This is going to sound like a dumb question...

[spike]

Hi all you Flex polisher users, I have a newbie question about polishing. I'm getting a Flex 3401 VRG for Christmas with WG products, and I've watched the free how-to video on polishing that is on the AG website by WG, and I have never polished a car with a polisher before. So, is the polisher only for the paint, i.e. metal parts of the car, or can you do the plastic bumpers and stuff like that on the car as well? As an example, I'm asking about a camry. The hood, roof, trunk and doors are metal, but the rest of the car is painted the same color as the metal, but appears to be plastic (?). Do you polish the whole car, or just the paint? They used an acura as their example in the WG video, but I didn't see what they did with the bumpers and places on the car like that. Any info you can give me from your experience with polishing would be greatly appreciated.

 

[loudog2]

You can do the bumpers as well.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

It's a great question and it actually comes up all the time and here's the answer...

Treat the surface coating, don't worry about what the underlying panel is made out of. If the surface coating is a clear coat finish then treat it like you would treat any clear coat finish. This would apply to a door, a hood, a bumper and even a car wheel.

 

[mchess1]

I use my Flex on all painted surfaces of my BMW and my wife's Honda minivan with no difficulties.

Have fun with the Flex, it's a great tool! You must have been a good boy this year!:buffing:

 

[spike]

I use my Flex on all painted surfaces of my BMW and my wife's Honda minivan with no difficulties.

Have fun with the Flex, it's a great tool! You must have been a good boy this year!:buffing:

Thanks for the advice. Hmmmm, good boy, huh??!! well, maybe... :laughing: I've been wanting one for sooo long...so I did the easy thing for my family this yr...I just told them to pool all the money they were going to spend on my gifts, and donate what they could to the "polisher" fund. I don't want any other gifts, so I think I'm easy to deal with this year. And it helps when you say you will detail their cars for them too! :dblthumb2:

 

[tuscarora dave]

Thanks for the advice. Hmmmm, good boy, huh??!! well, maybe... :laughing: I've been wanting one for sooo long...so I did the easy thing for my family this yr...I just told them to pool all the money they were going to spend on my gifts, and donate what they could to the "polisher" fund. I don't want any other gifts, so I think I'm easy to deal with this year. And it helps when you say you will detail their cars for them too! :dblthumb2:

Good Idea in applying that extra bit of leverage:xyxthumbs:
I have read somewhere that plastic bumpers and such will dissapate heat at a slower rate than that of steel panels. How true this is I really don't know. I just thought it might be worth bringing up.

I have been taught to go easy when polishing on round curves and edges and such because of less pad contact on curves will build up or concentrate heat into one small area creating a possabillity for a bad situation with paint wrinkle or the paint melting under your pad. So I would say go easy on plastic bumpers until you get the feel for what you are doing.