Hello Tom -
We are all glad to help !
I talked to the man who made the washer modification to the Rupes polishers and was able to increase the pad rotation as a result. His name is Kevin Brown.
He thinks the bigger Rupes machine is the best one to get because it has a longer throw than the smaller one. The bigger one can be fitted with the smaller 5" backing plate as well.
As you will find however, sometimes a smaller machine with a smaller footprint is easier to work some areas of a vehicle.
In my experience, a smaller machine like the Porter Cable XP is ideal for polishing the glass, sunroof, some A - B pillars, and if it will do the job, clear plastic headlights and maybe even tail lights. Of course the smaller, curvier, harder to get a big machine into places are where the smaller machine will do better..
What I have to do in the Rotary Power world is put an extension on the shaft to space the backing plate and pad farther away from the machine, so I can get just the working part of this combo into tighter places, etc..
Spacing the pad out farther from the machine does make it act a little differently on a Rotary but it is not hard to adapt..
I have been reading about microfiber pads for a couple of years at least, and while they sound nice, they do have a few requirements of their own that need to be brought up..
Since they are microfiber, they will tend to matt down when using them and this will not let them work to their full potential, so many Detailers use an air hose with a small thin air fitting on the end to blow the pads clean and fluff up the microfibers, as needed.
Others have said that they will just brush the pads with a pad cleaning brush, etc., and this works too. You will have to find out what works for your needs if/when you go there.
I also hear microfiber guys saying that they will use foam to do the final polishing after using microfiber pads for the correction stage.
Everyone will have developed their own technique/s based on their needs, so you will need to think about this too..
As you experiment, you will gain more confidence and develop your own "technique" for what works best for you. Certainly, there are some "baselines" that are pretty standard to remember, but once you get into it, you will find your comfort level and work from there.
Last time I Detailed a "Jag-u-are" as pronounced by our British friends, the paint was pretty hard but very nice and it finished beautifully.. You will be able to achieve what ever level you desire to go for..
There may even be some great Detailers to assist you, around your part of the world too ! Did you tell us where you lived ??
Microfiber pad users - please add your thoughts and experiences -
Regarding a good Steamer Extractor -
I looked at these years ago and decided that if I separated the 2 it would be better for my needs, and it has worked out fine..
I use the VX5000 Italian made stainless steel boiler Steamer and it has worked great. It is small, on wheels, and can sit in a rolling Detailing Cart just fine if you will space it up higher so that the hose connection is flush with the top of the cart edge.
I use mine every day and it has never failed to work and work very well.
Do not know if Autopia sells this machine, but I just saw it listed at Detailed Image out of NY..
There are a lot of other options, including dual vac and steam but I have never been able to see how you can combine those 2 things and get really great performance for Auto Detailing..
Purchased a Mytee HP60 Spyder Extractor years ago as well and it is absolute killer on any kind of carpet, carpeted mats, and cloth upholstery.. Works great, has an internal water heater, and gets used about every day too..
Found out that sometimes the combo of steam and extraction is the the way to go on really dirty carpets and cloth seats and use that system as well when called for.
What I have learned is that there is so much dirt embedded deep as far as it can go, in carpets that hardly every gets removed unless you use something with a big water lift number and suction power.. And when it is all removed or as much as humanly possible, the carpets look so much better and the vehicle will just smell "cleaner" because a lot of dirt is now gone from the Interior..
Lots of Detailers get by with a good wet or dry shop vac, etc., and these will probably do good as well.
Some use a very small carpet extractor cleaner that is plastic and hand held and seems to work well for their needs..
I have a business and my Clients expect their nice German cars, Italian cars, etc., to be absolutely perfect, so I can justify and have long, long, ago paid for the additional expense of a dedicated steamer and extractor..
I have yet to find any carpets, carpeted mats, etc., that were first vacuumed very well and for a long time with a good MetroVac, that did not still have much embedded dirt that showed up in the Recovery Tank of my Extractor as black to dark brown water coming out when I drained the tank.. They are just doing their job as carpeting to trap all the dirt we track in the car with our shoes !
Of course, there are lots of options on any of these subjects discussed here, and I hope as you read the posts of so many awesome Detailers on this Forum alone, you will get lots of ideas to think about !
Good Luck !
Dan F
