I'd go with the Griot's 6" over the PC. More power and lifetime warranty ...Get a 5" backing plate and purchase LC flat pads 5.5". Orange for compounding, and white for polishing. Look into Lake Country Hydrotech 4" red pads for applying wax/sealant
A good starting setup is Meguiars Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish. These are what I learned on. From there go to M105/M205 and also venture into DAT polishes like Menzerna.
Tape off items that can be affected by the polish like black matte plastic, chrome trim, etc.
rops:Well said, William.
rops:
Another reason for the GG6 is (
if you've got the right discount code) you can get it for 30% off at Advance Auto Parts (
and get free shipping over $75 every day of the week).
It's just a beast of a machine, never failing to get the job done, and will actually spin 6½" pads on most vehicles.
Buy a 5" backing plate, LC 5.5" flat pads(3 orange,6 white and 2 black and 1 blue). Meguiars new pads get rave reviews and there is only 3 colors which simplifies selection.
For starters stick with Ultimate compound and Ultimate polish. They are very effective, inexpensive and can be found locally in a pinch.
Once you get the feel of these you can branch out.
Ah hah.... sounds like something I'd have said. (
Actually have said just that.)
OP: The reason he's suggesting using 5½" pads is that they are
cheaper, spin up better, and work in tighter spaces/bigger curves than 6½" pads. You can't have too many pads.
The reason for more white than anything else, is you can use white pads for both compounding and polishing. You can, (
for instance) start with Ultimate Compound on a white pad. Then once all your compounding is done (
and you have CLEAN pads) you may indeed be able to finish with Ultimate Polish on the same (
type of cut) pad that you used for compounding.
That aside, I *WOULD NOT* buy anything less than a dozen pads. You simply cannot compound an entire vehicle with 1 or 2 pads. The "kits" seem like they offer you something great, and allow you to get 1 of each pad, but you'll ALWAYS need more than 1 pad when compounding and polishing. The only time 1 pad will work is when you're applying wax or sealant. In those instances you'd want a blue, red or gold one. (
The gold one is REALLY soft though.)
I would not however suggest that you 'move on' at some point to Meguiar's 105 (
as a weekend warrior). It will cut like crazy, and is a great compound for getting that job done, but it's a BEAR to work with. If you really need a lot of cut, better off going for M101 as it'll work 3 times as long as 105. For polishing though, 205 is something that everybody needs (with Ultimate Polish) as part of their arsenal.
OTOH, for a totally different type of product, (DAT versus SMAT) that will also cut through the swirls, and on hard paints will finish down (for many totally ready for your sealant/LSP) AND it'll work down literally forever without drying out..... is Menzerna FG400. :xyxthumbs:
Microfiber towels ya' say?
That's another thread altogether.
Might do a search (or ten) on those threads. It's sometimes easier to do a Google search with a +autogeek added to the subject though than it is to search using forum software. (Remembering that Google will search phrases, where the forum software searches 'words'.) There are dozens of good microfiber threads here (I'm in most of them). :laughing:
