Best $50 to spend on accessories

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jmikolich

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Hello All,

I received a 7424XP for Christmas this year, with no added accessories or backing plates or anything. I've never used a machine polisher before either so keep that in mind for recommendations.

I've got a small amount of supplies from hand caring for vehicles, but our currently vehicles are new, and I want to keep them looking their best.

In our stable of vehicles: 2016 WRX Premium in Ice Silver Metallic (Light silver), and 2014 VW Tiguan in Black

If you had $50 to spend on accessories or things to make machine polishing possible, what would you buy?

Currently I'm leaning towards the following things (Yes I know they exceed $50, but I'm hoping to stay low key)

Lake Country 5" backing plate
Chemical Guys Assorted Pad Kit with Pad Cleaner in 5.5" pad size

My goal is to be able to wash clay wash vehicles, then apply a glaze by machine, then apply wax by machine and wipe off by hand. The vehicles have no major defects currently so no real cutting should be needed (though I could be wrong and just untrained)

What do you guys/gals think?
 
If you're not aiming to do paint correction, I would not recommend to purchase the 5" backing plate at this time.

Do you have enough brushes for detailing? Maybe a wheel woolie brush for the wheels?
 
I would get a white thin pro pad and a bottle of essence, a bottle of reload and call it a day.
 
$50 will be a stretch. But if you've got a hundred to spend, then you could get a nice 6-pack of 5.5'" pads of your choosing for just under $50, and a CCS spot buffs 4" complete kit for around the same price.

Oh..... Then you need your products. ;)

Bottom line is, you are going to get hooked on, and become an Autogeek junkie just like the rest of us. :P
 
$50 isn't going to get your far, and keep in mind they're two different cars, two different paint systems, you never know how each will react to the only one product you're purchasing. I'd save up some more if I were you, invest in quality pads, towels, brushes, more towels, nice paint cleaner and a sealant. And also, just because a car is new, doesn't mean it swirl free. You should clay, check for possible corrections that are needed who knows what crap they used to hide swirls and such.
 
cleanmycorolla said:
$50 isn't going to get your far, and keep in mind they're two different cars, two different paint systems, you never know how each will react to the only one product you're purchasing. I'd save up some more if I were you, invest in quality pads, towels, brushes, more towels, nice paint cleaner and a sealant. And also, just because a car is new, doesn't mean it swirl free. You should clay, check for possible corrections that are needed who knows what crap they used to hide swirls and such.
Click to expand...

:iagree:

And combined what is your total investment in those two cars? Not being facetious but you're setting your sights pretty low to spend $50.00 or so to protect the investment you've made into those two vehicles.

You can get this combination for less than $100.00 and take great care of both of those vehicles. I'm guessing you have about a $45,000 investment plus interest in those two vehicle unless you paid cash.

Get the Buff & Shine 6 pack, 2 orange, 2 white, 2 black. Use HD Speed and HD Poxy and you can get results like this:

HD Speed Orange B & S Pads topped with HD Poxy Using Black Pads.






 
Yeah... I'm with the others, $50 really is just a drop in the bucket.

Lets not even talk about towels yet, because you need AT LEAST a dozen (like the Gold Plush Jr's) and even then that's not enough to compound, then polish, then wipe LSP of a vehicle. Much less have enough to make a decent wash load. ;) That's where you'll need a couple dozen Jr's (or more), and at least half a dozen Korean edgeless, plus several more plush, as well as general purpose towels. (That big membership store with Cost in it's name, followed by co at the end, has a great deal on 36 towels that are perfect for wheels, jambs, interiors and such.) ;)

So we'll put the towels aside for now. :D


So you're going to do some buffing and polishing, and surely spreading LSP like sealants and waxes with your new PC.

This is where you NEED:

  • a 5" backing plate
  • at LEAST half a dozen pads!
  • a pad brush

Considering the paint on your Subie is known to be soft (some are uber soft) you might just get away with white pads as your highest cut ones. If that holds true I'd get 3 if not 4 white pads. Then I'd get 2 or 3 blue ones. Or 2 blue ones and 1 black one.

