Is it risky to use a buffer if you've never done it before? After every wash, I would love to take a buffer after my Mini, but I'm not sure of the risks behind it, such as ruining paint or clear coat. I don't want to learn the hard way. So do you have to know exactly what you're doing before you go that route???

THANKS!

 

i have a orbital buffer but i dont use it after a wash.
i just use MF towels and some SprayOn wax to
enhance the shine and slickness. hand buffing is fine.

the less you touch, the less chance you swirl your paint.

 

As long as you don't use some heavy duty powertool that spins at like 400 RPM, your pretty safe.

Personally, I think that after EVERY wash is a bit much. More like once a month. As stated above, the less you touch, the less chance you have of swirling you paint!

*CAVEAT* DS is a pretty easy color to swirl, so be careful!

 

Read anything octaneguy has posted and look at his website for the EXACT method of using a random orbital for polishing and waxing.

forget the link. its 4am and i just finished my work for the day.

 

I agree it all depends on what you use, if you want the high speed find a beater to practice on. And even then I would still stay away from them.

If your looking to buff after every wash......if you looking to save time this will not help. I would say just keep up with the wax/sealer maint.

Try Zaino.

 

No need to buff that often. That would be very time consuming. You only need to buff when you have accumulated enough swirls so that are above your tolerance level. Normally two to three times a year is enough. Of course you can do touch ups, for example if somebody decides to use your hood to hold their grocery bags in the store parking lot.

Meguiars #80 would be a good cleaner/polish to use on light to moderate swirls. And the polishing oils in #80 will give you just the right amount of "pop."

h2o2mini

 

Well, I have hurt a car with a attachment to a drill. Never again.
I have a G100 and everything is fine. I just got an Makita 9227. I am learning.
One must have respect for the tool.
I found this by OctaneGuy.
Sometimes we need a buffer because the CC is very hard.
He had to buff in the DARK to finish. Post #3.

http://www.showcardetailing.com/foru...read.php?t=252

Habu

 

I agree, a couple of times a year. I like Megs # 80 as well. A good all around polish. Then follow with an LSP of choice.

Habu

 

I've switched out my M80 Speed Glaze with Prima Swirl. For PC work, Swirl with the orange pad and white pad do as much as M83 and M80 did. In fact, Swirl with the orange pad did what M80 and the rotary did for me.

In other words, the PC along with Prima Swirl rocks. When I need more cutting action, or speed, I still revert to the rotary with Swirl though.

That Envoy was an OLD buffing. It wasn't even one that I was all that proud of, though I have seen it sort of "dug up" from the dead lately.

re: BUFFERS
People ask this question all the time, and as long as we are talking about the same thing---using a Dual Action Orbital Polisher and not a rotary buffer, you're safe to buff frequently on your MINI. I wouldn't do it after every wash if you're washing weekly though.

What is frequently? Depends. Once a month, or once every few months? Because I've got Jet Black that might mean every week! LOL. I know that every time I touch my paint, the potential to instill swirls is there. I prefer to polish, and maintain with a swirl filling polymer like Prima Hydro. Then polish when I have the time again.

 

Brendan, buy a Porter Cable (PC)...then I can borrow it

 

So what made you switch to Prima? I like Megs because they have been around since 1901. They are the industry leader IMHO. Plus I get great results. Though Klasse is crossing my mind right now.
That Envoy was done only a year and a half ago. Not that old.
I agree black is a PAIN, just look at it and it swirls! LOL
But white is hard too, one can't see where they are going. I still am confused about the buffing in the dark. Isn't that risky?

I have an extra PC I can loan.

Habu

 

Just because you are old doesn't make you the best. No need to preach about Meguiar's. I've been using them for a long time, but they are not the only player in town, and sometimes, when you do a bit of exploring, you find other products that work better for you.

Industry leader or follower? Haha, if you only knew what I knew about what goes on behind the scenes at Meguiar's.....I digress.

re: Envoy
A year and a half ago is a long time when you've done a couple hundred of details since then.

re: White and buffing in the dark
It's not risky with the right tools. When I work on silver or white paint, my preference is to work in a dark or dimly lit room lit with spot halogens using a system I developed. Buffing in the dark isn't any riskier than buffing in a bright room if you know what you're doing and WHY you're doing it.

re: White not seeing where they are going
Awww, you see--that's why I work in the dark. You can see EXACTLY where the swirls are. With experience you'll discover different ways to do things. I don't follow convention and for the same reason, just because Meguiar's has been around for a long time and I used to be a huge supporter of them, an old conservative company doesn't necessarily mean they make the best products.

It's good you get great results with them. I did too, but now I just get better results with Prima.

Richard

 

Octane Guy - In general, what are using after Swirl? Do you find you need to use a finer polish (like Finish) or do you go to Epic?

I know, I know, it varies...but let's say Swirl with the PC gets the swirls out. Do you find it leaving a haze that requires Finish to eliminate prior to waxing?

And are you going to make a new DVD with all the Prima products now that I've spent my hard-earned dollars on the one featuring Meguiar's?!

 

re: new DVD
It's only fair to share the love with Prima!

re: MINI Paint Polishing
I find that an orange pad with Swirl is all I need. Then I go to Epic using a black pad.

