Here's a question for you guy's who have experience with orbital polishers.
As I have none, and am thinking about buying the Flex XC 3401, and detailing with the Pinnacle line of polishing products. I have watched some videos of "How To", but am concerned I'll totally mess up the finish on my XJ, which will then require a professional detail, then I'll have a $300 power tool sitting on the shelf in my shop, and out a bunch of $$ for the "Pro" detailer work.
What's the learning curve to proper use of an orbital polisher? My experience has been "Pros" make it "Look" easy. But experience is what makes the difference between a good job and a great job. I have used clay bar products (with good results) and want to try minor scratch removal on the XJ. I do have some common sense and enjoy spending time cleaning my ride.
Should I give it a try or leave it to the Pros?
So if you guys can advise me it would be appreciated.
Jeff

 

I will try to help on this the best that I can.......

First I have never used the Flex line of polishers or the Pinnacle line of products.....

I have used or presently using the following D/A polishers

*Black & Decker D/A - Retired
*Meguiar's G110 polisher - Failed 2 times
*Porter Cable D/A 7242 - Presently retired 2, 1 still operating
*Porter Cable 7242XP - Currently in use, 1 month old "Great machine, Great Price"

I would advise that before you even consider polishing which is 100% safe with a D/A, that you have all the prep proceedures down to make the polishing effective.

The learning cure is very quick.....its just intimidating at first, but you will get the hang of it.

I recommend always taking the least aggressive approach possible, that way you wont butcher or hack up your paint.

Here is my 2 cents......

If the paint has just minimal fine hairline scratches or cobwebbing, and you have clayed and prepped the vehicle thoroughly......I would recommend use the following

*Porter Cable 7242Xp - Awesome Machine for the price....under $100 at my doorstep
*Lake Country backing plates 4" & 6" http://www.detailedimage.com/Lake-Co...P56/148-mm-S1/
http://www.detailedimage.com/Lake-Co...P263/85-mm-S1/
*Lake Counry Pads - 4" assortment http://www.detailedimage.com/Lake-Co...-7x-pads-P339/
*Lake Country Pads - 6.5" assortment http://www.detailedimage.com/Lake-Co...-7x-pads-P342/
*Meguiar's M205 or M80 for Polishing - White pad works awesome
*Meguiar's M21 for LSP - Blue or Black pad works awesome
*1 dozen premium MF towels
*Blue 3M masking tape
*Old tooth brush - clean one for pad cleaning

With this assortment of pads you are able to mix and match the action of the pads with the product as you work, always start with the least aggressive approach possible and work up from there. Get use to the speed control as it is very user friendly, and attempt to not push down on the machine excessively. I turn the speed on 6 for more intense polishing or go as low as 4 for wax or sealant application....

Tip - As you polish, concentrate on a 1/3 or 1/4 of the panel at a time...Make sure you make several even passes over the paintwork this way you break up the polish allowing it to flow evenly on the paint. Once it is worked in it will have a faint oily look to it, then remove it with a MF. Use only a little product at a time, when the machine is off, place 4 dots the diameter of a cigarette on the pad in a square formation. Then place machine and pad against paint and turn it on, do not turn it on while machine is in the air, major splatter will occur. At this point your learning curve begins.......


Good luck!

ADVISE....

Do not mix products on the pads.....use an old tooth brush to keep the pads clean before storage. I recommend that you put each pad from the start in a zip lock labeled. As you use the pad, then label on the bag the type of polish or wax used. This way you will not cross contaminate the pads, which will lead to aweful results...

 

Dave, Thanks for the advice and your prompting to give it a try for myself. Your right, it is a bit intimidating, the more I read, the more I get "lost" in all the products and different machines available.
I do keep my XJ clean. Using a good detail spray (Ultima Detail +) with MF towels and good wax (P21S) these have provided what I consider good results. I clayed the car about a year ago so I was planning on doing it again in a month or so. As for the scratches they are superficial but I can see them under the right light. I want the paint on the car to look "Wet" and have "Depth".
The "Liquid Silver" is a forgiving color, and when it's shined up it looks great.
I'll keep reading on the forum, and taking tips from all who post.
Jeff

 

Rover - why not ( please feel free to chip in here Dave, with more great advice! ) - go to your local salvage yard or similar and buy a panel ( preferably from a Jag, as paint thicknesses and types do vary in hardness I believe ) and practice on that to perfect your technique?
This way you can practice until you are happy with the results and hopefully safe to proceed without damaging your pride and joy!
Just a thought that makes sense to me

 

Great idea Jim......perfect way to start the learning curve......

Another idea is if you have granite counter tops, and if they are wide enough you always could practice on that granite slab on your kitchen counter top. Just to get the technique down.........

