Newbie with some questions

E

Exley

New member
Hello. I have been reading here on and off for a long time as well as doing research. This spring I would really like to get my cars paint back in shape! I would like to clay bar, polish and then put a nice durable wax or sealant on.



Polishing scares me the most, I am really concerned about burning through my clear or leaving buffer trails or marks. I know the car was ‘buffed’ before I bought it because the dealer did not tape off the car properly, and there is still residue from their compound that I have not been able to reach with normal washing.



I’ve looked into dual action polishers and saw that Harbor Freight has one that is very affordable. I would really only be doing my own car so affordable is nice, but if this is not good for a beginner I would go with something else.



As far as the paint goes, I’m not looking for 100% show car perfection. The car is my daily driver, so it gets its share of normal wear and tear. I’m a little overwhelmed by all of the pad and product combos. It would be nice if I could do it in a single step. I have seen products that become less aggressive as you work with them, but I wasn’t sure if that was the best option.



Also one of the previous owner had decals on the rear bumper. They are gone, but I can see an imprint of where the paint oxidation is different and some scratches where the next owner or dealer removed them. I would be great to get rid of this. I can provide pictures later, I know that will help.



The car is a 2007 Redfire Metallic Mustang GT. I’ll try and reply to this post with pictures when I can, but the car is dirty right now.



Thanks in advance for your help, any advice is appreciated.
 
AFAIK the harbor freight one is good to go if you replace the counterweight included with it. get it with the 20% HF coupon and youre golden



*edit i meant to say backing plate*
 
You could share you location info and hope that someone around you will let you swing by to get some paint readings before you get too aggressive.



There are a ton of pads, especially from certain vendors. 3D and Megs both have pretty simple systems. A single diminishing abrasive polish is going to be harder for a newbie to manage than two different polishes. I'd recommend UNO and Polish and the respective pads or Megs UC and UP and their pads.



Most important, do a test spot, a 2x2 or smaller area and make sure your plan is going to work. So many people get all excited, spend all weekend on a car and don't get the results they expect, don't be that guy.
 
Well, first of all buy small bottles of products. I'd stick with a costumer grade polishes.

Meguiars ultimate compound and ultimate polish are a nice combo.

Then get 2 tangerine pads and use it with the ultimate compound. Get 2 crimson pad and use with ultimate polish.

Get a pad cleaning brush and clean your pads on the fly after each panel.

After decon with a claybar, do:



6 passes with medium pressure with the UC and 4 passes with light pressure with the UP.

Buy some snappy clean also, to wash your pads after using them.



this combo is pretty straight forward and will work great unless your paint is too soft or too hard.



Meguiars D151, is another great option if you want a single step. Use it with a crimson or tangerine pad and you should be fine.



Either choice, top it with collinite #845 and you're good to go.
 
One addition to some great advice already given. If you get the HF dual action, be sure and source 6" pads, as they will fit the backing plate, the smaller ones are just that, too small for the plate.

The HF tool is great for novices and pro's alike, and the price is really great.
 
I am not, haven't seen a need for it. I use DA's mainly for finishing after use of a rotary. However, many are not trained or experienced with a rotary, so they have to work the DA a bit longer with various pads to do the job.
 
Shane.belzers said:
What counter weight are you putting in the HF polisher?
Click to expand...



Is there any genuine, functional reason to change it, or to even give it any thought?



I ask because I run my PCs with whichever weight happens to be on 'em (at present both are using the one for 6" pads) no matter what size plate/pads I'm using, from 3" to 6.5".



I figure that the counterweight on the PC is based on the *sanding* application, and that a polishing setup (foam/wool/MF pads wet with polishing product) is much heavier than a plate with a single sheet of sandpaper anyhow.



Some people have even claimed that they can't tell any difference between the two PC weights. I do notice a diff, but like using the bigger weight all the time.
 
My GG6 has the original couter weight installed. I use it with 5.5" and 4" pads (corresponding bp) and can feel no difference than with the 6" pads and bp.
 
pwaug said:
My GG6 has the original couter weight installed..
Click to expand...



I've used mine with all sizes of pads (and some brushes) too, no problems related to the weight.



I wonder if there's even a choice for that machine? As you can tell, I've never even taken a good look at the GG 6" counterweight since, again, I don't go smaller on them.
 
Ok I’m thinking about going with HD UNO and HD Polish. If I am going to be ordering it would make sense to order the HD pads as well. Would orange and blue be good? Too aggressive? Not aggressive enough? Should I really get two of each? Again I know it is hard without pictures, but I am going to wait until I wash and clay to get them.



Also I was thinking of following up with HD Poxy. Should I use an applicator (red) pad for this?



I understand that for the harbor freight DA I will need to replace the backing plate.



Oh and can someone link me to the brush for cleaning the pads on the fly?
 
mackey said:
AFAIK the harbor freight one is good to go if you replace the counterweight included with it. get it with the 20% HF coupon and youre golden
Click to expand...



