Product Advice for DA

[AMarkham40]

Hey guys, I purchased a Griot's 6" DA last year and I'm ready to finally start using it. I mainly want it for removing swirl marks & light oxidation. What products would you guys recommend? I love Optimum Car Wax so I've been leaning toward the Optimum Polish II as it seems to do accomplish swirl removal & finishing depending on what pads you use. Is there a good AIO product anybody would recommend? I've always detailed cars by hand so this will be a big change for me. Thanks for any help!

[Setec Astronomy]

You can't go wrong with Optimum products, either Polish II as you noted, Hyper Polish, or GPS as an AIO. Do you already have pads and/or what do you intend to use?

[AMarkham40]

You can't go wrong with Optimum products, either Polish II as you noted, Hyper Polish, or GPS as an AIO. Do you already have pads and/or what do you intend to use?

I plan on purchasing pads this weekend also. I'm looking at 3" & 5" backing plates with some LC CCS pads. I was leaning toward orange, white, & red. Not sure if I should get a gray or blue pad.

[Setec Astronomy]

As I said, it's hard to go wrong with the Optimum stuff, either the sprays (Hyper Compound, Hyper Polish, GPS) or the crème (Compound, Polish, Finish, Poli-Seal). Pad selection is fine, it's personal preference some people like CCS some people like flat.

[BradsDetailing]

I also bought a gg 6" with a 5" bp, bought meguiars 105/205 out of pure popularity and word of mouth. Also bought some ccs pads, white, green, orange and black

[Tato]

I'd try the flat pads in 5.5".
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)

2 orange, 2 white, 2 black/gray, at a minimum. If you can afford for the start, 3 of each, the more, the better, but when starting, order low quantity since you may feel the need and then re-stock what you'll use/need more.

I'd get the LC 5" backing plate:
lake country 5 inch backing plate, 5 inch backin plate, 5 inch hook and loop backing plate (http://www.autogeek.net/lc43125.html)

And choose between a 3" or 3.5" plate, or both.
3" 3 Inch Dual Action Flexible Backing Plate, da backing plate, random orbital backing plate (http://www.autogeek.net/3inch-dual-action-backing-plate.html)
3.5" 3.5" Dual Action Flexible Backing Plate- porter cable 7424XP hook and loop backing plate 3.5 inch. (http://www.autogeek.net/lc-43085da.html)

Here you can get four small pads (2 polishing, 2 finishing) for an affordable price:
Lake Country Beveled Edge 3.5 Inch Pad Pack (http://www.autogeek.net/bevel-edge-4-pack.html)

The Griot's 3" orange polishing pads seems interesting as well:
Griot's Garage 3 Inch Orange Polishing Foam Pad, foam polishing pad, Griots foam pads, orbital polishing pads (http://www.autogeek.net/griots-orange-polishing-pad.html)

And their pads are sold in packages of 3 units as well, like this bundle of finishing pads:
Griot’s Garage 3 Inch Black Finishing Pad, Set of 3 (http://www.autogeek.net/griots-3-inch-black-pad.html)

A good shot for the 3" pads are the Hydrotech, just remember to be gentle on those pads since they are more 'sensible' and may not last much if you abuse them. A good tip (for the smaller pads) is to use some pressure (sure), but mainly try to let the machine do the work. Also, be gentle on pad brush while scrubbing it clean:
Cutting Single 3 x 1.25 Inch Hydro-Tech Cyan Advanced Cutting Foam Pad (http://www.autogeek.net/lc-h20-930.html)
Polishing Single 3 x 1.25 Hydro-Tech Tangerine Ultra Polishing Foam Pad (http://www.autogeek.net/lc-h20-230.html)
Finishing Hydro-Tech 4 Inch Crimson Finishing Foam Pad (http://www.autogeek.net/crimson-hydro-tech-4in.html)

The hydro-techs may give you great results for spot polishing since they are powerful pads. There's also 'only 3 colors' to choose from, so getting 2 of each you're set to start.

If you get 3.5" plate, get the hydro-techs in 4":
Lake Country Hydro-Tech 4 x 1.25 Inch Foam Pads, Hydrotech foam buffing pads, spot polishing pads, dual action pads (http://www.autogeek.net/hydrotech-4inch-foam-pads.html)

Optimum lineup of compounds and polishes, from what I've researched, receives good reviews and are also affordable compared to other options. I never used, so you'll need to do your homework and decide if saving a few now would solve your issues then. Remember, 32oz of product can take very long to end before you need to buy another, so you'll have to 'stick' with what you got (if you're mainly a weekend warrior), or you'll end up spending twice. Although how you spend your money is not my business anyway ahahhaha


As an addition to your foam pads, you may get at least 1 pair of Meg's Microfiber Discs in 5":
Meguiars DA Microfiber Cutting Discs, compounding discs, cutting pads (http://www.autogeek.net/5in-microfiber-cutting-discs.html)

You can also get them in 3" to use with your 3" plate:
Meguiars DA Microfiber Cutting Discs, cutting pads, compounding pads (http://www.autogeek.net/3in-microfiber-cutting-discs.html)

An affordable option for using the MF cutting discs would be using D300 Meg's MF compound:
Meguiars Microfiber Correction Compound, polishing compound, paint correction (http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-da-compound.html)

They also offer MF finishing discs and a Polish, but you can go fine using D300 on MF cutting and then finishing the job with a polish on any foam pad you may have. But again, we can never have enough of pad options...

