Car Polisher and accessories advice

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tommanente

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I am looking for a polisher that will work for 2 types of cars. One car is a year old and the other is a 10 year old car that was not taken car of by the previous owner. I have always polished all my vehicles by hand, but would like a polisher for better and quicker results. I think the Porter XP will do the job, but did not know what type of pads and finish to go with it. I was looking at the starter kit, but was not sure what would be the best to buy. Please advise and thanks for your help.
 
I would look at the Griots garage polisher, it has much more power than the Porter cable.

As far as pads, I like the 5.5" lake country flat pads. Almost any pads will do descent though. Look at the microfiber pads also. Meguiars are descent if you have the ability to clean and cool them on the fly with an air compressor.

As far as compounds Meguiars ultra cut, ultra polish. They are very easy to use and work well.

You can top with anything you like for lsp, I'd just stick with Meguiars ultimate liquid wax. Its easy to use, and offers pretty good protection.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using AG Online
 
I have the Porter Cable. It has difficulty with bigger, thicker pads, so I just ordered 5.5" pads, and they work better. Nooby mistake, I thought bigger pads would allow me to cover more area and save time... they don't. The 5.5 pads are better for control, and doesn't require any more time.

I'm not a pro, so other people with more experience may give you better advice.
 
+1 on the Griots Garage polisher. With a 5" backing plate, 5.5" pads and the large selection of compounds/polishes available it has the power to handle anything you throw at it. And, you can't beat the lifetime warranty.
 
For years I used a rotary then about a year ago I wanted a DA, I bought the Porter Cable XP, if did and an OK job if the car wasn't in too bad of shape, I found it took long to correct a car.
Then someone I knew who owns a red Camaro had tons of swirls but couldn't remove them even though he owned a Flex.
I showed up at his home with my Ultimate Compound , he had everything else needed.
In a matter of a half hour I had removed all of the swirls on the hood, he spend 20 hours but had no success , I forget what compound he had but it wasn't working plus he didn't know how to use the Flex, so I thought him even though I never used one before, very nice machine but the cost turned me away.

After that I starting reading up on the Griot's GG6, I took my time to figure out if I wanted the Flex or the GG6.
So I ordered the GG6, when in came in I looked at it, first thing I noticed was how well it was made.
I had my black RAV washed and clayed so I went straight to it.
The car had a lot of swirls so I put on a CG's orange hex pad and planned on using Meg's UC.
My test spot was on the hood, 2x2 foot area.
It didn't take long to realize that I bought a well made polisher, the power is twice as powerful than my PC, no matter how much pressure I put on it the pad continued to turn.
With only four passes the test spot was flawless, I was so excited.
I found it to work just as good as the Flex but easier to operate,it's well balanced too.
For half the price of the Flex I felt like I made the better deal of the two.
IMHO it's the best polisher for the money, it's all I'll ever need and have no plans to buy another more expensive polisher, I'm totally happy with my Groit's Polisher.
Plus you get a lifetime warranty.

Well that's my take on this unit.
 
Well said HateSwirls and nice video!! I do prefer 5.5" FLAT pads though--just feels like I'm getting the maximum amount of pad area contacting the paint and I find the 5.5" pads better suited for more areas of the vehicle then I switch to 4" pads for the small bits.

I find my GG DA adequate even for the very hard clear on our VWs.

Buff & Shine makes a very durable flat pad with recessed Velcro that to me adds an additional margin of safety when polishing around protruding objects like mirrors etc.

Also OP, try to stick with easy to use products when you first get started-Megs UC & UP, Optimum polishes and my favorite HD Cut and HD Polish.
 
ski2 said:
Well said HateSwirls and nice video!! I do prefer 5.5" FLAT pads though--just feels like I'm getting the maximum amount of pad area contacting the paint and I find the 5.5" pads better suited for more areas of the vehicle then I switch to 4" pads for the small bits.

I find my GG DA adequate even for the very hard clear on our VWs.

Buff & Shine makes a very durable flat pad with recessed Velcro that to me adds an additional margin of safety when polishing around protruding objects like mirrors etc.

Also OP, try to stick with easy to use products when you first get started-Megs UC & UP, Optimum polishes and my favorite HD Cut and HD Polish.
Click to expand...

Thanks

I've since changed to the 5.5 inch pads and find them to cut much faster, one would think using smaller pads would take longer but it's not so.
I have my PC setup with the four inch pads and works nicely.
So I have the best of both worlds:)
Don't have to switch BP's
 
This is exactly the thread I was looking for! For the beginner like me, looking to replace the random orbit ... uh, "wax spreader" that I have, Mike had suggested that someone of my experience level look at either the Porter or the Griots. My usual philosophy is that I'm willing to spend a little more to buy a better product (but only if it's really better), so this is going to swing me to the Griots.

The only real question at this point is - should I buy the polisher alone, or buy one of the kits? I'm going to need to take out a bunch of swirls and other unpleasant bits (and also need to polish the windscreen), so the Griots should have the power to do this. But - pads and the various compounds, polishes and the lot? There are more options here than one can shake sticks at!!
 
So the PC isn't a good machine for light paint correction? I'm new to this, but my truck only has very light micro-scratches.
 
PaulMys said:
So the PC isn't a good machine for light paint correction? I'm new to this, but my truck only has very light micro-scratches.
Click to expand...

The PC is a great machine! IMO, people like the GG6 better because the motor has more power to spin pads and the lifetime warranty.
 
I am a newb myself and purchased the GG6. While I have not used any other machines I can say that the GG6 was easy to use and I had the hang of it less than half way on the hood. I used M105 and M205 followed by black fire. I can say that I was "very" satisfied with the outcome. I have a 04 Chevy Silverado (White) and received many compliments about how great it looked. I would recommend the GG6 from my experience.
 
Alby said:
I am a newb myself and purchased the GG6. While I have not used any other machines I can say that the GG6 was easy to use and I had the hang of it less than half way on the hood. I used M105 and M205 followed by black fire. I can say that I was "very" satisfied with the outcome. I have a 04 Chevy Silverado (White) and received many compliments about how great it looked. I would recommend the GG6 from my experience.
Click to expand...

I have a summit white Camaro and I am looking for something to make it POP. The combo you used help in this ???
 
KBsSS said:
I have a summit white Camaro and I am looking for something to make it POP. The combo you used help in this ???
Click to expand...

KBsSS,
Sorry for the delayed response. Are you meaning what products I used? Let me know. I will be happy to answer any questions.
Thanks
Alby
 
Griots seems to use different verbiage in there polishes than Porter does? Which one is the main stream DA for a Newb to buy? Or even better which kit? (the guys over in the detailing 101 sub thread convinced me to get a DA and it seems like the GG is better than the Porters.
Thanks,
 
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