My first DA polisher (Griots) - Pad and product recommendations?

[gman87]

Hi guys,

I`m new here, I recently purchased a car that has minor swirl marks on the clearcoat that I wanted to try and get rid of (they are NOT deep scratches or anything) so I went ahead and purchased a Griots DA polisher, now I need to decide how to proceed.

I am not a detailer or professional, just wanted to try on my own if I can do some decent job on my own and learn in the process; with that said apologies in advance for the noob level questions.

Products and tools I have on hand:
- Griots DA polisher
- Meguairs Clay Kit
- Meguairs Ultimate Compound
- Meguairs Ultimate Polish
- Meguairs Ultimate Liquid Wax

From what I understand I will probably need to purchase a proper pad for my 6" Griots DA Polisher, also I need to determine the steps to take when I finally pick a day to devote to working on my car.

Please feel free to correct me:

- Wash car
- Use Clay bar
- Meguairs Ultimate Compound with a specific DA pad (not sure which one? maybe a 6" Micro Fiber FAST Cutting Pad)
- Meguairs Ultimate Liquid Wax and a polish pad? (possibly 6" Orange Foam Polish Pads)


A few questions:
- I don`t see the need to use `Ultimate Polish` in between Ultimate Compound and Liquid Wax... should I do a 3 step with the polish in between or am I fine?
- Using a Microfiber Cutting pad may be too much for correction or should it be fine?
- Can you use pads multiple times? is there maybe a Wiki/Howto clean them after use for reuse?

Thanks!

[Zelfiris]

Welcome to the forums Gman!

I recommend stepping down to 5" or 5.5" pads instead. I started off with a griot polisher too and from experience I found little to no correction using the 6"+ pads.

You have the process order right but the general rule is to do a test spot with the least aggressive combination first. In this case, you own ultimate polish and ultimate compound. The wax provides protection but no paint correction. So you should try to use the ultimate polish first and see if it finishes with results you would be happy with. If the correction is not apparent, then step up to the ultimate compound.

Your questions:
- I don`t see the need to use `Ultimate Polish` in between Ultimate Compound and Liquid Wax... should I do a 3 step with the polish in between or am I fine?
Use least aggressive combination first. But if you use ultimate compound first, then you should follow up with ultimate polish. The compound would leave behind a dull/haze finish on your paint. The ultimate polish will redefine your paint after the compound stage.

- Using a Microfiber Cutting pad may be too much for correction or should it be fine?
Do you have any photos of the paint condition showing the swirls/scratches clearly? Most beginners start with an orange pad for paint correction.

- Can you use pads multiple times? is there maybe a Wiki/Howto clean them after use for reuse?
You can reuse the pads but the compound/polish and dead paint would be build up after finishing a panel or so which reduces the pad`s cutting ability. I would purchase a few so you can get the job done sooner.

I hope that helps!
Zel

[Accumulator]

What Zelfiris said, except that I`d clean out the pad a *LOT* more frequently than after each panel. For quick pad cleaning (which I do maybe as frequently as after every section pass!) I prefer using the air compressor (blow out the old product and cut-off clear) or, if you don`t have a compressor, you can wipe the pad with a towel (I use a QD that doesn`t leave much of anything behind, something like Meguiar`s M34). But after a while the pad will require a proper cleaning and that`s where having additional pads can really be helpful.

You can clean pads with one of the pad-cleaning gizmos, or by hand in a sink (that`s how I do it). Clean with APC, or Dawn Power Dissolver or one of the dedicated pad-cleaning products, and rinse thoroughly. If reusing the pad immediately you`ll need to dry it out, another job I do with the air compressor (be careful about spinning it dry with the polisher lest you launch the pad into the next county).

IME MF pads are a *lot* easier to clean than foam ones.

IMO there`s no way to overstate the need to clean pads frequently; the stuff that builds up can really compromise your results. Don`t just keep adding new product to the same, uncleaned, pad.

Oh, and IMO most polishing-newbies underestimate how aggressive they`ll need to be, even for what appears to be light marring.

[Merlin]

Depennding on the correction needed...

I`d start with a LC Hydro Cyan or Tangerine for correction.
Use with Megs Ultimate compound to get the feel for the machine.

Follow that up with LC Crimson Hydro and Megs Ultimate Polish.
Megs Ultimate Compound can leave a slight haze on the paint.
The Megs Ultimate polish adds clarity, gloss and sharpness.

Follow that up with a good cleaning of the paint surface with Eraser.
Both Megs Ultimate Compound and Polish have a lot of polishing oils.

Then apply Megs Ultimate Wax.

A few products I`d suggest are...

1) Meguiars 5 Inch Backing Plate - W67DA

Lake Country Hydro-Tech Low Profile 5 1/2 x 7/8" Foam Pads
(A 3 pack) 1) Cyan-Cut 1) Tangerine-Polish 1) Crimson-Finish

1) Megs 2 pack DA Microfiber Cutting Discs, 5"
1) Megs DA Microfiber Correction Compound (D300)

1) CarPro Eraser Intense Oil & Polisher Cleanser

1) Pad Conditioning Brush

Lots of QUALITY microfiber towels.

