Ready to buy..

N

Neofate

New member
Well I've made up my mind I am going to bite the bullet and buy a DA this weekend. I keep tossing around should I get a Porter Cable 7424, or a UDM .. The flex seems too high priced for my budget.



I think the bottom line they will both do the job for me .



So given that I'm flexible on any 'good' DA.



Are there any full, complete kits?



I mean with the machine, all pads I will be needing.. (not just one, but 2, preferrably 3 of some of the most common pads I will be changing out while polishing/waxing) -- Backing plate.. I've seen what I've listed so far.. but does it exist where there is a package of say a :



PC with all pads, back plate AND a selection of *good* quality polish and maybe a handful of chemical agents? Polishes/waxes/etc? Sort of everything you need from A to Z in one go?



If not,.. would any of you give me a list of everything I would need?



Perhaps say,.. go grab the X kit for the Refurbished UDM here at this Link -- Then get products a,b,c,d and e. (Hopefully the kit will have enough pads.. if not add in a link for the extra pads I will need to do a whole car in one shot without having to 'clean' pads during a job).



I know this sounds terribly lazy, but it isn't. I have been searching and researching for weeks. There is just too much selection that I have zero experience with to judge ok I need this product over that one.





Basically,.. I like my NXT 2.0 wax. So that is covered.



So what else do I need product wise? Just a single polish? Or several polishes?



Maybe X polish, and Y Glaze?



I hope you see where I am coming from with the onslaught of so many products I can't select, and am looking for just a .. "You can't go wrong if you get this basic kit, and add X, Y, and Z to it.. " That should get you going for many months.



My budget is as low as I can get away with -- But I am prepared to spend about $300.00 With products included.



So I was thinking if I went with a UDM refurb, I would have alot of room for accessories, pads, products, back plate, whatever is needed. (I'm trying to get 99.9% or 100% of what all I will need in one go.. ) Then as I get experience I'll experiement with other products in a few months.



Pretend you are putting together the ultimate 'kit' that has it all for a beginner that has nothing. Though keep the budget at $300 or under please. Use the UDM Refurb if that much accessory is needed, as that only runs $90 or so.



You have no idea how much I would appreciate any of you taking your valuable time to respond in detail/links to this pre-purchase question.



:thx
 
Do an in-depth search to decide which random orbit sander fits you best. Meg's G110 is an alternative too, but there are countless other choices.
 
be careful if you decided to buy one from autogeek. They have some sneaky marketing going on with their da kits. I found out, after the fact, that if you buy all the parts they offer in the smaller, individual kits, it's substantially cheaper. Had I done that, the price of some polishing compounds, all the neccessary pads, some extra mf towels, and UDM would have been extremely reasonable.
 
IMHO, if i were to piece together a kit and didn't have a lot of money to play with i would probably get:



Machine - Refurb UDM

Menzerna SIP - moderate swirls

Menzerna 106FF or 3m Ultrafina SE - light swirls

Pads - 2 White LC White , 2 Orange, 2 Gray or 2 Blue 6.5 inch pads ( I don't know what BP you need as i don't know what UDM uses).

Interior - 1z Cockpit premium or 303 Protectant or Meg's Quick Interior. Your pick ( i like 1z Cockpit).

Wheel Cleaner - Eagle One A-Z

Wheel Dressing - Meg's Endurance

MF - Eurow MF plush towels, Target Vroom Gray towels, or Viking MF's.

Glass - Stoner's Invisible glass.

Leather - DG Leather shampoo & DG Leather Conditioner (cheap but decent)



I'm sure everyone will have their go to products. I've listed products that i've used and found effective yet reasonably priced.



The Menzerna SIP / 106ff are pretty pricey but they work *really* well and will cover the majority of defects if used properly. Over time you'll save money by going with quality products in the first place.



Again, there is no silver bullet with cleaning materials and as you progress, you'll find your own go to products that work with *your* style as your skill level increases.
 
I would advise against a ready made kit. Buy seperate.



1. Get a UDM/PC for a good price

2. 5" or 3.75" LC BP (Danase)

3. 1 yellow 2 Orange 2 White 1 Grey 1 Blue LC CCS 5" (Danase)

4. Polishes: There are a lot of options. I would go with the Danase Swirl Abolishers 1/2/3, or HiTemp Heavy Cut/Menz FPII/Poliseal, or IP/FPII/Poliseal, or SIP/106ff.



You can get most of this from Danase, great seller and customer service. Depending on polishes you may have to look.
 
Everyone says something different.. :)



You advice getting a 'ready made' kit that comes with polisher and extra pads?



I have wheel cleaner, interior detailor, etc etc.. I guess its just the polish steps and glaze I'm missing.



So I guess what is considered the best polishing system? I'd like not to polish the car 6 times over ,.. but 2-3 steps is ok to take your time on.



I see Danase.. and a bunch of acronyms. Hrmm..



So basically :



UDM Refurb -- 2 of EACH pad minimum. All accessories (ie: back plate , tools whatnot for polisher) -- Then polish AND glaze products that would be all I needed.



