Buffer Recommendations

[Pairallel]

Being the lazy, useless couch potato that I am, I would like to find an easier and faster way to wax my new Accord. I thought an electric buffer might be one way to indulge my sloth.

Someone here mentioned a Porter-Cable buffer. I've seen all-in-one car buffer kits at Sears, and giant steel 2-arm buffing machines at professional detailing shops.

Anybody have a nice home tool (besides your arms/elbow grease) that they can recommend for waxing / buffing???

[benjamming]

A couple of links for you to do some homework while on the couch ;) I wouldn't want you to ruin your paint!

http://www.betterautocare.com/ - Good articles
http://www.carcareonline.com/ - Where I buy most of my stuff
http://www.autopia.org - Huge forum

[Inspector1]

PC -- Lowe's has best deal....

Read this post from Roadfly... A good one to print out....

http://bimmer.roadfly.org/bmw/forums/detailing/forum.php?postid=1430487&page=1

I1:)

I'm going to get mine this week, One of my neighbors works at Lowe's part-time so I have to hook up with Him later this week to buy... I'll let you guy's know how it works out....

[Inspector1]

Here's another site for supplies and info....
http://www.properautocare.com/index.html

I1:)

[Pairallel]

WOW! i just want an easy way to wax my car - this sounds like a whole new career...but thanks for the great info.

:up:

[BenjiBoy650]

You really want to buff a new car? Buffing is to take out oxidation on paint, which obviously is not occuring on a new car (it shouldn't be anyway). It leaves a lot of swirl marks. IMO no replacement for good old elbow grease. Also remember you shouldn't wax a new car for at least 3 months, to allow the paint to cure.

[Inspector1]

Benji.... I guess we should have termed it polishing......
The Porter cable is not an orbital buffer..... its a dual action polisher...... its very difficult to damage paint with polisher.....
Thats what the site links are for...... they explain alot of the do's and don'ts when it comes to paint care......

The reason you don't wax new paint is the fact that most waxes contain cleaners which can be abrasive......
I've have used Imp Hand Glaze on 2 day old paint...with no ill effect

I1:)

[benjamming]

I would recommend a good carnuba wax for new paint (< 90 days old). I wouldn't leave it unwaxed even with new paint especially if it sits outside all day like mine do. I would even use a polymer sealant before I would let it sit 24/7 outdoors.

[Pairallel]

Given the large inventories of Accords at dealerships these days, it should be safe to assume that just because the car is new (to me) doesn't mean it is newly painted from the manufacturer. I will check the build date on the car, but i'm fairly certain the paint was cured long before I took delivery...

I will be going with the old-fashioned elbow grease method in the beginning until I get to know the lines and contours better. Just thought a buffer/polisher might motivate me to wax it more often if i bought the right one and learned how to use it.

Thanks for the good links and info...I hope too much knowledge doesn't become a dangerous thing for me. if I get to be as fanatical as some of the posters here, my wife will kill me...;)

[PBMW]

Maybe I can shed some light here...
First I'd like to comment on detailing vocabulary. It's a huge mess loaded with duality.
That said:

Buffer=Polisher and buffing=polishing

There are only two types of buffers/polishers on the market: ROTARY and RANDOM ORBITAL (aka Dual action polisher - see I told ya!). Rotary polishers using a stationary spinning pad to polish and as such build up significant friction and heat quickly. These are not for the amateur to use, but with practice (on an old junkyard fender) they can be mastered. Random orbitals (RO's or D/A's) can be used by anyone (I've seen a 5-year old use one!) and you have to TRY to mess up your paint. They use a random motion like a spirograph to mimic natural hand motion and thus have reduced friction. The down side to RO's is that they have limited ability to remove major paint defects such as scratches, scuffs and some stains. They are gentle enough to lay down an even coat of finish (wax or sealant) and shorten the work time needed. Porter Cable makes both a rotary and RO. "The PC" generally refers to the Porter Cable 7424 random orbital polisher/sander. You can also get it at www.coastaltool.com where you will also get the hook and eye backing plate (needed) and the larger counterweight needed for using the larger heavier pads you will most likely need. The pad that comes with it stinks, I would highly recommend getting a meguiars, edge2000, or lake country pad for it.

Polishing can be done on new cars and is often needed! True, oxidation is not present but polishing is not just removing oxidation. It is simply removing defects from your surface, clearcoat in this case. Look at a showroom car (which was most likely buffed) then look at a lot car. You'll notice fine spiderweb like marks concentrically aligned around the reflection of your light source (incandescent light or the sun if you're outside). These are called "swirls or swirlmarks". They are imparted to new paint by poor wash technique (most lot attendants use the same filthy rag and wash bucket to wash the whole lot!) and notoriously by automatic carwashes (scratch-o-matics). Claying will impart swirls too if you don't clean and polish first and use fresh clay. Do you have to remove defects/swirls? No, but doing so creates that glossy, wet paint, show room shine!

[PBMW]

Here's an example. It's a silver 2001 2dr EX V-6.

[BenjiBoy650]

Buffing actually adds to the swirlmarks and takes off a bit of paint if I'm not mistaken.

[PBMW]

Hey Benjiboy,
Thanks for you response!
For clarification, buffing is intending to remove swirlmarks. If it not being done correctly, then yes, it can add swirlmarks. Rotary buffers have the added property of adding a special type of swirlmark called a "hologram". The swirls are evenly spaced due to it's fixed rotation and thus reflect light with a bit of coloration like a rainbow or prism.