 

That never came to mind Jim. I'll seriously consider the idea. Sure is better than a knackered quarter panel on the "08 XJ" OR,..... Work on the next door neighbors car!
Jeff

 

Cheers rover.....keep us up to date if you do and let us know how it goes?

Its something I've been thinkin bout for a while myself as the A6 could do with a spruce up, but, life kinda seems to get in the way at the mo....lol

 

As I keep pondering the purchase of the Flex 3401 and after watching many "How To" vids on you tube they all have one thing in common, Flat panels. Hoods, Doors, trunk lids,etc. So my question is this, Can the entire polishing job be completed with a 6.5" pad or is a 4" pad needed to get to all those "other" places that aren't so flat? The flex has a 5.5" backing plate to accept a 6.5" pad and as far as I can find no 3.5" adapter is available for the 3401. Everything I have read says not to use the "Edge" of the buffer. And with as many edges on my car I want to be sure to get the right tool for the job. Just an example is the hood line in the attached pic.
Thanks. Jeff

 

I have also found that many detailing products will disintegrate some of the pads and cloths. Put them in the baggie as stated, but also in the freezer. A few minutes to thaw out and the pads/cloths are in the same condition that you last used them.

 

Dave, yet another GREAT thread!!!! Thank you. I for one do not purchase "el'cheapo" tools but in this case a friend of mine purchased a Harbor Freight polisher sometime ago and said no problems, not being used for commercial purposes. I purchased the attached link and have used it a couple of times and I am impressed with it. Even comes with an extra set of brushes. I did have to purchase a couple of extra foam pads and an upgraded wool polishing wheel. Check it out.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=66615

 

Jeff,

I will do the best to help you out based on my experience. For over 23 years I have only used 6.5" pads for my detailing work until recently that I was introduced to 4" pads. All I can say is I wish someone had manufactured these years ago. They are the best thing since sliced bread, especially for todays vehicles with so many contours, curves and different shapes. In regards to keeping the pad flat, you definatley need to get this down, part of the technique. But since this is only a D/A orbital if it goes on the edge you will be fine.

I would look into the Lake Country 4" D/A backing plate for the 4" pads and you will be in heaven. Having this assortment of pads is like a mechanic having the right size screwdriver for the right size screw..

 

Thanks Dave, I'll keep it all in mind when I make my decision on which DA to finally buy.
Jeff

 

I use a PC7424, a Flex 3401, and a Makita 9227 rotary. You're right that the Flex polisher does not accept 4" pads, as the backing plate is permanently attached to the machine. The 4" pads are very useful, and I switch back to the PC to use them when I need to. The Flex is a more powerful machine, but I think that the innovations made in polish and pad combinations make the PC7424XP just as effective for the person wanting the best for their car.

 

I am new around here but I have some experience in this area.

I purchased the Porter Cable and the adaptor to use the Lake Country foam pads some time back and never used it too much because it was just too slow to really correct paint. It does work, but it takes a long time particularly if you have serious correcting to do.

So after reading all the great reports on the Flex I picked one up and haven't looked back. The results I have been able to achieve in reasonable time with no previous experience are, to my eyes, fantastic.

While I have do have body shop experience (advanced hobbyist) I had no previous experience with paint buffing and have still not used a rotary. Thus I can't comment on full rotaries. What I can say is that the difference between the induced rotation of the PC and the forced rotation of the Flex is night and day when it comes to paint correcting.

I use a selection of Lake Country foam pads and the Menzerna line of German polishes which I purchased at www.detailedimage.com. In particular I use Menzerna Super Intensive Polish on a yellow or orange pad when I need to correct the most and Menzerna PO106FA on a white pad for the final polish or when little correction is needed.

The tool, pads and polishes are not cheap and for one car it might be overkill, but if you have more than one car as I do, then it makes more sense.

If price is not a concern, I would not hesitate at all, you will get the hang of it really fast and so far I have not damaged anything. I am going to actually overwork an old scrap fender I have this spring to actually see how hard it is to cut through/burn a finish, but with any sort of care you will not have this problem when you are working with the tool.

Here are some of my vehicles that I have worked on in the last year:

First a 2004 XJ8, clay, both polishes as noted above, sealer and wax, 8 hours or so work time, all with the 6 inch pad:


Next, my 95 XJS, this needed a lot of work and it is still not 100%, but much better than when I got it. Same procedure as above.



This 1987 560SEC still has the original paint on the body (I sprayed the bumpers and plastic side panels last year) and it still looks very good. This car took close to 18 hours to bring back (wash, clay, polish, seal, wax)



And lastly, probably my favourite car I currently own, a 1998 NSX, same steps, 8 or so hours.



Go for it, you won't regret it.

John