So, let me say up front that I really had no idea what I was getting into when I woke up this morning…
Another NAMer, Sean (S Curves) invited me over to his place to try out his random orbital polisher, and, naturally, I took him up on it. I wiped down the car with detailing spray before heading over – it looked pretty good, and the car’s new so…
Little did I know…
Sean convinced me that a full washing and clay barring was in order prior to breaking out the power tools, and so, needing no further encouragement, water and soap flew. Then it was on to the clay. I’ve never used it before, but it was a snap, and the material pulled some dirty grunge off the hood – so much for new paint, huh?
An hour and a half later, the car looked like this:
Oh, man, what have I got myself into? But hey, it looks pretty good after the claying. Even the formerly grunged-out area behind the rear plate is shining...
Here’s Sean doing a test spot in the middle of the hood (!), using Griot’s “Machine Polish” in the finest grade along with
Griot’s random orbit device. Sean tells me that this is NOT a Porter Cable, but rather a product made custom by them. As I had almost no damage or swirling, we started with the least aggressive polish. Well, he SEEMS pretty confident, anyway…
After wiping away the polish, I was amazed! It was like a mirror! I waded in, and got to buffing. Here’s a shot of the passenger door… Check out that reflection!
After the final polish, I pulled out in the sun. As you can see, the finish, while good before, has now been transformed:
Verdict: Totally worth the effort. I just wish I could have stayed to try the Griot’s wax, but the day was getting on and I had to take off. I’ll put a coat of Gold Class on tomorrow to really seal in the shine (I know… mixing products… HERESY! But, it’s what I got).
Thanks a million, S Curves for your help and generosity!