Never heard of this with the HF polisher and there are some top pros on this site using this unit.
 
Autoality.com has a 5" backing plate that fits HD and Buff & Shine pads perfectly--it's on the B&S page near the bottom right. They also carry a pad cleaning brush or you can use a Denture Brush from the Dollar Store.



IMO you'll need at least 4 of each color pad even if you're cleaning on the fly except the red for applying LSPs--just one red per LSP you're going to use.



On my wife's 97 Escort I used orange and green, but the paint was very hard. Perhaps someone with late model Ford experience will chime in--you can also look through the Click and Brags and perhaps find some info. Pictures would help--try to get some showing the swirls and RIDS.
 
Exely- Those videos show the marring very well.



My original advice still stands, I'd get the GG 6" polisher. Heh heh, I won't bug you if you buy the HF instead, but [insert "get what you pay for" lecture here, which plenty of people could :argue with ]



Yeah...go ahead and set it up with a 5" backing plate and use 5.5" pads.



The Uno *might* be enough, but it might take a while. I myself would buy the "Cut" instead for the aggressive work. Don't underestimate how aggressive you'll need to be to fix these "minor" problems.



I don't know enough about HD pads to comment, but whoever's selling them to you should be able to offer good advice. And pwaug is *NOT* kidding, you really will need that many pads (I myself use *more* and I use my compressor to clean them *VERY* frequently).



To clean foam pads I use a toothbrush-style brush with rather stiff plastic bristles. My fancy "pad cleaning" brush gets used so seldom that I don't even know where it is, it was a waste of money for me, but that's just *me*. Denture brushes can work fine for this (and for other aggressive scrubbing jobs) but get one that's configured properly (handle length/thickness, decent-sized head, etc.).
 
I have to agree with Accumulator that the GG6 would be my choice over the HF (or the Rupes if I could justify the cost to "the one who shall be obeyed")--if you get the HF for $48 with the coupon, then tack on the $9 for the 2 year replacement warranty your at $57. Amazon and BJs have the GG DA on sale for $80-$90 including shipping every few months so if you're patient and not in a rush you could get the GG with a lifetime warranty for approximately $30 more. (watch Amazon Gold Box and Lightening Deals)



HD pads and Buff & Shine pads are the same IMO--The B&S yellow, orange and white are Euro Prepolymer Foam which is firmer with much smaller cells so the product stays more on the surface--as a general rule B&S recommends these for "harder clearcoat" and correction work. The green, blue and black are Reticulated Polyester Foam which is softer with a more open cell structure allowing more of the polish to soak into the pad-B&S says generally these are for "softer clearcoat" and finish work.



I also use more than four pads per step, but didn't want to send you into "pad shock"--IMO it's also important to have a varied selection as you don't know what your test spot will show. The only alternative would be to use LC Hydrotec pads as there are only 3 grades -- from posts here and elsewhere people really like them as they do correct well and finish well--I guess their life span is not as long as other pads though.



I've used the yellow and orange with UNO and Polish on hard clear -- it does take time (not much of a concern when you're retired so it doesn't bother me), but they both finish down really well. Then I used the black pad with Speed for a final finish which really increased the shine and depth--then applied a coat of POXY (with a red B&S pad)



Glad to see Accumulator's comment about using "rather stiff bristles" for his cleaning brush as the Denture Brush does a great job, but I was wondering if I was shortening the life of my pads.
 
pwaug- I get pretty aggressive when brushing my pads, yet I'm one of those lucky guys whose pads last forever. When they do wear out, it's almost always matter of wearing down and behave less aggressively, which I do not ascribe to my cleaning tehcniques but rather just the eventual effect of using abrasive products under pressure (my finishing pads, which start out very gentle, last almost forever even though I brush them pretty aggressively too).
 
Thanks Accumulator--good to hear!! I don't have compressed air so I clean pads with both the denture brush and a towel after every other 2' X 2' section.
 
Exely- Those videos show the marring very well.
Click to expand...



Thank you lol



What do you guys think about me buying one product like UNO or CUT and a 5 pack of different buff and shine pads to see what works. Then I would order more of what worked well. That would keep me from having to buy a TON of pads or stabbing in the dark and ordering 4 pads that might not do what I want.



My original advice still stands, I'd get the GG 6" polisher. Heh heh, I won't bug you if you buy the HF instead, but [insert "get what you pay for" lecture here, which plenty of people could with ]
Click to expand...



I understand and I appreciate the advice. The reason I was looking more at the harbor freight was that I might not use the machine that much. Its really only for my daily driver and maybe my friends car. I'll keep and eye out for sales on the GG.



Oh, also will I know when it is time to change pads? Is there a rule of thumb, or more just when it doesn't come clean with a brush?



You guys are awesome btw, lots of great information here.
 
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