Better yet is 4 orange, 4 white, 2 blue, 2 black. Why? Because THAT is what it takes to get the job(s) done. What you'll find with a lot of compounds and polishes these days is the white pads (and the orange, albeit to a bit lesser degree) are by far the ones you'll use on more jobs. On soft paints white pads can cut well enough (with a more aggressive compound) to get the job done. Yet they are not a heavy cut pad, so with a polish they have the ability to actually finish down quite well, especially on harder paints. :xyxthumbs:

Finally... only your test spots will tell you what actually works for YOU, on YOUR vehicles. Don't discount that. Don't go too aggressive either. You just need to practice with more than one pad, more than one compound, till you find what works best for EACH of your vehicles.

So THIS is what people are talking about when they say $50 isn't going to go far. But considering you have the PC, if you PLAN ON USING IT, then your only REAL choice is to invest in a proper backing plate, and a proper amount of pads to start realizing the true potential of what that machine is capable of doing for you. ;)
 
At some point you WILL need to do some kind of correction so it might be wise to get at least a couple medium polishing pads (such as the Meg thin yellow pad) and stay with the 5" backing plate and 5.5" pads as they are generally the best performing size for the PC. I too have to "sneak" detailing supplies and often slip them in while grocery shopping or if buying on-line, I slip in something for her too ;)

$100 sounds about right for an initial outlay for the basics though.
 
cardaddy said:
Yeah... I'm with the others, $50 really is just a drop in the bucket.

Lets not even talk about towels yet, because you need AT LEAST a dozen (like the Gold Plush Jr's) and even then that's not enough to compound, then polish, then wipe LSP of a vehicle. Much less have enough to make a decent wash load. ;) That's where you'll need a couple dozen Jr's (or more), and at least half a dozen Korean edgeless, plus several more plush, as well as general purpose towels. (That big membership store with Cost in it's name, followed by co at the end, has a great deal on 36 towels that are perfect for wheels, jambs, interiors and such.) ;)

So we'll put the towels aside for now. :D


So you're going to do some buffing and polishing, and surely spreading LSP like sealants and waxes with your new PC.

This is where you NEED:

  • a 5" backing plate
  • at LEAST half a dozen pads!
  • a pad brush

Considering the paint on your Subie is known to be soft (some are uber soft) you might just get away with white pads as your highest cut ones. If that holds true I'd get 3 if not 4 white pads. Then I'd get 2 or 3 blue ones. Or 2 blue ones and 1 black one.

Better yet is 4 orange, 4 white, 2 blue, 2 black. Why? Because THAT is what it takes to get the job(s) done. What you'll find with a lot of compounds and polishes these days is the white pads (and the orange, albeit to a bit lesser degree) are by far the ones you'll use on more jobs. On soft paints white pads can cut well enough (with a more aggressive compound) to get the job done. Yet they are not a heavy cut pad, so with a polish they have the ability to actually finish down quite well, especially on harder paints. :xyxthumbs:

Finally... only your test spots will tell you what actually works for YOU, on YOUR vehicles. Don't discount that. Don't go too aggressive either. You just need to practice with more than one pad, more than one compound, till you find what works best for EACH of your vehicles.

So THIS is what people are talking about when they say $50 isn't going to go far. But considering you have the PC, if you PLAN ON USING IT, then your only REAL choice is to invest in a proper backing plate, and a proper amount of pads to start realizing the true potential of what that machine is capable of doing for you. ;)
Click to expand...

Take it from this guy...and me!

My life summed up when I first started. I told my wife I can do everything with $150. DIDN'T GET FAR!

so like many will say just be prepared for what your geek future holds.

I will applaud you for seeking guidance here on AGO instead of on your own. You will learn MUCHO!
 
Everyone, thanks for the replies.

The $50 comes from getting a gift card at work and using that means I don't have to tell the wife I'm spending money on car cleaning products (she is a touchless car wash junkie in recovery lol) ...

