Orbital Buffer Swirls Help!!

[Vancity808]

Hey guys new to the forum and a completely new to detailing, rushed to sign up and read threads after what happened to my car, long story short, i recieved a door ding, which i proceeded to go to a local shop to have them cut polish the scratches and take out the dent. After their work they left hazing in the scratched area so i took it to a different shop to hopefully have them solve the problem. A couple days after leaving the shop i noticed there were buffer swirls all over the door that had gotten dinged..
http://24.media.tumblr.com/fbbfb6a6108d69c5fe15016216ba0498/tumblr_mwt2wrcBYj1qdnuxdo1_500.jpg
so i've looked around at my options, do you guys think a simple meguiars ultimate compound applied by hand could solve the problem? if not i've been looking into purchasing a Meguiars DA polisher as it seems pretty beginner friendly, with that i still dont know what kind of pads i should be looking at, what kind of compounds i should use brand/type whats good and whats not. If it comes down to needing to purchase a polisher will this kit do the job and possibly future detailing as i'd like to pursue and learn the art of :buffing: Meguiars G110v2 DA Microfiber Correction System Complete Kit (http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-da-correction-kit.html)

thanks in advance for the help guys the car is a month old and the swirls are bugging the hell out of me.

[wdmaccord]

I think those are actually rotary buffer trails rather than something caused by an orbital. UC might do it, you may have to take a few stabs at it if you are doing it by hand. M105/M205 might be a better combo by hand using MF hand applicator for both steps. Again, by hand, it might take more than just one application of each step.

[davidg]

Can't really hurt much by hand so give it a shot. If I'm not mistaken the meguiars polisher is the weakest of the "3".

I have a pc7424 and still recommend the griots garage. Life time warranty, bigger pads, and more power while still being very user friendly and safe for a novice.

Autogeek has tons of kits with many options if you decide to go this route. Black fire, pinnical, menzerna,xmt, and many more. Very popular is meguiars 105 and 205 from the pro line.

The issue with mf pads, they have to be cleaned very often (foam will need to be cleaned or swapped while working, just less often)

Pads: lake country ccs orange, white, and black are the core ones. The hydro tech pads are also popular and I believe there are only 3 colors AG sales.

AG also has fantastic customer service, if you feel like you need more help you can post up here and a forum or store member will chime in or you can just give them a call.

[Vancity808]

So it seems like the foam pads are a better option, i could buy the DA polisher and a lake country pad kit would that be a better option, also what do the 105 and the 205 mean, compound types?

[R4IDER]

if ur willing to take the plunge , theres a sale right now on buffers , pick up a griots kit with some pads and menzerna or wolfgang polish and ull get that done in 10 min ( it swirls are not deep )

[wdmaccord]

Meguiars M105 is a heavy cut compound and M205 is fine cut polish.

Meguiars Mirror Glaze #105 Ultra-Cut Compound, polishing compound, ultra cut compound, paint compound, car polish (http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-105-compound-8oz.html)
Meguiars M205 Ultra Finishing Polish, final polish, car polish, M205, Meguires (http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-205-polish-8oz.html)

[Vancity808]

so i could buy it separately, the meguiars polisher by itself, the 105 and 205 compound, followed by lake country orange black and white pads. Lake Country 6.5 FLAT Pads 6 Pack - Your Choice! (http://www.autogeek.net/vcpad-6pack.html)

i could use the orange pad with the 105 to cut and follow up with the gray pad and the 205 to finish and the blue to follow up with meguiars nxt liquid wax? now are foam pads reusable/washable?

[davidg]

They are megiuars product numbers. Some companies do numbers and others have product names. Like swirl remover and then finishing polish. They are usually a minimum of 2. You'll do your defect removal with the swirl compound (105 for instance) and then refine the paint to a high gloss with a finishing product (205). Larry has a great video on this, check him out on the ammonyc youtube channel.

I believe foam is a bit more user friendly. I'm sure some would disagree, so if you get into detailing and machine polishing and enjoy it be sure to try both and pick which you like best.

[davidg]

Do 5.5 inch pads on the meguairs polisher, but I strongly recommend the griots just for the power and warranty.

3 orange for 105
2 white for 205
Black for your wax of choice.


They are washable and reusable.

[wdmaccord]

I'd recommend this Griot's kit. Griot’s Garage & Meguiar’s Paint Perfection Kit 3rd Generation! (http://www.autogeek.net/griots-garage-paint-perfection-kit.html)

Or this one: Griot’s Garage Random Orbital Wolfgang Duo (http://www.autogeek.net/griots-garage-wolfgang-kit.html)

M105 can be a little tricky to learn to use. The wolfgang kit might be a little more user friendly for an extra $10.

I wouldn't be afraid to pick up some M105 and M205 at your local advance auto parts and some MF hand applicators if you want to try that route first. If you decide you don't want to purchase a machine quite yet. I can usually only find 32 oz. at advance though, so it might cost you $50-60 just for that. You could be halfway to a machine kit for that amount. :)

[Vancity808]

Is there a huge difference between wolfgangs compounds vs meguiars compounds? What do you guys prefer, which one is easy to use / effective as well

The 10-20 dollars isn't a huge deal, i'd just rather not pay 200 dollars and get my paint corrected by someone when i could spend a little more and learn to do something I've wanted to do myself, I'm just a little too chicken sh*t to try anything on my one month old black car.

[Chicago Tommy]

If I was in your position, here is what I would do. Any of the DA's will work. PC, Megs, GG, etc. Start with a polish and a polishing pad for whichever system you prefer. Those aren't "swirl" marks by the accepted vernacular of these sorts of sites. Those are holograms or buffer trails, which are easily cleared up with a polish. Starting with a compound is only going to give you more work. If there are "swirls" present, then start with a good cutting compound and the matching pad. However, I don't seem them in the picture you posted.

[Vancity808]

I think I'm going to jump on the griots + wolfgang combo, for 170 bucks that's a pretty good deal, you're recommending just using the finishing pad and polish combo and it'll take out the buffer trails no problem?

Which da polisher would you guys say is the best choice / value
Meguiars G110 V2
Griots Garage 6in HD
Porter Cable 7424 XP

And what would be the most recommended polish? So far i've only looked into the Wolfgang SR & FG along with the Meguiars 105 and 205 compounds & chemical guys V34/36/38 compounds, anything else that i should look into in terms of quality? Price isn't a huge object, i want everything done properly.

[davidg]

Griot’s Garage Random Orbital Wolfgang Duo (http://www.autogeek.net/griots-garage-wolfgang-kit.html)


If I was just getting a starter kit I would get this, and a 6 pack of lake country ccs pads (2 orange, 2 white, 2 black) I use black for anything except "polishing." I use them for sealant and wax pretty often. I have blue and reds and just tend to pick up the black for some reason.


You'll need to start with white pad and fg. If it works then great! If not bump up to orange and sr. Wolfgang is made by menzerna, one of the most reputable polish companies on the planet. Concocted to be user friendly and specifically made for autogeek.

You could also try fg on an orange pad to get a little more cut if you're seeing decent results and want to be as gentle as possible.

Truth is, every polish works. It's all about technique. Some remove better than others and some dust less but they will still get your car where you want it.

[Vancity808]

Thanks for all the input Davidg, so its all about experimenting with different pad and compound combos along with technique as well then?

I'm thinking of running to the junkyard this coming weekend, grab a worn out hood or something and testing on that before jumping onto my Infinitis.