New guy, feeling discouraged

[Lints]

Hello all,

I've been browsing this forum for a few months now, reading the AG articles and Mike's how to's. I have been learning a lot already, and have improved my detailing skill immensely over the past few months. I can hardly believe there was a time that I didn't dry my car after a wash! I now have a fair stock pile of MF towels, and am starting to learn which products work for me, and what to avoid.

Anyway, both of my vehicles are in need of a polish. My Avus Blue 95 BMW M3 has some hazing, minor swirls, and some marks from old bird poo and water spots. My black f150 is really swirled, and I can tell that someone tried polishing in the past, and really mucked it up.

I am one who likes to DIY. If I can research it online, I'll do it myself. So when it came to polishing I figured it would be something I could do pretty easily.

However, I just can't get over the initial investment required. I figured I'd start with a HF DA with a new backing plate, some LC pads, and Megs compound & polish available at my local parts store.

With all that though, I'm thinking I'd need to spend what, maybe $3-400 just to get started? That's a bit more than I was hoping. It's really got me bummed out.

I know it will pay for itself eventually, but spending that much on something that will get used maybe once a year at most? It's a bit much to swallow. I was thinking of trying to find some second hand stuff, but I'd still want to invest in new pads.



So, AGO, what say you? Maybe you all can give me the motivation I need? How do you new detailers get over the initial investment?



Here's a picture of my pride and joy

 

[Setec Astronomy]

It's really about what's important to you. Some people would have no hesitation going out and dropping that $3-400 on a new phone/tablet/whatever, that will be obsolete in 6 months.

If you like having your cars look nice, and you enjoy having the tools/equipment to fix things, then it's really a no-brainer.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

However, I just can't get over the initial investment required. I figured I'd start with a HF DA with a new backing plate, some LC pads, and Megs compound & polish available at my local parts store.

That's about as entry level as you can get price wise.

With all that though, I'm thinking I'd need to spend what, maybe $3-400 just to get started? That's a bit more than I was hoping. It's really got me bummed out.

Sounds like have the minimum to get started you can always add more items as you progress. You can never have enough buffing pads or quality microfiber towels.

So, AGO, what say you? Maybe you all can give me the motivation I need? How do you new detailers get over the initial investment?

Get busy. Start buffing something out... I've been doing this all my life now and I'm always excited for the next project.



:dblthumb2:

 

[jms493]

• Porter Cable 7424xp - $120
• Backing Plate - $11
• Pads - ~$30
• MF Towels - ~$30
• Clay Bar and Clay Lube - $20
• Megs Ultimate Compound - $10
• Megs Ultimate Polish - $8
• Meguiars Sealant 2.0 - $20
• Any wax - ~15

Around $265?

What did I miss?

 

[Skimmer0220]

that's a tough one to think about, I made the investment last year after I had to sell off all my old RC cars, it has made me $150 just by doing jobs in my family it's just about payed for half of itself right there, don't be fooled that you have to buy 4 of every pad, I bought 2 of select pads and have been doing great with them so far just make sure you clean your pads often that'll help cut down on some of the cost

When I bought my da I went with the giorts da, 6 pads, a cleaner and conditioner, and a cut and polish and that was around $300

with the kit that I got I was able to remove swirls from a black mustang, a burgundy buick, black mazda, and my baby a red jetta so the kit I got will first get you started and most likely be able to tackle a large number of vehicles

You could also look into the complete kits that autogeek offers and compare the prices, if your interested in knowing what I went with just ask and I'll post the links

 

[FUNX650]

Another example of: "Sticker Shock":
The state of being, whereas: A consumer is either startled by the price of a product, or they simply cannot afford it.

IMO:
-Becoming startled by the current prices of consumer goods, could translate into not keeping abreast of the rises in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) over a given time period.

-The lack of ability to afford things can translate into an economic downturn.

OP...
"Strike while the iron is hot!!"


Bob

 

[EVOlved]

First question is what do you already own? And if $200 is to much, you may not want to dig into this it becomes an addiction!! But those swirls will be staring you in the face everyday

 

[zmcgovern45]

• Porter Cable 7424xp - $120
• Backing Plate - $11
• Pads - ~$30
• MF Towels - ~$30
• Clay Bar and Clay Lube - $20
• Megs Ultimate Compound - $10
• Megs Ultimate Polish - $8
• Meguiars Sealant 2.0 - $20
• Any wax - ~15

Around $265?

What did I miss?

Investing in premium microfiber is one of the best decisions you can make.... $30 will only cover a few towels. I'd budget for $100 min. on a starter set of microfibers.


Also, $30 in pads suggests only purchasing a few pads. As Mike already said, you can never have enough pads... I typically recommend the following for "starter pad kit": 4 orange light cutting, 4 white polishing, 4 black finishing... all lake country flat pads, two 5.5" and two 3" per color. To me, this is the bare minimum for a pad starter set.

 

[jamesboyy]

You have your mind set in the right direction already with that said I know its hard to drop three or four hundred cause your thinking you will never see that money again, and it was a waste cause it wont be used often but its not cause you will get repaid in confidence and when your ready you will branch out to help family, and friends with there paint problems and so forth it will take time, yes, but you will make how ever much you spend back double or triple within time

 

[Hitman21]

I sent you a message. Check it out.


Ian

 

[jms493]

Investing in premium microfiber is one of the best decisions you can make.... $30 will only cover a few towels. I'd budget for $100 min. on a starter set of microfibers.


