Machine Polisher for home use? What should I buy?

[tomvcarter]

Hi, after giving my car a through polish today, I noticed a number of scratches that have occurred from the last "valet" I had done... Nothing major, but just enought to annoy me! Now that I have realised the errors of my ways can this sort of damage be resolved at home? And what/how would I need to sort it? I understand a Machine Polisher for home use would work? What should I buy?
Tks

[JulesB]

If it is fine scratches then it is not really the polisher you need but I would suggest a very fine polish but if you are adamant on getting a polisher then I suggest looking at the 'DAS-6' a lot of people on here suggest it, never used it myself I always use a Flex polisher.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FARECLA-MOP-HEAD-BLACK-A...

That mophead is a very fine/soft head so it would be ideal for cutting out the final scratches

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3M-Perfect-it-III-Extra-...

This polish is very fine and should be ideal for what you need doing.

HTH

[jaf01uk]

I have a DAS 6 Pro which is slightly more powerful than the Das 6, very easy to use and great for fine swirl and scratch removal,
Gary

[Yertis]

My daughter has just bought an ooooold red Ford Fiesta. It's the sort of car I'd never normally give second look but because she's handed me the task of bringing it back to some sort of MoT-passing reliablility I'm growing quite attached to the old heap. But the paint has done that usual 'red paint' thing of blooming, turning all pink and powdery. I've tried T-Cut (actually I think it was AutoGlym Paint Restorer) on a little bit of bonnet but, although it started to come up OK, took forever just to do a tiny patch.

So I'm thinking of buying a machine polisher and some sort of fine cutting polish. But I've never really been into the detailing scene before (not enough time) so I've no idea where to start in terms of either machine or compound. I won't be using the machine too much, but if this Fiesta shines up OK I'll have a go at polishing some orange peel out of some repairs to my otherwise concourse TR6, and also tidying up some damage a seagull did to the Monaro by crapping (what appears to be) fibreglass insulation onto it. Is the gear mentioned up thread suitable for these sorts of tasks?

[jagnet]

For orange peel you'd really need to wet sand it and then polish, but for buffing up oxidised paint on the Fiesta then JulesB's suggestions would be fine.

As an alternative to the DA you could go for a rotary polisher such as the Silverline Silverstorm which is more than adequate for home use, and then for polishes and pads something like the GTechniq pSystem ProKit which gives you the P1 and P2 polishes; 6.5" wool, medium and fine foam pads, and backing plate; and 5 microfibre cloths. Total spend: ~£120 for machine, pads and polishes, which is something of a bargain.

Despite the speed at which it'll correct, you have to try really really hard to burn through the paint with P1 even with a wool bonnet, making it as safe to use as a DA. The abrasives aren't diminishing so there's not so much worry over timings for each pass, and it's water based so easier to remove than oily polishes and thus gives a clearer indication of the true level correction. For an introduction to machine polishing it's hard to beat imho.

[Yertis]

Thanks Jagnet! Found all that for less than £100. Cheers

[jagnet]

Bargain! Can't go wrong at that sort of price. You'll probably add more value to the car than that lot cost

[Yertis]

I think you're right. Just for fun I'll post up some before and afters.

[CGriffiths]

I have a almost new DAS 6 Pro for sale over on Detailing World, Its a great tool for home use and even pro use. Ive only done around 5 cars with it in the last month.


If your interested email me at [e-mail]


Chris