First Time Advice for Machine Polishing

[pwaug]

I’m beginning to believe detailing is an obscure form of OCD. I few years ago when I took an early retirement I switched from Zaino products to DG as they were less expensive and I could buy them locally to avoid shipping charges.



Now I’ve gone and bought a GG6 kit from Amazon during yesterday’s Cyber Monday sale. I’ve spent allot of time over the years reading on the website and believe I have most basic questions answered but there are a few questions that require a little more input.



Primarily I have two cars to take care of: 2007 VW Passat, metallic Grey/green color. It was never touched by the dealer and has never seen an automatic car wash. I’ve always used good washing techniques and it has been protected with sealants from day one so the paint is in very good condition (HD Speed may be all it needs) Wife’s car is a 1997 Ford Escort (to be replaced in March), dark metallic green that wasn’t well cared for the first few years but has been hand washed and protected the last 10 years. Even hand polished it a couple of years ago with Megs 105 (arm is still sore.) Paint condition isn’t too bad, but does have swirls and some scratches.



The GG6 kit includes a GG red and orange pad and Machine Polish 3 (very mild) among other things. My plan is to use the GG products and get a little practice on the wife’s car before I move forward with additional pads and HD UNO and/or HD Speed.



So since I’m going to purchase additional pads I have a couple unanswered questions that require some guidance:

1. Should I get a HD Backing Plate and HD 5.5” Pads or should I just use the 6” plate on the GG RO and go with 6.5” foam pads? I have a local supplier who stocks Lake Country pads--if I go that route do I need the Hydro Tech pads? I was also looking at these reasonably priced pads buffing pads|foam buffing pads|auto detailing buffing pad| polishing pads from Kevin Farrell if you guys think they would work with UNO. Or should I just go with a few Optimum MF polishing pads???



2. Should I also purchase a 3.5” backing plate and some 4” pads for small spaces? Are the Lake Country Spot Buffs OK or do I need to get the Hydro Tech pads for use with UNO??



3. Since GG Machine Polish and HD UNO are both water based do I need to do an IPA wipe down prior to applying sealants such as DG 105 or Poxy?



Any guidance would be appreciated!!!!

 

[Nth Degree]

Too often people put too much emphasis on the products used when technique often is the bigger variable. In most cases the desired results can be achieved by use of any number of combinations.

1. Should I get a HD Backing Plate and HD 5.5” Pads or should I just use the 6” plate on the GG RO and go with 6.5” foam pads? I have a local supplier who stocks Lake Country pads--if I go that route do I need the Hydro Tech pads? I was also looking at these reasonably priced pads buffing pads|foam buffing pads|auto detailing buffing pad| polishing pads from Kevin Farrell if you guys think they would work with UNO. Or should I just go with a few Optimum MF polishing pads???

Smaller pads can often be more efficient at cutting, but are not a requirement. If you are working only on your own cars then the difference in efficiency between a 5.5" and 6.5" pad is not likely to greatly affect your results. In most cases the time spent learning the most efficient technique for any given pad/polish/speed combo wipes out the advantage of size anyway. With that said, if you are starting with nothing and have a choice, go for the 5.5" pads.



I am not familiar with the pads in the link, so I cannot speak of their ability, but I'm sure they would work fine. I use Lake Country pads mostly. The Hydro Tech pads are great but, again, not a necessity. The type of pad really comes down to preference and technique. I have numerous pads, but if I was given only one cutting pad and one finishing pad I could still achieve about the same results. MF pads, whether Optimum or Meguiar's, are a great choice of cutting.

2. Should I also purchase a 3.5” backing plate and some 4” pads for small spaces? Are the Lake Country Spot Buffs OK or do I need to get the Hydro Tech pads for use with UNO??

This is, again, an optional tool. Great for spot polishing or working small areas like bumbers and side mirrors. If you have the money to spend they can make the job a bit easier, but are not necessary to achieve results. Again, the choice of pads is a matter of preference.

3. Since GG Machine Polish and HD UNO are both water based do I need to do an IPA wipe down prior to applying sealants such as DG 105 or Poxy?

An IPA wipe down is a good idea before a sealant for two reasons:



1. Any polish can leave behind chemicals or solids that fill or mask remaining flaw. Only by being certain of a clean surface can you be sure the desired result has been achieved.



2. Durability of some waxes/sealants can be compromised if anything gets between it and the surface it is supposed to adhere to. Is it necessary? No. But $.25 worth of IPA and 10 minutes of your time is a small investment.

 

[pwaug]

Thanks for responding!!

Smaller pads can often be more efficient at cutting, but are not a requirement. If you are working only on your own cars then the difference in efficiency between a 5.5" and 6.5" pad is not likely to greatly affect your results. In most cases the time spent learning the most efficient technique for any given pad/polish/speed combo wipes out the advantage of size anyway. With that said, if you are starting with nothing and have a choice, go for the 5.5" pads.

Guess I should have worded my question differently--I'm not so concerned with the size as the product. Basically since I'm starting from scratch and going to use HD products is it to my advantage to use HD pads?

This is, again, an optional tool. Great for spot polishing or working small areas like bumbers and side mirrors. If you have the money to spend they can make the job a bit easier, but are not necessary to achieve results. Again, the choice of pads is a matter of preference.

Are you saying that I could do without the 4" pads and polish small areas like bumpers and mirrors with the larger pad (5.5 or 6.5) but that it is just more difficult?



Thanks again!

 

[Dan]

The backing pad that came with my GG6 seems to fit my Lake 5.5" pads perfectly. For me the 5.5" pads are perfect, they are small enough to get into most places and work very well on the GG6. As to everything else, you are just going to have to experiment, review your results and reformulate plans. No two cars are alike. One bit of advice, start out small, don't buff the whole car and then evaluate.

 

[Nth Degree]

Basically since I'm starting from scratch and going to use HD products is it to my advantage to use HD pads?

Again, it is a matter of preference. I haven't used them to know how they compare.

Are you saying that I could do without the 4" pads and polish small areas like bumpers and mirrors with the larger pad (5.5 or 6.5) but that it is just more difficult?

Exactly. Since I have 4" pads, I use them for certain purposes, but in most cases I could manage fine with a 5.5" pad. If money is not an issue then they are a convenient tool, but it's kind of like having a power screwdriver; convenient to have, but the regular one works just fine.