I just retired from the Marine Corps and relocated to Jacksonville Florida. I do home visits or will detail on the military base at your residence or hobby shop.
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Good solution first of all - but I'm going to have to seriously disagree with the use of sponges. IMO they are a small step above terry cloth - which is also pretty bad for your paint.
My solution was to adopt the GDWM - which is to have a clean bucket, with solution and enough MF towels to do...
I was going back and forth on whether to get the Rupes since I'm in the market again for a new DA.... but at the end of the day I replaced my Flex 3401 with...... drum roll.....another 3401. I'm sure the 21 is a nice buffer but I had to stay with the forced rotation.
You may need something abrasive like super fine cut steel wool - then polish it out after you've removed the water spots. It's extremely tedious and time consuming though to achieve good results.
If you're looking to go pro I'd say get a Flex 3401 with LC BP and pads. If you're just doing a detail every now and then get a HF DA.
As far as your actual process goes if you're going to use a sealant you put that on FIRST. Then top it with a wax. IMO one wax is sufficient. I'd pick the...
Thoughts:
- Did you CLAY the car/test area first?
- you def need a higher speed for correction, 4 at a minimum
- try using a more aggressive compound/pad
- need a larger BP/Pad combo
- and it sounds like the paint may be soft
Pics would be extremely helpful as would a more in depth explanation...
Another vote for Flex - if you want a tool that can truly do everything the 3401 is a very tough act to follow. I've had both and I still have my 3401 - the LHR15 got donated to a enthusiast who is dabbling in detailing.
My Rupes LHR15 died after just 3 months and it's 4 times more expensive (at least) than the HF. GD also uses a HF for the majority of details. If it's good enough for him it will be good enough for me what I get back to the states. Also look at the recent thread on the "mods" for the HF to take...
As much as I love my 2 Flex polishers, if you are just an "enthusiast" detailer and not a pro, my recommendation would be a Harbor Freight DA. It's more powerful than a PC, and cheaper than just about any reliable DA out there.
Right!! I was talking strictly from a performance stand point. There are other cars that are more aesthetically pleasing to the eye for sure. Then again the most expensive GTR (factory) is still $50k less than a 458. Bang for the buck at the $125-$175k price point it's hard to beat the GTR...