[jakes29]

I was a detailer at a full service car wash for two years. I was great at taking old oxidized vehicles and bringing back that "showroom shine". I used a Dewalt orbital buffer with numerous pads. I used wool pads and a very heavy cutting cream called Ultimate 3000 that I got from a local distributor on the seriously oxidized or scratched vehicles. I would use a foam pad and a less intense polisher called Seal-B on newer or better conditoned vehicles. In my two years of detailing, I had only one accident and that was I thought I was so good, I did not need to mask off the trim. I was buffing a ford focus I think, and I burnt the trim around the driver side door. So you must be careful or just mask any trim if you have time.

After buffing, I would use an orbital sander with a foam pad attached to apply a carnuba wax. I am not sure of the brand but you can get them at any wal mart for 40 bucks or so. This makes the process much faster. I would remove the wax with MF towels.

I have since then been given as a christmas gift a random orbital buffer/polisher. I do not like it as much in that it does not have the ability to remove scratches and the like. But it does give the car a fairly decent shine. I believe I will end up buying a orbital buffer pretty soon. Dewalt or otherwise.

If you are looking to simply speed up the waxing process, go get an orbital sander. make sure you take the sand paper off! get a foam pad and velcro it to the sander. It will cut your waxing time in half, if not more.

Hope this helps!

[jakes29]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by jakes29
[B] I believe I will end up buying a orbital buffer pretty soon. Dewalt or otherwise.



By orbital i mean "Rotary", as it was referred to in an earlier post.

[RTexasF]

Here's the one I'm yearning for:

http://www.topoftheline.com/cyclo-orbital-polisher.html

It says that it's so bulletproof that even RTexasF can use it!

:yes:

[anysia]

hey jakes29, wanna come fix the swirl marks the body shop left in my car??? :bawling: having no experience with buffers of any sort, i'm hesitant to try to do it myself!

but i have atleast another month though before i can really do
any waxing anyway since half of the car's paint is new.... :(

i'm ticked about the swirl marks since i had worked so hard on keeping them OFF of my car! i normally do everything by hand, but these swirl marks are going to be too much ot get rid of with sheer elbow grease! :(

[jakes29]

anysia,

I would be happy to help if but I don't think you want to pay for my plane ticket

Its really not hard, but you do need someone with experience show you what to do, so you don't burn your paint.

You may start with an orbital buffer and see if that takes the swirls out. They are virtually error free.

Also take it back to the body shop and make them get em out since they put em there

[anysia]

geez, i'm going to start having nightmares of the body shop! i've called them, the insurance co, and been there too many times fighting with them about fixing my poor car completely! (yesterday was the most recent!) all the result of an accident back on november 9th!

i shudder at the thought of letting them try to remove the swirls that they put there! :eek:

i thought about trying an orbital buffer, but i really want to make sure i don't harm the paint any omre than it already is!

i need to find a GOOD reputable place to take it to....

[jakes29]

Originally posted by jakes29
anysia,



You may start with an orbital buffer and see if that takes the swirls out. They are virtually error free.




Any random orbital buffer makes basically the same motion a human hand would make and does not generate heat like a rotary buffer so I think you would be okay to try that. If that doesn't work to your liking, call around and find a good detail shop, avoid the full service carwash detail shops though. They are usually just a bunch of kids there. Try a professional place.

[anysia]

i'll have to wait and see what progress i'll be able to make once the paint is fully cured..... :(

i hate accidents! especially since it wasn't my fault! :censored:

[anysia]

are there any decent ones i can get for under $50??? ones that won't kill my car, but will still get the job done! :lmao:

[Inspector1]

are there any decent ones i can get for under $50??? ones that won't kill my car, but will still get the job done! :lmao:

:lmao: :lmao: is correct...

There is an old saying " You get what you pay for " :yes:

I1 :)

[anysia]

:lmao: :lmao: is correct...

There is an old saying " You get what you pay for " :yes:

I1 :)


find me a good used one....

can't find a good cheap one that i can afford on my horribly limited budget..... :bawl:

[anysia]

looks like this will have to go way down on my list again. gonna cost about $100 for my inspection, emissions, and oil change.... oh, wait, and registration too... another $36. can't afford even $50 on a "frivolous" purchase this month. :bawl:

[stevel]

I vote for a donation fund for a buffer for anysia. anybody else?

[anysia]

thanks stevel!

i'll figure out how to get one eventually.

if i can find a decent parttime job, i'll be able to get one. and that aquarium i want now! :lmao: may not have any time to enjoy either of them, but some day all my hard work will pay off right? :nuts:

[RTexasF]

I vote for a donation fund for a buffer for anysia. anybody else?

I'll contribute. Not to cop out but it will be a limited amount since I'm trying to move and I'm not employed.
Who else? Also,if this takes off, how/where do we send the contribution?

LET'S ROCK FOR ANYSIA! She's been through enough grief, we can at least help her with her car!

I'M IN!

RTexasF

[stevel]

right on RTF!!!! dont know how the details would work though.

[BenjiBoy650]

Hey, how about a fund for me, so I can get a 7th gen? lol just kidding just kidding

[anysia]

Hey, how about a fund for me, so I can get a 7th gen? lol just kidding just kidding


thought you didn't want a 7th gen? :lmao:

[anysia]

seriously, you guys are too much!

i'll ask for one for xmas!! ;) wonder if santa got my change of address?? :nuts:

[anysia]

i doubt anyone would think it weird that i was asking for a buffer.... afterall one year i asked for tires..... :lmao: