Car Care Fes-style

L

live4ever

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Dec 3, 2011
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I haven't had much time to devote to car care for the last couple years, but I'd like to get into some detailing again.  I know some folks use their Festools for waxing, polishing, etc. and of course there's the Shinex.

What tools do ya use?  Pads?  Washes, polishes, compounds?  What's your process?  Post a pic of yer ride! 
 
I use my RO150 for polishing and color sanding. I bought the foam backed 2000 grit pads (don't remember the part #) in non rotex mode. For the compounding I start with Wizard course on a felt pad and move to the polish on a foam pad.  Polishing I use Rotex mode slow

FYI Harbor Freight sells 6" foam pads
 
I tend to lean towards Polish Angel products. The ROTEX 150 and 90 are great polishing options and I wouldn't go to rotary (SHINEX) unless you're an experienced polisher .. the action of the ROTEX is far kinder.

[attachimg=1]

Above you can see the bonnet of my black Audi .. what may appear as spots are actually the reflection of birds in the sky. Early I gave it a super light polish with the ROTEX .. can't even remember which specific pad and polish I used at the time as it was 2+ years ago (but it was a super light pass just to get some of the swirls out from dealer delivery finishing). Since then I've maintained it with a foam wash, then two bucket hand wash and follow through with Polish Angel Black Wulfenite.

What you use really depends on the state of your paint and how serious you are about improving or perfecting it. Tell us about the ride you want to polish.
 

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Discap said:
I use my RO150 for polishing and color sanding. I bought the foam backed 2000 grit pads (don't remember the part #) in non rotex mode. For the compounding I start with Wizard course on a felt pad and move to the polish on a foam pad.  Polishing I use Rotex mode slow

FYI Harbor Freight sells 6" foam pads
Click to expand...

Are those pads decent?  I've heard folks talk about the Lake County pads on here before...
 
Oooo that's purty Kev. 

I've got an equally sporty ride, a two-ish year old Honda Pilot.  8)  Paint still looks great but it's time to give it a proper detail and wax.  In the past on my Acura sedan I would two bucket wash, claybar, and then just wax by hand using Meguiar's Gold.  Got the job done.

There's a small area of paint damage on the edge of the wheel well that we had "touched up" - looks awful and doesn't even match (looks like sharpie).  I was considering trying to get it right myself but that's a whole other can of worms. 
 
Can't say if the Harbor Freight pads are any good but they are tight foam.  Not sure that it makes much difference.

Bill
 
The Harbor Freight pads worked great on my Bosch 1250 (same as RO150 except blue), and they were the only 6" pads I could find at a reasonable price.

The RO90 works great for detail work, headlight restoration, aluminum polishing, everything the big one doesn't get.

Here's my new-to-me ride, as soon as it warms up above freezing (so around March) I'll do some work to it.

4083e9681fc0a6418960beb78f29fc51.jpg
 
Chemical Guys has quality pads. Buying a kit is probably the best bet.https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_n_4?fst=as:off&rh=n:15684181,n:15707091,k:chemical+guys&keywords=chemical+guys&ie=UTF8&qid=1482436502&rnid=15690151

I use my RO150 and RO90.

The foam pads from Harbor Freight work, but they are not something I would recommend for a vehicle referred to with the work "Baby" in it.

3M polish is what I am partial too. Available at most every local automotive paint store too.https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015PMQDI/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000P0Q1J4/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SRZQV6/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

There are tons of videos to watch on how to polish a vehicle. Make sure to keep a damp towel around to immediately wipe up any excess as soon as you finish a panel.

Keep the buffer moving, so you don't overheat the paint.
 
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