Spring Cleaning!

[PiKe]

So I've haven't polished my car fully yet in 6 months of ownership, and it doesn't look bad until you pull up in a petrol station and see just how badly swirled the paint is. Previous owner used a silicone blade to dry off the car, which has left scratches behind, and I presume a sponge for washing.

I've used Meguires ScratchX by hand on a couple of places but I'm not getting the results I want, I'm thinking a mechanical polisher is the only way to go, but which polisher and product would I need and would it be completely idiot proof? I don't want to risk damaging the cars paintwork.

I could take it to a local detailer who would charge about £250, opinions?

 

[DM]

If you dont know what your doing, dont practice on your own car.

Pay to get it done once then keep on top of it.

 

[MikeHiow]

You won't get swirls out by hand, not before your arms drop off anyway.

Buy an orbital, or take it to a detailer. You'll find details of finding either over on detailing world

 

[PiKe]

If you dont know what your doing, dont practice on your own car.

Practice on someone elses then?

 

[DM]

Practice on someone elses then?

No i mean you can do more harm than good if you dont know what your doing, add that to the cost of a machine.

Do what i do, get it done once then wash it carefully

 

[Clarkey]

If you dont know what your doing, dont practice on your own car.

Why not? I did, right after it had been repainted too, and with a rotary. I really can't see the problem, you'd have to be a monumental clutz to damage the paint.

I'd recommend a rotary machine too, DA machines are twice as expensive for a machine not even half as effective. Don't buy into all the claptrap on the internet about how it's like wielding a dangerous weapon around your car. That is nothing but scaremongering to generate business for pro's.

If you're not that interested in learning the technique though, and have the money to burn then just get a pro to do it. It's back breaking work tbh, and you'd be lucky to get perfect results first try.

 

[HummuH1]

Pay to get it done once then keep on top of it.

Have to agree with that. By the time you've got the decent polisher, bought the right products to to use, got the extra sundries such as a billion types of cloth, spent the time gettting the procedure right and then actually doing it, you may just wish you'd paid someone a few hundred quid just to do a proper detail. At least, that's what I went through. It's great at the start but gets a pain in the arse after a few IMO. Different if you can earn a living from it.

With proper and careful washing and a shelf of a few products, you can keep a good detail looking good for a long time and you'll still have time left over at the weekends

 

[Lopéz]

Don't buy into all the claptrap on the internet about how it's like wielding a dangerous weapon around your car. That is nothing but scaremongering to generate business for pro's

Agreed - even my mate was telling me the other day - "Don't go near your car with Menz and a rotary style polisher you'll be burning through in seconds"

It's all BS

 

[Fett]

Why not? I did, right after it had been repainted too, and with a rotary. I really can't see the problem, you'd have to be a monumental clutz to damage the paint.

I'd recommend a rotary machine too, DA machines are twice as expensive for a machine not even half as effective. Don't buy into all the claptrap on the internet about how it's like wielding a dangerous weapon around your car. That is nothing but scaremongering to generate business for pro's.

If you're not that interested in learning the technique though, and have the money to burn then just get a pro to do it. It's back breaking work tbh, and you'd be lucky to get perfect results first try.

I agree that the potential for damage with a rotary is overblown, but it's still something I wouldn't use on my cars. I'd let a reputable detailer use one though.

With a DA, the margin for error is huge and you'd have to deliberately try to damage the paint for anything to happen so it's perfect for an enthusiast who doesn't have the inclination to learn decent rotary technique. With a DA, you're a pro in 10 minutes. Good rotary technique is a skill and that has to be learnt on something and you would need to invest in a paint gauge as well.

Personally, even if it's a very small chance, I'm not willing to take the risk when a DA will produce the same results. It takes much, much longer obviously but if you enjoy doing it, it's no biggie.

I'd let anyone have a go with the DA on my own cars, not a chance with a rotary. Some of the best detailers around still use DAs as part of the paint correction because of the rotary heat issues on plastic.

So I can see the advantages for a pro but for the guy who maybe digs out the polisher twice a year? DA personally.