pads/products to get for CE rotary?

cabe · 01-01-06, 09:33

though i am well aware of the risks of using a rotary, i have decided to purchase one! i'll be ordering the chicago electric rotary not too long from now, but first want to figure out what pads/products i'll be needing.

my (15 year old) car has noticible swirl marks. thus far, i've used 1z ultra paint polish by hand on the car (it was really bad before this). someone commented that using the 1z ultra by hand wouldn't allow me to fully break down the polish, so i should use a machine. i also hear that i should get different pads for each product i use, so with my limited knowledge should i use:

polishing pad - 1z ultra
polishing pad - dacp
finishing pad - ???

a couple questions..
will the polishing pad be enough for the 1z ultra, or do i need a cutting pad instead?
what product should i use with the finishing pad to get a like-new paint finish?
what size pads should i get?
what brand pads should i get?
what size backing plate?

thanks guys!

RAG · 01-01-06, 08:59

Maybe I can save you time by letting you know what has worked for me, as I've literally tried every 6.5" pad I can find (from about 10 different sites) and about 35 different polishes and compounds.

Glad to see you are getting a rotary - you can't learn if you don't try. I could advise you a little better if I knew what color your car was and if you were planning doing your final polish with a rotary or PC (for a novice, it's hard to go wrong with doing your heavy defect removal with a rotary and final finishing with a PC to prevent rotary halograms...but if you don't have a black car, this isn't too big an issue).

I like the 6.5" Lake Country Variable Contact Pads (originally designed for DA buffers) available from pakshak.com or properautocare.com. I also like the final finishing pads made by American Buffing and sold at http://www.1car-detailing-training.c...-24_32_33.html (Blue and White ones only).

If you don't mind ordering from two sources...I'd get the Yellow LC pad for heavy defect removal, the white LC pads for medium defect removal (these work great with a heavy compound or light polish), and a white pad from KleenCar (these are ULTRA soft and should not leave any halograms). Also, order some Optimum Polish from Kleen Car for your final finishing, as it is the easiest to use polish I have found. You could also get the Optimum Compound, as it is more like a heavy polish rather than a compound.

Oh yeah, a 6" flexible backing plate will do nicely.

cabe · 01-02-06, 09:06

thanks! great advice, and i'm almost ready to order

but before i do.. i was just wondering if i should get a 5" backing plate rather than a 6" as 5" is what those websites recommend for the 6.5" pads? also, i notice that some backing plates are "DA" and some are "rotary".. i assume that a DA backing plate wouldn't work on a rotary then? (different attachment mechanism?)

BTW, my car is white and i do plan on doing the final detailing with the rotary.

again, thanks for the advice!

RAG · 01-02-06, 03:21

6" plate or you will get splatter because there will be too much overhang. White cars are easy...you can use the white Lake Country pads for all you needs.