New to random orbital polishers

[mikehenryjr]

I am buying a Rupes 21 polisher and this will be my first polisher ever. I have always done everything by hand. I have some questions regarding scratch removal and whole car polishing.

Do I need to clay the vehicle before polishing and removing scratches? If I don't need To clay I am guessing I need to remove all the old wax. What do you use to remove old wax? I have read a lot about using isopropyl alcohol. I have light scratches what type of products would you recommend?

I am sorry for my polishing ignorance. I want to learn but there is just so much information out there.

[brettS4]

Hi mike. Take your time and do some searches through the archives. There are years worth of discussions on those topics. You'll get much better results if you get a decent understanding of the overall process before you start. But at least you jumped in and bought a good DA machine right away.

You might want to check out our resident expert's book on detailing.

Mike Phillips' The Art of Detailing Paperback Book

[VISITOR]

if you're new to machine polishing and do not own a DA, I would highly recommend the GG6 (everyone should own at least one traditional style DA). lots of torque/power, a great (lifetime) warranty, and reasonably priced. with a few different size backing plates, you can use different size pads to cover a variety of tasks that you may come across working on the car...