Looking for a DA Polisher HELP!

[Bossmustang16]

well I don't mind buying products online from these places but i'm just kinda lost in it all and they can be expensive.. I don't mind getting them to use for my personal car but for most of my clients (dealers and daily driver soccer moms) I'd like to be able to keep the overhead cost down as much as possible for those jobs unless its a nice quality car that an individual wants done.

 

[Bossmustang16]

well, just bought the griots from here http://www.autodetailingsolutions.net/griots-garage-random-orbital-da-polisher-gg6.html

They sell 3 pads- A cut pad a polish pad and a finish pad so I will start out using
Meguiars ultimate compound with the cut pad if the vehicle needs it..(this product is awesome you can cut as much as you want and it doesn't leave a haze or swirls really at all unless its black and they are very light.
Meguiars SwirlX with the polishing pad( will use that to do my mustang that has light swirls..or should i use the swirl with the cut pad?)
and then use a type of liquid wax usually meguiars Deep crystal carnuba or the nxt 2.0 for my car with the finishing pad.. am i off to a good start?

 

[Bossmustang16]

I've noticed that griots is actually selling there products at advance now.. wondering if i should try there stuff...

 

[28ONE]

well, just bought the griots from here http://www.autodetailingsolutions.net/griots-garage-random-orbital-da-polisher-gg6.html

They sell 3 pads- A cut pad a polish pad and a finish pad so I will start out using
Meguiars ultimate compound with the cut pad if the vehicle needs it..(this product is awesome you can cut as much as you want and it doesn't leave a haze or swirls really at all unless its black and they are very light.
Meguiars SwirlX with the polishing pad( will use that to do my mustang that has light swirls..or should i use the swirl with the cut pad?)
and then use a type of liquid wax usually meguiars Deep crystal carnuba or the nxt 2.0 for my car with the finishing pad.. am i off to a good start?

If you can afford it, I'd get the other kit I listed for you, you'll get better results with 5.5" pads vs 6.5" pads...

 

[Bossmustang16]

I realize that theres not exact science to all this madness but i'm just trying to get a foot in the door as i work my way in.. surely theres a pretty generic system to go off of

 

[Bossmustang16]

just curious 28ONE why are the 5.5's so much better?

 

[28ONE]

A smaller pad won't develop more power, it will just be able to use the existing power more efficiently.

Since you're using a DA Polisher, which is a tool with a Free Rotating Spindle Assembly, then a smaller pad will enable the this type of tool to better be able to keep the pad rotating which means it will be better able to remove small particles of paint, which is how you remove below surface defects like swirls and scratches.

 

[28ONE]

Just trying to save you the headache of dam! - i need a 5" backing plate and 5.5" pads...later on down the road as I'm sure your skills will progress

 

[Bossmustang16]

just stumbled upon the meguiars da correction system its got a correction compound a finishing wax.. a nice easy two stepper.. but the griots machine polish line has caught my eye too.. ahhhh so many decisions!! ugh

 

[UltraKla$$ic]

Just trying to save you the headache of dam! - i need a 5" backing plate and 5.5" pads...later on down the road as I'm sure your skills will progress

Listen to this guy!!^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

He has a HUGE arsenal of products, has personally tried just about everything out there and knows his stuff!!!! If he says get it..........GET IT!!!!!!

My $.02




I'll just leave this here. James(28one) advised me on the correct stuff to use to achieve this.........jus sayin

 

[HitandRunDriver]

I also suggest going through the two stickies at the top of the detailing section to get a lot of info...Good luck!

 

[Bossmustang16]

i've heard the Meguiar's NXT 2.0 is more or less a sealant? any info on this guys?

 

[Bossmustang16]

also, whats the best way to clean pads? i've seen like the little brush they sell but that seems like it would be more for on the fly cleaning..? what are your methods? 28ONE especially yours you have great information.

 

[28ONE]

Even though this video is a demonstration of the Flex 3401, it has tons of great information - for pad cleaning skip to 20:38

When I'm working on a whole car, I have a bucket with about 2 gallons of water and Snappy Pad cleaner. I generally use 1 pad per section, (fender, door, roof, trunk lid, quarter panel, 2 Pads for hood) - as Mike explains in the video and I'll repeat the importance of clean pads. After each section, I'll just throw the pad in the bucket and the cleaner does a great job of dissolving spent product. When doing paint correction, I don't like to stop and clean pads - that's why I have a lot of pads...

 

[HitandRunDriver]

Snappy Pad cleaner packs in a 5 gallon bucket with warm water. Soak the pads for 15-30 mins, agitate them with a brush to work out the remaining product, spin them on the buffer for 10 seconds or so to get the excess water out and let them dry face down on a towel. I've also used Chemical Guys pad cleaner when I don't want to make a full bucket of pad cleaner. Be sure to prime your pads and condition them while using to help prevent dust build up. I use a spray of CG Pad conditioner on the pad every couple sections I complete for this.

 

[Bullitt 3309]

i've heard the Meguiar's NXT 2.0 is more or less a sealant? any info on this guys?

I used to be a heavy NXT user. It looks good when layered with two coats 24 hrs apart. But it has horrible durability in-spite of what Megs fan boys tell you. If you are willing to apply it every 4 weeks in good weather, it is a good option. But there are a lot of better options for looks and longevity.

 

[Bossmustang16]

28ONE- dang! How can you tell when to switch pads? I figured one of each of the three pads i'll use would make it through at least one car job.. thanks for the video though! awesome stuff

 

[kytoploader]

I just did this task for the first time over the holidays. I'm cheap so I bought a polisher at Harbor Freight. It worked great but I'm sure isn't suitable for extended use. I also bought a CCS pad kit at superiorcarcare.net just because they were the cheapest with shipping at the time. The kit has the smaller backing plate and all the pads you need. I used the Mequires Ultimate compound, polish, and wax. It cuts slow but as a beginner that was a good thing. My car is black and had some light swirls. I was very happy with the results. I got some complements from the pickiest guy I know. Attached are some pictures before I took it out side.

btw I noticed the op is in NC. I'm in the Charlotte, NC area

 

[28ONE]

28ONE- dang! How can you tell when to switch pads? I figured one of each of the three pads i'll use would make it through at least one car job.. thanks for the video though! awesome stuff

When you finishing compounding/polishing a 2x2' section, you'll see the spent product on the pad. Yeah technically you could use one pad for the whole car but you'd have to do a lot of cleaning on the fly - very time consuming ime

 

[Bossmustang16]

very nice kyto, i'm from the winston salem area