Do you think I'm using the correct pads and polish for each condition?

[surfol]

Hello guys,

Do you think I'm using the correct pads and polish for each condition?

Very Bad condition (heavy swirls):
Menz Power Gloss > 3M white compounding foam pad (convulated foam)
Menz PO85RE5 > 3M black polishing pad (convulated foam)

Moderate Imperfections (visible siwlrs all over under sunlight):
Menz SIP > 3M black polishing foam pad (convulated foam)
Menz PO85RE5 > 3M Ultrafina blue finishing pad (convulated foam)

Minor Light Swirls:
Menz PO85RE5 > 3M black polishing foam pad (convulated foam)

Please provide inputs and help a newbie out :laughing:

thanks :laughing:

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

You didn't state what type of polisher you were using?

My guess is a rotary buffer from the products and pads you listed?



Also, what are you working on?

• You car?
• Customer's car?

What do you want?

• Show car finish?
• Make it shiny again?

 

[surfol]

Hello, thanks for the reply

for now, I'm working on my own cars.
But in the future I might open a car detail shop.
Should I use different pads and polish for customer's cars (in a detail shop) ?

and yes I'll be using a rotary polisher.

I'm looking to make 'old' car look new again and to give it protection, and show car shine wouldn't hurt either

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

for now, I'm working on my own cars.
But in the future I might open a car detail shop.
Should I use different pads and polish for customer's cars (in a detail shop) ?

There's not really any relevance as to whose cars you're working on but it is important to balance how many steps you're going to do to just the paint for a car detail job and still make a profit.

The pads you listed should all work fine, you might consider getting a good quality wool cutting pad for a cutting pad instead of a foam cutting pad as it will cut faster and reduce the potential to create heat. Foam cutting pads tend to create more heat when used aggressively like a wool cutting pad.

and yes I'll be using a rotary polisher.

Nothing wrong with a rotary, in fact I spent most of my detailing career using a rotary to the point that it's completely worn out out on the inside and on the outside.

Makita 9207SPC - Purchased new in 1988

I'm looking to make 'old' car look new again and to give it protection, and show car shine wouldn't hurt either

Just be sure to match your services to your customer so it's a win/win deal for everyone involved. Most people with daily drivers want the inside clean and the outside shiny, they don't want and won't appreciate a flawless, show car finishing on their Astro Van or Ford Taurus that they use to drive to work and go to the grocery store in.

The rotary buffer is a powerful too for sure, but using it and not leaving rotary buffer swirls in the paint will usually mean more time and more steps than most people want to pay for when it comes to their daily driver.

See this article.
How to choose the right polisher for your detailing project

And read through the articles in this forum on the business side of making money as a detailer...

How to make money detailing cars
Tips and Techniques for starting and growing your own detailing business