Polishing precautions

E

Eyeon

New member
When polishing with a rotary are ther any areas that take extra caution, such as plastic bumpers, a pillers or mirrors?
 
Absolutely! I tape all plastic trim pieces because paint burns, wrinkles etc. MUCH quicker on plastic pieces. Plastic moldings, door handles and things that are plastic I soften up the approach or simply hit it with my ROB and polish or AIO after I've finished the vehicle with my rotary and remove the protective tape. On some vehicles I find it sometimes difficult to tell if a part is plastic. When thats the case I treat it like plastic and do it either by hand or ROB. For example, I don't know if any vehicle manufacturer is using metallic side view mirror enclosures. The problem is these pieces are usually pounded by bugs, road debris etc. and need correction. I usually do them with a more delicate pad/polish combo and slower speed with the rotary (4" spot pads work well for me) or wait for a final buff with my PC ROB.



The heat, forced rotation and combo of pad/polish with a rotary can be almost instant damage to the delicate pieces. On the other hand it is just what is needed as a time saver on the majority of the vehicle that is metal and painted. Just remember that what cuts down marring/scratches perfectly and getting a great shine on metal painted sections is probably WAY TOO aggressive on plastic and generally softer trim pieces.



I've burned and wrinkled paint a few times when I first started out with my rotary. I've learned the priceless value of the minimal cost of blue painters tape over time.
 
+1



I learned how fast you can really burn through with the edges of the pads when I started using the rotary and testing. All it takes is half a second on a piece of trim sticking out near a panel you're working on and its gone or wrinkled.
 
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