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If the sole purpose of the buffer is to buff off wax, then any oribital buffer will do (such as one from pepboys).
As far as the pad, when you are buffing OFF wax, the pad is not the most important thing. The more important thing to worry about is what bonnet you use over the pad. Personally, I would recommend any high quality microfiber bonnet that you can find. I know Meguiars makes some, but they are discontinued if I remember correctly.
i have specific wax and polish removal orbital bonnets but never used it.
it's better imho to use a MF Monster Fuffy to remove wax. why? cause
the MF bonnets tends to build up wax that you removed and after a while,
it could heat up changing the molecular bond of the wax to the paint.
they recommend to use 3 bonnets per car... i have 3 each brand new,
never used.
I agree with Kenchan... if you're looking to REMOVE the wax then you should just use the Detailers Paradise 's Monster Fluffy cloth by hand. If you're doing the waxing properly and waiting until the wax "cures" properly (drag a finger through the wax after about 30 minutes - if it comes right off like powder, revealing a clear streak and DOES NOT SMEAR then its ready) then the removal should be almost effortless.
APPLYING the wax, however, is a different animal altogether. Since most waxes work best when applied very evenly and as thinly as possible, a mechanical device like a RO is indeed the best way to go, both for the minimzation of "elbow grease" and for the thinnest and most even coating. If this is JUST FOR WAX, I'd just start with the $30 random orbital "car polisher" that you see at places like Pep Boys and Target. You don't need to press down hard to evenly apply wax, so the pathetically weak motors in the $30 jobbies won't be a drawback. The cheapie units are useless for POLISHING (they just stop moving wheh you try leaning into them) but they're OK for wax application. If the detailing bug bites you harder later on, you can always "upgrade" to the Porter Cable, which is good for waxing AND polishing both.
One last thing - the cheapie ones tend to have large, 10" pads, so precision application will be nearly implssible. If you're doing an all-over waxing, do yourself a favor and get a roll of 2" masking tape from a hardware store, and tape off the trim. Wax on trim = lots of PIA to remove it, so taking 15-20 min. to tape off will actually SAVE you lots of time and effort later.
Good luck and let us know how it turns out!
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~Matt Cook | Dublin, Ohio | '92 Classic Mini Sprite: "Fiona" + Purple Haze 2005 MCS Cabrio: "Dawn". See old MODs from "Nano" HERE - post #166 - many with How-to links!
I'll agree with the posts above... Removing wax from a properly maintained surface (claybared once a year or so and smooth, glossy paint) shouldn't be that hard to do by hand w/ a microfiber... maybe add a spritz of a matching detailing spray if things get tough.
On the rare occasion that I'm looking to get some more muscle on a tough patch, I've dropped one of my fluffy microfibers on the car and then applied my Porter Cable Dual Action polisher (w/ a stiff foam pad) to the towel. This lets you buff off the wax, flip the towel and give a final buff w/ the clean side of the microfiber.
If you are going to go ahead and buy one of these tools, get one with enough muscle to polish your car when you need something to correct some paint flaws or shine 'er up for a show / spring cleaning. For polish, wax and sealant application, I like a set of foam pads... the stiffer pads are for more agressive polishes. Sonus makes good pads that I use. I've heard good things about the Meguiars foam pads as well.
As for the machine, I love my PCDA... It's built well (you gotta love Porter Cable) and easy to use (it doesn't wear you out with fighting the machine). I'd worry that a cordless product wouldn't have enough power for me to finish an agressive refinishing, but I haven't owned a cordless polisher, so I'm just guessing here and applying my own biases about cordless products I used 7-10 years ago... I'm sure that there are much better products than what I used back then.
Meguiars used to sell a rebranded PCDA. www.autopia-carcare.com also sold a PCDA polisher w/ Sonus pad kit (where I got started) that went on sale once or twice a year.
Wax on trim = lots of PIA to remove it, so taking 15-20 min. to tape off will actually SAVE you lots of time and effort later.
Imagox,
Those cowl vents (under the windshield wipers) pop right out. Take a small, flat-bladed screwdriver, insert it down into one of the hexagonal holes and then lift up a bit while applying pressure towards the rear of the car... like you want to slide the vent up and along the plane of the windshield. It will pop right out with a slight bit of pressure.
If you get polish on them (like I did) and let it dry by mistake (like I did), and discover that no amount of soaking and scrubbing will get the dried, nasty polish out of those holes (like I did), you can buy those pieces from a dealership for $7-8 each (like my OCD forced me to do )
Yeah, since then I've learned about this trick... Although taping them only takes a few seconds, too... But thanks!
Oh, and Q-tips with a little Wizards Black Renew (available from Detailers Paradise) should get out any wax crusted inside the hex holes with just a bit of elbow grease.
__________________
~Matt Cook | Dublin, Ohio | '92 Classic Mini Sprite: "Fiona" + Purple Haze 2005 MCS Cabrio: "Dawn". See old MODs from "Nano" HERE - post #166 - many with How-to links!
Wax removal is really easier and more efficient by hand if you're using a good quality (read: thick/plush and high thread count, at least more than 150,000 threads per square inch). I know it sounds counterintuitive, but it really is true! Of course, it helps if you're using a good quality wax too. Many of the cheap and/or old school waxes are difficult to work with (on and off).
