Polishing virgin needing guidance

[Tequipment]

Morning everyone.

I need some of you to share your wisdom with me please.

I've got a 2010 Audi A3 Black Edition that I'm wanting to polish.
When I got the car last year, my brother polished it with his works rotary polisher and removed all the scuffs and scratches using wet sanding and 3 grades of 3M polishes. It looked great, but after the winter and about 50 washes it needs it's swirls removing again.

They're nothing major, but I'd like to be able to do it myself this time and keep on top of it.
The paint's had plenty of Poorboys products on it over the last year (S&W, S&G, BH, QD+, BH and Nattys Blue), but polishing is totally new to me.

My question (eventually) is where do I start? I haven't got days or a fortune to spend on it and being a novice I'd prefer something that's low risk.

I've got a Rupes BR51AN Random Orbital sander/polisher that I've used with Black Hole, so I was hoping to be able to use this as I haven't got the cash to fork out on a new one. It only has one speed (7000rpm), and has a 6" pad diameter.

Where do I start?
The way I see it, I've got a few choices -
- Professional Polish (or isn't this for swirl removal?)
- PWC
- PWS
- SSR range

How do the non-abrasive ones work, are these just for cleaning rather than swirl removal?

And lastly, what sort of pads do I need?

I realise that to do it properly would probably involve a lot of different polishes and a dozen different pads, but is there an easier method for a beginner like me?

Please remember that I know very little about this part of detailing, so you'll need to keep it simple for me

Thanks.

 

[johnnyb]

I haven't yet tried exclusively poorboys products when doing swirl removal on cars, so I will wait till someone can better answer that for ya.

Till someone does, a random orbit polisher will be a safer choice for correcting paint, ideally variable rpm. Depending how bad the swirls, you could get away with a slightly abrasive/polishing pad (for me ccs white pad) with some PP followed by a pass with a red finishing pad and PP. If nasty swirls on the car it can take several steps to get rid of them, orange foam pad from ccs would be a more abrasive step from there, and stepping up to different polishes.

I would start with seeing what PP with a safe polishing pad or microfiber give you since this will be on a black car. Use this as a base, and slowly learn how the products affect the paint. Beings your car has already been wet sanded down, and in general, you want to choose the least abrasive method that will remove as little clear as possible.

I love the PP series because it is different than the mechanical abrasive ones, it is done chemically. Based on your pad choices you have (can be wool, foamed wool, heavy cutting foam to light gentle polishing foam) and speeds used, different cutting abilities can be achieved with the same polish.

Beings you're beginning, I would start off with trying to get a variable speed random orbit machine. I believe yours at 7k rpm would be equal to max rpm on a variable speed random orbit machine. Pair it up with some ccs red pad, white pad, possibly orange pad (which you would try last) and see how PP and SSR1 work with these, first trying different pads/speeds with the professional polish to get an idea of how this is affects your paint. If you can try on an older car, a test spot, etc.

These are all things to think about till someone can give you a complete answer on this. There are many choices of machines, pads, and poorboys products to give your car an outstanding finish.

 

[BigLeegr]

