Kyle Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Was it a rotary or a DA? It's pretty hard to make a mess with a DA, as long as you work the product enough and refine after the first polish if it was using an aggressive compound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffrey Carter (Buttercup) Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Hi Kyle. Not sure to be honest. I saw his car and he told me he had a go at polishing. I have read a lot of posts in the past on detailing world and there does seem a skill to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dombanks Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 If I can use a DA on BMW paint amd make my car look good then anyone can. Just watch videos on the net and take your time. Patience is key. You'll soon get the hang of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Formy Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 Be careful on protruding edges and don't have the machine running too fast or you risk burning the paintwork! When cutting, apply the compound, work with the machine then wipe off using a specific cleaner. As said by dombanks patience is key Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dombanks Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 Be careful on protruding edges and don't have the machine running too fast or you risk burning the paintwork! When cutting, apply the compound, work with the machine then wipe off using a specific cleaner. As said by dombanks patience is key And mask everything possible! I did a little 1 day thing at a detailers to get an idea how to do it. there was a bunch of 5 of us and they used my car as the work surface so happy days (only did the boot and bonnet tho) if you have a spare panel always worth a try on that but I know its not something that people have lying around but tbh a scrappy will give you one for nothing if you ask. I would do the washes as normal. so a pre wash with a mixture of snow foam and a traffic film remover, then a wash using double bucket method, clay, quck rinse and a pad dry (bin your chamois and use microfibers) then start with the DA. I mask along all shut lines sticking the tape to the radius of the panel im doing. Its a god forsaken ballache but it stops compound from going everywhere in all cracks. I use the Meguires microfiber system so the pads and compounds they recommend and a DAS6 DA. start at a low speed work in about 50cm squares (about 1/2 my boot) work side to side down the square, then left to right across the square. do 3x passes of this. Apply the compounds to the pad in small pea size blobs about 4 around the edge 1 in middle works for me. put the DA on the car then turn on or else you and the world ends up covered in goop. wipe clean with a clean microfiber. (you need lots of these, you can NEVER have enough clean ones) have a look at the finish. if its crap repeat. if its still crap increase the speed. a little at a time. when your happy with the cut switch the pads and repeat polishing its much easer to tickle the surface and have to repeat a section than to go too hard and really screw it. you will soon figure out the right speed and number of passes to achieve what you want. It seems like using these things are very individual. everyone does it their own way. don't press the DA on hard just light pressure to guide it where you want it to go. it took me about 2 days to do my bimmer but im slow and I also applied a wax to the top to give it a slick look the results were worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenstreak-Andy D Posted February 26, 2016 Author Share Posted February 26, 2016 Dombanks Thank you for your advice! A big thanks to Kyle for the loan of his DA Tomorrow is the day of reckoning! If the weather holds, then finish Sunday afternoon Will do a before and after photos Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenstreak-Andy D Posted February 27, 2016 Author Share Posted February 27, 2016 Spent a good few hours washing and preparing the X5. Clay bar- tbh I was sceptical about claims made of clay bars, but now I am a convert! Using car shampoo and plenty of water the bodywork went from rough to smooth very easily! Ok there was residue after washing off and drying, but this was soon dealt with. Next I used Meguairs Ultimate Compound, applied with Kyle's DA. What a machine! So working a small area, slowish speed, I gave it a go. After leaving to dry and using a micro fibre cloth, I wiped the residue off. WOW! The difference was instant. All oxidation and some marks had gone! So repeated! Fab finish! After completing one side, bonnet and boot, I decided to apply polish I used AutoGlym superior polish. Really pleased with result Will finish tomorrow and post a pic Thanks guys, all of you for help and advice Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 Good to see you got to grips with it Andy. Follow the correct process and you can't go far wrong. I bet the side you've done looks amazing. Once done the best way to avoid swirls from now on is (like Dom says) make sure to prewash and use the two bucket method. Any plans to do the roof? You can also use the DA on the faces of your alloys...just a thought! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dombanks Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 Cool... detailing is a dangerous world to dabble in. Next thing you'll have spend the gdp of a small country on products for doing every little job and you won't let anyone else in your car! A decent quick detailer is all you need next wash and you will be amazed how easy it is to clean I like using bilberry wheel cleaner for day to day cleaning. If they are a bit scuzzy also dome dragon breath or ironX. It's worth taking them off to clean and sealing them with something like poor boys wheel sealer although some don't like this stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.