Advice on polisher/pad combo?

[mitchoi]

Hello, everyone.

I'm a newbie to detailing but I would like to get a DA polisher and some pads, I'm in the Philippines so not much choice here and the only option is to have it shipped here.

I'm looking to get the Griot's Garage 6 and maybe 3 orange and 3 white pads, is it enough and is it the right combo? Any suggestions? Feed back please

[LSNAutoDetailing]

Hi and welcome to AGO!

First off, you should go to the How To section and review the many subjects and video offerings on "how to's".
Auto Detailing Facts, auto detailing Tips, How to detailing Guides, how to polish, how to wax, DIY detailing, do it yourself guides (http://www.autogeek.net/detailingtips.html)

The Griot's Garage 6 would be an excellent choice as would be the Porta Cable 7424 XP. Both are serious tools that can do a proper job.

As far as how many pads? You may want to review this thread.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-mike-phillips-your-detailing-questions/88109-how-many-pads-do-i-need-buff-out-my-car.html

Hope this helps!

[mitchoi]

Thanks!

As much as I wanted to get a lot of pads, I'm a little bit budget constrained and customs here are a pain, I've heard people being charged commercial fees for a dozen items, probably the most I can get are 8 pads, 1 5" backing plate and the polisher.

PS: I read the link about number of pads, would just like to clarify if my plan will work.
Can I get away with just having the orange pads for now, no yellow? I'm thinking getting 3 orange for correction, 3 white for polishing, 2 black for waxing? Or should it be 2 blue finessing pads instead of black?

I'll upload a picture of the car I plan on working on when I get home, it's a 2008 silver Toyota Vios, and I don't think it needs much correction, it's probably hard to spot any swirls with a flashlight on a silver paint, much less to my untrained eye.

[Mantilgh]

Silver Toyota, probably get away with just the white or if you think you'll need a little more cut you could go all orange. The orange should finish well enough and if not it would be hard to see on a silver vehicle.

Or do 5 white and just 1 orange, or yellow to work some of the bad areas first if you have them.

If you are trying to limit yourself, you could skip the black or blue for wax application and just do it by hand. Shouldn't really need them for jeweling up silver.

Edit: Sorry, I was assuming you were talking about Lake Country pads and I was recommending color choices for those.

[mitchoi]

Yep, I was talking about the Lake Country as I see them mentioned a lot in here.

I'm choosing between Porter Cable and Griot's Garage, but both are 110v, using a step-down transformer isn't going to affect its performance, does it?

[AZpolisher15]

1 black for wax/sealer (maybe AIO) application
4 white for polish (and AIO)
1 orange for polish on rockers, bumpers, etc (and RIDS)

And all of these could probably be used for any of the above tasks in a pinch?

I'm not the guy to ask, so hopefully someone more experienced will chime in. But that's what I was considering after my research back when I was trying to limit myself to 6 pads and cover all the the bases (for my needs on a newer vehicle).

[mitchoi]

Can't resist and already placed an order for a Griot's Garage, 5" backing plate and 2 orange, 2 white, 1 yellow, 1 black Lake Country pads. On a tight budget, luckily wife agreed to share some of the cost.

[Mike Phillips]

Can't resist and already placed an order for a Griot's Garage, 5" backing plate and 2 orange, 2 white, 1 yellow, 1 black Lake Country pads.



You can do amazing work with the tool, backing plate and pads you purchased. Just as important is learning how to sell/educate your customer so you get paid for the quality of work you can now put out.

Most of the guys that fly to the U.S. from other countries to take my class have the same goal for their business and in my opinion it's smart. Very smart.

Most countries outside of the United States have a two demographic categories, the rich and the poor, what they don't have is a wide spectrum middle class.

So the guys that attend my 3-day Competition Ready Classes are going after the wealthy customer base in their country not the poor. Anyone in their own country with a wash mitt and a bucket is a "Detailer". They elevate themselves by obtaining both the knowledge and the skills to do high quality work and then market themselves this way, as being knowledgeable and skilled, and then make a good living in their country taking care of the wealthy car owners.

Something to think about.






On a tight budget, luckily wife agreed to share some of the cost.



Make sure she gets to share some of the profits!


:xyxthumbs:

[vanev]

Also make sure to take care of your pads, and to work clean as you go.
At some point, you will need an air compressor to blow out the pads as you are working.
A pad washer/bucket system is a great way to go as well.
If nothing else, have some old microfiber towels to run the pads over on low speed while attached to the machine, with the microfiber towel held in the opposite hand.
Keep us posted on how it all turns out for you.

[mitchoi]

You can do amazing work with the tool, backing plate and pads you purchased. Just as important is learning how to sell/educate your customer so you get paid for the quality of work you can now put out.

Most of the guys that fly to the U.S. from other countries to take my class have the same goal for their business and in my opinion it's smart. Very smart.

Most countries outside of the United States have a two demographic categories, the rich and the poor, what they don't have is a wide spectrum middle class.

So the guys that attend my 3-day Competition Ready Classes are going after the wealthy customer base in their country not the poor. Anyone in their own country with a wash mitt and a bucket is a "Detailer". They elevate themselves by obtaining both the knowledge and the skills to do high quality work and then market themselves this way, as being knowledgeable and skilled, and then make a good living in their country taking care of the wealthy car owners.

Something to think about.


:xyxthumbs:

I want to thank you guys for putting up this site, lots of information and people are very helpful.


Make sure she gets to share some of the profits!

Hahaha! It's primarily for personal use, but her mom has a car repair business, maybe I can do some detailing job there if I get better at this! Im the MAN

It's gonna take at least 3 weeks for the items to get here though. Right now, it's still on pending status. Newbie me also forgot to add to cart a free sample, saw it after I placed the order :awman:


Also make sure to take care of your pads, and to work clean as you go.
At some point, you will need an air compressor to blow out the pads as you are working.
A pad washer/bucket system is a great way to go as well.
If nothing else, have some old microfiber towels to run the pads over on low speed while attached to the machine, with the microfiber towel held in the opposite hand.
Keep us posted on how it all turns out for you.

Mother-in-law has a car repair business and they have an air compressor there, so I got that covered at least. Thanks!

[Mantilgh]

Right now, it's still on pending status. Newbie me also forgot to add to cart a free sample, saw it after I placed the order.

Best bet is to give them a quick call. Still business operating hours here in the states for at least 4-5 more hours. Hopefully they'll hook you up.

[mitchoi]

I'm at work and I don't have any way of contacting them by phone, I did email them though, I hope it makes it. On the other hand, I hope they ship it soon, I'm excited.

[Mantilgh]

Good luck with the email.

Did You email to a specific person?

Or to customerservice@autogeek.net?

You will most likely get a much quicker response if you email a person.

bryan@autogeek.net

Bryan has helped me with the order I placed on Monday through email. Thank you sir.:dblthumb2:

You could also try LIVE SUPPORT ONLINE.

Auto Detailing Help - Best Car Wax and auto detailing supplies (http://www.autogeek.net/auto-detailing-live-help.html)

[mitchoi]

I used the Contact Us button from autogeek site

Contact Us (http://myaccount.autogeek.net/mod_contactUs/index.php?id=1)

The Live Support page you linked says it's not available, though it does say available from 12pm to 5pm EST, weird.

PS: Email sent to bryan@autogeek.net

[mitchoi]

I just received a back order notice, the Griot's Garage 6 is on back order and says will be shipped in 7-10 business days, I'm disappointed.:cry:

And now, there's a mystery gift for new orders. OMG :cry::cry::cry: