Do I really need to get a polisher?

S

shortspark

New member
My new ride is a very pretty ML350, that is in "White Diamond" paint (a rather expensive paint option). I wanted to post photos of it since I've just detailed it but for some reason my forum permissions show that I do not have permission to post attachments. I don't know why as I've been here for years although I don't post that often. Anyway, I've heard this "diamond" paint is five coats of special German paint and it looks beautiful. I detailed it this past week (I bought it on May 29). It was beautiful off the showroom floor but I went to work right away washing what little road dust may have been on it from the trip home with ONR, then using Griot's clay and speed shine. There was no rail dust and the surface was clean as a whisker, even using the sandwich bag all around it still felt almost like glass. Nonetheless, I could feel the clay picking up a few contaminants here and there. I washed again. Then the Duragloss bonding agent was applied by hand. Over that went their Polish (105) and buffed both out. I let it cure overnight and gave it one more coat of Polish the next day. On the third day I sprayed my favorite topper product of all - Duragloss AquaWax. It looks great!



Although I have been playing around for years with various things and numerous products, I have pretty much decided Duragloss will be my main (although not exclusive) supplier due to availability, price, ease of use and overall performance. Now my question is should I invest in a polisher such as Griot, Porter or the new HD? I am retired and don't mind spending all the time I need doing it by hand (and I work on my cars often) and this great white paint can't get much better to my eyes (I don't think). Will such a paint, brand new like this and of such quality and condition really benefit from a machine? Might I do more harm than good?



Believe me, after what I spent on this car a few hundred bucks more for a good polisher is nothing but I don't want to throw money away either. I think it would be easier work of course but frankly, the paint was so good to begin with and no swirls were noted or correction necessary of any kind, I am wondering if getting all this electric stuff and various pads, etc. is overkill. I can certainly see it for people with many cars or those that have bought older vehicles with abused paint but this thing is really like a diamond out of the box! I really can't see doing more than a seal job (as I just described) about every six months with in between shots of AquaWax after each shampoo or wash. Perhaps that is all I need to do to maintain this vehicle, given the condition it is in right now.



If you all think I really should invest in an electric polisher, what should I get for this car and the particular paint it has? BTW, I have heard of car paint referred to as "hard" paint/"soft" paint. I don't know the difference. Does any one know if Mercedes uses "hard" or "soft" paint and how these kinds of paints should be treated differently?
 
If you are asking, then yes, polisher will help you take the finish to the next level. Most Mercedes have hard paint, but you never know until you work with it.
 
Thanks, I can probably get by with the old hand method but you are right - with a car like this I NEED to take it to the next level, whatever that may be. I'm thinking about the Griot polisher. What do you think?
 
I went through the same decision you are trying to make--hand cleaned and waxed my cars for the past 10+ years while I was working. Now that I'm retired and have more time finally sprung for a GG RO a couple of months ago. Now I'm kicking myself for not doing this years ago-- car looks fantastic and a very enjoyable task. The learning process is almost as enjoyable as the results. I would get the Groits again in a heart beat -- it has all the power and a lifetime warranty. However, you might want to wait a week or two a take a look at the new 3D Polisher. I also was/am a DG fan, but have moved over to 3D Speed and POXY--light colored car that now is stunning--give it a try as their polishes are very beginner friendly and effective. HD High Definition Care Care: Detailing Made Simple
 
Thanks for that pwaug. I was thinking about the Griot's polisher because I have heard many laudatory comments about it and only one complaint - that their "professional" model of several years ago was a much better machine than what they have now. However, Griot says it is the same so who knows. In any event, people that use the "new" model are not complaining. I'm on their mailing list so hopefully there will be a big father's day sale soon. I also agree that I have to try 3D. There is just too many good reviews to ignore those products. I've used DG for a long time on my Silver Honda Ridgeline and have it pretty well down now. But this "Diamond White" is something else and I need to get the most out of it that I can. That ALWAYS means experimenting!!
 
I think there are two people making all the fuss regarding the Groits. Detailers Domain has some good Groits packages with a 5" backing plate that include B&S pads which have a recessed velcro --I feel it's an extra margin of safety. Also, you can watch Amazon Gold Box Deals as they sometimes have a 3 or 4 hour sale for $80 The new 3D polisher will be out soon and is certainly worth a look see.
 
I went to Detailers Domain and found some good packages - thanks. I especially like the polisher with pads of your choice in the base kit. Pretty good price for all that too. I will wait for the new 3D polisher just to see what all the fuss is about.
 
Assuming you purchase the Griot's polisher, based not on personal experience but on what I have read, I would seriously investigate Meguiar's microfiber pads and polishes (D300 & D301), especially for your hard Mercedes paint. At least that is what I would do in your position.
 
shortspark said:
I went to Detailers Domain and found some good packages - thanks. I especially like the polisher with pads of your choice in the base kit. Pretty good price for all that too. I will wait for the new 3D polisher just to see what all the fuss is about.
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Keep in mind you will need more pads than the base kit. I would think 4 yellow or orange, 3 green, and at least 2 black or red (one each dedicated to each LSP you plan to use and one or two for final finishing if you plan to do this) at a minimum.
 
Great advice, thanks guys! I will definitely revisit Meguiar's whose products I used a long time ago and liked very much.
 
While doing everything by hand is an EXCELLENT way to "work out", a machine makes things soooo much easier! When I first started I did everything by hand and the results were great but nothing near what the polisher can do, especially in the amount of time a machine can cut off of the detail.

I'm waiting to see what the 3D/HD polisher brings to the table, I'm in the market for a new polisher so as of right now I'm torn between the GG6 and G110v2, I'd love to try the FLEX 3401 DA but it costs way too much and most reviews I've seen are mixed (love/hate).

You can also never have too many pads, especially if your paint is hard and it takes several passes to achive the desired results. It seems that MF pads are the way to go, Meg's and Opti makes pretty good pads per the reviews I've seen (I haven't gotten around to trying any yet....soon enough though!).
 
I've heard that too - that you can't have too many pads. I'm really not sure what all the different colors mean that is why I was interested in the kit as they give you different ones. I think Griot says red pads to apply wax, orange pads for sealant, black pads for something else or maybe for polish and buffing, etc. Does anyone know if there there is a list someplace of what each pad color is suppose to do?
 
Shortspark, I know Meg's foam pads are as follows.....Burgandy is their cutting pad (they've said that it's not recommended for the DA as it'll induce marring but I've seen folks do awesome work with it). Yellow is their polishing pad, it does have decent cutting ability, and the black pad is thier finishing pad. I usually don't use the black pad as I like to apply the LSPs by hand (unless it's a very large vehicle and I'm crunched on time!)

HD has 6 foam pads, here's the link for them:



Accessories : High Definition Car Care, Eco-friendly auto detailing supplies



Every company that has pads to offer uses different colors....don't worry it confuses the snot outta me too!
 
shortspark said:
I've heard that too - that you can't have too many pads. I'm really not sure what all the different colors mean that is why I was interested in the kit as they give you different ones. I think Griot says red pads to apply wax, orange pads for sealant, black pads for something else or maybe for polish and buffing, etc. Does anyone know if there there is a list someplace of what each pad color is suppose to do?
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I'm not a big fan of "kits" as they never seem to be the assortment that *I* would choose, so I suspect they're more in the vendor's best interest than the customers. Cynical ol' me.....



Griot's sells two pads for use on paint- orange for polishing and red for waxing. Nothing wrong with either of them, but the orange is too gentle for aggressive/significant correction and it's not *always* the best for finishing (but that last bit is *REALLY* splitting hairs; I finish out with it all the time and I'm very picky).\



Note that the Griot's orange pad is *VERY* different from all the other orange pads out there, and most closely approximates the Lake Country Tangerine Hydrotech pad.



IMO a pair of Meguiar's Microfiber Cutting Disks and three or four Griot's orange pads (simply because I've never tried the Meg's MF *Finishing* Disks, which might be even better) and a couple of Red Griot's Waxing pads would be a nice assortment for use on your car. I've used that approach on cars with hard and medium clear with great results.



Skip the Griot's Machine Polishes though, you can do much better.
 
I'd suggest that if you use a PC type of polisher, you get a 5" backing plate and 5" or 5.5" pads as the larger diameter pads will not work as well.



For white paint in good shape, I'd get Orange to cut, Black to finish and red to apply wax.



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3D Car Care; Car Wash, Car Wax, Auto Detailing supplies, Car Polishers, Car Buffers & accessories store



3D Car Care; Car Wash, Car Wax, Auto Detailing supplies, Car Polishers, Car Buffers & accessories store



3D Car Care; Car Wash, Car Wax, Auto Detailing supplies, Car Polishers, Car Buffers & accessories store







shortspark said:
I've heard that too - that you can't have too many pads. I'm really not sure what all the different colors mean that is why I was interested in the kit as they give you different ones. I think Griot says red pads to apply wax, orange pads for sealant, black pads for something else or maybe for polish and buffing, etc. Does anyone know if there there is a list someplace of what each pad color is suppose to do?
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Thanks guys, good information from all. I think I'm all set! I've got a pretty good idea what I am going to do but I have to wait a month or so until I see some reviews of the new 3D polisher. I'm sure that there will be people who have used the Griots polisher as well and we'll see how they compare. I don't think I'll mess up too bad since I have a Honda to experiment on first before taking it to the ML350.
 
shortspark said:
Thanks guys, good information from all. I think I'm all set! I've got a pretty good idea what I am going to do but I have to wait a month or so until I see some reviews of the new 3D polisher. I'm sure that there will be people who have used the Griots polisher as well and we'll see how they compare. I don't think I'll mess up too bad since I have a Honda to experiment on first before taking it to the ML350.
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Now that you are "all set" , I'll give you a couple of other ideas to ponder. lol.There are always good used machines being offered on the forums along with pads and other detailing essentials .Forum members move on to other machines or interest and the savings can be pretty good. Craigslist and pawn shops can be other options . Just thought I would throw those ideas into the mix.
 
Accumulator said:
I'm not a big fan of "kits" as they never seem to be the assortment that *I* would choose, so I suspect they're more in the vendor's best interest than the customers.
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I know exactly how you feel as most kits have too much of things I wouldn't use. The nice thing about the DD Griots kits is they include a 5" BP and then 5 or 10 5.5" pads of your choice. The Uber pads (I believe Buff & Shine and 3D's new pads are the same product) have recessed Velcro which I find to be an extra safety measure as a novice to machine polishing.
 
shortspark said:
Does anyone know if there there is a list someplace of what each pad color is suppose to do?
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I believe the Uber pads from Detailers Domain and the 3D Pads are very similar to Buff & Shine pads. There are good descriptions on the 3D and Detailers Domain websites and Buff and Shine has good descriptions of their pads as well as an application chart which gives you more insight into the pads.
 
pwaug said:
I believe the Uber pads from Detailers Domain and the 3D Pads are very similar to Buff & Shine pads. There are good descriptions on the 3D and Detailers Domain websites and Buff and Shine has good descriptions of their pads as well as an application chart which gives you more insight into the pads.
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The Buff and Shine website has a lot of great information. Detailers Domain also has kits broken down for beginners, intermediate and experienced people and beginner is where I need to be. One of the beginner kits has no wax, sealant, clay, microfiber towels or any of that stuff that a lot of the kits I've seen come with. But they do give you a choice of ten pads and there is a description of what each color is used for. Gosh, I may have bitten off more than I can chew! I never knew polishing was so complicated - but I know it will be fun once I get the hang of it. BTW, any latest news on that new 3D polisher?



I want to get something because the bug has hit (you all know how that is!) but I sure don't want to jump the gun only to find out I missed out on something really good. I'm not going to do anything more to my ML350 for a couple of months anyway other than wash and top with AquaWax or something like that. I will just wait a little while longer before jumping in. If you all have any more tips keep sending them my way - I appreciate them all.
 
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