This will get you started.

[gman87]

Welcome to the forums Gman!

I recommend stepping down to 5" or 5.5" pads instead. I started off with a griot polisher too and from experience I found little to no correction using the 6"+ pads.

Thanks Zei! Sorry for the lag in response been running around the past few weeks. As far as pictures of the paint to give an idea of level of correction I need I will try to snap a pic on the sun tomorrow and share it.

I will follow your advice and get a smaller backing plate. I found this one on amazon for $11 shipped with a lot of reviews. Astro Pneumatic 4607 5" PU Velcro Backing Pad
Amazon.com: Astro Pneumatic 4607 5" PU Velcro Backing Pad: Automotive

What Zelfiris said, except that I`d clean out the pad a *LOT* more frequently than after each panel. For quick pad cleaning (which I do maybe as frequently as after every section pass!) I prefer using the air compressor (blow out the old product and cut-off clear) or, if you don`t have a compressor, you can wipe the pad with a towel (I use a QD that doesn`t leave much of anything behind, something like Meguiar`s M34). But after a while the pad will require a proper cleaning and that`s where having additional pads can really be helpful.

You can clean pads with one of the pad-cleaning gizmos, or by hand in a sink (that`s how I do it). Clean with APC, or Dawn Power Dissolver or one of the dedicated pad-cleaning products, and rinse thoroughly. If reusing the pad immediately you`ll need to dry it out, another job I do with the air compressor (be careful about spinning it dry with the polisher lest you launch the pad into the next county).

IME MF pads are a *lot* easier to clean than foam ones.

IMO there`s no way to overstate the need to clean pads frequently; the stuff that builds up can really compromise your results. Don`t just keep adding new product to the same, uncleaned, pad.

Oh, and IMO most polishing-newbies underestimate how aggressive they`ll need to be, even for what appears to be light marring.

For the pad cleaning, I ordered a brush which on my limited reading I just did should be somewhat `ok` as long as I clean then and keep using the same pad until I am done with it, what do you think?

Depennding on the correction needed...

I`d start with a LC Hydro Cyan or Tangerine for correction.
Use with Megs Ultimate compound to get the feel for the machine.

Follow that up with LC Crimson Hydro and Megs Ultimate Polish.
Megs Ultimate Compound can leave a slight haze on the paint.
The Megs Ultimate polish adds clarity, gloss and sharpness.

Follow that up with a good cleaning of the paint surface with Eraser.
Both Megs Ultimate Compound and Polish have a lot of polishing oils.

Then apply Megs Ultimate Wax.

A few products I`d suggest are...

1) Meguiars 5 Inch Backing Plate - W67DA

Lake Country Hydro-Tech Low Profile 5 1/2 x 7/8" Foam Pads
(A 3 pack) 1) Cyan-Cut 1) Tangerine-Polish 1) Crimson-Finish

1) Megs 2 pack DA Microfiber Cutting Discs, 5"
1) Megs DA Microfiber Correction Compound (D300)

1) CarPro Eraser Intense Oil & Polisher Cleanser

1) Pad Conditioning Brush

Lots of QUALITY microfiber towels.

This will get you started.

Thanks for the detailed list of suggested products, it helped me research a bit more and I decided to buy almost all of the suggested items, ordered:

Lake Country Hydro-Tech Low Profile 5 1/2 x 7/8" Foam Pads
(A 3 pack) 1) Cyan-Cut 1) Tangerine-Polish 1) Crimson-Finish



1) CarPro Eraser Intense Oil & Polisher Cleanser

1) Pad Conditioning Brush

Can you explain why or the benefits of the following two and maybe the basic of applying the product? Shouldn`t the D300 be the same as the correction I could achieve with the Ultimate compound or is this product good just in case there is deeper scratches that need work? I noticed the `microfiber cutting disk` is probably more aggresive that the foam pads I just ordered.

1) Megs 2 pack DA Microfiber Cutting Discs, 5"
1) Megs DA Microfiber Correction Compound (D300)

Thanks all!

[Merlin]

Can you explain why or the benefits of the following two and maybe the basic of applying the product? Shouldn`t the D300 be the same as the correction I could achieve with the Ultimate compound or is this product good just in case there is deeper scratches that need work? I noticed the `microfiber cutting disk` is probably more aggressive that the foam pads I just ordered.

1) Megs 2 pack DA Microfiber Cutting Discs, 5"
1) Megs DA Microfiber Correction Compound (D300)

Thanks all!

I suggest the Megs Ultimate UC and UP and foam pad combo so a "newbie" can easily "learn" how to use a DA.
The mf disc may be slightly more aggressive than Megs UC but there is no ONE Paint, Polish, Pads, Process fits all.