I won't reinterate all the other good points already made... just ditto!
As you probably already know, we carry the plush microfiber cloths, quality waxes, and the Porter Cable DA polisher, should you decide to go that route.
Oh, and Q-tips with a little Wizards Black Renew (available from Detailers Paradise) should get out any wax crusted inside the hex holes with just a bit of elbow grease.
Wax probably would have come out, but the polish didn't want to budge. I took the grills off and soaked 'em in my kitchen sink for 2 days with no luck. I even took my Oral-B electric toothbrush (with an old brush-head) to 'em after the soaking and couldn't get the dried polish off. I finally gave up and spent the $14.
__________________
~Matt Cook | Dublin, Ohio | '92 Classic Mini Sprite: "Fiona" + Purple Haze 2005 MCS Cabrio: "Dawn". See old MODs from "Nano" HERE - post #166 - many with How-to links!
I love to disagree, and since the original poster had asked for advice from the "pros", I like to use the PC to remove wax, then follow with a soft microfiber by hand. Although I have on many occasions just wiped off by hand--so not totally disagreeing. I also agree that a high quality terry is best for removing wax, since microfiber has a tendency to remove too much wax, however, the flip side, is that a poor quality terry could cause micromarring in your finish that a MF won't.
As Heather mentioned, the type of wax is important, as #21 Synthetic Sealant is super easy to wipe off--almost no friction at all.
The problem that I find for most people is they don't let the wax dry long enough, or they use too much. This results in people wanting to use a tool or find "easier" ways to remove the wax--when in reality, it's just poor techique that's fighting them.
Use the "swipe test" as demonstrated on my DVD, and you will always be certain that the wax is dry and ready to be buffed off.
As for Skitelluride's comment-- although using a microfiber bonnet is safest, if carefully done, you can use a PC with a stiff pad--like the W7006 cutting pad--and lay down a soft microfiber towel, and press the pad against that. No bonnet needed. As that area becomes saturated, separate the pad from the towel--it will stick---and you can use a different area of the towel.
The only downside to this is that the towel will spin, so you gotta be careful when doing side panels--when gravity is at play.
So back to the original question---which tool is best to remove wax? Given that you are using proper technique, and a good wax, I would still recommend the Porter Cable polisher.
Sometimes there are spots of wax that are hard to remove by hand---maybe it was applied too heavily, maybe wasn't fully dry, but to remove by hand would require rubbing, and that could cause scratches. Using the PC, and even bearing down on it, won't cause scratches no matter what you do--it's definitely safer to use in cases like that.
Agranger,
try a stiff nylon wheel brush--the bristles are tougher but won't scratch the plastic. Meguiar's #40 or #39 will remove that wax and #40 will simultaneously dress it.
I had to do this last night on my Aerogrill.
Quote:
Originally Posted by agranger
Wax probably would have come out, but the polish didn't want to budge. I took the grills off and soaked 'em in my kitchen sink for 2 days with no luck. I even took my Oral-B electric toothbrush (with an old brush-head) to 'em after the soaking and couldn't get the dried polish off. I finally gave up and spent the $14.
Richard
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The problem that I find for most people is they don't let the wax dry long enough, or they use too much. This results in people wanting to use a tool or find "easier" ways to remove the wax--when in reality, it's just poor techique that's fighting them.
Use the "swipe test" as demonstrated on my DVD, and you will always be certain that the wax is dry and ready to be buffed off.
This is indeed "wisdom from the pros" worth listening to. Once I started heeding this advice, waxing became 100X easier. Using the PC or another RO machine will help lay down a thin, even coat of wax and waiting long enough to complete the "swipe test" Richard mentions will assure that the wax is properly cured. Removal of properly dry wax is really quite easy.
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~Matt Cook | Dublin, Ohio | '92 Classic Mini Sprite: "Fiona" + Purple Haze 2005 MCS Cabrio: "Dawn". See old MODs from "Nano" HERE - post #166 - many with How-to links!
A plain old acrylic towel!!!! (Insert dramatic musical sting from horror movie). Oh, the HUMANITY!!!
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~Matt Cook | Dublin, Ohio | '92 Classic Mini Sprite: "Fiona" + Purple Haze 2005 MCS Cabrio: "Dawn". See old MODs from "Nano" HERE - post #166 - many with How-to links!
It DOES remove that stubborn coating that lots of cars have... what's it called again? Ah, yes... PAINT, I agree...
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~Matt Cook | Dublin, Ohio | '92 Classic Mini Sprite: "Fiona" + Purple Haze 2005 MCS Cabrio: "Dawn". See old MODs from "Nano" HERE - post #166 - many with How-to links!
Any opinions on Malms and their claims? From what I remember it was easy to use but, for example with the Pinnacle Sourveign, you do not need to wait until dries to a haze. Just wipe on and immediately wipe off.
The problem that I find for most people is they don't let the wax dry long enough, or they use too much. This results in people wanting to use a tool or find "easier" ways to remove the wax--when in reality, it's just poor techique that's fighting them.
Ditto!! Although, as Chows4Us pointed out, there are a few waxes which can be buffed off/removed immediately or almost immediately (AIO, P21S). Exception though, not the rule, from my experience.
No matter what the product, IMO, most people having trouble are indeed using way too much wax.
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