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Which: Electric Polisher..?


alexwitham

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There were no polishers in lidl last week and I really wanted to sort my headlights out. Tried a hand polish with a ton of elbow grease and they came up nice(ish) with just a little bit of a cloudy appearance to them.

 

I borrowed my mates electric polisher and check out these results

 

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

sorry to dig up an old post, but would you recommend DAS6 for a total beginner and I mean a total beginner, I've just started to wash my car for the very first time of any car that I have owned.

 

So far I'be purchased a Karcher K4, with all the car Karcher add-ons,

Will use Karcher Deep Ultra Foam as a pre wash just to get rid of dirt etc before I start to use the Meguiars cleaning products

 

I want to standardised on Meguiars as it seems to have good reviews and it seems to be at a reasonable price.

 

I am just looking to keep the car clean and looking nice, not looking to do detailing or anything advanced like that, I want a polisher just to apply the wax and polish, cant be arsed to do it by hand as I am totally lazy.

 

on a side not used Meguiars wax which I applied by hand, I know I missed a few spots, but for the very first time I had beading on my car. I even think I might take up cleaning my car as a hobby. lol

 

TIA

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If you only want a machine for the wax, don't bother. I find it quicker and easier to do by hand, plus I've never found a liquid wax a patch on the solid stuff.

 

Thanks for this, I new to all of this stuff, so I will hold off. To be honest i didn't realise there was so many compounds and polishes and tools etc. I should learn to walk before i try to run.

 

It just seemed to takes ages, and arm hurt afterwards maybe i was being to rigid when applying the wax on, or the fact that i am not use to cleaning a car LOL

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Where these machines excel is for quick paint improvement, getting rid of swirls and making RDS much less noticeable. Essentially you use one to make paint as flawless as possible, and then you put the wax on top just for protection.

 

You need very very little wax in truth, most people put far too much on and then it just cakes on in hard lumps, which makes it a pain to remove. Once the pad is loaded, try putting on a tiny amount (1/10th of what you normally use), then keep spreading it until there is nothing left to spread. You'll be surprised how far it goes, based purely on watching others I reckon you'll get an entire panel done where previously you'd have though the pad was empty :)

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If your arms hurt applying a wax by hand, try moving a 2KG machine against a vertical panel at the right speed and motion whilst applying just the right amount of pressure for extended periods. :lol:

 

Applying wax by hand shouldn't be all that strenuous (unless you're rushing round at pace), which Megs wax are you using? I suspect that Dan is spot on and you're applying too much at the moment; remember that you want as thin as layer as possible. This will help with the buffing too, but what else will help is learning when to remove the wax - you want to leave it long enough to cure but so long that it bakes on and this differs from wax to wax.

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using megs Ultimate liquid wax, using 1/4 of bottle on the car, which i know is too much also instead of doing small sections of a panel when waxing, I done a complete panel.

 

I think when i do it again this weekend I will take my time and relax. I think i was also rushing coz I wanted it all done before the sun comes out, As the week prior to this one, I washed the car in direct sunlight, Not a good move had loads of water streaks. Doh.... :blush:

 

Thanks guys for the tips.

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Yep, way too much wax going on there - you'll need no about 2 pea sized drops per roof sized panel, perhaps 3 for a door sized panel. Ultimate Wax buffs straight off too, it shouldn't be left to cure first as it then becomes much more difficult to remove, so working on smaller sections at a time and buffing before moving onto the next is the best way to use it.

 

Regarding the water streaks, get yourself a decent quick detailer ("Ultimate Quik Detailer" if you want to stick with Megs), give the car a once over with that after washing instead of waxing - you shouldn't need to wax more than once other month - and that should be enough to remove any water marks from washing. A QD is much easier to use; spray on (sparingly!), wipe, buff - nothing strenuous at all. The knack to getting a great finish is learning to use as little product as you possibly can to cover the car.

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I'm not exactly a huge fan of waxes myself. Once you get through your current lot (which should be fairly quickly at those rates!) perhaps see if you get on with DJ Red Mist Tropical. It's a piece of **** to use and takes next to no time in comparison to waxing, treat yourself to some decent microfibres to make your life easy. The results won't be as good as doing it properly, but I'd wager you'll be happy to reach for it after every wash as it's a doddle to apply.

 

http://www.i4detailing.co.uk/shop/dodo-juice-red-mist-tropical-spray-detailer.html

 

I'll pop my flame retardant suit on now, for being a wax philistine :lol:

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The only thing I found RMT useful for is as a glass cleaner. It's superb for that, I found it far too streaky on paint compared with something like the Supernatural Spritz (which I actually use as a wheel sealant!) or the Blackfire Crystal, my current fave.

 

 

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The only thing I found RMT useful for is as a glass cleaner. It's superb for that, I found it far too streaky on paint compared with something like the Supernatural Spritz (which I actually use as a wheel sealant!) or the Blackfire Crystal, my current fave.

 

The streaking OMG the fecking streaking!

 

I may have some very interesting alternatives up my sleeve in a few weeks :ninja:

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Interesting...

 

 

Also, a very good and easy way to prevent water marks is to simply use the open end of a hose for a final rinse, after you've jetwashed (or using a hose nozzle) off any shampoo. Do that all over the car, couple it with a quick spray of a QD and you'll find you'll get almost zero water marks with almost zero effort. :)

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I'd not noticed streaking, maybe because it's GM, which is a forgiving colour. I'll keep an eye out next time.

 

Don't know if you've got a pressure washer but Gyeon WetCoat is epic if you do, for sheer laziness alone. As Dan rightly says open ended hose or even a watering can (no sprinkler!) is a winner.

 

Is your water particularly hard?

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Hi folks,

 

Thanks for all the tips, I suppose you don't want to come down and show me how its done, may be on a weekly basis :teeth: Seriously though some great advice and tips. I have a pressure washer Karcher K4, Also invested in Autoglym Hi-Tech Flexi Water Blade, and I also use Meguiar's Water Magnet Microfiber Drying Towel.

 

For some reason I do like the Meguiars car stuff.

 

I think the issue with the water streaking was the fact I cleaned the car in direct sunlight, so did not even get time to fully dry the car with the towel. this Saturday gone, i cleaned the car, around 8am and this time got no streaks, plus using the tools above seemed to do the job.

 

I just need to not use so much wax, plus getting the right technic on applying the wax.

 

I am so grateful for all the advice, seriously, I am a total newb when it comes to cleaning cars.

 

Thanks

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BIN THE WATER BLADE NOW

 

All that does is catch the bits of grit you missed and scratch your paint with them. Seriously, do not use on anything other than a work's vehicle you don't care about. The drying towels are okay, I found they lose their drying potential very quickly though compared with the other, more fluffier ones I've got.

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http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/washing-and-drying/drying-towels/monster-microfibre-purple-monster-edgeless-xl/prod_1297.html

 

I currently use this one, bought originally as I needed to make up the postage, but it's actually served me very well and it's a good price too. I'll try something else at some point, but for now I'd happily recommend these. :)

Edited by Ekona
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