1st time polishing, about to buy Griots kit... Do I or not?

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AEsco48

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Hello,

I have a White 2007 Porsche that needs some love, its has some moderate swirl marks... I was going to send it to a detailer for paint correction but it looks like its going to cost me $500+. I have always wanted to polish a car and figured I would DIY!

In the past I have had new cars that I have keep in fantastic garage queen style... So i have some experience in this, just not with a polisher. Sold an M3 2 years after owning it and it was swirl mark free and it never got polished :)

I want some things simple, one stop shop... Not this product from here, that product from here, this one does not work with this product....

So I was going to buy the Griots 6" Orbital Bag Kit (Organizer Bag, 6" Random Orbital, 16 ounce Best of Show Wax®, 16 ounce Machine Polish 2, 16 ounce Machine Polish 3, 2 Orange Polish Pads, Red Wax Pad, 3 Micro Fiber Polish Removal Cloths, 3 Micro Fiber Wax Removal Cloths, 8 ounce Speed Shine®, Paint Cleaning Clay, 8 ounce Spray-On Wax, 8 ounce Window Cleaner, 4 Micro Fiber Window Cloths, 8 ounce Interior Cleaner, and 2 Micro Fiber Interior Cloths. Includes a FREE Detailer's Handbook!) and buy their Paint Sealant as well...

Im not looking for a show car finish, just a really nice finish! Car gets driven more to/from and on the track then it gets driven on the street!

I habe read a lot of info so far, but I just want to buy something to get started... and test on the daily driver!
Is this a good plan... Any suggestions?

10714545_10101838705686048_2513197407542086592_o.jpg
 
My vote is buy it. Griots make good stuff and its easy to get very good results. They have an instructional DVD and check out Mike Phillips' book(s) as well. You'll have your ride looking showroom new in no time.....:xyxthumbs:

And Welcome to AGO:welcome:
 
Definetly not a bad kit. BUT. i bought a griots 6" kit from autogeek. I don't like the 6" backing plate. i find it to big and with the way cars are now a days there are lots contours & smaller area's to work around. Yes you can buy a 3" polisher but i find a 6" back plate is too much. I'd definetly reccomend buying the griots but swap the 6" back plate for a 5" back plate with 5.5" pads. But it is your choice.
 
Welcome to autogeek...as for the kit it looks great, excellent warranty on the polisher, and will help introduce you into the machine detailing phase while not begin stuck with excess products you may come not to like, however once you find your comfort spot start adventuring out customizing your own detail arsenal that meet your, and your vehicles needs/wants


Click on post number 4 and you will find the newest polish chart at the moment...happy detailing http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/product-charts-graphs/62300-updated-compound-polish-chart.html
 
You will outgrow and regret that kit fast.

While the polisher is tops - Griots is not known for their polishes, towels, or LSPs. Honestly, the best way to go about it is to buy everything piecemeal.

Look around at what those who seem to have some experience and have been around some time are recommending. I've stopped recommending things because it just adds to the confusion.
 
First off I can vouch for GG6 machine, it's a great machine with enough power and an unbeatable warranty.
As to their other products I have no experience or knowledge of.

I'd personally take a different route than yours, actually I'd go the way you said you don't wanna go.

-I'd buy the machine by itself here on AG when they have a no exclusion sale like they had a couple of days ago ( a call to AG Customer service and they might let you take advantage of that sale.)

-Then I'd get 5 1/2" pads of good repute, like LC CCS OR Hydro techs, and get at least 2-3 (better yet 3-4 )of each for compounding, polishing, and finishing.
-I'd also get an LC 3" Backing plate with as many 3"-31/2" pads as above for tighter areas. ( or 3 1/2" BP with 4" pads)

-then I'd add an All in one AIO polish, if your car doesn't have very severe defects, like the just released Wolfgang one on sale right now or Similar.

Lastly add the MF towels etc. of my choice.

***Ignore this bit below if it's confusing to you.
(Also you could pick the Flex pack on AG for about the same money if you wanted to go that route, but then you'd need another BP to be able to use 5 1/2" pads.)
 