The DMC5 and D300 combo are "The most R&D that Meguiars has ever done". It`s safe, quick, easy and clean.
This combo was Megs tested & retested to work together. This microfiber combo has been a huge game changer.



IMHO This IS the "Swirl Killer" pad.


Basic application.

1) Make sure the entire mf disc is primed.

Q. What does that mean?
A. Make sure every mf on the disc has D300 on it before polishing

This is easy with the 16oz bottle with the self cleaning tip.
Slightly squeeze and draw "light" straight lines across the disc

2) Apply D300 to the mf disc
Place 4 small pea sized dots around the mf disc

3) Place the machine on the paint and polish
Machine Speed: With the Megs mf discs set the DA machine speed to 4800 OPM.
Arm Speed: 1"- 2" per second left to right then front to back for each section pass
Downward Pressure: I like to use medium to light 5-10 lbs. Do not press down too hard.

4) Work Clean.
Keep your mf discs and paint surface clean. Use high quality microfiber towels.
Clean your mf disc with compressed air, if that`s not available, I use a bug sponge.
I do this at least 2-3 times with each panel depending of the paint correction needs.
Do not clog or compress the microfiber "fingers" on the discs. This will cause it to not work.


NOTE: I personally like to remove the upper handle on the GG 6"so I can place my hand over the machine head.
For me, this gives me a better feedback from the machine for downward pressure, control and a "feel" of the machine..

[WaxAddict]

NOTE: I personally like to remove the upper handle on the GG 6"so I can place my hand over the machine head.
For me, this gives me a better feedback from the machine for downward pressure, control and a "feel" of the machine..

Great advice. , The handle, the way it comes, is just awkward. I didn`t remove it, just moved it forward a good bit - this gives me something to grab onto as I`m carrying it around or about to drop it.

[Accumulator]

I too use my GG (and the PC before that, and my rotaries too) without the handle.

gman87- Regarding the pad cleaning (and FWIW, I don`t use my fancy pad-cleaning brush, can`t remember the last time I did...but that`s just me), I *REALLY* think you need to downright over-prioritize it! Sounds nutty, I`m sure, but seriously, it`s that important. Get a few extra pads, you *will* need them. Consider this- what would you do if you had a catastrophic pad failure? I know, shouldn`t happen...but it does and usually when you don`t have a spare or two handy.

Don`t plan on doing a whole panel before you clean the pad. Ever clean out a foam pad before? If not, you`ll probably find it a bit more challenging than one might expect.

More general advice- You didn`t mention what kind of car it is. Clearcoat can be incredibly soft (e.g., the stuff BMW puts over their "Jet Black" color"), but most of the time people who are new to this are amazed by how hard the clear seems to be. "I`ve been trying to polish out mild swirls but it`s taking forever! What`s wrong?!?" So while the "start gentle and ramp up as needed" advice makes a lot of sense, IMO you DO NOT need to worry about whether you`te getting stuff that`ll be too aggressive, quite the opposite.

I too think you really oughta use a polish after a compound. I know that some people don`t, but skipping that step doesn`t work for me and I`ve been at this for a long, long time (heh heh, not just twenty-some years).

Don`t overwork your product(s). Don`t "polish until it dries out", stop well before then. If you`re using nondiminishing-abrasive products (and it sounds like you will be), those don`t "break down", they just dry out, and you want to quit working them before that happens to avoid various issues.

You`re gonna need some *GOOD* inspection lighting; it`s imperative that you be able to see what you`re working on and observe/gauge your progress. You sure don`t want any nasty surprises after you`re all finished and you see the car under different lighting.

Choose a representative area and do a test-spot. Get that limited area nice, under all kinds of lighting (really inspect it). See how that goes before you get neck-deep in doing the whole car. You can always do the car in stages, a few areas after each of a series of regularly-scheduled washes. That way the whole big job won`t get overwhelming.

[Broceratops]

Tips from my exprience with my Griots DA.....

1. Get a 5" backing plate with cooling holes. Yes they are $20-30 but they will save you money immediately.
2. Hexlogic pads are not durable, stick to Lake Country, Buff N Shine, Carpro or Uber.
3. Clean your pads, clean your pads, clean your pads.
4. Don`t over analyze which pad to use, IE "Heavy polishing pad or light cutting pad?!?"
5. Remember what affects results!!! The pad, the compound or polish, the AMOUNT of compound or polish you use, the speed setting, the size of your pads, surface temperature, ambient temperature, movement speed, number of passes you make, and finally the paint itself!!

[spaces]

I recently picked up a griots da as well. My purchase included a 5" backing plate, Lake Country pads (3 orange, 2 white, 1 black) and m205 compound.

[Merlin]

I recently picked up a griots da as well. My purchase included a 5" backing plate, Lake Country pads (3 orange, 2 white, 1 black) and m205 compound.

Nice starting place...For a newbie. What type of pads did you get LC 5.5" flat foam, Hydro-Tech or CCS?
I might also suggest some Meguiars Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish. They are nice consumer products, easy to use and easy to learn with.