silverlake

So I’m new when it comes to this level of detail however I want to learn to fix minor imperfections myself and also how to polish the paint back to mirror shine so I know I need a variable speed buffer but what pads and polish would you guys recommend that’s not overly expensive

fwhomeboy

Oh boy, you just asked a very difficult question and, a very good one that will bring so many answers and opinions. This is gonna be good.

Blaque Diamond Wheels

I've done a DIY paint correction in the past on my black WRX (Subaru paint is one of the softest). I used a Porter Cable PC7424xp (perfect for noobs, almost impossible to burn the paint with it) with a finishing pad and cutting pad. I used Meguiars 205 to finish and 105 to cut. Before any polishing, I used regular soap to strip any wax off the car the followed by a quick clay (I used Mothers clay bar).

Took me about a day and half total. I did section by section moving very slowly with the pad in a cross hatching movement. I would cut maybe 2 times then finish 2 times. Once you polish, remember to use wax to protect the new glassy paint. I used a carnuba based wax.

Hopefully that helps!

LeX2K

Porter Cable 7424XP
Lake Country Orange and Yellow pads
Meguiars 205 and 105 is a good combo

silverlake

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F173385731361 I was looking into this one . Any thoughts ?

Blaque Diamond Wheels

I personally can't vouch for that one. When I was doing my research, the Porter Cable seemed to be the go to machine for starters.

LeX2K

The Porter Cable is the best value IMO and also extremely well made they last forever. Rupes is a few steps up but the price reflects this good for people that polish many cars a year.

Beachtyme

iTrader: (1)

PC 7424XP is a great start. If you know for sure you're going to keep doing it or you have multiple cars, you may want to spend a bit more on a higher end DA, but the XP is a solid machine.

Autogeek.com is continuously having sales and you can pick up a bundle with most all you need for a good price, free shipping and 25% off. If you need a coupon code, hit me up via PM.

UDel

There are so many different product it is hard to narrow it down to one reply.

I would recommend a Porter Cable 7424. Great price, great build quality and durability.

I would recommend 2 backing plates, a 5 inch for large flat areas for 5 to 6 in pads and a
3 1/2 inch backing plate for 4 inch pads.

I would start off with 3 orange 5.5 in pads and 3 4 inch orange pads
2 or 3 white 5.5 in pads, 1 or 2 4 inch white pads
2 5.5 blue pads

You can also try microfiber pads which offer better correcting ability but I would research them a little, Griots and Mequairs makes some good ones.

As far as polishes there are many out there. I really just have experience with Menzerna, I use PO91E Intensive polish for correcting and Final Polish II for final polish. Mequiars D300 Correction Compound is a excellent all around polish, works well with microfiber pads and foam pads. Sonus makes good polishes too.

I would watch videos and read up on it. Learning how to polish is a lot of trial and error, different clearcoats will also require different methods/products. In general if you use a compound or a more aggressive correcting polish to get rid of the scratches and swirls then you will have to follow up with a less aggressive polish with less aggressive pads to get rid of haze, holograms, micro scratches from the correcting polish/compound.

If you look around for deals you could likely get all or most of the pads, polishes, and polisher for less then or around $200. Go on autogeek, detailed image, autopia and sign up, they will normally give you discounts for signing up and they also have weekly deals they will email you about, some are 20-25% off especially if you spend over $100.

silverlake

I saw the local homedepot has the porter cable polisher and it is affordable so all I have to do is find a kit for the pads and polishes I’m gonna look on auto geek

46750

Porter Cable is a decent starter, but I personally went with a GG6 as it has a lifetime warranty and wasn't substantially more expensive. I ended up picking up a Griot's G15 BOSS Long Throw a few months later which I use with the 5" backing plate, now my GG6 is mostly used with a 3" backing plate for bumpers/pillars and other tight areas. If you are really on a budget, Ray Romano, I mean, Scott from DPC seems to think pretty highly of the Harbor Freight budget DA (see video) : which would allow you to invest a little more in a wider variety of pads and compounds/polishes.

Autogeek, Autopia, and Detailed Image are 3 sites I usually check for detailing products because between them, there's always at least a 20-25% sale with free or super cheap shipping.

silverlake

I think I’m gonna go with the porter cable just to get the quality at a decent price there’s a website that has the chemical Brothers kit that comes with the porter cable some pads and the backing plate with also some polishing compound for like 160 seems fair

chinee

Both the Porter Cable and Griot's are widely accepted as THE go-to DA polisher for beginners, either should serve you for a long time.

And adding to your inventory, if you're looking for good results without spending too many hours, find yourself a good one-step product like Blackfire One-Step. It does paint correction, removing swirl marks and polishing all with one product. This thread, and other reviews, sold me on the product, BlackFire Review. And there are many more one-step products to choose from, some of the popular ones are from HD Speed, Collonite, Griot's and Finish Kare.

You don't need much to keep your paint in good condition for many many years. I used Meguiar's Cleaner Wax (inexpensive and widely available), applied by hand, twice a year, for more than 14 years on my last car and the paint was still in great conditions at the end, apart from some expected stone chips here and there.

Happy Shopping... and remember there are way too many sales pitches out there.

silverlake

That’s Pretty much the goal is to have a decent piece of equipment that I can utilize on all of my cars and even members of my family’s cars for a long time coming something simple I’m also trying to remove the clear bra from the front of the car it’s served it’s purpose it’s 11 years old and I feel like the car will look better with it off

GunnyFitz

ANOTHER huge fan of the Porter Cable 7424XP - which you can often pickup in Kits w all the Pads you need. Watch for them going on sale at numerous Auto Care Sites like AutoGeek, Detailed Image, etc. You can really find some hot deals coupled together with quality products too. Mine was always Pinnacle gear until I found a product that worked much better for me.