Also, $30 in pads suggests only purchasing a few pads. As Mike already said, you can never have enough pads... I typically recommend the following for "starter pad kit": 4 orange light cutting, 4 white polishing, 4 black finishing... all lake country flat pads, two 5.5" and two 3" per color. To me, this is the bare minimum for a pad starter set.

I agree but the OP appears to only be interesting in doing his vehicles (2). Does he really need to invest in 12+ pads?

 

[zmcgovern45]

I agree but the OP appears to only be interesting in doing his vehicles (2). Does he really need to invest in 12+ pads?

I would say definitely. You easily need at least two of each color to properly do one average sedan (I usually use 4-6 for each 'step' on a sedan), and the Orange, White, and Black pads are the most basic setup you can go with IMO.

It would be different had I said he needs 4 MF cutting pads, 4 yellow foam cutting pads, 4 orange light cutting pads, 4 white polishing pads, etc etc etc... but I stand by my original recommendation of two 5.5" and two 3" of each of the orange, white, and black pads as those tend to work reasonably well on most paint types.

 

[DaveT435]

I agree but the OP appears to only be interesting in doing his vehicles (2). Does he really need to invest in 12+ pads?

Also you can do your car sections at a time, I'm forced to because of back problems. Doing smaller sections reduces the need for large quantities of pads and towels.

Pull the trigger. When you see the results you will be glad you did!!!

 

[Klasse Act]

It can be expensive dropping the $$$ all at once and to be honest, I bought the Griot's Garage RO for $129 and you could honestly get away with 1 pad for polishing, 1 for fine polishing and that's it, apply the LSP by hand, seriously! As far as polish goes, once again, 2 is about all you'd need and again, I started out with GG and 2 polishes were about $30.00 IIRC. At this point you could still be under $200 for the machine, pads, polish and an LSP of your choice. I guess if you throw in other things like mf towels, drying towels, carwash soap/rinseless wash it can go up and up but hey, things cost money, just build your collection as you come along!

Btw, spare NO expense on that E36, please, awesome ride right there, love the color and wheel choice! How about some more pics!!

Sent from my SPH-M930 using AG Online

 

[Skimmer0220]

Investing in premium microfiber is one of the best decisions you can make.... $30 will only cover a few towels. I'd budget for $100 min. on a starter set of microfibers.


Also, $30 in pads suggests only purchasing a few pads. As Mike already said, you can never have enough pads... I typically recommend the following for "starter pad kit": 4 orange light cutting, 4 white polishing, 4 black finishing... all lake country flat pads, two 5.5" and two 3" per color. To me, this is the bare minimum for a pad starter set.

He said he's not trying to spend a crap load, that alone is around $300 for pads, I get by with 2 of every color and haven't had a problem yet

 

[c8n]

On the pad side, I started out with 5 pads.
3 Orange and 2 Black.
With the HF DA, it was little bit over a $100 with chemicals

 

[Lints]

Thanks for all the replies!


I am only looking to do my own cars, maybe family later on.

As for supplies, I do already have a good car wash, wax, and a fair supply of MF towels, albeit not the best quality.

I hadn't considered a kit. Mostly because I thought the most expensive part of this endeavor would be the DA. I didn't want to spend beyond my skill level, and thought the HF would be good enough. So the HF DA, a new backing plate, and 9-12 pads, I guessed I'd be around 225 just in that. I'd need new clay, compounds, and pad cleaners on top of that.

Looking at the packages it doesn't seem so bad. A PC DA with 9 pads could run me about the same as above, and I'd have a tool that I know would last. I'm all about diy, and having the right tool for the job.


Over the past few weeks, I can feel myself being bitten by the AG bug. Noticing more flaws in my own paint, improving my own washing techniques, using better products. I think it might just be a matter of time before I fall into the clutches and immerse myself in the world of detailing.


Thanks Ian for the pm!


Bob, this is a post I can understand!

If I don't make the investment, and instead spend 200 or so to have someone else do it, then it only takes me having to do one other car in my lifetime to justify the cost. Maybe I should call some local detailers and get some prices, then I can figure out an opportunity cost.

Another example of: "Sticker Shock":
The state of being, whereas: A consumer is either startled by the price of a product, or they simply cannot afford it.

IMO:
-Becoming startled by the current prices of consumer goods, could translate into not keeping abreast of the rises in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) over a given time period.

-The lack of ability to afford things can translate into an economic downturn.

OP...
"Strike while the iron is hot!!"


Bob

 

[zmcgovern45]

He said he's not trying to spend a crap load, that alone is around $300 for pads, I get by with 2 of every color and haven't had a problem yet

$300 for 12 pads??? ...where are you shopping?

If you would read my post carefully, I recommended the following: 4 orange, 4 white, and 4 black pads (2 of which are 5.5" and 2 of which are 3" for each color)... That is like $70 in pads retail price.

6 pack - 5.5" LC flat pads = $35


..and yeah, you can definitely work in sections over multiple days and clean the pads in between if you'd like.

 

[RevitalizeAutoSpa]

You can go even cheaper and do the Meguiar's Microfiber pads. Two cutting pads and two buffing pads would be more than enough for just doing one or two vehicles.

 

[Lints]

I hadn't even considered a 3" pad!

The number of pads is a bit of an unknown to me, as I have absolutely zero polishing experience. Some are saying 12 and some are saying 2-4... I'd probably end up in the middle maybe get a set of 9?

Orange, white, and black are the way to go? So 3 of each, or maybe two of each in the 6" and one of each in the 3"??