New guy, feeling discouraged

[zmcgovern45]

Orange, white, and black are the way to go? So 3 of each, or maybe two of each in the 6" and one of each in the 3"??

That would be a fair compromise as there is much less area to polish with a smaller pad.

[RevitalizeAutoSpa]

Honestly, you could get by with two of the white and black. They don't typically get as wrecked as the orange ones, since you aren't using them for aggressive compounds. Fine polish, wax, and glaze are the main uses for white and black pads.

[Lints]

Btw, spare NO expense on that E36, please, awesome ride right there, love the color and wheel choice! How about some more pics!!

Hey thanks! I love the color, Avus Blue, it's what sold it for me.

I don't spare much expense on it, that's for sure! Just another reason Im hesitant about this purchase, I'm just thinking of long parts list I already have!

[mjv231]

I maybe too damn new to give my input BUT coming from a newbie and some of the books I have read if you are reluctant to spend the money why not go the old school way and do it by hand??? I mean I don't know how old you are but if your young and full of energy... Why not??? Then slowly save up to buy what you want...

You may not get the same results but isn't it better than nothing???


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[Jaretr1]

Ok...lets put this in perspective from the point of doing something yourself. If you are to pay a professional detailer for a paint correction, you would be looking at least $300 for the BMW, more for the truck. And that would be the low end. From the perspective of doing it yourself, if you do spend $300 to start, you are going to be saving more than half what it would cost you to pay someone else.

In order to be a do it yourselfer on any project, you have to have the proper tools. Whether it be gardening, home repairs, auto maintenance, etc, they all take initial investments to be able to complete the projects. However, you now have the tools to do other projects again.

I personally recommend buying good tools or equipment from the start. Get a Porter Cable or Griots to start, not harbor frieght. It all started for me which just a Porter Cable kit, and now I could start my own detailing business with all the pads and products I have, but this is my addiction!

[Skimmer0220]

$300 for 12 pads??? ...where are you shopping?

If you would read my post carefully, I recommended the following: 4 orange, 4 white, and 4 black pads (2 of which are 5.5" and 2 of which are 3" for each color)... That is like $70 in pads retail price.

6 pack - 5.5" LC flat pads = $35


..and yeah, you can definitely work in sections over multiple days and clean the pads in between if you'd like.

Ok a little over exasperated but you gotta factor in the backing plate price too so around 100 for pads? Does that sound better for you?


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[CDot]

Hello all,

I now have a fair stock pile of MF towels, and am starting to learn which products work for me, and what to avoid.

Anyway, both of my vehicles are in need of a polish.

However, I just can't get over the initial investment required. I figured I'd start with a HF DA with a new backing plate, some LC pads, and Megs compound & polish available at my local parts store.

With all that though, I'm thinking I'd need to spend what, maybe $3-400 just to get started? That's a bit more than I was hoping. It's really got me bummed out.

How do you new detailers get over the initial investment?

My friend, as a DIY'er myself who started getting some more products last year (and racked up about $300 in 4-6 months), the best thing you can do is to rank your priorities. Ranking them will allow you to get a hold of what you really need and when. I even made a list that I used to determine what I'd get and when.

Are polishing products the only things you need? If so, bolster your supplies with items you can get locally without having to pay for shipping (Megs UC/UP are readily available at Walmart). I personally got the HF DA because it was my first PC and I wasn't sure how often I'd use (which is about twice/year). Shop around on other online retailers; if AGO has the same products they will price-match.

[Lints]

Ok...lets put this in perspective from the point of doing something yourself. If you are to pay a professional detailer for a paint correction, you would be looking at least $300 for the BMW, more for the truck. And that would be the low end. From the perspective of doing it yourself, if you do spend $300 to start, you are going to be saving more than half what it would cost you to pay someone else.

Thanks for this!

I think my estimation of getting the car polished might have been a bit low. I had only asked one friend who does detailing, and he said around 100-150 for the car, looking back on it that does sound a bit low.

So really this stuff will pay for itself in about 2 polishes maybe even less? It's starting to sound like an easy descision

[zmcgovern45]

Thanks for this!

I think my estimation of getting the car polished might have been a bit low. I had only asked one friend who does detailing, and he said around 100-150 for the car, looking back on it that does sound a bit low.

So really this stuff will pay for itself in about 2 polishes maybe even less? It's starting to sound like an easy descision

You don't have your location info in your profile, but it would be a safe bet that a one-step correction detail (ie thorough cleaning, decontamination, one-stage polish, sealant, and all the other minor details) would cost between $300-$600 for the car alone from an established professional. This type of detail is often performed once a year or so, so you will definitely see a savings in your initial investment very quickly (especially since you'll be working on both of your cars).... then do a few jobs for some friends & family and you'll be making money with your investment

[WRAPT C5Z06]

I hadn't even considered a 3" pad!

The number of pads is a bit of an unknown to me, as I have absolutely zero polishing experience. Some are saying 12 and some are saying 2-4... I'd probably end up in the middle maybe get a set of 9?

Orange, white, and black are the way to go? So 3 of each, or maybe two of each in the 6" and one of each in the 3"??

Depending on the hardness of your paint, and orange pad(even with a compound) may not be aggressive enough to remove all the swirls(let alone deeper stuff). I would have at least 4 pads of each color.