Electric car waxer gadget...which one?

[Welcome to the GWTW Forum]

Welcome to the GWTW Forum.
Guests (non-registered users) can view the forum but are unable to post.  If you don't have anything to say then why would you bother to register?
One of the most popular sections of the GWTW Forum has long been the Swap Meet.  A great place to sell old, seldom flown kites or to get great deals on used (gently flown) kites.  Only registered users can see the Swap Meet section, let alone wheel and deal.  1000's (literally) of kites have changed hands thanks to the Swap Meet.
There are several more benefits to being a registered user, but you'll have to join our little community to find out all the "secrets".
Questions or concerns?  forum.gwtwkites@gmail.com

[browndude3649]

So meguiars has a 150$ deal- thats kinda pricey. Anybody into detailing that knows which one's a decent one? I've bought cheapo tools in the past and after the frist use of the tool it usually breaks, but uh yeah happy medium is what i'm looking for.
Suggestions?

[RobB]

http://www.griotsgarage.com/category/car+care/car+polishing/orbitals+and+car+polishing+tools.do?sortby=ourPicks

 

[ezme6]

I own a boat detailing business. is your car in such bad shape you need one? If it is a one time deal, you might be able to rent an orbital buffer like I use. Use lots of care cause you can burn your paint fairly easy. Trick is NEVER STOP MOVING the buffer around and use the same amount of pressure over the entire vehicle. I use commercial grade glazes/waxes/rubbing compounds so I can't comment on what is best you can get at a store.

[browndude3649]

its been a good year since i've waxed it. 2004 Nissan Titan. I think the factory paint was not as good as it could be. But i'm just lookin to get out of the hand work thru better technology .
Orbital means it moves up and down as well as spins?
You can apply as well as polish with an orbital?(diff pads)

[ezme6]

http://www.tylertool.com/mak927elsan.html

This is what I use, just goes round and round and will test every muscle in your arms the first time you use it. Yes you can both apply and remove with this, just use different pads.

[kiteking]

Being in Arizona I wax my truck 4 times a year, I use a good quality "once a year wax/sealer". I start as the sun is coming up with a good wash/dry, then start applying the wax one section at a time. I start with the side away from the sun, then rotate the truck and do the same from the other side. The whole process takes about 4-5 hours. Oh, the equipment I use is hands and elbow grease.

[browndude3649]

I do the same ,but I am gettin lazy thinking about it.
Auto-parts store sells a 30$ cheapo-deluxe. Orbital too

[ko]

if you have a decent 1/2 in. drill   just buy the accessories needed  if you dont buy a good drill motor and you will have a very useful tool i use a milwaukee but i am a carpenter i am sure some foreign model will do just fine. hope this helps ko

[chilese]

Many car washes have specials from time to time.

Normal wash and clean + hand wax for $25.

Sure, it's not Carnuba wax, but what is your time worth?

[kiteking]

Many car washes have specials from time to time.

Normal wash and clean + hand wax for $25.

Sure, it's not Carnuba wax, but what is your time worth?

John are you getting old?

I went to one once and had to redo it cause they don't seem to pay close attention to detail.

A good detail-er will charge around $100, money that could go into the kite fund. Besides if the wind isn't blowing what else do I have to do?

[johnfarl]

Just did my F250 crew cab truck.  Used a Turtle Wax polisher.  It is orbital.  Used Turtle wax liquid wax.  Was very satisfied with the result. The polisher is orbital and it is low power so in the hands of an amatuer like me it is safe.  It is also low weight so I was able to go to the park and fly my Fearless afterwards.

[mikenchico]

Walmart usually has an el'cheapo for $20-30 that comes in a storage case, I have a friend who does detail work on the side and he uses one with OK results, a year or more off them at 1-3 cars per week.

Me I do it the old fashion way although I have 1 or 2 two of those out in the garage, really more trouble then it's worth.

I shoot for twice a year, done by hand. I use a hard carnuba paste wax not that creamed junk or that liquid synthetic garbage. If the towel doesn't slide uphill when your done your not done. Plus it's fun to watch people slide off it when they lean on it. Two coats on the hood usually, RainX the glass inside & out and all the plastic and rubber hit with 303 Aerospace Protectant. 3-5 hours depending on how much time I spend inside the door & window jambs and all those little places nobody see anyway.

[browndude3649]

If my bud doesnt have a power tool i can borrow i'll get 'el cheapo" . I gotta take care of my truck while on  vaca before winter starts

[kiteking]

The guy across the street committed one time he saw me washing the engine compartment that he thought he did a good job on his vehicle, but never went under the hood. I found that if you clean there every time you wash the vehicle its easy to keep it nice too

[tcope]

I'm going to try not to go over board with this post...

An orbital buffer, such as the ones you find in local stores is only good for applying LSP (Last Step Products), such as a wax. It is not going to do any paint correction.

The Megs buffer you mention for $150 is a Dual Action (DA) buffer. It's safe in the hands of a novice and still won't damage your paint. It does require special foam pads with hook and loop backings. Megs is coming out with their G110v2 in mid December. This one is much better. A pad kit is going to run around $50 or you can pre-order the G110v2 for about $170 with a good Megs pad kit. This is a good price.

A rotary is another animal (a pad on a drill would be about the same thing). This _CAN_ damage the paint in the hands of a novice if you are not careful. You need to know how to keep the machine level and moving all of the time. This is not as easy as it sounds. A rotary will correct paint defects very quickly. This is why professionals use it... but they also use DAs all of the time.

There are a few polishes that you can buy locally to use with machines. Megs Ultimate Compound is the strongest consumer polish that Megs offers. It's very safe. A step down is ScratchX 2.0. ScratchX 2.0 can also be applied by hand and does a great job in removing scratches and micro-marring.

A LSP product should be applied at least every 3 months. After that and the product looses some of it's protection. Weather can reduce this time frame.

Liquid or can.... LSP functions the same.

If you want my opinion, I'd go with Megs NXT 2.0 sealant. If you have a dark color vehicle and/or want a little more pop to the paint, let the NXT cure for 24 hours and put a good carnuba wax over it. NXT 2.0 has a little polish and some good fillers in it. This would be a simple, one step process. Either that or a good cleaner/wax for a one step process.

Pick up some good microfiber towels. Locally, Target sells the Vroom ones that are pretty good. Use these to dry the vehicle and also remove the wax. Last I checked, they were on clearance.

I have a PC 7424 and about 10 assorted pads for it. I can't tell you how many  polishes and waxes I've bought ('cause I'd have to kill you) but I can say they are like kites... you can't have too many. 

Our forum is made possible by the good folks whose ads appear in the right margin of the forum and by the members of our community (PayPal donation button at bottom of the page)
In case you missed it each ad is linked to the sponsors web site.  So please, take a moment and visit our sponsors sites as this forum wouldn't be possible with out them. >>>
Interested in running an ad for your business or kiting event?  Contact Steve at advertise.gwtwkites@gmail.com for a quote.