New at this...where to start!?

junior_golfer · 04-23-09, 06:52

Hi all,

I'm new to the car detailing "obsession", and my car is in need of some TLC on the paint work. I feel that I can handle all of the interior, engine, wheels etc. with the help of David B's tutuorials......HOWEVER, this power polishing seems to be another beast so to speak.

I have a 2005 Acura 1.7 EL....in black....and the previous owner loved to use brushes at the car wash. Yikes!

In any event, the car has quite a few swirls, but what appears to be LOTS of clear coat from speaking to other detailers in the city. I have others who agreed to do the work for me at a niminal fee, but I want to learn myself!

In reading about rotary buffers I'm not sure what to think. Some say they're easy to use, while others say leave it up to the pros.

In any event, when I reach the 10 post mark I will attach photos to give you a better idea of what needs to be done.

Any help in guiding me through the vast selection of a Rotary (or Dual action) buffers, polish, pads, technique, etc. would be grealy appreciated!

Thanks,

David.

Setec Astronomy · 04-23-09, 07:58

Shucks, if you're just starting out, a Flex 3401 would seem to be the obvious choice (if you can afford it), its forced-rotation DA giving you the best of both worlds (rotary and DA). You can certainly do the job with a PC, UDM, or G110, also.

junior_golfer · 04-23-09, 08:01

Thanks for the reply Setec Astronomy!

I will look into the Flex 3401 more closely as well as the others listed. What pads and polish would you recommend to buff out moderate scratches and swirling?

Thx,

David.

superchargedg · 04-24-09, 05:10

If you are serious about keeping your your car in great shape get the Flex3401 and get Menzerna sip and 106ff.......thats all folks.If you really get seroius get po85rd as the burnishing polish.

junior_golfer · 04-26-09, 02:32

Is the DA Flex 3401 as effective as a rotary? I've went to a well respected auto detailer here in Calgary who has agreed to train me on the priniciples of Auto detailing. However, he recommends a Makita buffer with 3M Pads. Any thoughts?

Side note: Everything I've read about the Flex 3401 sounds awesome.

Accumulator · 04-27-09, 08:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by junior_golfer

Is the DA Flex 3401 as effective as a rotary? I've went to a well respected auto detailer here in Calgary who has agreed to train me on the priniciples of Auto detailing. However, he recommends a Makita buffer with 3M Pads. Any thoughts?

Side note: Everything I've read about the Flex 3401 sounds awesome.

Now that I have the Flex 3401 I expect my rotaries to stay on the shelf 99.9% of the time. The only time I'd want to use them is for *serious* leveling with rocks-in-a-bottle type compounds. Even on hard clear the Flex simply does the job with no rotary-centric worries like holograms.

I know some people simply *love* the rotary, and that's cool with me. But for somebody starting out I'd recommend the Flex 3401 instead.

BUT....I hear Acuras have very soft paint and if that's the case with your car you might not need the added power. And with 4" pads and today's compounds, the PC/etc. can do some *VERY* impressive work too, just takes longer than with the Flex.

And IMO, you don't need training with the Flex/PC/etc. Seriously. All you really need is an undestanding of what you're doing (conceptually) and common sense. Yeah...you *can* do it all on your own and *NO* you don't have to worry about messing anything up as long as you do some studying first.