Car buffer what to buy??

Ok I've been reading everyones posts re- polishing and detaling etc and I am really getting the urge to give it all a go my self.

I am looking at this on e-bay and just wondered if it would be suitable.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Silverline-Car-Van-Boat-Polisher-Sander-Buffer-Set_W0QQitemZ290254923571QQcmdZViewItem?_trksid=p3 286.m20.l1116

I am only doing it as a hobbey, will get the clay bar and my polish via 'Clean your Car' I am going to use poorboys and Megs.

I am just a little confused, when do you seal/polish then apply the wax? After pre-wash - clay - wash -?-?

Cheers

that has no soft start, if you have to get cheap SILVERLINE get the orange one.



every one else seems to recomend the porter cable though

wash, clay, polish, wax then seal

Cheers Dave,

I think for now the porter cable is to expensive, if I was using it everyday then fine I'd buy it. Keep checking on e-bay for second hand ones but none seem to materialise.

How do you rate the £25 large round buffers from Halfords

Cheers Wax then seal got ya

It maybe more expensive but it's safer, a rotary in the wrong hands will quickly and easily produce a burn through at worst or a very poor finish at best (holograms, buffer trails). If you don't have someone experienced to show you how to use it, or some scrap panels to test on then the rotary is not the best option IMO

No power, no torque, no correction abilities, no variable speed etc.

Seal then wax...sealants are fussy as to what they will bond to.

the ebay item you've posted will do the job fine. as already said you can easily damage or remove your paint, but that doesnt mean you should be afraid of buying and using one.

you can easily destroy your entire car by driving it (into a wall for example) but with a bit if common sense and a bit of practice that wont happen. similarly you wont damage your paint if you practice first and use common sense and care. before you know it you'll be polishing your mates' cars too.

depends on what your using

if using Bilt hamber's auto balm sealent it goes on top

[quote=La Rossa;1702602

How do you rate the £25 large round buffers from Halfords

[/QUOTE]

****, i just chucked 2 of them in the tip the other week

Thanks for the encouraging words, I've done the theory need to start the practice

I found a Porter Cable on E-bay £140 so I am gonna start with this one and if I get dead good at it and like you said doing my mates cars then I'll invest in a good professional one

Thanks again
Rachel

Porter cable is the way to go get some megs 83 and 80 for your correction work they are what i use and some dodo wax I use supernatural

Just bought the Orange Silverline from i4detailing.co.uk. As mentioned above, its possible to do a lot of damage with a rotary if you're not careful. However, as Jug has said, with a little care and common sense some excellent results can be achieved without spending a fortune on a Porter Cable or Megs G220.

Meguiars G220 dual-action job is the king of the jungle.

It's 220v so you don't need a robot in disguise (transformer). Dual-action means it's so sweet and gentle on your paint..

And it's not THAT dear really.. you should only have to use a mechanical polisher once or twice a year, so it's never going to wear out.


Ralf S.

Silverline Orange is fine, has the soft start. Buy some decent pads though, the silverline ones aren't very good and break up easily if you catch a trim edge. The Meguiars or 3M pads are about £10 each and the soft backing plate similar.

Whilst you can do some damage with a rotary you have got to be pretty dumb IMO. You read hundreds of threads on detailing world forum and it seems a doddle, a quick run over once with the polisher and thats it. Far from the truth - with something like Megs #83 you will have to do numerous passess to remove swirls.

The silverline is also pretty heavy - 5 or six passess on a vertical panel like a door and your arms will be acheing

A typical swirled car can take 10-12 hours with a polisher - its not a 5 minute job i can assure you, even with soft paint. Old VW paint is a nightmare !

Took me and a mate 6 hrs to do one pass of my grande with a medium cut polish. Ran out of time to give it a 2nd pass with a low cut finishing polish so had to settle with just a medium cut and then a couple of coats of wax. Good 2 days is needed to do the car properly with a porter cable IMO