compared to others and I'm leaning in their direction, but just wanted to get your thoughts. Thanks!

Yes they are perfectly safe.


Thought of another question--Is it a good idea to also pick up 4" pads (and appropriate backing plate) to work in the small/tight areas of the car?

Yes

[604_Snooze]

get the GG DA or if you have the cash, go for Flex 3401.

for polishing pads, maybe you should take a look at the Optimum MF pads and their sprayable compound, polish and GPS.

or the LC cyan, tangerine and crimson pads are good with the Meg polish you have.

[Spiney]

Thank you for all of the replies and great advice. I think I've narrowed my selection down to the Griots or the new Meguiar's. There's a part of me still thinking porter cable only because it seems like such a tried and true standard and there is the 3 year warranty. Either way anything is a vast improvement over what i've got. I will be placing the order soon. My birthday was on Monday but no gift. My wife is waiting for me to make up my mind, lol. Thanks again. Spiney-Dave

[tuscarora dave]

Spiney, Welcome to the site. If and when you do get started and need some guidance, send me a PM if you'd like some help. I'm in the Harrisburg/York area and would be willing to drive to Reading to give you a hand so you can be a bit more comfortable in getting through your learning curve. There is really nothing to fear as long as you have some good idea of what you are doing. I have met a ton of people who "Used to be a detailer" and some of the things they say make me do the face palm.

I won't steer you in the wrong direction and don't want anything in return. Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas. TD

[ski2]

There's a part of me still thinking porter cable only because it seems like such a tried and true standard and there is the 3 year warranty.

FYI The Groits has a lifetime warranty and has a 7 amp motor as opposed to a 4.5 amp.

[Spiney]

Follow up, if I go with the Meguiers DA Microfiber system can I use the product of my choice as the LSP?

Or might I need different pads for a different wax and or sealent?

Thanks, Spiney-Dave