What polisher?

[Jamie]

I'd like to buy a polisher - what is the best for a newbie. Objective will be to pc the trophy and try to get rid of the swirls partly/mostly.

I had a look at the guide which has a lot of detail (thanks) - could someone dull that down and pperhaps tell me what to getnformthe trophy?

Thanks

 

[slob]

I used this in your situation.
http://http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?593597-My-first-correction-attempt-with-the-cyc-rotary

 

[slob]

http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?593597-My-first-correction-attempt-with-the-cyc-rotary

 

[JD]

You will not need anything more than a G220/Kestrel DAS-6 dual action machine. You could look into the Pro version of the DAS-6 as well;

http://www.i4detailing.co.uk/acatalog/Meguiars_G220V2_Dual_Action_Polisher_Kit_1.html

http://www.i4detailing.co.uk/acatalog/Kestrel_DAS-6_Dual_Action_Machine_Polisher_1.html

 

[Jamie]

Which kit would you recommend for my swirling and paint correction? What category is the Clio paint? Soft/medium/hard?

Ill postman pic of the actual paint shortly, but it is quite swirly(IMO).

 

[Space Cadet]

Give the guys at PolishedBliss a call, I’m in the same boat as you and am going to buy my first DA, the guy there recommended the Kestrel Power Plus Polisher as it was more powerful than the G220. I had to ask the same question as to soft/medium/hard, he explained that most Japanese cars are soft and that German cars tend to be hard – not sure where this leaves French Clios though. They also sell kits where you save a few quid if you buy the polishes and pads at the same time. The Kestrel PP was actually cheaper than the G220. I’ve used PolishedBliss loads in the past for all my car cleaning stuff and they are really helpful and happy to have a geeky chat.

 

[JD]

the guy there recommended the Kestrel Power Plus Polisher as it was more powerful than the G220.

You could look into the Pro version of the DAS-6 as well

As mentioned above.

Which kit would you recommend for my swirling and paint correction? What category is the Clio paint? Soft/medium/hard?

Ill postman pic of the actual paint shortly, but it is quite swirly(IMO).

Clio paint is usually around the medium mark, but it is always a case by case basis. The art is to remove the least amount of clearcoat possible, something that a lot of people still do not understand!

I would suggest looking at the 3M system as it is more easy to follow than the Menz system, as there are specific coloured tops that tie in with the colour of the pads. Pick up UltraFina (Blue top and blue pad) and Perfect-it 111 (yellow top and yellow pad).

Don't forget that with the size of most cars' A and B pillars, you'll need a spot pad backing plate and the corresponding spot pads. So you kit should look like this;

Machine
Backing plate
Spot pad backing plate
Polishing and refining pads (yellow and blue)
Polishing and refining spot pads (yellow and blue)
Polishing and refining polishes (yellow and blue)

Hope that helps Jamie, shout if not!

 

[Adamm.]

I'm a detailing noob and started with the Das 6 pro menz kit.

 

[Gally]

He's back!!!!!!

 

[JD]

Lol. Shite day.

 

[chris_p]

Why not skip the da stage and go straight to rotary?
I wish I had tbh!

The safest way is to progress from da to rotary, but so long as your not a tard it's tempting to go in the deep end, get a test panel and try it out etc.

Da correction is tedious, took far too long on my RB Clio.

 

[hodgy21]

Da correction is tedious, took far too long on my RB Clio.

I thought it was just me!

 

[Adamm.]

Yeah took me f**king ages too.

Might sell my DA for a rotary in fact.

 

[Yellow Dave]

If it's taking you an age with DA, it's still going to take you while with rotary, as 95% of it comes down to technique. Yes they can be a bit quicker I'm not exactly knocking hours of my time. So much so I haven't bothered to start correcting my current cars since selling the 182. So much so that I would prefer to use a pre wax cleanser or glaze that will partially fill than waste hours of correcting a car that I know gets a hard life and won't stay swirl free.

Because of this I recommend anyone wanting to machine polish to try using a pre wax cleanser or glaze by machine before trying cutting compounds. Leaves a much better finish than my hand application with the reduced risk of damage.

I'd also recommend starting with a DA. I did then moved to rotary, and now not wanting to do too much correction wish I still had my DA. And if you need the extra power of the plus version as it's bogging down you're using too much pressure. Save your money. I point you all to a recent thread of Gally's where he used lime prime via machine instead of cutting compound. The tools will only get you so far if you don't have the technique, and I include myself in that statement

 

[JD]

Why not skip the da stage and go straight to rotary?
I wish I had tbh!

The safest way is to progress from da to rotary, but so long as your not a tard it's tempting to go in the deep end, get a test panel and try it out etc.

Da correction is tedious, took far too long on my RB Clio.

I thought it was just me!

Yeah took me f**king ages too.

Might sell my DA for a rotary in fact.

This.

If it's taking you an age with DA, it's still going to take you while with rotary, as 95% of it comes down to technique.

 

[JD]

And also;

The art is to remove the least amount of clearcoat possible, something that a lot of people still do not understand!

 

[chris_p]

This.

What technique would you reccomend? I.e what size area to work on/how much pressure/ time per area etc?

 

[Yellow Dave]

there's not an exact one type for all technique, that's why it's not as easy as many would think. comes down to type of paint, pad, polish, machine. Hence why I paid and went on a training day.

area generally 1' x 1' (30cm)
pressure enough to change the tone in the machine but no more, I found minimal pressure worked best
time, well until the polish starts to haze clear instead of white, or dries past a use able state.

It all really comes down to practice, which is why I have stuck more to using pre wax cleansers as my technique is rubbish. I can get good correction, but might be there an age for one panel. But I've accepted my cars will always be swirl buses, and am just happy with them looking shiny

 

[hodgy21]

Thanks for the advice chaps (JD & Yellow Dave), I shall try again this weekend!

 

[Scrooge]

I love my rotary but I quite like using the da as well tbh.

 

[JD]

What technique would you reccomend? I.e what size area to work on/how much pressure/ time per area etc?

Zenith technique on both works well, although better with the rotary as you're more likely to incur holograms.

Area wise, I usually go 50cm by 50cm when correcting/polishing/compounding. For filler products, such as the ones described by Dave above, usually larger areas as the products allow me to do so.

 

[chris_p]

Zenith technique on both works well, although better with the rotary as you're more likely to incur holograms.

Area wise, I usually go 50cm by 50cm when correcting/polishing/compounding. For filler products, such as the ones described by Dave above, usually larger areas as the products allow me to do so.

Cheers for that dude, gave it a go this weekend and I've had so much better results!
I think it could be that I'm getting used to machine polishing, but the BMW paint felt a lot softer than the RB Clio, strange.

Correction was still fairly slow, but manageable.
Here's a couple of low quality iPhone pics, not meaning to thread hijack!

The photos do NO justice! I've managed to eliminate pretty much all swirling and even tackled lots of deeper scratches with some wet and dry, argh! Brilliant results even if I say so myself, its like a black mirror with some mandatory BMW orange peel lol