Machine buffing?
Discussion
I'm not meticulous when I wash the car, but I do the standard rinse off, 2 buckets wash, rinse, blade off water, dry then wax routine each week/every other week but the waxing I find a huge PIA. As the BMW 5 series is a big car so it takes forever to buff out the wax and inevitably it still ends up looking 'shadowed' on the surface.
With limited time & even less patience, would a £50 Amazon machine polish with a soft pad be ok to do this final step with?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-Silverstorm%C2%...
cheers
With limited time & even less patience, would a £50 Amazon machine polish with a soft pad be ok to do this final step with?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-Silverstorm%C2%...
cheers
A good wax product should not need to be applied every week/other week so that step could be skipped.
As long as you stick to a decent manufacturers shampoo that does not strip the wax you will be fine.
The autoglym aqua dry cloth is a great addition to the home valeters collection, i use mine after the blade and the finish is always streak free.
The machine in the wrong hands can be dangerous!
As long as you stick to a decent manufacturers shampoo that does not strip the wax you will be fine.
The autoglym aqua dry cloth is a great addition to the home valeters collection, i use mine after the blade and the finish is always streak free.
The machine in the wrong hands can be dangerous!
With that kind of rotary machine there is a real risk of damaging the paint yes.
Dual action polishers are much better suited for first timers. This is a great place to start:
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/polishing-machines/d...
The clutch inside the unit will stop the spinning should you press too hard on a corner. Press too hard with a normal rotary and it'll just plough on.
Even on a black car though you shouldn't need to do this more than once or twice a year if you're careful when washing and use a good sealant and wax. What are you using at the moment? Waxing once a week is far too much. My last sealant has lasted 6 months so far, and it was only meguiars ultimate paste wax.
The drying blades are a bad idea, and will lead to the car needing a machine polish pretty quickly. A high quality microfibre towel like the wooly mammoth is a great investment. Just lay it on, pat it down a bit and it dries without even moving over the surface.
If you've got time this is a great watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgSLEVi_SPg
Dual action polishers are much better suited for first timers. This is a great place to start:
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/polishing-machines/d...
The clutch inside the unit will stop the spinning should you press too hard on a corner. Press too hard with a normal rotary and it'll just plough on.
Even on a black car though you shouldn't need to do this more than once or twice a year if you're careful when washing and use a good sealant and wax. What are you using at the moment? Waxing once a week is far too much. My last sealant has lasted 6 months so far, and it was only meguiars ultimate paste wax.
The drying blades are a bad idea, and will lead to the car needing a machine polish pretty quickly. A high quality microfibre towel like the wooly mammoth is a great investment. Just lay it on, pat it down a bit and it dries without even moving over the surface.
If you've got time this is a great watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgSLEVi_SPg
I use autoglym shampoo then turtle wax. After a couple of weeks the water doesn't seem to bead quite at much hence me re-waxing after the wash.
Blade saved me having to use 2-3 microfiber towels and made the job a lot quicker, but if it could damage the paint ill give it a miss. It's a good quality one if that helps? 5 series has a lot of big panels!
Will definitely go for dual action one then, having the clutch seems like a very good idea.
Many thanks for the help
Blade saved me having to use 2-3 microfiber towels and made the job a lot quicker, but if it could damage the paint ill give it a miss. It's a good quality one if that helps? 5 series has a lot of big panels!
Will definitely go for dual action one then, having the clutch seems like a very good idea.
Many thanks for the help
Something better than turtle wax will definitely make life easier. Lots of people highly rating FK1000P for lasting a long time with mega beading
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/sealants/finishkare-...
Maintained with a good wash and wax shampoo I guess it could last up to around 6-9 months
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/washing-and-drying/c...
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/sealants/finishkare-...
Maintained with a good wash and wax shampoo I guess it could last up to around 6-9 months
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/washing-and-drying/c...
Andehh said:
...Blade saved me having to use 2-3 microfiber towels and made the job a lot quicker, but if it could damage the paint ill give it a miss.
I've got an Autoglym blade but I only use it on the daily car. There's too much risk of a tiny particle of dust gett8ing under the blade and leaving a long line fine on the car. As Tim says, get a DA like that DAS-6 (also called a Kestrel I believe), they were around for £100 or so not long ago (+ backing plate & pad etc).
I like using 3M Ultrafina on a relatively fine pad, doesn't really correct the paint but gets rid of holograms/smears and fills some of the swirls.
I like using 3M Ultrafina on a relatively fine pad, doesn't really correct the paint but gets rid of holograms/smears and fills some of the swirls.
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