Help the noob! 1st attempt with DA Polisher.

[Mr Noble]

1st question - how do I clean the pads I've used? Do I wash them in warm soapy water or just leave them for next time??



2nd question - what the heck did I do wrong!! :roll eyes:



So, I washed, clayed and dried the car (BMW 5 series 2009)

Set up the brand new DA polisher (DAS 6 Pro) with the blue Lake county hydrotek pad and Manzerna 2500 cream.

Sprayed some quick detailer fluid onto pad (as per a guide I read)

Put some cream onto the pad in a cross shape

Dabbed it onto an area of bonnet

Set machine to setting 3 and whirled away over a 2 foot sq area for 90 seconds till the cream went much clearer.

Put machine down and grabbed micro cloth but the cream wouldn't come off!! It was stuck fast like butter as per the picture.

Ended up having to wash it off with hot soapy water.

Gave up.

Will call detailer lol







Was it too cold today? 2c

[domster]

OK...

1) It won't be ambient temps... heat gets into the panel soon enough.

2) Don't give up. It sounds like a reasonable start despite the discouraging results.

3) If the residue is hard to remove, then it has just clumped onto the paint, usually due to a combination of heat and uneven pad application. It will come off with a quick detail spray and this is quite normal with many polishes.

4) Don't bother priming the pad with detailing spray; this is often unnecessary and may interfere with the action of the pad and compound. Compounds are designed to work with dry pads and have enough lubrication themselves. Whilst it may do no harm, it is an unnecessary complication at this stage. Save the Quick Detailer for removing clumped residue.

5) Clean foam pads by massaging them under a running tap with neat washing up liquid. Rinse until the foaming stops, then allow to air dry. Do not soak them overnight as it could kill the glue backing of the pads.

6) Stop and start the machine on the panel. If you don't, the pads can start becoming torn due to the orbital throw.

7) Ensure you are familiar with the intricacies of the DAS machines - mark the backing plate and apply enough pressure to ensure it rotates at approx one revolution per second. They are clutched machines. Too little pressure and they spin wildly; too much pressure and they can stall (although the Pro has a much higher stall torque, so can cut quite heavily compared to the standard machine).

8) The pic looks like there is some residual contamination on the panel, but it is difficult to tell. It may just be the clumping. The polish will clump on a dirty or unclayed panel more easily, although you do say you clayed. So maybe reclay it if it isn't smooth.

Give it another go and you'll start to see the light.

[Mr Noble]

Thanks Domster - most helpful.

So is the usual technique to do say 1/4 of the bonnet and they wipe off with soft cloth, then do another 1/4 and so on?

If I'm honest - I may have done the whole bonnet in one go giving the cream enough time to dry on before I tried to wipe it off. (about 5 minutes)

Actually having a quick look at the bonnet now with a torch, it does appear quite a bit less swirly, so maybe another go with the 500 finishing cream and then a wax, and I'll have achieved my goal - on the 1st panel at least.



Having paid someone £300 to detail my sports car a year or two ago. I now appreciate the value for money I got! He was outside for a day and a half and I didn't hear him scream once!! I was out the for about 25 minutes and screamed 3 times

[RedSpiseeBalls]

Mr Noble said:

He was outside for a day and a half and I didn't hear him scream once!!

1.5 days detailing correction work for £300!!!

That's the real story... :-) You should be phoning him back lol

[domster]

Mr Noble said:

Thanks Domster - most helpful.

So is the usual technique to do say 1/4 of the bonnet and they wipe off with soft cloth, then do another 1/4 and so on?

If I'm honest - I may have done the whole bonnet in one go giving the cream enough time to dry on before I tried to wipe it off. (about 5 minutes)

Yup, you undoubtedly did too much in one hit. A sixth or an eighth of the bonnet is more realistic in practice. It isn't a quick process. To machine polish an average car properly is really a couple of days work, unless it's a very long day and the paint is in very good condition to begin with. For a beginner, I'd give it a couple of weekends.