When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I love (polishing/waxing) my vehicles and I have been doing it for about 10 years by hand. I now want to speed up the process/execution by moving to a RO or high speed buffer, but I don't know which direction to go and to be honest, I am a bit nervous about possible damage with the rotary options? I have seen other people use them and get those "swirl" marks afterwards. I know that obviously professional results are reached with rotary options, however, I have always had good results by hand and I wonder if it ain't broke, should I fix it?
I am a weekend warrior with my cleaning (maybe once a week - 10 days), however I don't mind spending a moderate amount of money to get quality products. I detail my 99 Black TA, 06 Blue Silverado and 11 Black Corolla. All the detailing is done in my driveway in the shade.
My next question..I know everyone is going to have their favorite, but a few suggestions would be nice. I don't need an argument to start! lol I currently use Zanio and I have been satisfied with their product, but I would like to move on to something else. I have been looking at Adam's Polishes and 3M products. I know their are a tonnnnn of options, but someone could offer a few other main ones, that would be nice. I am generally looking for the following qualities in this order - Protection, ease of application/price, look of product, shelf life
You absolutely will see much better results using a machine polisher as opposed to by hand.
I use a rotary but absolutely would not recommend it for someone starting out. I'm sure someone here will recommend a good D.A polisher to start out with. There is also a lot less chance of damaging paint with a D.A as opposed to a rotary.
Many many on here use Adams products. Me personally use a lot of 3m products and some McGuire's products with very good results.
You say if it is not broke don't fix it when talking about polishing by hand.... here are a few pictures of my finished products that are just not going to be obtained by hand. So I guess it just depends on how far you want to go.
My buddies Black Mustang
reflection in hood of black mustang in sun
buddies Black WS6
reflection in hood of buddies Black Lexus
Finishes like that can not be obtained by hand and take a lot of patience lol.
I have been doing paint corrections for years and absolutely love it. So rewarding when you are done and stand back and look at the final product. Not to mention seeing the customers reaction.
Last edited by 98CayenneT/A; 04-10-2017 at 09:03 AM.
I have a porter cable RO and it makes such a difference, I used to do it by hand. The clarity you can obtain using a machine vs hand though is crazy. Sure on brand new paint its not that bad, but if you are trying to brighten up a car thats been abused for multiple years. You wont cut it by hand. Im not knocking your work at all but you will notice a difference once you go through it. I never made the jump to a Rotary personally due to fear and liking the machine I have.
I have used Griots products for many years now and prefer there best of show wax on a black car. Gives a deep wet/glossly look to the car. Held up for about 5 months on the daily. The bird held out for over a year, but thats cause it only sees pretty weather and honestly doest get out much. Price in on the higher side, but I have had bottles of this stuff for 5+ years and it still holds performs. Im by no means a professional so take that into account.
My firebird (the Blackbyrd) I bought new so its a single owner car, and its paint is in pretty stellar condition as its always been garage kept and around 04 it was no longer my primary so it was garage kept.
The GTO i was the 3rd owner of and while it wasnt awful by any means it needed some help. I spend 2 days on it and honestly should have spent one more and went with a more aggressive pad and polish as that clear was super hard. But there is no way I could have got what I did out of her by hand.
Sure on brand new paint its not that bad, but if you are trying to brighten up a car thats been abused for multiple years. You wont cut it by hand.
I just wanted to point out that this is an important distinction. If you have a finish that is new or already corrected, then the only major advantage to using a machine for touch-ups or re-application of sealant/wax/polish is its speed.
I do my '98 by hand ever since correcting it back in ~2005. This car rarely sees the road and is always garage kept; I do annual touch-ups on the finish and I'm careful about the dusting process, so it hasn't yet gotten bad enough to need another major paint re-work. I do these touch-ups/re-seals by hand to prevent the sling/mess (or the time to mask to avoid this) that often comes with machine work. In this case, the difference between the two would be marginal based on the preexisting finish and care routine.
On the other hand, if you have a car that is regularly washed and driven, spends time outside and/or has some paint issues to start with, then I absolutely agree with the guys above saying that machine work will get you far better results. Even in my case, if I wanted to remove every last micro scratch I'd still need to use a machine, but with silver paint it's not really worth all that effort (and thinning of the factory clear) to go to that degree every year for such minor imperfections.
I love (polishing/waxing) my vehicles and I have been doing it for about 10 years by hand. I now want to speed up the process/execution by moving to a RO or high speed buffer, but I don't know which direction to go and to be honest, I am a bit nervous about possible damage with the rotary options? I have seen other people use them and get those "swirl" marks afterwards. I know that obviously professional results are reached with rotary options, however, I have always had good results by hand and I wonder if it ain't broke, should I fix it?
I am a weekend warrior with my cleaning (maybe once a week - 10 days), however I don't mind spending a moderate amount of money to get quality products. I detail my 99 Black TA, 06 Blue Silverado and 11 Black Corolla. All the detailing is done in my driveway in the shade.
