New member questions

M

mikester

New member
Hello everyone. As you can all see this is my first post so please go easy on me.
Ive been detailing my own vehicles since the early 80s. I also worked for a detail shop and a small car dealer on the side cleaning up auction cars many years ago. For the past 20 years Ive just been maintaining my own trucks and cars. Ive got a Makita polisher and Ive always used old school wool pads and 3M polishes.
As Ive gotten older all my vehicles are a year or 2 old and Ive got 2 "toys" with show quality paint. Ive been looking at Porter Cable buffers. Dont really need to use the Makita much anymore. My question is what does everyone use as far as pads and polishes ? I want a selection of 6" pads that will handle slight scratches and oxidation to the final finishing. I just dont know what to buy. The same with the polishes that go with it. Whats used with what color pad ? As strange as this sounds Ive used a dual action for 5 minutes to show a friend of mine how easy it was to use it. It looks like Lake Country has a pretty large selection of pads. What about a good polish and a machine glaze ?
I need some direction guys !
 
Mikester, Welcome to Autopia: the land where cars become nice, shiny, and swirl free!

If you find yourself going on the forum at 3 AM, don't worry. This is normal Autopian behavior.

If you find yourself wondering what new threads are being posted, don't worry. This is normal Autopian behavior.

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If you find yourself ordering far more than you ever thought you would need, don't worry. This is normal Autopian behavior.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy the forum. Break out a cold one if you want, as there is a LOT of good information here.

WELCOME!

Oh and food's on the table:

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If you are just starting with a DA, I recommend the Griot's Garage over the PC. Lake Country pads are great, but I would recommend going to 5.5 inch pads, rather than 6.5 inch, because at 6.5 inches the motors on the DA aren't going to spin as effectively.

Some of the best pads in my opinion are the Optimum Microfiber Pads for amazing cut and finish and also the Lake Country Low Profile Hydrotech Pads. These are some seriously good pads.

Pair them with Optimum Hyper Compound and Optimum Hyper Polish and now you've got an amazingly simple compound and polish that can deliver stunning results.

Here's my car after Optimum Hyper Compound and Hyper Polish

picture.php
 
ihaveacamaro said:
If you are just starting with a DA, I recommend the Griot's Garage over the PC. Lake Country pads are great, but I would recommend going to 5.5 inch pads, rather than 6.5 inch, because at 6.5 inches the motors on the DA aren't going to spin as effectively.

Some of the best pads in my opinion are the Optimum Microfiber Pads for amazing cut and finish and also the Lake Country Low Profile Hydrotech Pads. These are some seriously good pads.

Pair them with Optimum Hyper Compound and Optimum Hyper Polish and now you've got an amazingly simple compound and polish that can deliver stunning results.

Here's my car after Optimum Hyper Compound and Hyper Polish

picture.php
Click to expand...

Curious, why the Griots over the Porter Cable ? The PC that I used seemed pretty user friendly.
What about brands of polish ? And what does what as far as pads and polish ?
 
Griot's has more torque than the PC. Very similar, but the GG does correct faster. For doing your own it may make little difference, but for the same price it just makes sense.

Agreed about the 5.5" pads. Make sure to get the right backing plate and counter-weight.

Pads are very much a matter of preference and it helps to have a few different ones. Some paints just need a firmer pad or a softer pad to get the desired results. Same goes for polishes. I personally like Meg's for compounds and Menzerna for finishing polishes. But I also have Optimum, HD, Blackfire, Mother's, etc. No need to go overboard, though. With a little time and practice you can get just about the same results with any of them by adjusting pressure, speed, pad, working time, etc.
 
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