DIY auto buffing..........

[awsomeears]

Instead of paying a person to buff my neon I would like to dive in and do it myself.

The color is metalic blue and the paint is very nice, the only flaws are scratches through out the car. %98 are all clear coat scratches so it should all come out :thumbsup

I tried to Google DIY buffing but no real solid step by steps popped up.

I'm looking for a list starting with.....

What pad or pads to buy, why this pad and not the other pad.

Why type of buffing wax should I use, specific types for what I have described about my current state of paint issue.

What RPM is safe ?

You know shit like that...........

- Brad -

[TURTLE]

well... good piece of advice would be to start in a small area like the trunk or a fender...

i have one of the buffers from Harbor Freight.. speed 2-3(inbetween the 2, and depending on what kinda wax i'm using)

i like the mequires wax for hand waxing, but for power application you can't beat the 3m waxes... i have the perfect-it 3 wax, and for clearcoat oxidation it's pretty good, probably won't get rid of all the oxidation on the car, but it'll hide most of it well...

i don't claim to know everything about using a buffer(or "wheel") but experience with different waxes and finishes will go much farther than what most people can recommend... i started from watching a few guys at work detailing... got the itch to buff my own cars... and here i am...

[GTSLOW]

http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=263061

:)

[Cryptic]

stay away from corners/edges/hard lines, you'll find out real quick how fast you can burn through the paint.

[xxsn0blindxx]

Check out autopia.org, there is a great FAQ on buffing there and and a really helpful messageboard. For light scratches and marring a Porter Cable random orbital is a great buy. It has enough speed and power to buff out most light scratches, but because it is random orbital you don't have to worry about burning through the paint. I have used the Meguiars Crystal cleaner and polish and Meguiars show glaze topped with their Gold Class wax with excellent results. I would avoid using a rotary buffer, like the ones Harbor Freight carries because since they are much easier to burn through the paint with. They are good for doing serious paint correction, but unless you have heavy oxidation or deep scratches you should be fine with a porter cable. You can even get decent results with the $20 Walmart buffers.

I don't have any pics from using the Porter Cable, but here are a few after using a cheapie Walmart buffer.

http://www.extremepsi.org/gallery/albums/Joe-s-Misc-Pics/IMG_0440.jpg

http://www.extremepsi.org/gallery/albums/Joe-s-Misc-Pics/IMG_0442.jpg

http://www.extremepsi.org/gallery/albums/Joe-s-Misc-Pics/IMG_0439.jpg

[johnny--2k]

burning through the paint would suck.......just watch out for buffer trails/holograms as well with dark colored cars and an orbital polisher. Porter Cable is not a random-orbit polisher, that's the cheapie wal-mart or autozone buffers. A porter cable is conisdered a dual action polisher, which still has a different motion than a random-orbit.

Either way, stay away from a rotary/orbital if you can and get a DA or random orbit polisher. That'll be your best and safest route.

[xxsn0blindxx]

Doh! I knew random-orbital didn't sound right.

Here's a couple more tips. If you've never detailed the car before a good first step is to clay bar the car first. Polishing is like very fine sanding start with an agressive cleaner polish, followed by a fine polish and then a glaze. After that top with a good quality carnauba wax or synthetic sealant. If you go with over the counter products, Meguiars and Mothers polishes are the only ones worth using as well as their waxes and Zymol. Don't use any of that Turtle Wax or Eagle One garbage. Autopia.org has an online store with some top notch polishes and waxes. When you buy a porter cable don't forget to buy a set of pads and bonnets for each step.

[awsomeears]

http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=263061

:)

Thank you !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:headbang