Actually, I'm using mainly one compound and one finishing polish:
FG400 Menzerna Fast Gloss Compound, Fast Gloss 400, FG400 compound (http://www.autogeek.net/menzerna-fast-gloss.html)
SF4000 Menzerna Nano Polish PO 106 FA, Menzerna Final Polish, Nano abrasives, finishing polish, professional polish (http://www.autogeek.net/menzerna-super-nano-polish.html)

I can do virtually anything with those 2 products playing around with different pads and machine settings.

But there are plenty of options.
Following the Meguiar's line, you can take a look at 105/205 combination:
105 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)
205 Meguiars M205 Ultra Finishing Polish, final polish, car polish, M205, Meguires (http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-205-polish-8oz.html)

They are available in small sizes so you can start low and see if you like before ordering too much.

Their 'customer line' offers similar to 105/205 combo, which is 'in theory' easier to use, even though I've read some people commenting their like to Ultimate Compound (from customer line) better than M105 (it's professional version). I've saw some even mixing them up, but not a subject I can justify talking about.
UC is pretty decent to start with. Meguiars Ultimate Compound, polishing compound, rubbing compound, meguiars rubbing compound, meguires, meguiars polish, auto compound polish (http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-ultimate-compound.html)
UP is also good. Meguiars Ultimate Polish, meguiars car polish, meguiars polishes, mcguire's (http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-ultimate-polish.html)

You can even go smaller on UC/UP setup for a bargain and earn an applicator and towel as well. I imagine this on a 20% sale, almost a free trial.
Meguiars Ultimate Compound & Polish Combo (http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-combo-kit.html)

The Meguiar's offers 4" pads that 'sticks' to a 3" plate (beveled pads), they are a good option for polishing and finishing works
Polishing Meguiars Yellow Soft Buff 4 Inch Foam Polishing Pads, polishing pad, buffer pad, polish applicator (http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-soft-buff-polish-pads.html)
Finishing Meguiars Black Soft Buff 4 Inch Foam Finishing Pads, foam finishing pads, wax pads, buffing pads, foam pad (http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-4inch-finishing-pads.html)

The soft buff cutting (burgundy) pad is not to my taste, I'd step from yellow polishing to Microfiber passing over the burgundy.

If you got the 3.5" plate, and the 5.5" CCS over the flats (even if not), you have CCS options in 4" as well:
Lake Country 4 Inch CCS Pads 6 Pack - Your Choice! (http://www.autogeek.net/lake-country-ccs-pack.html)


I really hope I could make you even more confuse! I always feel this way when placing an order, cart may go up to 5000$ before achieving a $200-$300 order ahhaha

Just try to rationalize what you'll use, what you will be working on, and don't hesitate to ask again when you decide on your list.

Kind Regards.

[Coopers ST]

I also got a GG6 last year and used it for the first time this spring. I got a few Lake County Flat orange and white and blue pads to go with it.
On my wifes 2005 Santa Fe that sits outside all the time I used Megs Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish, followed by Megs NXT as I already had it. I didn't think this car would look as good again. It isn't perfect, but is very good, better than most daily driver SUVs on the road especially ones that live outside.
On my 2013 Focus ST that only has a few thousand miles and stays inside almost all the time I used Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover and Wolfgang Finishing Glaze that came with my GG6, followed by Wolfgang Deep Gloss Sealant. The car beat my wildest expectations.

[MarkD51]

You also cannot go wrong with any of the Palm Beach House Brands, such as Wolfgang, Pinnacle, Pinnacle XMT, and Detailer's Pro. All products within these lines mentioned are all exceptional.

[Tato]

I also got a GG6 last year and used it for the first time this spring. I got a few Lake County Flat orange and white and blue pads to go with it.
On my wifes 2005 Santa Fe that sits outside all the time I used Megs Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish, followed by Megs NXT as I already had it. I didn't think this car would look as good again. It isn't perfect, but is very good, better than most daily driver SUVs on the road especially ones that live outside.
On my 2013 Focus ST that only has a few thousand miles and stays inside almost all the time I used Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover and Wolfgang Finishing Glaze that came with my GG6, followed by Wolfgang Deep Gloss Sealant. The car beat my wildest expectations.

^^Great advice, that also complements what I linked above.

:xyxthumbs: