Which polisher/buffer to buy for this situation

[Guppy]

So our maintenance guy decided to spray paint one of the houses last monday next to where most of us park our car, though he assigned someone to it and didn't supervise, wind got the overspray on about 5 cars including mine, a 2011 Mazda 3. He offered to get it professionally cleaned, however, we live in the boonies (third world country hell Honduras) and qualified rubbing personnel is non existent, heck all they recommend is using "3m rubbing compound, it's the best"... Anyway... TLDR... I was able to get most of overspray from the hood using microfiber cloth wrapped around a piece of wood and sorta rub them out ( I can use my nail... but ouch)... Anyway I've decided it's the best excuse to buy a polisher and do the job properly... But i've a couple of questions:

1. How long can the clear coat be polished with a DA/orbital before it starts to thin.
2. Is there any difference between da/ orbital? (apparently not? )
3. Will an orbital/da be enough to remove the overspray?
4. So far i've look at the following options for polisher:

Amazon.com: Meguiar's G110v2 Professional Dual Action Polisher: Automotive (http://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-G110v2-Professional-Action-Polisher/dp/B002XOXSI2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314572632&sr=8-1)

Amazon.com: Porter-Cable 7424XP 6-Inch Variable-Speed Polisher: Home Improvement (http://www.amazon.com/Porter-Cable-7424XP-6-Inch-Variable-Speed-Polisher/dp/B002654I46/ref=dp_cp_ob_hi_title_0)

Though, I might give it a shot with meguiars clay or does anyone here recommend a specific brand?

Edit: I don't think i'll need any compound besides a good wax + polisher + softest pad, since i'm able to remove the overspray with a bit of elbow grease like explained above, however any suggestions are welcome.

Also what type of pads? polish, compounds? etc? :S i've googled the heck out of this and more I read, the less and less I know what to get :|

Edit 2: Also, I posted in this forum, because of how broad my questions and not limited just to buffers.

[kimtyson]

:welcome:to the forum. Boy, that kinda sucks. Make sure to charge the a$$hole something for your trouble.
Either of those machines are perfect for this job and just about anything else you want to do in the future.
Definately clay it first. That will remove a lot of contaminants from the paint.
I'd go M105 then M205 combo. Then a nice wax and possibly a sealant. Let's see what the real pros advise. Good luck. Take some before and after pics for us.

[embolism]

I would not polish the car to remove the overspray but to remove any marring left over from use of an aggressive clay...

as long as you use good technique, a DA buffer is fairly safe. Compounding the finish is not something you want to do every year however, so it is important to understand how to properly wash and dry your car. Lots of tips and techniques here to learn how to do it all.

Welcome!

[Guppy]

:welcome:to the forum. Boy, that kinda sucks. Make sure to charge the a$ something for your trouble.
Either of those machines are perfect for this job and just about anything else you want to do in the future.
Definately clay it first. That will remove a lot of contaminants from the paint.
I'd go M105 then M205 combo. Then a nice wax and possibly a sealant. Let's see what the real pros advise. Good luck. Take some before and after pics for us.

Hey, thanks I hope to become a regular :P I didn't know there was so much variety in car detailing, for me turtle wax was "the man" when it came to washing/waxing.

Long story short, the a$$hole offered to get "professional rubbing" people to do the other cars in the parking lot and they screwed up the other cars paint. The guy is just trash, he won't assume any more responsability then $100 and that's saying too much.

Also i've no idea what you mean by m105 then m205? meguiars? Sorry my n00bness i'm just getting into this :P Will clay leave the clear coat feeling rough? Should I start with meguairs most mild clay ?

i've tried like HELL to get pictures for my back up of the situation and it's nearly imposible to notice the overspray on the photos, since it looks like very fine dust. But i'll give it a shot and post some later today.

[Guppy]

Also, I was looking at the PC kits, mainly because they don't exceed $250, but not quite sure on what pad to get for the above situation, perhaps a microfiber bonnet:/ ? Because I don't think I'll need to using any sort of compound for removing the overspray, but after, in any case, i'll just wait in see what people suggest.

[Mike Phillips]

Hi Guppy,

So you're in Honduras?

What are you working on?


Good choice not letting the local expert work on your car, you probably saved your car's finish from unnecessary damage and as you're finding out, to do it right the first time you really need to do it yourself.


As for removing overspray, the normal way is to use detailing clay, it just depends upon how strong of a bite the overspray paint has onto your car's paint and the only way to find out if it will work is to get some detailing clay and try. For heavy overspray you're best off usually just starting out with something aggressive.

For that I think the most aggressive detailing clay Autogeek stocks is the Meguiar's Aggressive Clay.

If you're going to get into machine detailing, unless your car is parked inside a garage or cover then sooner or latter you're going to need clay anyway. Food for thought.


After you remove the overspray, you're going to have marring, scratching and dull spots anywhere you rubbed hard. For this you can try to remove the scratching using a compound or a medium polish by machine.

The Porter Cable style DA will do the job as long as you get the right pads, products and use good technique. We can help you with all of these things. The links you included in your first post go to someone on Amazon? My recommendation would be to purchase your products from the company that also provides customer support, like this forum. We answer questions for anyone about anything no matter where they buy it but there is something to be said for doing win/win business.

If you don't want to use a true compound to buff out the paint on your car then stick to a kit with a Medium Polish. The Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover is a Medium Polish and is very capable of removing swirls and scratches with a foam cutting pad or a fiber pad like the Surbuf pad.

Pinnacle Kit with 5.5" pads (http://www.pinnaclewax.com/pc7424-low-profile-pad-kit.html)
Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover (http://www.pinnaclewax.com/pin220.html)
Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish (http://www.pinnaclewax.com/pin230.html)

Meguiar's Compound Kit (http://www.autogeek.net/porter-cable-meguiars-kit.html)


Before you order any polisher, what voltage requirements do you need for tools used in Honduras?


:)

[Guppy]

Hi Guppy,

So you're in Honduras?

What are you working on?


Good choice not letting the local expert work on your car, you probably saved your car's finish from unnecessary damage and as you're finding out, to do it right the first time you really need to do it yourself.


As for removing overspray, the normal way is to use detailing clay, it just depends upon how strong of a bite the overspray paint has onto your car's paint and the only way to find out if it will work is to get some detailing clay and try. For heavy overspray you're best off usually just starting out with something aggressive.

For that I think the most aggressive detailing clay Autogeek stocks is the Meguiar's Aggressive Clay.

If you're going to get into machine detailing, unless your car is parked inside a garage or cover then sooner or latter you're going to need clay anyway. Food for thought.


After you remove the overspray, you're going to have marring, scratching and dull spots anywhere you rubbed hard. For this you can try to remove the scratching using a compound or a medium polish by machine.

The Porter Cable style DA will do the job as long as you get the right pads, products and use good technique. We can help you with all of these things. The links you included in your first post go to someone on Amazon? My recommendation would be to purchase your products from the company that also provides customer support, like this forum. We answer questions for anyone about anything no matter where they buy it but there is something to be said for doing win/win business.

If you don't want to use a true compound to buff out the paint on your car then stick to a kit with a Medium Polish. The Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover is a Medium Polish and is very capable of removing swirls and scratches with a foam cutting pad or a fiber pad like the Surbuf pad.

Pinnacle Kit with 5.5" pads (http://www.pinnaclewax.com/pc7424-low-profile-pad-kit.html)
Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover (http://www.pinnaclewax.com/pin220.html)
Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish (http://www.pinnaclewax.com/pin230.html)

Meguiar's Compound Kit (http://www.autogeek.net/porter-cable-meguiars-kit.html)


Before you order any polisher, what voltage requirements do you need for tools used in Honduras?


:)

Hey Mike, thanks for the thorough reply. Well to be honest, I posted amazon, because before I found this forum via google, it's where I usually get any stuff I order. If you look in my above posts, I mentioned the PC kits I found here, I then looked up and you do accept international credit cards!


I'm working on a 2011 velocity red mazda 3. it's about 4 months old, a couple of road small road chips on the hood.

What would be the least abrasive clay I can get, because as I mention on my OP, I'm able to remove the overspray if I rub hard enough with microfiber cloth.

Honestly, I don't really want to use any sort of compound on the car as it is brand new unless I don't have any option... Using compound/polisher/insert appropriate term is scary :| However I will, but as a last option.

Also I tried using turtle wax polishing compound on one of the side windows and with a little effort the paint comes out, I wouldn't use on the paint job as I've read that it's the equivalent of "creamed sand paper".

What I want to do, if anyone here recommends it is, just add wax and then try to remove the overspray with the polisher/buffer with a microfiber bonnet. And afterwards just keep using the polisher for regular waxing/maintenance .

Down here we use 110watts /120 volts

This one you posted Porter Cable 5.5 x 7/8 Inch CCS Foam Pad Kit, buffing pads, Porter Cable 7424 XP polisher kit (http://www.pinnaclewax.com/pc7424-low-profile-pad-kit.html) gets my attention because of the white and blue foam pads. Though Again, I am completely ignorant on the subject :)


So, currently from what I can gather above, I need:

1. Least abrasive clay, though i'm not quite sure, i'm guesstimating based on that in I rub hard enough, the spray comes off, but I really don't know.
2. PC, from the above link, with adequate foam pads? microfiber bonnets?
3. Liquid wax? Polisher?
4. I've no clue :|


Ps. the local "experts" ruined a 2010 lancer, they overpolished anywhere or anything that had edges and removed paint all the way to the primer and left 3m rubbing compound all over the plastic strips.

[Mike Phillips]

What would be the least abrasive clay I can get, because as I mention on my OP, I'm able to remove the overspray if I rub hard enough with microfiber cloth.



Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay is an ultra fine grade clay, effective enough for neglected paint but safe enough for frequent use.

Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay Kit (http://www.autogeek.net/piulpoclkit.html)

All Pinnacle products here (http://www.autogeek.net/pinnacleprod.html)







What I want to do, if anyone here recommends it is, just add wax and then try to remove the overspray with the polisher/buffer with a microfiber bonnet. And afterwards just keep using the polisher for regular waxing/maintenance .

Down here we use 110watts /120 volts

This one you posted Porter Cable 5.5 x 7/8 Inch CCS Foam Pad Kit, buffing pads, Porter Cable 7424 XP polisher kit (http://www.pinnaclewax.com/pc7424-low-profile-pad-kit.html) gets my attention because of the white and blue foam pads. Though Again, I am completely ignorant on the subject :)




After rubbing or claying the overspray off the paint, it would really be a good idea to use a medium to light polish to restore the quality of the surface back to new or better than new condition BEFORE applying a coat of wax or a paint sealant.

If you want to really, really play it safe, (and I understand your concerns), then pick up a bottle of the Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish, this is a fine polish that's light in its abrading ability but perfectly prepares the paint for application of wax or paint sealant.

We now use the Pinnacle polishes for all our Saturday classes and these are classes where a lot of the people attending are brand new to machine polishing. These are safe but effective products anyone can get pro results from.

Pictures & Comments from July 9th, 2011 Saturday Detailing 101 (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/pictures-saturday-detailing-101/38222-pictures-comments-july-9th-2011-saturday-detailing-101-a.html)


Before
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1205/1962CadConvert005.jpg




Here's how it looks after our students took what they learned in our Detailing 101 Class and put it into practice...
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1205/1962CadillacExtremeMakeoverTeam01.jpg







So, currently from what I can gather above, I need:

1. Least abrasive clay, though I'm not quite sure, I'm guesstimating based on that in I rub hard enough, the spray comes off, but I really don't know.
2. PC, from the above link, with adequate foam pads? microfiber bonnets?
3. Liquid wax? Polisher?
4. I've no clue :|



You need,

PC 7424XP (http://www.autogeek.net/dual-action-polishers.html)
Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay (http://www.autogeek.net/ultra-fine-poly-clay.html)
Pinnacle Clay Lube (http://www.autogeek.net/pinclaylub.html)
Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish (http://www.autogeek.net/pin230.html)
Pinnacle Liquid Souveran Wax (http://www.autogeek.net/pinliqsouvwa.html)

Lake Country Pads - Get 2 Orange, 4 white and 1 Blue (http://www.autogeek.net/lake-country-beveled-pad-kit.html)

Orange = Light Cutting - Stubborn swirls and scratches
White = Polishing - Use for buffing the entire car or affected areas
Blue - Finishing - Use to apply a wax or paint sealant





Ps. the local "experts" ruined a 2010 lancer, they overpolished anywhere or anything that had edges and removed paint all the way to the primer and left 3m rubbing compound all over the plastic strips.

That's the norm... described in this article,

The story of 3 H's - Horrendous, Horror Story and Hack Detailers... (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/28142-story-3-h-s-horrendous-horror-story-hack-detailers.html)


:)

[ride5150]

Hey Mike, thanks for the thorough reply. Well to be honest, I posted amazon, because before I found this forum via google, it's where I usually get any stuff I order. If you look in my above posts, I mentioned the PC kits I found here, I then looked up and you do accept international credit cards!


I'm working on a 2011 velocity red mazda 3. it's about 4 months old, a couple of road small road chips on the hood.

What would be the least abrasive clay I can get, because as I mention on my OP, I'm able to remove the overspray if I rub hard enough with microfiber cloth.

Honestly, I don't really want to use any sort of compound on the car as it is brand new unless I don't have any option... Using compound/polisher/insert appropriate term is scary :| However I will, but as a last option.

Also I tried using turtle wax polishing compound on one of the side windows and with a little effort the paint comes out, I wouldn't use on the paint job as I've read that it's the equivalent of "creamed sand paper".

What I want to do, if anyone here recommends it is, just add wax and then try to remove the overspray with the polisher/buffer with a microfiber bonnet. And afterwards just keep using the polisher for regular waxing/maintenance .

Down here we use 110watts /120 volts

This one you posted Porter Cable 5.5 x 7/8 Inch CCS Foam Pad Kit, buffing pads, Porter Cable 7424 XP polisher kit (http://www.pinnaclewax.com/pc7424-low-profile-pad-kit.html) gets my attention because of the white and blue foam pads. Though Again, I am completely ignorant on the subject :)


So, currently from what I can gather above, I need:

1. Least abrasive clay, though i'm not quite sure, i'm guesstimating based on that in I rub hard enough, the spray comes off, but I really don't know.
2. PC, from the above link, with adequate foam pads? microfiber bonnets?
3. Liquid wax? Polisher?
4. I've no clue :|


Ps. the local "experts" ruined a 2010 lancer, they overpolished anywhere or anything that had edges and removed paint all the way to the primer and left 3m rubbing compound all over the plastic strips.

wow, they dont entirely seem like experts:P

the pc7424xp is good, if i wer u id get a 3 pack of LC orange pads and a 3 pack of LC white pads, the 5.5" since the smaller radius will help it spin better than the 6.5". ull need a 5.5" backing plate for this. with this id get meguiars m105 and m205, use the m105 on the orange pads and then the m105 on the white pads. u dont really need microfiber bonnets...as far as wax goes, id put a "sealant" on (basically a synthetic wax that lasts a long time), and then u can top it with a carnauba wax for added shine, i like meguairs #26.

[kimtyson]

Well, Guppy, as you can see, there is a lot of expertise here at AGO. Mike Phillips is the grand guru and used to work for Maguiars. Ride5150 agreed with me about the Megs M105\205 but that doesn't make us right or Mike wrong. Just different ways to go about it. In fact, Mike will tell you to try a small 2x2 foot area to see what works best for you. If I were you I would follow Mike's recomendation. He has already tried just about any combination of 2x2, and he is used to working with us noobs. Good luck.

(By the way, Ride5150 meant to say the 105 on the orange and the 205 on the white.)

[Guppy]

Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay is an ultra fine grade clay, effective enough for neglected paint but safe enough for frequent use.

Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay Kit (http://www.autogeek.net/piulpoclkit.html)

All Pinnacle products here (http://www.autogeek.net/pinnacleprod.html)







After rubbing or claying the overspray off the paint, it would really be a good idea to use a medium to light polish to restore the quality of the surface back to new or better than new condition BEFORE applying a coat of wax or a paint sealant.

If you want to really, really play it safe, (and I understand your concerns), then pick up a bottle of the Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish, this is a fine polish that's light in its abrading ability but perfectly prepares the paint for application of wax or paint sealant.

We now use the Pinnacle polishes for all our Saturday classes and these are classes where a lot of the people attending are brand new to machine polishing. These are safe but effective products anyone can get pro results from.

Pictures & Comments from July 9th, 2011 Saturday Detailing 101 (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/pictures-saturday-detailing-101/38222-pictures-comments-july-9th-2011-saturday-detailing-101-a.html)


Before
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1205/1962CadConvert005.jpg




Here's how it looks after our students took what they learned in our Detailing 101 Class and put it into practice...
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1205/1962CadillacExtremeMakeoverTeam01.jpg






You need,

PC 7424XP (http://www.autogeek.net/dual-action-polishers.html)
Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay (http://www.autogeek.net/ultra-fine-poly-clay.html)
Pinnacle Clay Lube (http://www.autogeek.net/pinclaylub.html)
Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish (http://www.autogeek.net/pin230.html)
Pinnacle Liquid Souveran Wax (http://www.autogeek.net/pinliqsouvwa.html)

Lake Country Pads - Get 2 Orange, 4 white and 1 Blue (http://www.autogeek.net/lake-country-beveled-pad-kit.html)

Orange = Light Cutting - Stubborn swirls and scratches
White = Polishing - Use for buffing the entire car or affected areas
Blue - Finishing - Use to apply a wax or paint sealant





That's the norm... described in this article,

The story of 3 H's - Horrendous, Horror Story and Hack Detailers... (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/28142-story-3-h-s-horrendous-horror-story-hack-detailers.html)


:)

Alright! Again, thanks for the reply!

Yeah I kinda figured since all the "experts" here recommended was rubbing compound I kinda had my doubts. And I do really want to play it safe, I don't want to screw up the clear coat.

Should I get 2 clays just to be safe and the clay disc as well, will this reduce my chances of marring? Like on your detailing class, for someone reason I just think it to be like sandpaper.

Also, in Laymans terms, can someone explain exactly what backing plate and if needed in this case as mike did not list it?
I was reading here:

lake country 5 inch backing plate, 5 inch backin plate, 5 inch hook and loop backing plate (http://www.autogeek.net/lc43125.html)

But again, i've no idea...

Before I try to place my order, what would you folks recommend to get the overspray out of the plastic strips on top, windshield wipers and area as well, bottom plastic part of the emblem/brand moniker, exactly like this one:
http://www.stylemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/17801-2010-mazda-3.jpg

Not my car, just a random one from the web so you get a better idea.


Again, thanks to everyone for the replies! ATM still at work, but i'll try and post some photos later on.

[Kristopher1129]

"I was able to get most of overspray from the hood using microfiber cloth wrapped around a piece of wood and sorta rub them out"

Say whaaaaat!?

[Guppy]

It sounds a lot worse, but trust me, it was just so I could apply even pressure, did the hood like that it took me two whole days, not worth it, then I found this site which helped greatly on how to do it better.

Anyhow, any ideas for the plastic trims?

[embolism]

clay can be used on any hard surface including glass, plastic, metal, etc. although once you use it on anything except paint, it is good practice to not use it for paint again in the future...

[Mike Phillips]

Should I get 2 clays just to be safe and the clay disc as well, will this reduce my chances of marring? Like on your detailing class, for someone reason I just think it to be like sandpaper.


Claying is safe as long as you use common sense and everything is clean, i.e. wash the car before you start. Claying by using your bare hand is fast, easy and uncomplicated.

Here's a video that goes over the process as well as explains how clay actually works.

Show Car Garage Video: How detailing clay works and how to use detailing clay to remove above surface bonded contaminants (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-videos/24319-show-car-garage-video-how-detailing-clay-works-how-use-detailing-clay-remove-above-surface-bonded-contaminants.html)







Also, in Laymans terms, can someone explain exactly what backing plate and if needed in this case as mike did not list it?
I was reading here:

lake country 5 inch backing plate, 5 inch backin plate, 5 inch hook and loop backing plate (http://www.autogeek.net/lc43125.html)

But again, i've no idea...




The below is in my article list (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/23722-articles-mike-phillips.html) under buffing pads...


5 Inch Backing Plates for DA Polishers - Pictures and Links (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/questions-about-porter-cable-7424xp-7424-7336-griot-s-meguiar-s-dual-action-polishers/27193-5-inch-backing-plates-da-polishers-pictures-links.html)

To give you and idea of our current backing plates on the Autogeek.net store, here are some pictures for reference...


5.5: Backing Plates

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/804/5_0BackingPlates01.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/804/5_0BackingPlates02.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/804/5_0BackingPlates03.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/804/5_0BackingPlates04.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/804/5_0BackingPlates05.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/804/5_0BackingPlates06.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/804/5_0BackingPlates07.jpg


Products shown

Backing Plates
The Edge Products 5" HD Backing Plate (http://www.autogeek.net/damvp5.html)
Lake Country 5" Backing Plate (http://www.autogeek.net/porter-cable-7424-7336-backing-plates.html)
Meguiar's DA Backing Plate (http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-w67da-5-inch-backing-plate.html)
3M Hook-It 5 Inch Dual Action Backing Plate - 5775 (http://www.autogeek.net/3m-dual-action-plate.html)


Master Link to all backing plates (http://www.autogeek.net/backingplates.html)