I tried to find your machine online but couldn't, so I can't say much about it. 7,000 is awfully fast as an only speed, but it should allow you to do some correction, at least better than the typical cheap buffers usually sold at department stores etc. I probably wouldn't use it to apply the wax, though.
As to the pads, you should have at least one of each: finishing, light polishing, polishing and heavy polishing. The really aggressive pads are many times more damaging to the paint than they are useful when used by novices. Also, black will show off haze and other sundry damages much more readily than other colours, so you'll need to be more careful with how aggressive you get. If you wanted to get just the minimum amount of pads, go with a polishing pad and either a light polishing pad or a finishing pad.
The "chemical' polishes rely on the aggressiveness of the pad more than of itself, thus the suggestion of various pads. PP would be the one to get for the most versatility in one product. PwC and PwS are for when you want to do a quick job to do a little polishing and leave protection behind in 1 step (between full, multi-step details or when you don't have much time).
When you decide to polish, work on 1 small, "not too noticeable" section of the car to see what works before going all over the car. The reason for this is to get a plan for what works without spending hours doing the car only to end up with less than optimal results. Also, make sure you prep the car well first. Clean all nooks and crannies-any dirt you leave behind could get on the pad and damage the paint quickly. Tape off areas you don't want polish on/in (emblems, textured plastics etc.) as the little time you spend up front will save you from taking more time later trying to remove the residue caked into the crevices and such. Make sure you leave yourself ample time for this endeavor. Rushing through it won't give you good results and can leave a person frustrated.
Most importantly, I think, is to have realistic expectations up front. Many people seem to think that as long as they have a good product the end results are going to be amazing. Not always true. For people having no experience with certain defects, patience is very helpful. Polishes need time and effort to do their work. If you just run a glob across the paint quickly and then wipe it off, you aren't going to effectively remove the defects, and in worse cases, you could inflict more damage. Wipe on and off products are typically filler/glazes, which hide defects, but don't remove them. The problem here is that some people think that since the glaze "removed" the marring so easily and quickly, a polish should do the same thing. Not true. This is why a person should take time to get familiar with the capabilities of their products/machines on a small section first. Once you've mastered the equipment, you'll be more likely to get good results on the while car while getting them more efficiently than if you dove in head first and had at it without experimenting first.

 

[Pockets]

Awesome information has been given before me so I just want to start off saying that and some of what is below will be duplicate of what they said.

Morning everyone.

I need some of you to share your wisdom with me please.

I've got a 2010 Audi A3 Black Edition that I'm wanting to polish.
When I got the car last year, my brother polished it with his works rotary polisher and removed all the scuffs and scratches using wet sanding and 3 grades of 3M polishes. It looked great, but after the winter and about 50 washes it needs it's swirls removing again.

They're nothing major, but I'd like to be able to do it myself this time and keep on top of it.
The paint's had plenty of Poorboys products on it over the last year (S&W, S&G, BH, QD+, BH and Nattys Blue), but polishing is totally new to me.

My question (eventually) is where do I start? I haven't got days or a fortune to spend on it and being a novice I'd prefer something that's low risk.

I would start by first washing the vehicle and claying in order to begin with a fresh slate. Over time there is surface contaminates that will attach to your paint and you will want to remove them.

I've got a Rupes BR51AN Random Orbital sander/polisher that I've used with Black Hole, so I was hoping to be able to use this as I haven't got the cash to fork out on a new one. It only has one speed (7000rpm), and has a 6" pad diameter.

I have not heard of this machine before and can't find it online (possibly discontinued?)

The speed seems a little high as well seeing as that is well over the PC's ability of OPM and Black Hole is to be applied at low speeds.

Where do I start?
The way I see it, I've got a few choices -
- Professional Polish (or isn't this for swirl removal?)
- PWC
- PWS
- SSR range

Without seeing the condition of the vehicle first hand or pictures it is tough to say where you want to begin. You mentioned it was corrected prior but the 50 washes, were they by hand or a swirl o matic?

How do the non-abrasive ones work, are these just for cleaning rather than swirl removal?

Non abbrasive polishes work chemically and are pad dependent. This means that depending upon which pad you pair it up with it will vary the cutting power.

And lastly, what sort of pads do I need?

I would get an assortment of pads from Finishing to Light Cut as you never know when you will get a scratch that you will need to remover and it's always good to have pads on hand if what you are doing is not working and you need to step it up.

I realize that to do it properly would probably involve a lot of different polishes and a dozen different pads, but is there an easier method for a beginner like me?