I did a demo yesterday for a customer on his black truck. He had lots of scratches from his offroading. I used the orange pad and Swirl with a tape line and he was floored at how good the finish looked--from grey to deep rich black using just Swirl and an orange pad. I did do a pass of Swirl with a white pad and told him why, but after looking at the results, it didn't appear that the white pad was needed for this paint either.

re: Finish
I only use finish in rare circumstances. For the most part, the orange pad and white pad with Swirl solves the majority of my issues. If I need more speed, I use the same pads and chemical with my rotary.

The Meguiar's system is a good one. But I've found that the Prima system offers a step more correction than Meguiar's alone and the reason is simple.

Meguiar's is an old company that wants to make fool proof products for the consumer. The products need to work 100% of the time and the best way to do this is to make the products simple enough for anybody. And if you need more results than what they offer, you need to hire a pro with more powerful tools.

Prima on the other hand utilizes products that can achieve nearly the same results as with the rotary but in a little more time and energy. They atleast give you the possibility of going further. They also offer more choices which can throw off the newbie due to the additional pad and chemical combinations.

The Meguiar's system is a great starter system for the uninitiated--and as you get better and more experienced, Prima is a nice step up without having to resort to a different and more powerful tool!

Richard

 

Thanks, Richard.

I have found Prima's line-up confusing. It's nice to get the word from a pro rather than decyphering the descriptions on the web (not to pick on Prima/DP - that applies to any web site). Most of us only polish/wax a couple times a year, and can't afford the money or time to buy and try all the options.

 

It's not that confusing. To make some analogies:

Meguiar's M80 with yellow W8006 pad = Prima Swirl with White Pad
Meguiar's M83 with yellow W8006 pad = Prima Swirl with Orange Pad
Meguiar's M82 with yellow W8006 pad = Prima Finish with White Pad
Meguiar's M84 (not recommended with PC) = Prima Cut with Orange or White Pad

Meguiars #7 is similar to Amigo in concept, though Amigo offers paint cleaning properties as well, so similar to M80 without abrasives or maybe M66

Using the above analogy chart, the most often used Meguiar's chemicals are M80 and M83.

For Prima that would be Swirl using either an Orange or a White pad. The nice thing about using one chemical and different pads is that the polishing properties remain consistent throughout the entire polishing process. If I want to get more aggressive, I don't have to compromise by using a product that potentially gets gummy. A step like that would prohibit me from using the optimal product for that situation.

These aren't exactly equivalents, but they are close.

To sum it up, for Prima polishing, get an Orange and a White pad and Swirl and you'll be set.

Btw, it's funny how word travels. I make a post about my experience with Meguiar's and how that I like Prima better and the same day I get an email back from a Meguiar's rep quoting my entire post. Either Habu is a shill or someone here on NAM is stalking me. To whomever that is--whatever your motives are, get a life.

Richard

 

OG- ummmm... and you wrote all that from memory?

i'd probably have to make a note in my bb and check each time.

i still think Prima's naming is much easier than remembering those
polish model numbers, etc.

 

This is REALLY funny

'Cause I started with Prima Swirl. Then, after hearing Richard go on and on about how great M80 was, I bought 2 quarts of M80. I've used a tiny bit of it - but also prefer Swirl. Now Richard professes his love for Heather - er, I mean Swirl - and I'm stuck holding two whoppin' bottles of M80...

 

Haha yeah. I just imagine myself using it and up pops up the name. Actually the M80 number is short for Speed Glaze. But remembering the names is confusing too.

M80 is Speed Glaze
M83 is Dual Action Cleaner Polish (DACP) not to be confused with DAPC (Dual Action Porter Cable)

Just like remembering SkiTelluride531's name--the Meguiar's names are mostly logical in convention. M stands for Mirror Glaze products. 8X is the 80 series of chemicals. So #7 or M07 or Show Car Glaze are all the same things which is a pure polish.

Remember they got hundreds of products, so using the M8X convention helps you remember that you are talking about the polishing compounds in a particular family. I.E. you won't find a wax that is called M89 etc... Waxes are totally different numbers. M20, M21, M26 are all waxes (20 and 21 are synthetic polymers and 26 is carnauba)

The trouble with trying to make sense of those numbers is that since they started it, they can't change it to something more sensible without upsetting those of us that have already learned it. LOL

OMG, Heather??? She's a super...uhm, I mean.... yes! Swirl is a super product that only came known to me after I really got into it and was able maximize the best qualities of each product. So in the early days, when I only knew Meguiar's, Prima polishes didn't work for me because I hadn't mastered their system.

There is nothing wrong with using M80--it still works great, but I admit Swirl with the orange pad does go further and that is my new preference. But remember that I work on more than just MINIs, so M80 with MINI paint should be just fine too!

 

I find a chisel and a diamond encrusted polishing pad (can't remember the numbers for those) are the most effective tools for the Ford Expedition paint. Gawd that stuff is hard!

 

^^ wait, no more steel wool for you? jk

 

Well on Ford paint the steelwool wouldn't last too long.

 

dang...!

 

Thanks Richard for the info! . That took some time.
It is hard to change ones way of thinking.
So bear with me. I have not heard of Prima till finding NAM. I mainly have Megs but also have some S100. I am willing to look at other stuff. Dare I say the "Z" word? Yes, I am looking at Zaino also.
I hope over to Detailers paradise and look and the Prima. Then I need new pads. Then the better half says I have too much stuff.....

Habu

 

Wait a second here. .... If you were around since 1901, I'm sure you'd be pretty ... good too