Just a fellow hobbyist throwing my .02 cents in here, but I have the Griots polisher and it works fine for me. I only polish 2-3 times a year and it's fine for that level of work and I've never wanted anything more powerful. Of course I've never used anything else, so who knows - they're probably the next best thing since sliced bread? :)

I mostly use the 6.5" pads and they work fine. I ended up buying the 5" backing plate and smaller pads and they are sometimes easier to use in smaller/tighter areas, but I've also used the 6.5" over my whole car with no problems. Having only 6.5" pads won't hold you back on your first detail.

The kit looks like a good deal with everything you need to start (various polishes, wax, microfiber, clay ,etc). God help you if you buy it and enjoy the hobby. In 2 years you'll have more detailing products than you'll know what to do with.

The Griots kits here are pretty good too, but it looks like they all only come with 1 pad of each type (one orange, one white, one blue, etc). You'll probably want 2-3 pads of each type to start. FYI.

Anyway, good luck and post some pics when you're done!
 
Thx for the comments.

One of the things that caught my eye about Griots is that their polishes are water soluble! That and I like the DVD and nice bag!

Im not looking for the absolute best finish... I live in a condo so most of the time I prefer my car be dirty then have to wash it at a self service car wash.
I wan to get rid of 80% of the imperfections and then protect it with a sealant... Was maybe even considering the Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze for a set it and forget it kind of protection and then just a spray on wax...?

Will I have to put in a fresh pad mid way though the polish? Hence get more than one pad?

I did plan to buy a smaller backing plate, like for the rear wing on the GT3!
It comes with a 6" BP and 6" pads, above its suggested to get a 5.5" pad... I was thinking 3"??? The 6>5.5 seems to be a small difference.
 
I own a 2007 Porsche Turbo. Here's what I'm currently using.

zCZN7s6.jpg


GEAR
- Griots 6" Random Orbital
- Griots 5" backing plate

PADS
- (cutting) Meguiar's DMC5 5" DA Microfiber Cutting Disc, (Pack of 2)
- (polishing) Lake Country 5.5" Hydro-tech Crimson Finishing Foam Pad

POLISH
- (cutting) AmmoNYC Leveling Fluid
- (polishing) AmmoNYC Jewelers Polish

SEALANT + WAX
- (sealant) Collinite No. 845
- (wax) Natty's Blue Paste Wax

TOWELS
- The Rag Company - DETAIL MASTER Auto Detailing Kit - PLATINUM PRO
 
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buy the GG6 seperate and pick/choose exactly the other products you know that you will use...
 
I agree with Visitor--- Put a kit together yourself and get just the products you need. It will require a little more thought and work, but will provide a better kit with better results and most likely less overall cost.

The GG is a great machine with a fantastic warranty, but performs best with a 5" backing plate and 5.5" pads for most polishing. Get a smaller BP for use with 4" pads or 3" pads for small areas.

In addition, 5.5" pads are less expensive and you need at least 4 pads for each step (compounding and polishing). Trying to do a whole car with one or two pads per step is a recipe for failure. Griots pads are very expensive and offer limited selection so you'd be better off with LC Flat Pads or Buff & Shine Flat pads.

There are many other compounds, polishes and LSPs that perform better and cost less than the Griots products. To keep it simple and cost effective a good start is Megs Ulitmate Compound, Ultimate Polish and Ultimate Liquid Wax (really not a wax but an excellent sealant) that you can purchase here or at Walmart. All are beginner friendly.

Then pick and choose as many MF towels as you can--one or two per step won't do it--you'll need some for: drying, polish & compound removal, LSP removal, final buffing etc.

Read and watch as many videos as you can before you start. Here's a list of great articles by Mike: http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/23722-articles-mike-phillips.html

Good Luck!!
 
AEsco48 said:
I did plan to buy a smaller backing plate, like for the rear wing on the GT3!
It comes with a 6" BP and 6" pads, above its suggested to get a 5.5" pad... I was thinking 3"??? The 6>5.5 seems to be a small difference.
Click to expand...

