Fun & Games Most liked posts in thread: This is why I do not use wax anymore

A pad is good for a panel or two before cleaning. I never toss pads away I put them in a bucket with MF cleaner and water until I am ready to wash them all.

Meguiar's 105 and 205 are great compounds but they tend to be a little too dusty for me when using them. The cut and finish is great, its the dust that drives me nuts. I hate cleaning after cleaning if you know what I mean. :ihih:

 

Someone asked what pads I use on my DA's.

I use Rupes pads on my Rupes DA and also Meguiar's MF cutting pads cutting / compounding and finish polishing.
http://www.esotericcarcare.com/brands/Rupes.html

Rupes Blue Compounding Pad
Meguiar's DA Microfiber Cutting Disc 2-pack
Rupes Yellow Polishing Pad
Rupes Green Light Compounding Pad
Rupes White Finishing Pad


On my Griots DA I use Lake Country ThinPro Foam Pads.
http://www.autogeek.net/lake-country-thinpro-5-inch.html

5.5 Inch ThinPro Grey Extreme Cutting Pad (Single)
5.5 inch ThinPro Gray Extreme Cutting Pad –This pad has an open cell that can dissipate heat well and stays pretty firm even with heat from the polishing process. Use it for spot repair or heavy compounding.

5.5 Inch ThinPro Orange Heavy Cutting Pad (Single)
5.5 inch ThinPro Orange Heavy Cutting Pad – This foam pad provides the level of cut expected from a foam cutting pad, but finishes like a foam polishing pad! It removes most paint imperfections and leaves a finish that is nearly wax ready.

5.5 Inch ThinPro White Polishing Pad (Single)
5.5 inchThinPro White Polishing Pad – The white pad features very dense foam. Use this pad to remove light imperfections, apply a light polish, cleaner wax, and any jobs for which you'd use the standard Lake Country white polishing pad.

5.5 Inch ThinPro Black Finishing Pad (Single) 5.5 inch ThinPro Black Finishing Pad – This pad provides no mechanical cutting ability but thanks to its dense foam, it provides superior control while polishing. It features super soft foam, which makes it ideal for finishing polishes, waxes, sealants, and glazes.

5.5 Inch ThinPro Red Waxing Pad (Single) 5.5 Inch ThinPro Red Finishing Pad – This soft, imported foam is ideal for applying the final coat of wax or sealant. The foam works especially well when applying liquid waxes or sealants because it is firm enough to keep the majority of the product on the paint, rather than soaking it up

 

Convertible top ?

This is what I use on convertible tops and my deck umbrella, BBQ cover and deck chairs.

Kiwi Camp Dry Heavy Duty Water Repellent. You only need one can.
https://www.amazon.com/Kiwi-Heavy-Water-Repellant-Ounce/dp/B01KZLKN78/ref=sr_1_9_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1490714476&sr=8-9&keywords=kiwi+protect+all


Also this stuff is awesome for any fabric of any type.

Rust-Oleum 278146 NeverWet 11-Ounce Outdoor Fabric Spray, Clear
https://www.amazon.com/Rust-Oleum-278146-NeverWet-11-Ounce-Outdoor/dp/B00KRHF8E4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490714590&sr=8-1&keywords=neverwet

 

They work great against bird poop.

If you just want to test a mild coating and not dive into a full on $100.00 + coating try Gyeon Can Coat for only $50.00 bucks. Just remember it will only last about 6 months but you will know it's working and still on the paint when you wash your car and see the water bead and sheet off.

You can read more about it by following the link below.

http://www.esotericcarcare.com/gyeon-q2-cancoat/

 

Hummm those are fun. :mad2:

I clean the spot with a Q-tip and some lacquer thinner and touch them up with factory paint a few times over several days.

Then I wet sand down the sport with 3000 grit and buff / compound them out with a yellow pad or MF cutting pad using Sonax Perfect Finish.

Then wax or coat them depending on who car it is. I always coat my car, no more wax for me.

I use very fine paint brushes from a craft store like the 3 at the bottom of the below picture ( 0 , 00 or 000 ) to fill the chips. You want the touch up to be above the paint level before you spot wet sand it to blend it in.

 

That's not going to happen. :lol::lol::lol:

I like doing what I do for the people I detail cars for but I do not to start my own business. I think it would be too much like work and take the passion and enjoyment out of it for me.

 

First of all MINI paint strong and thick. You cannot burn it with a DA.

* Exception * maybe if you put 80 grit dry sandpaper on the DA but that would just be silly.:lol:

One reason DA's are very safe for paint is they do not generate enough heat because they move in a pattern and not just a circular motion like a rotary polisher at 3k -6 k Roma.

Two foam and MF pads do not spin at high speeds ( more like 1500 - 300- Rpms) and the compounds are not as abrasive as they once were.

Technology with pads, products and the paints themselves are much better now then when we used lacquer paints.

You can burn right through MINI and any other paint job with a Mikita rotary buffer. This happens because of the course cut of a compound and the abrasiveness of the wool pad and the heat generated. It took me months to learn to polish with Rotary DA on old junk yard panels and hoods. When you can test and train on junk parts and try to burn them you learn how much force it takes to damage auto paint.

I would highly recommend the Portal Cable 7424 XP DA or the Griots DA for any diy / starter polisher for anyone.

The Griots is the one cost a little more but it comes with a excellent backing plate for pads. I also love the torque the Griots has to keep the pads spinning at low speeds. I still have my Griots and use it a lot because it is strong, well made and very reliable.

https://www.amazon.com/Griots-Garage-10813STDCRD-Orbital-Polisher/dp/B009UKUUWE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490837500&sr=8-1&keywords=griots+garage+6+inch+random+orbital+polisher

One more thing about DA's on paint, the softer the pad the less cut you get, so even with a compound on the pad you will have to run the pad on the car a longer time then you would with a Orange or Yellow pad.

So if anyone is worried about your paint and damaging it start off with just plain wax or polish on a soft pad like white or lower from the lists above to get the hang of using the DA machine. Practice make perfect and you will love cleaning your car and the results.

Slow and even polishing will achieve better results in the end then high speed and a very abrasive compound. The more you use a DA the better your results will be.

 

They are both kind of the same thing the way compounds and polishes are being made these days but they can be confusing.

Buffing can mean different things. You buff a car with a machine and compound. Or while you are taking hand wax off a car with a towel you are buffing the paint to make it shine.

Polishing is more inline with the steps after compounding. After you compound the paint to take out the major defects the next step is fine polishing / jeweling the paint.

After you get paint is perfect you apply wax or sealant or a coating and let it setup and then buff it off.

This way all your hard work is protected. Wax last the shortest, about 2-4 months tops, sealants last about 6 months and coatings are good for a year easy and can last up to 2 + years with proper cleaning.

 

I started with that in HS. :lol: