Buffer Virgin

A

Accent2k1

New member
Hey guys & girls whats up?

Well tonight at wall-mart I picked up a buffer/polisher for my car. First of all before everyone knocks it I know its not a high end machine like a porter cable or dewalt etc.. But what I wanna know is what do I do with this. The pads it came with look crappy im gona get new ones asap, I will prob be using it starting this spring (damn Ny cold winters :mad: ).

And if you guys could give me a quick run-down on how to get pretty good results from this id be happy. What pads and how to use it bascially is what im lookin for I guess you could call it a crash-course in buffing&polishing. Sorry i dont feel like swimming through thousands of posts if I use the search function. I've included pics to give you an idea of what it is.

buff


bufbox
 
With the right pad and right compound or polish it can break up light light scratches and swirls. Very light though. When you get the right pads you can get a nice wax or sealant and apply it with that OB. I think it will turn out nicely. I wonder what pads you can get. Anyone want to help him with the right 6 inch pads? Wash and then CLAY the car for sure. Then you can use the pads and polishes to help with the finish a little like the PC. Then you can apply maybe a brand of liquid wax from meguiars. Or 3M detail wax. It will be great.



I just noticed 2k1? It is a 2001. Are there wash scratches or anything? swirls etc from previous buffing? If not then you can use that OB with a paint sealant or wax to make that bad boy shine.

:up
 
Cool thanks I love it when ppl on boards respond within minutes. I was all ready to get bashed by everyone cause I bought a cheap buffer. It was actually my gf's idea to pick it up cause she knows how nutty I am about cleaning my car (all thanks to this site might I add lol :p). I was like eh ok $14 aint so bad. But we'll see how it works once i can actually detai outsidel without freeziny my you know whats off haha. So ill experiment & update you guys w. pics once I use it wont be for another few months prob.

By the way Knight yes my cars a 2001 hyundai accent. Its not serverly scracthed or swirled, but it does have em I didnt know what I know now about detailing when I 1st got it I took it to the local car wash a few times (stupid me I know :rolleyes: ). I just want it to look 100% and since its a black car we all know how big a battle that constantly is. Well heres a pic of my car to show u the condition its in and how it looks when clean. The pic was taken this past Oct & now looks the same cept for all the winter dirt thats on it.

carFrontAngle




Bye thanks again.
 
I would think the swirls or light scratches could be broken up by the right pad and polish with the OB. From the looks of the picture, that might be all you need. Very light scratches,swirls remember that though.





:up
 
Was that picture taken on the bed?

I personally think the machine is much

TOO powerful for the bedroom.



Just my thought...:nono



Jim
 
It looks like you can just slip some bonnets over that thing. Pep Boys stocks turtle wax foam bonnets. Get a couple of those and some microfiber to buff with and you should be in good shape.



The turtle wax bonnets will rip pretty easily, so be gentle.



Just don't use the terry cloth crap they probably included with it. They will probably scratch.
 
atldave said:
It looks like you can just slip some bonnets over that thing. Pep Boys stocks turtle wax foam bonnets. Get a couple of those and some microfiber to buff with and you should be in good shape.
Click to expand...
Yes one of the disadvantages of buying something like that is that it uses bonnets, not velcro-backed pads like the PC does. It's not just your machine though ;) lots of even fairly expensive buffers still use bonnets.



The other problem with going the bonnet route is that it's harder to give advice on what to use, as there are a lot of PC experts here, but few who use the various types of bonnets out there (which are harder to categorize than PC pads). One set of foam bonnets I saw said they were for dry-buffing ( :nono ), and not applying anything... so you can see where things can get "fuzzy" as to what's for what.



I guess you can just try your best, work it for a long time, and see where that takes you. Maybe consider switchng to a wool bonnet or using a heavier compound if you don't get results after a while. I'm not sure about that though, so you'll have to do some experimenting with what it can and can't do. :nixweiss



Good luck.
 
That machine will work for light applications. One thing to thinkof is that the machine is not super powerful so don't put alot of polish/swirl remover/ wax on in the sun because you'll never get it off. Also it is orbitable so it does not spin in a circle so it would be rare and hard to scratch ot swirl your pain anymore(unless you you a high grit compound(don't use a high grit though)). Another tip is not to put any pressure on the machine just let the weight of and the motion of the pad do the work. If you can find them use a foam bonnet to slip over and Meguire's swirl remover.





Step 1.



Wash Car



Step 2.



Clay the car (removes tough stuff from the paint)(mothers clay is good) Also use a bit of car wash soap(mixed with a bit of water) instead of the Showtime QD that mothers recommends because it

works the same and the next step will remove the Showtime anyways so you may as well save it for later.



Step 3.



I would rinse and dry the car to get rid of the soap.



Step 4.



Put a foam bonnet on and use Meguirs swirl remover(very little cream). Mist the bonnet with water and make sure there is product on the bonnet and the paint. Work in small sections at a time and stay out of the sun.



Step 5.



wipe down the car with MF(micro fiber) towels or 100% cotton terricloth towels.



Step 6.



Apply wax By hand



Step 7.



Enjoy











.........Clint
 
Thanks for all the good advice everyone !! :D

Well tonight I found some turtle wax terry bonnets that are actually pretty good even though its from tw. Def alot better than the cheap rough pads that came with the machine. Heres what my plan of actions gona be when I use it. Wash & dry the car like usual (clay if I need it). Then apply the swirl remover by hand (this part I actually dont mind its the removiing part that drives me crazy). Then remove that off with the buffer. Then wax by hand & then remove the wax with the buffer. I hope it cuts down on some time cause even though its a small car its very tiring to wax & unwax by hand. So do you think that this is a good plan of action so far? Any steps you recommend? Wish they made microfiber bonnets now that would be sweet. :)
 
My advice would be sticking to hand polishes and cleaners... products that don't require heat or a lot of motion/pressure to break down if you choose to use this machine.



Think of it as a hand that moves a little faster that never tires out (well, virtually speaking)...



Choose products that works well by hand without smearing or hazing, you'll be fine...



Whatever you do, just follow the proper fundamentals of washing, polishing and waxing... you'll be fine...
 
Good luck! Use the search features ther is a ton of great info on the subject









.......................Clint:xyxthumbs
 
Cool more advice :).

Heres the products Im gona use with this machine.



Meguiars Deep Crystal System. #1 Paint Cleaner

Meguiars Deep Crystal System.# 2 Polish

(Both in the burgendy red bottle)

Meguiars Gold Class liquid wax



I know that theres better quailty stuff out there besides meg's which I plan to purcahse, but when I got my car most ppl recommended this brand so I wanna get rid of what I have 1st. Autopia has showed me that theres soooooo much more to clean cars other than pepboys & similar auto stores carry now I get classic motoring accesories catalog in the mail & i see all the awesme products everyone here always talks about. So basically im just going to be useing the buffer to remove the wax so It shouldnt really give me much of a problem in that department. I orginally wanted to apply wax& polish with it but now ive changed my mind it will be used for removal only.
 
Is there any reason why you've decided not to use the machine for applying your 3 step products? IMO, I think when it comes to applying light polishes, a small buffer like yours is even easier than the PC. Nothing wrong with using a good quality cotton bonnet to apply them either. The machine makes application much easier, with a much more even distribution of product and pressure (very important with paint cleaners).



If the polish is hard to remove by hand using an MF towel, then you can try either using less product or (gently) working the product into your paint longer. Bonnets have a tendency to load up pretty quickly and after a few panels, you'll be adding product right back onto your paint.



You've seen this thread I assume?



http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16614



Try a few different things and let us know how it goes!
 
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