I have a buddy who uses a 5" back plate with a 5.5" pad on his DA while i am using 6" Back plate with 6.5" pad. he did the driver door with his, then switched to mine for the passenger. same goes for me on the rear driver/passenger door. I found the 5" pad much easier to manover. I also did half of a rav4 hatch with mine then switched to his. Again, easier to get into tight spots without having to change DA's. Same goes for cleaning and drying. Pads Dry so much faster cause they are thinner on the 5.5"
 
Got all my stuff, too bad it's in the low 30's and I won't be able to use any of it till spring... Let's say it was a nice BlackFriday shopping day!

One question. I bought the 3" backing plate and pads, I was also under the impression that the backing plate extension that AutoGeek sold would work.. But it's the wrong thread. Even recall some one suggesting to get it on another thread.

Now I can't find an extension anywhere that works for the griots Orbital polisher... ?
 
Pad size is a little confusing.

Usually the are really-
6" pads are actually 6.5"
5" pads are actually 5.5"
4" pads are actually 4.25"

I had 6" pads but found the machine would bog down to much when you add pressure also find it bogs down with thicker pads like Lake country CCS pads. I have since gone to 4"x3/4" Lake country flat pads (on a 3 3/4" backing plate), and 5"x3/4" Lake country flat pads (on a 5" backing plate). they work much better you can apply good pressure and they keep spinning. I makes the machine easier to handle. I feel like the thicker pads dry out quicker when using compound and dust more.

I would piece out the buy so you can exactly what you need packages are nice but all the Groit's ones I see have 6" pads and I feel those are to big for that machine. Like someone else said you can get an AIO (all in one polish) that will probably get 90% of your scratches out so you can do one step then ad an extra layer of wax or sealant if you want to.

EDIT: Just saw that you already bought
 
I've had the GG6" for almost 4 years now and its always gotten the job done for my needs, no doubt about it. I started out like you with the MP #2 and #3 and their orange pads, no issues. I have since stepped up to M101 and other pads just to try them out, but the GG orange pads are still good. I also have their red pads for applying wax but honestly, they came with a kit and have never really used them as I like to apply LSP's by hand. I also have their newer black pads for finishing but haven't had a chance to use them yet, so GG has you covered on everything you need as far as pads go, they've even got other new pads too.

I see you've got Best of Show in the collection and although it leaves a great shine that stuff is hard to remove and there's other products here you can buy that are easier to use and produce a better shine. If you looking for a great GG product get their caranuba stick, that is very easy to use and they've also got their new premium wax in the metal tin, its supposed to be their best yet, I'd go for one of those 2 and skip the Best of Show.

The GG kit usually comes with a DVD to show you proper techniques and its actually funny to watch too! I suggest checking this out to get a better feel for the product.

BTW, love the car, something about white 911's:dblthumb2:
 
AEsco48 said:
Got all my stuff, too bad it's in the low 30's and I won't be able to use any of it till spring... Let's say it was a nice BlackFriday shopping day!

One question. I bought the 3" backing plate and pads, I was also under the impression that the backing plate extension that AutoGeek sold would work.. But it's the wrong thread. Even recall some one suggesting to get it on another thread.

Now I can't find an extension anywhere that works for the griots Orbital polisher... ?
Click to expand...

I think what you got it either an extension for a rotary or an adapter to use DA backing plate on a rotary. I'm not sure if they sell an extension for DAs. I don't believe they actually recommend using an extension with a DA. I may be wrong.

Make that allow you to use a rotary backing plate on a DA...
 
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I think you are referring to a BP extention (actually called an adapter)?
D.A Adapter 5/8" X 11

If so that is to connect a Rotary BP to a DA machine, and not a DA BP to a rotary. Make sure you've got the DA BPs, you don't need an extention.
 
Yes, I received the Rotary BP extension. Will return the extension.

I can easily make a extension for a RO polisher, but it was mentioned an extension is not advised for a Random Orbital Polisher?
 
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