Car care for extreme weather

[Boondox]

Folks, I live at the end of a dirt/mud road in the Green Mountains of Vermont. The ground has been covered with snow since the first week in November, and I won`t see bare ground again till early May. I commute thru a ski town that uses a lot of road salt to keep tourists out of the ditches.



Given these conditions, maintaining a showroom shine on my Outback or Silverado is hopeless. I just want a fighting chance at beating the rust cancer and keeping the finish intact, especially since there is simply no way I can do more than rinse the salt off during the winter months of November till May.



The Subaru is dark blue, so that`s the one that comes out of winter looking the worst. The Silverado is pewter, which hides a lot of problems but probably needs as much care.



I`ve been looking at both the Makita and the PC buffers. Leaving aside the weight and grip -- a huge difference I`ve not seen addressed is the difference in the speed of the two units. 600-3000 for the Makita and 2500-6000 for the PC. I`m thinking when spring arrives my vehicles would need a bit of compounding to handle the winter damage, followed by a few good waxings. Again, forget the showroom look -- I just want the paint to survive.



What would those different speeds do for me?



TIA, Pete

[togwt]

Quote: What would those different speeds do for me?



First they are very different â€Ëœspeedsâ€â„¢.

a)A ROB operates by the shaft rotating and spinning the back plate on an orbit radius or an eccentric offset (or throw) of 5/32-inch as opposed to a revolution on a direct-drive system

b)The Makita operates at 2,500 â€â€œ 6,000 RPM (revolutions)



Differences between the machines:

a) The random orbital buffer gets is name from the action of the buffer (or polishing head) This operates by the shaft rotating and spinning the back plate on an orbit radius or an eccentric offset (or throw) of 5/32-inch as opposed to a revolution on a direct-drive system. They have a small learning curve and are very safe for a novice to use.Used with a 4-inch foam cutting pad, an appropriate abrasive polish, speed # 4.5 â€â€œ 5.5 and moderate pressure applied it will rectify â€Ëœmostâ€â„¢ surface imperfection encountered.



b) A high-speed rotary polisher has a steeper learning curve and requires considerable practice to use to rectify paint defects and has the potential to do considerable damage to a paint system used improperly.

Having said that it is the tool of choice for both professional and experienced enthusiasts.

JonM

[togwt]

Oh! and :welcome to Autopia Boondox