Nissan 370Z Forum - polishing with a machine

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- - polishing with a machine (http://www.the370z.com/detailing-washing-waxing-cosmetic-maintenance-repair/84283-polishing-machine.html)

polishing with a machine

do most people wax by hand or do they use a electric polisher? AND whats the best machine out there that anybody can use that you can"t hurt your car?

:stirthepot:

I do Zymol by hand every 2-3 weeks. It really doesn't take that long

Get a Porter Cable. Go watch all of the Junkman's videos. That should be all the info you need.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoadsterST (Post 2636983)

I do Zymol by hand every 2-3 weeks. It really doesn't take that long

You can't really polish a car by hand. The difference between a job done by hand and one done with a machine is massive.

True. But a good hand job is better than none at all...

You stand a good chance of adding more swirls than you remove trying to polish by hand. If it looks better than before, it's because the fillers in the product are covering up swirls. That's why you have to keep polishing it over and over. The fillers break down over time. Do it once with a machine to remove the swirls and then just keep a coat of wax on it.

Gotcha. I dont do it because it looks bad though. No swirls to be seen yet. I get your point and agree there is a diff.

Then you got lucky and got the one without all of the dealer-installed swirls :rofl2:

Go to detailersdomain and buy one of the Porter Cable combo packs with all of the pads and polishes. It's easier on you, it takes far less time and it does an exponentially better job. Plus, you really can't mess up your paint with a PC like an rotary polisher.

https://detailersdomain.com/Griots-G...Kit_p_990.html

Something like this would do the job like a champ. Just buy a few more pads. Grab one of the Nanoskin Autoscrub pads as well. It acts like a clay bar.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoadsterST (Post 2636996)

True. But a good hand job is better than none at all...

:icon18: I see what you did there!! Lol

The PORTER-CABLE 7424XP works pretty well with variable setting so you don't burn the paint. A little over $100 but you might be able to find one cheaper on the net.

I've had good success with a Turtle Wax random orbital buffer from Walmart that cost about $25 and using foam and microfiber pads. Had it for about two years now and use it on all 4 of our cars.

+1 machine random orbital polisher. Been using the same Porter Cable polisher for several years now and its never done me wrong. Just have to buy replacement pads/backing once in a while....try out different polishes/pads here and there. +1 on Nanoskin also....its a pain trying to get rid of my exhaust stains on the pearl white paint all the time with clay, but the Nanoskin makes everything so much easier.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Datsun240Z71 (Post 2637860)

I've had good success with a Turtle Wax random orbital buffer from Walmart that cost about $25 and using foam and microfiber pads. Had it for about two years now and use it on all 4 of our cars.

"Good success" at what? You sure ain't gonna fix any paint damage with that thing!

"Good sucess" at maintaining a "like new" appearance on all our cars, including my 240Z... which was last painted in 1989. It does a better job than you probably give it credit for. The 2008 Versa with 106k miles I traded recently for the 370Z looked great and I got compliments on the paintwork all the time, as does the 2001 Sentra with 150k miles we handed down to my mother in law for Christmas.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Datsun240Z71 (Post 2646789)

That's what I consider "better than new" because I have seen enough new cars with jacked up paint. There are a multitude of products and equipment that I can use to make paint look like this and that machine you have AIN'T one of them.

Props to the Junkman. Awesome when you zoom in at 3:03 to get the Flake. That paint looks like its 6" deep. SWEET.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RonRizz (Post 2647142)

Props to the Junkman. Awesome when you zoom in at 3:03 to get the Flake. That paint looks like its 6" deep. SWEET.

Everyone who has seen my work knows that I don't fake the funk. I am going to keep it real so that people will have no doubt when I bring them knowledge. There's a lot of bad scoop out here on these forums and I am going to do everything I can to make sure you guys know the real deal.

By the way, for anyone wondering what kind of wax was used on that car, there is NO WAX. That is what the car looked like after I finished polishing all of the damage out of the paint. Polishing is what makes paint shine. Wax is nothing more than a protectant.

Here's a shot of me working on that Camry. I was using that rotary to 'grind' some damage out of that hood. My father showed mt how to do that years ago, but he would do it with a wool pad. I didn't need that kind of cut so I used a foam pad.

I just used my griot's garage random orbital polisher for the first time and it worked wonders removing the swirls.

I used Adams quick sealant right after followed by adams buttery wax. I am only planning on full detailing twice a year...but will be using adams quick sealant after every wash.

Junkman on point, like always.

Learned so much from his vids back in the day. They should be a rite of passage to the forum, as our paint seemingly abuses itself on these cars.

"better than new" is correct, as most dealerships will provide you with a free machine wash with free swirls and marring at no extra cost!

Oh and his theories on product selection....must have...must watch!

Quote:

Originally Posted by faceglide (Post 2647493)

... "better than new" is correct, as most dealerships will provide you with a free machine wash with free swirls and marring at no extra cost!

Don't get me started on those free dealer installs! http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...illy_nilly.gif

Your work looks great Junkman... no doubt. You obviously are an expert with both the know-how and equipment needed to get those results.

I never claimed to be an expert or that I was fixing damaged paint or any of those things. I just try to keep my cars looking nice and they look better than 99% of the cars I see and as good as most at car shows... especially for daily drivers. For that, my $25 buffer works fine.

Nothing more to add.

Keep up the good work!

It's all about perception on these forums. People who don't know can read something and come to the conclusion that they can go out and buy a bottle of wax for example, apply it and make their paint shine like glass. I see that stuff all the time. When I do, I like to step in and get some clarification for those who don't know; dispel the misconceptions if you will.

Before I knew anything about this stuff (and before the Internet), I use to watch commercials about products like Nu Finish, that supposedly could make an old clunker in a junkyard look like new in a couple of wipes. I bought it hook, line and sinker because I didn't know any better. When I decided to teach the masses about this stuff, I did it for the sole reason to dispel all those myths and keep the unknowing from making those same mistakes. I also did it in order to keep folks from wasting all of their hard earned money. That's why I chimed in.

With places like Harbor Freight selling those low quality polishers, I don't want anyone to dump their hard earned cash into one of those things thinking that they are going to get the kind of results that I get when fixing paint. Not everything in detailing is expensive, I often prove that in my videos but some of the equipment and products do matter. Let's face it, we ain't driving Bentley's and Bugatti's here so if we can save some money, we are all for it. If I can provide that information to the masses, you can bet I'm going to do that. http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...s/thumbsup.gif

Quote:

Originally Posted by james west (Post 2636979)

do most people wax by hand or do they use a electric polisher? AND whats the best machine out there that anybody can use that you can"t hurt your car?

:stirthepot:

wax by hand should not hurt the car, what color is your car? any imperfections you would like to take care of?