All depends on the conditon of the vehicle and how far you want to go. Do you want to remover all the impefections on the finish? This will turn out to be a multiple step long process. If you are just looking to shine it up nice Polish w/ Sealant followed by Black Hole and topped with Natty's Blue is a great fast combo that will leave the paint dripping but might not remove all the defects like swirls, scratches, etches, etc.

Please remember that I know very little about this part of detailing, so you'll need to keep it simple for me

Thanks.

We're here to help :smt039

 

[Tequipment]

Thank you all so much for the detailed replies. I just wanted to post a quick reply so you knew you hadn't wasted your time. I'll respond properly tomorrow when I'm not just using my phone.
We had a bad accident at work and it's taken up all my time.

Thanks again, I really appreciate it.

 

[Tequipment]

Right, I’ve managed to grab a spare few minutes.

As I said above, thank you all for taking the time to write such comprehensive answers. I really appreciate it.

After looking at the car some more, I’d say that the swirls definitely fall into the light or minor category and there aren’t any scratches. The car has only been hand washed by myself, but the amount of salt that was building up on it weekly over the winter has meant that even though I was careful there are still faint swirls.
Because I keep the car washed and waxed, it stands out in the car park at work, so people are always keen to point out any imperfections in it.

From the advice above I think I’ll go the PP route as the paint isn’t that bad, but there are some light swirls that I’d like to try to remove. The car is always kept clean and has a few layers of Nattys and QD+ on it, I just want to try to take it to the next level and learn some new skills if possible.


It sounds like I’ll avoid the aggressive pads for the moment, as I’m worried I’ll do more harm than good until I get some experience.
I’ve had a look on the old interweb and the Lake Country CCS pads seems to vary by website.

Polishedbliss only seem to do flat pads in Cyan, Tangerine and Crimson, whereas Cleanyourcar do Yellow, Orange, Green, White, Black and Blue that are all dimpled.

I was thinking of getting the dimpled ones in green (as they say they’re a good all round pad) and white, would this be too harsh?
While I think of it, I’ve got some Menzerna black finishing pads at home, would these be good to use for the final stage?

As for the polisher, it was one my brother bought through his work to use at home, but never used as he just does any polishing when he’s working and uses their equipment.
It wasn’t a cheap one, which is surprising considering it only has one speed. It’s still in the box with its instructions etc. if you needed any more info.
Do you think I’ll still be able to use it for polishing considering it’s speed? And should I choose finer pads to compensate for the high rpm, or doesn’t it work like that?


Thanks for being so patient with me. I imagine there are people reading this with their heads in their hands, but I’d rather ask the experts and look stupid than charge in with both feet acting like I know it all and end up ruining a perfectly good paint finish.

 

[johnnyb]

Like you said Teq, I've seen some sites that do have info that varies on pads. If not ordering through poorboys.com, I would try and order through a site that follows red as a finishing, white as a light polishing pad, orange as more aggressive, etc. I find the majority of sites are carrying the LC CCS pads follow this order with them. Some as well have black as a finessing pad, and some with a golden one as a jeweling pad (final final step as the site said).

While trying anything always do a test spot, just to make sure your pad, polish, and polisher speeds are all achieving what you want. Out of these I would suggest a red with no cutting properties, and a white with very very light cutting properties. Or depending where you order from, a final finishing pad, and a pad one a step above that. As for the pads you mentioned of green, I personally haven't used yet.

The polisher is tough as you are on a budget, but at the same time you don't want to cause harm to your vehicle's paint (which after paying for correcting could of bought a ton of detail equip ). If ya can't swing the budget of picking up a variable speed polisher- I would try putting your final finishing pad you pick up on your machine, turn it on, and gently go over the back of your hand. With my random orbit machine (griots till I upgrade to a flex ) even on max does not burn my skin at all, and generates low heat with a finishing pad. This will give you a loose guideline on how aggressive your polisher could be on the paint. And yes, I would try the most fine pad you have, for your test spot.

Remember, take your time. If you don't feel comfortable on something take a breather, and can always ask more questions.