My next question..I know everyone is going to have their favorite, but a few suggestions would be nice. I don't need an argument to start! lol I currently use Zanio and I have been satisfied with their product, but I would like to move on to something else. I have been looking at Adam's Polishes and 3M products. I know their are a tonnnnn of options, but someone could offer a few other main ones, that would be nice. I am generally looking for the following qualities in this order - Protection, ease of application/price, look of product, shelf life
Thanks folks tips/suggestions are appreciated.
Good video to watch if you are nervous about hurting your car:
I'd definitely get a DA/Random Orbital to start out. I use a Griot's DA right now with 5.5" pads, and that's plenty for what I need it for. I did both of my cars with it last year, I did a black work van, and I plan to do a few more cars this year. It is a great tool for applying wax/sealants too. Makes quick and easy work of that, and you can get a really nice, even coat. The price isn't hateful, and it is a nice product. It has multiple speed settings, a 25' cord, and an adjustable/removable "D" shaped handle.
Wow guys thanks, I will definitely check those videos out.
I guess I'm just afraid of those swirl marks that I've seen with machine polishers.. I'm sure its 100 percent user error but I obviously want to avoid that at all costs.
Wow guys thanks, I will definitely check those videos out.
I guess I'm just afraid of those swirl marks that I've seen with machine polishers.. I'm sure its 100 percent user error but I obviously want to avoid that at all costs.
Watch the video I posted up above right now, with a DA polisher you cannot swirl the paint, you don't have to worry about damaging the car at all being a total novice with no experience.
Wow guys thanks, I will definitely check those videos out.
I guess I'm just afraid of those swirl marks that I've seen with machine polishers.. I'm sure its 100 percent user error but I obviously want to avoid that at all costs.
A lot of it is user error, a lot of it is dealership quickies with a dirty *** wool pad, abrasive compound from like 1986, rookie kid firing a rotary every which direction and throwing a coat of wax on.
A lot of it is improper prep, poorly washed car, not clay barring when necessary. Poor techniques.
It takes a lot of time and patience but when done right looks absolutely beautiful.
Like that black BMW Rise of the Phoenix posted. That thing rolling threw traffic absolutely will turn heads and make the body lines just flow.
A dual Action Polisher is a great beginners tool, pair that with some soft (usually white) pads and some mild to very light polish and give it a whirl, literally. Don't fall victim and get lost in marketing ploys about polish X being the greatest ever and brand Y's DA is the only one you should buy. Go down to Harbor Freight and buy their DA with a soft pad and a bottle of Meguiar's 205 they have there. M205 is an extremely light cutting action. That will be enough to get rid of the spiderwebbing/halo around lights. 3M's professional series polishes are very good but overpriced IMO. My Favorites are Meguiars or Wizards. Wizard's is only a blip on most people's radar but they make great products and nearly all of them are safe for new paints and paint environments.
All that aside, you don't really even need to start out with a DA. With the massive spectrum we have of pads and compounds I rarely use my DA for paint correction and instead use the big, heavy, old, single speed polisher. You can use M205 (very light cut) with hard, medium and soft pads and get three different cuts. The Wizards Mystic cut is designed exactly that way.
One last tid bit to pass on since you'll be new to polishers, the thinner/more viscous the polish the more it will sling(throw polish all over the place). Stay far away from the old school Meguiar's M1-M9.
And since everyone is posting pictures here are two of fresh paint, wet sanded to 2000, compounded with M105 and polished with Wizards Finish Cut and a soft pad.
Here is a good before/after picture. It's the hood on a 2007 Dodge 5.9 Cummins Diesel. The before picture is after wash/clay. The after picture is after I used Adams correction polish with the matching orange pad. That was before I applied sealant and wax. The sealant and wax made the paint pop even more than you see in this picture. A dual action polisher is the only way to go in my opinion. You are not going to mess the paint up using one.
It depends on how serious and indepth you want to get with it. For F body/Vette paint I'd recommend
Meg's MF cutting discs
Meg's Burgandy pad, or LC orange pad
Meg's Yellow pad, or LC white pad
Meg's black pad of LC black pad.
M105, D300 and M205. These are SMAT non diminishing abrasives and need to be worked differently than something like Adam's or Chemical Guys polishes.
A DA can give excellent results paired with a good compound, polish and pads.
Here's an 02 Corvette I did with a hammered paint. Full write up
That looks really good buddy. The thing I appreciate it the most is your before and after photo's. What I mean is a lot of hacks will take a close up pic for the before pic and the after is from like 10 feet away with completely different lighting, 6 different filters that completely change the pic and they talk about how great the car looks. Ohh it makes me want to smack a ho.
Now I get that there are different levels of detailing, paint correction and cost is normally the main factor. For example my $500 dollar entry paint correction package is not going to have nearly as much correction and defect as removal as a my CQ FINEST detail that costs...well considerably more.
04-10-2017, 06:56 AM
Detailing Guidance 