Can anyone provide a Link reply to the products and kits?



I'm fairly sure I can get the DA polisher (UDM) and even the pads myself.. its the products (polishes and glazes) I don't currrently have, and don't know what to get. Just list the ones that no one doubts will work. -- IE: If talking about a general sealant/wax people would mention NXT 2.0 works well for most.. What is most popular among detailers.



I know it isn't just ONE polish and a machine right? Are the multi-step kit system polishes best? If so, links?



Thanks
 
I faced this same decision a couple months ago. I ended up going with the UDM and Menzerna polishes. You won't hear any bad talk about Menzerna. I bought the SIP and the Micro Polish. I am very pleased with both products. I am using them with LC CCS 5.5" pads. I bought 3 of each orange, white, and black. I have worked on a few different cars now and this setup hasn't failed me. With time I have been able to do nearly 100% correction on all of the cars. I would have replaced the Micro Polish with 106ff if money were no issue. I am more than satisfied with the Micro Polish though and can't imagine how the 106ff could be better but I still want to try it.
 
Stanger&#39 said:
I faced this same decision a couple months ago. I ended up going with the UDM and Menzerna polishes. You won't hear any bad talk about Menzerna. I bought the SIP and the Micro Polish. I am very pleased with both products. I am using them with LC CCS 5.5" pads. I bought 3 of each orange, white, and black. I have worked on a few different cars now and this setup hasn't failed me. With time I have been able to do nearly 100% correction on all of the cars. I would have replaced the Micro Polish with 106ff if money were no issue. I am more than satisfied with the Micro Polish though and can't imagine how the 106ff could be better but I still want to try it.
Click to expand...



It's good to hear this. I recently ordered nearly the same stuff--Menzerna SIP, 106, and 87MC plus LC orange, white, and grey 5.5" CSS pads. It's going to be used with a UDM also. :woot:
 
Stanger&#39 said:
I faced this same decision a couple months ago. I ended up going with the UDM and Menzerna polishes. You won't hear any bad talk about Menzerna. I bought the SIP and the Micro Polish. I am very pleased with both products. I am using them with LC CCS 5.5" pads. I bought 3 of each orange, white, and black. I have worked on a few different cars now and this setup hasn't failed me. With time I have been able to do nearly 100% correction on all of the cars. I would have replaced the Micro Polish with 106ff if money were no issue. I am more than satisfied with the Micro Polish though and can't imagine how the 106ff could be better but I still want to try it.
Click to expand...



What color pad did you start out with??
 
Neofate said:
Everyone says something different.. :)
Click to expand...



You know what they say about opinions ;)



And here's mine:





I know it isn't just ONE polish and a machine right? Are the multi-step kit system polishes best? If so, links?
Click to expand...



Multiple step polishing usually gives the best results, but that doesn't mean you *have* to do it that way. IMO you could do a lot worse than just getting orange (light cutting) pads and white (polishing) pads and using one polish. You won't get 100% correction and I won't agrue with somebody who says you oughta do something more involved, but you could just go over it with 1Z Paint Polish using first the orange and then the white pads, and then top with Collinite wax, and your vehicle would look better than most anything you see day-to-day in the real world. And it'd be a very quick and easy process.



If you want to get more involved I'd get additional 1Z polishes. But the 1Z/Collinite approach is my #1 recommendation for people just starting to get serious about this stuff, and I use it too. Note that I also have/use Hi-Temp, Meguiars, 3M, Menzerna, etc. so it's not like I'm making this decision in a vacuum ;)



Sources: Welcome to Exceldetail.com! or Aloha & Welcome to Our Oasis for All Your Auto Detailing, Auto Detailing Supplies, Auto Detailing Equipment, Auto Detailing Products, & Auto Detailing Accessories for all your Automobile Detailing
 
Where did you two order your stuff?



Pads/polishes? Website would be great.



Looks like I can skip out on getting a glaze and just grab 2-3 polishes and even go with just orange, white and black pads and be 'ok'. I think I'll go with a 'kit' of pads -- If anyone has seen a good kit of plenty of pads let me know. I see a few, but most are like 1 of each pad,.. or 2 of like 2 pads, and 1 of the rest. Still doesn't seem like enough, why not have a kit with 3 of each pad or something.



This whole glaze thing.. Process is, wash car, clay bar it, wash/rinse again.. Polish with the heavier cutting -- the polish with a medium/fine cut -- then polish with a finishing very fine polish. Then apply my sealant/wax.. remove. (Where does a glaze go in on this mix) and is it even necessary?



What is a good glaze if one does help.





I've heard that a buffer won't make wax look better than by hand,. BUT, polishing before waxing will then make the wax look much better. That is my goal. The car is in very good shape as is.. but has been done all by hand. So I'm not sure how deep I really need to go with 'cutting' on the polish.. though some polish is necessary as it has never been done. (It is a champagne, silver type color) -- So it hides marr's/swirls well naturally).
 
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