Hammer208S

I'm looking at purchasing an orbital or rotary polisher. Our black 2011 GX has a lot of swirl marks and fine scratches from the previous owner's affinity for drive thru car washes. What do you folks feel is the best tool for use on our GX's? I don't want to just purchase the best tool but the one that's best suited for polishing the entire body on this truck. Thanks in advance!

bigsley18

I just started polishing and think the orbital machine comes down to a preference issue. Though I could be wrong, there isn't a specific orbital machine that is vehicle specific. Just depends on if you prefer a shorter machine, longer machine, horizontal grip, vertical grip, etc...I think what you should really be looking at are the types of pads and the polishers/swirl removers/wax products itself. If you haven't already, I would jump on autogeek.com and autopia.com.

T4Fun

have you looked into auto detailers? I was going to do this myself but getting all equipment and figuring which polish and pad to use very time consuming. My last gx was fully detailed for about $250 and it was brand new with all minor blemishs gone.

Revnitup

So right have a good detailer do it. I have my hot rods done about $300 a pop.

Hammer208S

What I was trying to ask was working around the rear door, under the side mirrors, just above the running boards, over the hood ridges, etc... Is there a polisher that better shaped for working around these vehicles? Pretty certain I'll get an orbital, but was fishing for opinions.
Since we live in the snow and rust belt we'll have to run it through the car wash in the winter so I'll probably be polishing twice per year when the weather turns favorable to wash outside again. As much as the local guys would cost I can pay for the polisher in one year.

SpokeBroke

Hammer- I too have a black GX 460 and I enjoy doing my detailing on my cars and bikes.
Every one has a different approach, I will give you my setup that is very effective for me . I go for the least aggressive approach that gets the best results for me.
First, I do a complete spray down with the hose or my Simpson electric pressure washer I got at Costco. It's not very strong with the 25 degree tip, but the key is to loosen up and remove as much dirt as possible before you begin the wash. Then I two-bucket wash with Lowes or Home Depot 5 gallon buckets with 10.5" grit guards from Chemical Guys that I keep in the bottom of the buckets. I use Griot's Garage Micro Fiber Wash Mitts, I have 4 or 5 of them and I hold them in my hand, I don't use them as a mitt. Start up high, roof, hood, sides and finish low. I swap out the mitts as I go.
Lower on the car has more dirt which makes more swirls. Dump and refill the buckets as necessary. One for washing one for rinsing. Check out Youtube for excellent videos on this process. I use Chemical guys Maxi Suds or Meguirs car wash soap, and use it according to directions. If you have an electric leaf blower, dry as much as you can that way, and I use Griots Garage waffle weave drying towels.
I clay my cars a couple times a year, and use chemical guys light duty clay, with their synthetic Super Luber in a spray bottle I got from Lowes. Again, Youtube is your friend to learn about this.
Hands down the Porter Cable XP 7424 is the most forgiving polisher for the novice - as it is orbital and dual action. Throw away the pad and disc that come with it and buy a new Astro Pneumatic 4607 5" Velcro backing pad. I use 5.5" Hexlogic pads from Chemical Guys, and Polish from Meguiars. M 205 is as aggressive as I get, but you can use M 105 if you need more aggressive polish. Use these with the medium / heavy cutting pads - the orange pads. I also use the white Hex Logic Light / Medium pads as well, if the swirls and scratches are light. Wipe off the polish with Chemical Guys El Gordo extra thick Micro Fiber cloths. I hand wash these and keep them separate for the cars only - and inspect before use. Then I use the grey polishing pads with Chemical Guys Butter Wet Wax, or Meguiars Gold Class liquid wax. For each wash after that I, when I dry it I use Meguiars spray wax with the waffle weave towel. The spray wax helps to dry the finish, it is actually a sealant, and the shine is leaves is ridiculous. I also recommend getting a Mothers Wheel and Wheel well long handled brush, it makes short work of cleaning those areas. Make sure you do that last with your wash buckets. Remember your GX wheels are painted and clear coated, so make sure to take care when you clean them. I use Chemical Guys Durafoam dressing pads and Sonax Tire gloss Gel, I do not use spray on tire shine that slings all over the sides of the car. Less is more when you apply it and it looks great. Meguiars back to Black dressing works great on the exterior plastic parts. Again - I am not a professional detailer - this is my novice setup, so others may have other better approaches, but it sure works for me, I hope this helps.

tecman

^^^ Wow, details on detailing thanks SpokeBroke.
4+ hours of work I try to get professional detailers to handle this but it is frustrating with scheduling.

Herd72

Sounds very similar to the system I use on my Starfire Pearl except I use a different brand of clay and white wax. Agree wholeheartedly that the clay is vital. Ditto on the quick detailer. I am crazy about Einstatt Cockpit Premium for the interior and use Meguires leather cleaner and dressing on my Ecru seats. I also use the quick detailer on my wheels - makes the dirt and brake dust much easier to clean off the next wash.