I've got some 845 that'd I'd like to use on the silver car and I'm very intrigued by the natty black car wax for hers, but I need to decide if A.) I can use the polisher correctly and B.) achieve results that make it worth pulling down the big lights etc for a clean car. This is why I'm hoping to limit my initial spending to a small out of pocket cost.

I've currently got in my cleaning supply list: multiple grades of clay, 2 or 3 qd sprays, 845, duragloss aw, optimum spray, sonax wheel, einszett cockpit, chemical guys maxi suds 2 and a gilmour gun, 2 buckets with grit guards and a big rubber tote bin full of varying quality micro fibers some Korean, some cheapo auto store grade, 2 waffle weaves for drying and I practice my sheeting technique any chance I get

Next month I could buy more pads or differing products but I'm hoping to spend as little as possible to evaluate the DA usage
 
I'm a newbie too, but with a crew cab truck and a crossover at home I went with 12 pads to start. Actually, it was 14 with the two reds that came free with the package I bought. I was looking for best "bang for the buck" too but after spending $200 on a PC package I didn't feel like I would get results I'm happy with on just 6.

I started with a $50 order last fall too but you have a much nicer starting point than I did coming from dawn and turtle wax. Good luck! This is one of the best enthusiast sites I've ever seen. There truly is no such thing as a dumb question here, which is rare in the world of internet commandos!
 
You don't need 2 or 3 QD sprays! Use 1, and get familiar with it. Why not get some Duragloss Fast Clean & Shine? I was speaking with Dr. Bill @ Duragloss about this time last year and he turned me on to how they'd been mixing Aquawax with FC&S and getting amazing results. Seems the best mix they'd found was 3 parts Aquawax to 1 part FC&S.

FC&S on it's own is a good QD spray. For that matter, Aquawax can be used as a QD spray, just mix it with distilled water.

But it's the mix of the two that gives you the cleaning ability of one, with the lasting protection of the other. :D

For wheels, the cheapest alternative would be Megs Non-Acid wheel cleaner. That and at least the two biggest Wheel Woolies, and the largest Daytona brush. For color changing wheel cleaner, Megs DUB cleaner is BY FAR cheaper than Sonax, and works as well. Often you can find it at your local auto part store on sale. (Advance has it BOGO sometimes. Last time I bought 10 bottles!) :D

The Nattys may be interesting... but a sealant (your 845) will be much better protection in the long run.

I wouldn't sweat learning how to buff paint with a DA. ;) Just stay within your shoulders, don't work too fast, don't run your machine too fast, keep your arm speed slow, arm pressure medium, and make slow, deliberate overlapping passes. Finish one area, wipe down, move to the next.

But first... tape off half a dozen areas and do your TEST SPOTS. ;) Do 2 with the same compound, different pad. Use the same machine speed, same arm speed, same arm pressure, same amount of section passes *5~6 passes*. Only thing different would be the pad.

Then 2 more with another compound, same two pads as before. (Say orange then white.)

Then compare the results of all four sections.

Best section wins.

OR.... you might have a section that is close, but you want a little more.

That's when you move to section 5, where you did say orange pad, FG400, machine speed 4, etc. this is where you might like to step up to machine speed 4.5, or 5... then compare it to the same compound, with the same pad, (just that you used a bit slower machine speed).

WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN when you're testing like that. Once you get it, you've got it. :D
 
cardaddy said:
You don't need 2 or 3 QD sprays! Use 1, and get familiar with it. Why not get some Duragloss Fast Clean & Shine? I was speaking with Dr. Bill @ Duragloss about this time last year and he turned me on to how they'd been mixing Aquawax with FC&S and getting amazing results. Seems the best mix they'd found was 3 parts Aquawax to 1 part FC&S.
Click to expand...

I just acquired them from buying the "clay bar kits" they sell, where mothers and megs used to include QD as lubricant.

I've always liked DG AW, but i'm trying to establish a good baseline with these cars where they are clean and protected from the elements, and to do that I'm looking to use the DA polisher. I ran the bag test on the new subaru, and it needs clayed, which isn't a big deal but I confirmed it needed it.

I always thought 845 was a wax, not a sealant perhaps I'm wrong. I understand that silver won't "pop" like a clean black car will, but I'd like it to stay clean and smooth
 
jmikolich said:
I just acquired them from buying the "clay bar kits" they sell, where mothers and megs used to include QD as lubricant.

I've always liked DG AW, but i'm trying to establish a good baseline with these cars where they are clean and protected from the elements, and to do that I'm looking to use the DA polisher. I ran the bag test on the new subaru, and it needs clayed, which isn't a big deal but I confirmed it needed it.

I always thought 845 was a wax, not a sealant perhaps I'm wrong. I understand that silver won't "pop" like a clean black car will, but I'd like it to stay clean and smooth
Click to expand...

So, things in life happen, and now the spring weather is back again after some sleet, hail and freezing rain all in the past 24hrs.

Let's up the ante to $100, and see what we can do for that amount.

I'm thinking:
$16 for backing plate , 5"?
$55 for 6 pack of 6.5" LC pads (but which selection? was thinking 2x orange, 2x white, grey and red)
$?? Pad cleaner?
$?? Compound? Megs UC?
 
jmikolich said:
So, things in life happen, and now the spring weather is back again after some sleet, hail and freezing rain all in the past 24hrs.

Let's up the ante to $100, and see what we can do for that amount.

I'm thinking:
$16 for backing plate , 5"?
$55 for 6 pack of 6.5" LC pads (but which selection? was thinking 2x orange, 2x white, grey and red)
$?? Pad cleaner?
$?? Compound? Megs UC?
Click to expand...

So I'm impatient, as a millennial I have to have everything immediately, so I placed an order to take advantage of the 15% off and ordered the following, no real clue whether its 100% correct for what I want, but I figured, as many of you have pointed out, i'll never have enough supplies and something I buy today, though I may not take full advantage of it, will be useful at some point.

5" backing plate
6 pack of lake country flat pads (2 orange, 2 white, 1 black, 1 red)
The BOGO of Meguiars Starter kit
The perfect MF starter kit with MF wash (2 chinchillas, 2 gold plus Jr, 2 AP towels)
1liter of Carpro TRIX
8oz Menzerna AIO

Total $150 with then free shipping, and 15% off, and the $50 from this thread my total wife explained amount is $80, Which I don't think is too bad.

Next up on my list is to buy more pads, but I'll probably be waiting until they go on sale.
 
If your budget is $50.00 then look at AMAZON.COM as I did in making my purchase of a Porter Cable DA polisher and a 6.5 hook & loop backing plate and then there was a deal on Lake County foam pads 6 total which encompass what ever you could want in a polishing pad assortment. Also I did get some 3M Perfect It Show Car Carnauba Paste Wax and 3M Perfect It # 2 Polish. In all you should be able to find some great items at better prices.

Sorry also you can go to Harbor Freight as they sell the 6" foam finishing (black) and (red) for cutting pads and they are very cost effective as well as Meguiar's 105 & 205 polishes. Hey just giving you some information and yes they sell backing plates there and also polishers like your Porter Cable DA polisher but it is a no name brand but it seems to work very well . . . . Good Luck!!!
 
yeah a 5" plate..
And whatever you have left on pads....
BUT I wouldn't get a multipack of varying pads.. i'd select the correct pads for the paint types and condition you have and get multiples of..

Problem you have is the Scooby is soft paint so will likely need softer polish and finish pads but the VW are generally harder and will need firmer pads.. soooo
for now get the aplpication and finishing pads for application only..

Then when you have $100+ bucks get 4 off each polish pads and light correction pads..

Its all well and good to apply LSP with DA BUT if ots over imperfect paint it will be compromised..

I expect the first time you correct and finish you'll love the reuslt and wanna do both cars in full.. thats normal..

All the best..
 
Great info from CARDADDY

And use the black car as it will show you more clearly difference than the silver sticky scooby paint.. which is a bit of an outlier in terms of "typical paint and products to use..)
 
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