Did my 1st machine polish! (GG)

[topspin2006]

I finally got around to trying out my new GG polisher yesterday.



I used 105/205 combo using CG Hex Orange pad (4") as well as Buff&Shine yellow pad (5") for the 105.



For the 205, I used a CG green (5") pad.



I then glazed with CG glaze using a Buff&Shine blue pad.



Finally, I applied a sealant (CG M-Seal) by hand. On the hood, I used 2 coats of M-seal followed by one coat of Collinite.



Of course I clayed before doing any of this.



I really like using the GG poliser. The results are quite good. I did do 2 passes with 105 on the hood. I still see some very fine marks. But the difference is still outstanding. No more swirls!



I was mostly using speed 5 or 6 for the deep cutting and using speed 5 for 205 light polish. For glaze application, I used speed 3.



The GG does not vibrate as much as I thought it would. I mean of course it's the nature of a dual action to vibrate, but it's not as bad as I thought.



The only glitch is that my 4" CG orange pad seems to have developed a cut around 1/4 of the circumference on the velcro side. Could this be because I used too much pressure? I tried to keep it moderate. I will try to post a pic later on.



As for pad priming, I found it easier to just mist the pad with some XMT pad conditioner instead of priming the whole pad using the product.



Washing up was super easy using the DP pad conditioner from Autogeek. It's pricy though (and also smells strangely familiar); so I want to get some Dawn Power Dissolver. I like the DP product though because it does not foam up a lot and makes rinsing faster and easy. But I still think it smells like some detergent out there. It would be good to find out because I'm sure this type of product is sold at a huge markup by the manufacturer.



I will try to post pics of the car once I'm finished. I plan on working on the sides later in the week.



One thing about polishing is it takes a LOT of time. But thankfully you can get away with just doing it once per year and then just maintaining your work with proper washing, quick detailing, and an occasional re-application of an LSP product.

 

[ThrillHo]

Welcome to the fun! I also started on a GG RO and I've got about 3 cars under my belt now. It wasn't till the 3rd one that it really started to click and I got some great results on a majorly swirled 2005 Neon SRT-4. I too went with some other pads. From what I've used so far, Uber's yellow is GREAT. Granted I used the OTC versions of your products (Ultimate Compound / SwirlX), so perhaps that's why I can get away with using a cutting pad. I follow the uber yellow with the uber green. I started applying LSPs by machine, but I have since gone back to hand application (I use paste waxes). I think that you'll find you will get quicker as you get more experience and know what to expect from the machine. My first two cars were painstakingly slow, but the SRT-4 I just did not only had the best result, but also was the quickest.

 

[Passrat]

Congrats!



I too just started my first polishing with a new PC DA this past week or so. Got rid of a lot of swirls, scratches and water marks. I'm still learning how to best use the thing, with three different polishes in the Menzerna line. I'm looking at a lot of fine bird poop etching still left on the hood and roof though, and I'm considering cracking open a new bottle of 105 that just arrived.



As far as soap goes I had been using dawn but recently found something called Sal Suds that is really strong and concentrated, and rinses clean like nothing I've ever used before, except maybe the micro/pad cleaners, but this thick concentrate (like shampoo) is about $11 a quart and a 1/4 cup will do a whole load of laundry, or less will wash the hell out of your car if you want. Much stronger than micro/foam pad soaps. It strips the wax though, like washing with Dawn, which is great if you're going to be polishing or waxing.



Sal Suds is a natural product, safe for the environment and all that too. It's available online at places like Amazon, but it's also sold in vitamin stores! That's where I found it originally. Next to all the natural earth friendly soaps they sell. (Vitamin Shoppe) I use it around the house for everything. Suds like crazy!