Has anyone machine polished their car? Is it easy to do it yourself or is it worth paying for someone else to do it?
cheers
cheers
Machine polishing
- Thread starter mike87
- Start date
...it's not so bad....you need to put a good bit of effort in and be patient. Make sure you mask everything up that isn't for polishing. If you've got a garage its best done in doors. Did mine a month ago. Got some fairly heavy cut stuff to get the paint nice and clean. Followed with a light polish and decent quality wax. The results are fantastic, paint feels so smooth now. Best thing is that the dirt just rinses off....including dead bugs!
Detailingworld is a great place to get informed on the do's and don'ts of machine polishing. The DaveKG guides are great and they are a definite "must read" if you fancy giving it all a go.
One thing I've noticed though during my time at DW is that there are alot of people, especially a couple of the pro's (not all by any means) that seem to suggest that machine polishing is some sort of "dark art" that you will only be able to do if you stare into the soul of a rotary and brush your teeth with the polishes for a year before even touching a car. Truthfully, give those comments a miss. The only difficult thing about machine polishing is having patience to see the job through to the end - if you have that, you are sorted!
Enjoy it matey!
One thing I've noticed though during my time at DW is that there are alot of people, especially a couple of the pro's (not all by any means) that seem to suggest that machine polishing is some sort of "dark art" that you will only be able to do if you stare into the soul of a rotary and brush your teeth with the polishes for a year before even touching a car. Truthfully, give those comments a miss. The only difficult thing about machine polishing is having patience to see the job through to the end - if you have that, you are sorted!
Enjoy it matey!
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tbh using the machine isnt an art. the art is getting a decent finish without making it hologram or burning the clear coat. i would recomend a dual action for a beginner and work ure way up to a rotary when ure comfortable. rotaries do the job faster but alot more can go wrong. blue cars are good to start on anyways as even if you do it wrong u wont see it. not like black where everything shows up. are you going for detailing or paint correction?
Also Dual Action's are easier to hold and lighter too!!
I've used a rotary on my Albi 197 to get out swirl marks and light scratches and it does do a good job,
BUT the other 2 elements you need is good polishes like Menzerna's which are designed to be used with machine polishers and pads which you can get different one's that give you different amounts of cut.
You have to be patient with it, its not a 5 minute job at all!!
I've used a rotary on my Albi 197 to get out swirl marks and light scratches and it does do a good job,
BUT the other 2 elements you need is good polishes like Menzerna's which are designed to be used with machine polishers and pads which you can get different one's that give you different amounts of cut.
You have to be patient with it, its not a 5 minute job at all!!
Depending on how bad it is, I'd consider getting someone in to correct it initially, then maintain it yourself with a DA and finishing polish to remove light swirling (which is inevitable) and other scuffs, over time.
I struggle to use a DA now, they vibrate far too much and take too long to correct paint, but they are an ideal first step for a beginner to allow you to understand the concept of different polishes and pads, and how they respond differently to different paints and panel, for example.
Rotaries are not always heavier too, mine is under 2KG, but some of the cheaper ones (like Silverline, Kestrel etc) are pretty beastly things!!
You can see the difference here (larger one is £60 Kestrel, smaller one is £200 Chicago Pneumatic)
As with anything, you get what you pay for
I struggle to use a DA now, they vibrate far too much and take too long to correct paint, but they are an ideal first step for a beginner to allow you to understand the concept of different polishes and pads, and how they respond differently to different paints and panel, for example.
Rotaries are not always heavier too, mine is under 2KG, but some of the cheaper ones (like Silverline, Kestrel etc) are pretty beastly things!!
You can see the difference here (larger one is £60 Kestrel, smaller one is £200 Chicago Pneumatic)
As with anything, you get what you pay for
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