i,ll do my best !

get into detailing lol....or at least some AG SRP and top off with a sealnt or wax....

Ninja59 said:

get into detailing lol....or at least some AG SRP and top off with a sealnt or wax....

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You worry me. Do you not have loved ones to spend time with??

Admittedly I also have the same obsession... Spent £200 on a machine polisher a few weeks ago :-( The Barchetta is an absolute bastard to keep swirl free - solid red gloss seems to show every imprefection

Easy solution; get a proper (aka silver) one instead

Funkstar De Luxe said:

Admittedly I also have the same obsession... Spent £200 on a machine polisher a few weeks ago :-( The Barchetta is an absolute bastard to keep swirl free - solid red gloss seems to show every imprefection

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You should never use a machine polisher as you will make it worse. They go round and round!!!!

I'll be honest now. I have spent years trying what is best.

This is what I come up with.

2 Buckets - One to rinse the sponge and one with wash wax. Clean sponge. Dip into the wash wax clean your car, rinse in the other bucket of warm clean water, then dip into the other bucket to clean car.

Car dried off.

Now use wax and a very soft cloth only.

Swirls - Clay Bar - Work this, panel by panel.

Then polish loads and loads.

I managed to get the swirls out of mines after being told by a valet guy (Never use machines) use hands! Cheap valet people use machines to make the job faster. Not many people really look into the paint so they think it's ok.

Nino_1975 said:

You should never use a machine polisher as you will make it worse. They go round and round!!!!

I'll be honest now. I have spent years trying what is best.

This is what I come up with.

2 Buckets - One to rinse the sponge and one with wash wax. Clean sponge. Dip into the wash wax clean your car, rinse in the other bucket of warm clean water, then dip into the other bucket to clean car.

Car dried off.

Now use wax and a very soft cloth only.

Swirls - Clay Bar - Work this, panel by panel.

Then polish loads and loads.

I managed to get the swirls out of mines after being told by a valet guy (Never use machines) use hands! Cheap valet people use machines to make the job faster. Not many people really look into the paint so they think it's ok.

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To be honest I'd not even go close to my car with a sponge, grit lurks in all of the holes, get yourself a decent mit and ensure it's washed properly between car wash's.
To help get rid of your swirls try good old fashioned T cut but only lightly until the swirls dissapear.

Abarth barchetta said:

To be honest I'd not even go close to my car with a sponge, grit lurks in all of the holes, get yourself a decent mit and ensure it's washed properly between car wash's.
To help get rid of your swirls try good old fashioned T cut but only lightly until the swirls dissapear.

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Clay bar is the best as it's less harsh.

Loads of ways I guess.

You have two buckets to clean the sponge of dirt. All at ownes preference I guess.

WOW form Windbrake to cleaning cars..... :worship::Offtopic:

Nino_1975 said:

You should never use a machine polisher as you will make it worse. They go round and round!!!!

I'll be honest now. I have spent years trying what is best.

This is what I come up with.

2 Buckets - One to rinse the sponge and one with wash wax. Clean sponge. Dip into the wash wax clean your car, rinse in the other bucket of warm clean water, then dip into the other bucket to clean car.

Car dried off.

Now use wax and a very soft cloth only.

Swirls - Clay Bar - Work this, panel by panel.

Then polish loads and loads.

I managed to get the swirls out of mines after being told by a valet guy (Never use machines) use hands! Cheap valet people use machines to make the job faster. Not many people really look into the paint so they think it's ok.

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so why would detailing pro's use a rotary then....abrasive compounds do remove the imperfections... i dont want an argu though tbh...personal pref...and mine have gone down since using a proper DA (not some cheap halfords c*ap)

You’re rubbing the paint away if you use machines and cutting compound. Not all professionals use machines, the cheaper ones do.

If you look after your car from day one then the swirls will never happen. The problem is when you buy a second hand car where the swirls are already on there. I was taught by a professional valeting guy who did high end cars. All by hand was his motto, build up the layers.

I do on occasion valet body work for people as I have hundreds of pounds worth of stuff and will bet I can get a car shinier than most. OK it takes a day or 3. I also do a lot of cars that have been re-sprayed; I mark all the minor imperfections.

It's all up to the owners; if you’re happy why change your method. I personally feel the way I have been taught works best (For me anyway). More time consuming yes. Hence machines where born!

Shame your not close by as I would meet up and take your car for a day.

that information kinda goes against all of DW....yes ok machines do cut away some of the paint/clearcoat but how else are you going to remove the swirls and imperfections????....and nearly every pro on DW uses a machine or wetsanding...and they aint the cheap ones....or are you talking about filling them in with fillers basically masking them?? it dont matter whether it by hand or machine your still removing some of the clearcoat/paint....??i dont use a full on cutting compound for everything lol....you know how much the average for even wetsanding if done properly is only 2 microns...

and all my information comes from pro detailers not valeters....i would just go have a quick look at DW....

and im currently working on mine fine with a rotary so im happy with it....and the reflection is pretty good already thanks...

Swirls - dependent on paint, colour, year, treatments etc.

A machine polish is really the single best thing you can do to paint, as long as you know what you're doing. Every pre detailer will use a random orbital rotary polisher, and all new cars are polished with one before leaving the factory.

Polish, by definition, is abrasive - and the only way to remove swirls from paint work. As ninja said, check a Pro Detailing forum like www.detailingworld.com for some great information. Or http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=28

You cannot really damage paint with a good machine, you would have to intentionally try, and even then, it'd take a hell of a long time as good polish become less and less abrasive at it gets used (the particles break down). As said, it does remove paint, but my an amount measured in microns... So nothing to worry about.

Funkstar De Luxe said:

Swirls - dependent on paint, colour, year, treatments etc.

A machine polish is really the single best thing you can do to paint, as long as you know what you're doing. Every pre detailer will use a random orbital rotary polisher, and all new cars are polished with one before leaving the factory.

Polish, by definition, is abrasive - and the only way to remove swirls from paint work. As ninja said, check a Pro Detailing forum like www.detailingworld.com for some great information. Or http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=28

You cannot really damage paint with a good machine, you would have to intentionally try, and even then, it'd take a hell of a long time as good polish become less and less abrasive at it gets used (the particles break down). As said, it does remove paint, but my an amount measured in microns... So nothing to worry about.

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which polishing machine do you have out of interest??? currently selling my G220 as i now have a Kestrel SIM180 rotary....

I own a G220 - wish we'd had this discussion a few weeks ago I love the G220, well worth the money. How does the Kestrel compare? I almost bought one...

its not the kestrel DAS-6 DA but there rotary version...comparing DA Vs. Rotary i prefer the rotary so much more, faster work time and alot less vibration, it is abit heavier but its like twice the size....and alot more enjoyable to work with esp. with Megs #80/#83...but im not putting a downer on the G220 as its unfair to compare DA and rotary...its a very good machine (V2 upgrades and changes have improved it overall to) although negating the slot for the spanner is annoying and i cannot quite see why they did this...

why are all you polishing perverts so far away..lol
you could look after my freshly painted b
anyway you have severely hijacked my windbrake thread ,allthough it keeps it to the top i spose
happy polishing
steve

I bought one of those .. a Kestrel, a while back, but i haven't a clue how to use it .. what polish, what disc/polisher etc .. can you point me to some numpty instructions?

thanks!

kestrel DAS-6(DA)/ SIM180(rotary):- DaveKG's guides on DW will help

Dual Action(DA):-here

Rotary: - here

covers every area of using either machine....and is very highly rated even by myself (self taught using both machines even though i prefere the rotary now...

stevie...its quite easy to get into go on detailing world lol

Ninja59 said:

that information kinda goes against all of DW....yes ok machines do cut away some of the paint/clearcoat but how else are you going to remove the swirls and imperfections????....and nearly every pro on DW uses a machine or wetsanding...and they aint the cheap ones....or are you talking about filling them in with fillers basically masking them?? it dont matter whether it by hand or machine your still removing some of the clearcoat/paint....??i dont use a full on cutting compound for everything lol....you know how much the average for even wetsanding if done properly is only 2 microns...

and all my information comes from pro detailers not valeters....i would just go have a quick look at DW....

and im currently working on mine fine with a rotary so im happy with it....and the reflection is pretty good already thanks...

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How much do they charge. The valet I talk about costs per car £300+ and trust me they are better than factory finish. But this is all subjective. Enjoy... 911 would cost £900 min for an external valet. and wow when you see it. No matter the colour you should see yourself in the paint work in colour. But I am no where near their standard. The use wax that costs £200 per tube. All by hand.

im talking from a point of view of refining when it comes to reflections... any detailer should improve beyond factory finish...as most of them come out sh*ite these days anyhow...

and wax tbh makes little differance as it's a sacracficial layer and adds very little to the overall enhancement of the paint.

i would look at what your shooting down here in more detail just because its by hand does not mean it any improvement over machine polishing its all the same process removing some of the clearcoat to re flatten the finish on it caused mostly by improper wash technique....and you still havent quite answered my previous question as to whether they are just simply masking by filling the swirls in with polish instead of abrasives(i.e re flatting the surface)...as theres quite alot of differance...further to the point a full correctional machine polish is still at least 15 hrs for the pros alone (not the overall time spent on the car)....

the quality of finish is ofc subjective...and i wouldnt be willing to make a wide sweeping statement but most full corrections from pros on DW are at least £300 min....(being subjective to the condition etc. etc.)