Post-Road-Trip Cleaning....I love doing this!

H

hdrosen

New member
Hi there,



I'm new to this site so excuse me for any simple questions. I'm tired of polishing my car by hand. I wanted to get a polishing machine. However, I heard a few things regarding buffing with machine and would like some suggestions before I proceed to purchase the machine. I've read the tips on this site regarding buffing but is still wonder if it is possible that I could ruin my paint if I buff too much. Any reply would be appreciated. TIA. Jordan
 
The key variable in your question is "too much" - what is too much? At the extreme, yes, if you buff with a really abrasive compound for a long, long time - yeah. But in general, orbital polishers are very, very safe.



Even rotary buffers usually do NOT cause damage as a direct result of polishing when the pad is flat on a flat surface- they "burn" through the paint by producing too much heat, typically at an edge of the spinning pad, where the pad speed is highest - and usually because that edge wasn't in the focus of the operator and contacted a different surface on its side or edge.



Orbitals don't spin at any great speed, so they produce very little heat. You have to really, really work hard or have a complete lack of reasonable common sense to damage your paint with them.



Just about everyone on this board who already uses a Porter-Cable machine will tell you it saves time, produces better results and is easy to use. There is some technique to using it properly - but failing to get that technique right only means a less-than-perfect shine - no permanent damage.
 
carguy,



Thanks for your reply. Sorry for unclear questions. As English is my second language. Anyway, I was wondering if it will harm the paint job if I buffer the car frequently such as every week. Thanks Jordan
 
Depends on the product you use. If you use a liquid rubbing compound every week can you mess up the finish? Yes.



If you use the proper products with the proper pad, you will be fine.
 
ShowroomLincoln,



How would I know which to use. And which is OK to use? I am using a brand name "Zimol" polisher (not sure if its spells correctly). Its sky blue color in liquid form. Is that OK. Also, is there any sites where we can search to see which product is safe and best to use for polish and wax? Wax, I use the Meguiar's Carnabue (I don't know how to spell this word) wax. Jordan
 
Is it Zymol's cleaner wax?

Visit www.zymol.com to find out.

As for Meguiars wax, which one? Is it a consumer wax line or pro line?

www.meguiars.com

I know Meguiars products state on the bottle if it can be used my hand, dual action, or machine buffer. Meguiars professional line is geared towards the professionals or detail enthusiast with a machine buffer to provide maximum results form the product, some of them can also be used by PC, and almost all by hand unless specified.

Jason
 
We drove to central Illinois (from KC) this weekend for the Annual Corvette Funfest. LOTS of Vettes, stuff to see, stuff to BUY! (I'll post some pics of the event separately)....

The car was pretty trashed from driving 800 miles + driving in heavy rain for 2 hours on the way home...

I started by doing the wheels and wheel wells.....

I first sprayed the wheels/tires/wheelwells with APC, then let dwell 5 minutes, scrubbed and rinsed.

IMG_5465.jpg


IMG_5467.jpg


IMG_5466.jpg


IMG_5458.jpg


IMG_5460.jpg


IMG_5461.jpg


IMG_5462.jpg


IMG_5464.jpg


Next I washed the paint and the convertible top. I used Meg's Deep Crystal Car wash (one of my staples!) and a microfiber mitt. On the top I used a horse hair brush from PAC.


IMG_5468.jpg


IMG_5469.jpg


IMG_5470.jpg


Following my "flood" rinse, I dried the Vert top with an Absorber (no lint). Then used the Big Blue drying towel on the remainder of the car. I then blew out the wheels, cracks and crevices with leaf blower. (I really need to get a Cycle Dryer!)

IMG_5472.jpg


IMG_5473.jpg


IMG_5471.jpg


Then comes interior vacuuming, and wipedown with Meg's Quik Interior Detailer. (Leaves a flat OEM finish and a wonderful citrus smell!)

IMG_5474.jpg


IMG_5476.jpg


IMG_5478.jpg


Wiped down the "Business End" of the LS3 with Z6 detail spray.

IMG_5495.jpg


Shined up the tips....

IMG_5506.jpg


IMG_5507.jpg


A final wipedown with Z8, dressed tires with Z16, and some finish pics!

IMG_5510.jpg


IMG_5511.jpg


IMG_5512.jpg


IMG_5489.jpg


IMG_5490.jpg


IMG_5491.jpg


IMG_5484.jpg


IMG_5483.jpg


IMG_5482.jpg


IMG_5481.jpg




As you can see, the many coats of Blackfire WD is doing it's job well!

A fun way to spend 3 1/2 hours!!!!
 
The Vette is looking sweeeeeet Bill.:drool5:
After having it now for a few months, what do you think of it?
 
bmw5541 said:
The Vette is looking sweeeeeet Bill.:drool5:
After having it now for a few months, what do you think of it?
Click to expand...

It's one sweet ride. 436hp. Zero to 60 in 3.8 seconds. 1/4 mile in 12.8. The acceleration of this LS3 is just ferocious!:out: It cruises on the highway at 80 just like a Caddy and gets almost 30 mpg (highway)!:) And as an added bonus, it corners like it's on rails!:devil:

Yep, I love it. Worth every penny. A great retirement gift.:Dancing Dot::Dancing Dot::Dancing Dot::biggrin:
 
Looks absolutely gorgeous, Bill. I also love those cleanups after a good cruise because you know what's underneath the road crud and it isn't too much work to get it back.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top