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Detailing On A Budget?

Jasonr31

By Jasonr31,
in Car Detailing & Paint Care

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Jasonr31 Enthusiast

Jasonr31

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hey, i'm after an off the shelf (aka autobarn / supercheap etc) polish / pads to use to try and get some of the swirls out of the paint on my project. Budget is small (aka the less i spend the better) and im not after a perfect showroom finish. My housemate has one of those cheap supercheap buffers and already have some mothers quick detailer / clay bar and a wax. Just after advice on a polish and pad to use and any tips to get the best out of the average buffer. Really not interested in spending heaps, and i understand you get what you pay for but car will mostly be a track / weekender and already has chips etc so doesnt need to be perfect. Any help would be awesome.

Cheers, Jason

Edited by Jasonr31
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ARTZ Grand Master

ARTZ

Posted
Posted

just get yourself some light cutting compound.. i got one here Mequirs Mirror glaze 2, Finecut cleaner, was only 15$ or thereabouts...

If you look on the bottles they have an indicator showing how heavy they cut on a scale of 1 to 10..its about 5...have a go with something like that and if it doesnt work maybe try something a little stronger..then work your way down to a light cut and then a sealant/wax..

Probably best to have a seperate pad for each but if you really wanna cheap out just wash the pad in hot water, it will be dry enough in the sun in about 15 minutes .

I would use a fresh pad then for your wax though.. :thumbsup:

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Antonio_Waxit Collaborator

Antonio_Waxit

Posted
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Jason,

Sorry to let you down mate, but you really wont be able to perform any paint correct with that type of polisher.

IF you are on a budget, get a Random Orbital Sander with a 150mm plate from bunnings. Although this will not have the power of the Concours 900w Random Orbital Polisher (@$229) we sell, you could get one or two pads for $20 each and a I step product for $30.

IF you would like any advice let me know.

Im guessing this will not be the only car you ever polish, and I hate to see you waste money on something that wont do the job for you.. IF the budget is really tight, find a few mates and go in together. Otherwise once they see your car you will have to do it.

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Jonno34 Mentor

Jonno34

Posted
Posted

if you're on a tight budget i reckon just use your hands? a foam pad will be like ... 5 bucks for 2 or less for the meguiars ones? - they arent much more than the SCA one so dont stinge out, may as well get the megs ones!

use that, a good microfibre cloth .. and i really liked autoglym paint renovator when i first got my skyline. and follow it up with a better wax like meguiars tech wax .. or find something like naviwax which has some filling properties .. not the best solution but on a tight budget its probably a better solution than getting a machine and pads etc.

probably a better idea than using a supercheap buffer :\

or perhaps borrow/loan somebodys if you know anyone near you who has one

all the best mate :)

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mxfly Veteran

mxfly

Posted
Posted (edited)

Jason,

Sorry to let you down mate, but you really wont be able to perform any paint correct with that type of polisher.

IF you are on a budget, get a Random Orbital Sander with a 150mm plate from bunnings. Although this will not have the power of the Concours 900w Random Orbital Polisher (@$229) we sell, you could get one or two pads for $20 each and a I step product for $30.

IF you would like any advice let me know.

Im guessing this will not be the only car you ever polish, and I hate to see you waste money on something that wont do the job for you.. IF the budget is really tight, find a few mates and go in together. Otherwise once they see your car you will have to do it.

I tried one of those $40 polishers from supercheap at my mates house one day and they have absolutely zero abilities to correct paint.

And I agree with Ant. If you don't have the funds to buy a decent machine, try and get a group of ppl to chip in and just share the usage.

Edited by JDM Performance
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Jasonr31 Enthusiast

Jasonr31

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Forgot about this, went and got some cheap kitten polish and had a go with the super cheap buffer, seemed to get a few scratches out but not all (not deep ones either) and it seemed to make the paint dull in one small area? (guessing that may have been my technique or lack of.... its not bad can only just notice in the sun) but im guessing everyone is right when saying cheaping out generally wont work. The paint isnt all that bad anyway i might have another go but by hand next time and see if i can make any improvements... cheers everyone!

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Jasonr31 Enthusiast

Jasonr31

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Posted

Forgot about this, went and got some cheap kitten polish and had a go with the super cheap buffer, seemed to get a few scratches out but not all (not deep ones either) and it seemed to make the paint dull in one small area? (guessing that may have been my technique or lack of.... its not bad can only just notice in the sun) but im guessing everyone is right when saying cheaping out generally wont work. The paint isnt all that bad anyway i might have another go but by hand next time and see if i can make any improvements... cheers everyone!

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Jasonr31 Enthusiast

Jasonr31

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Posted

Forgot about this, went and got some cheap kitten polish and had a go with the super cheap buffer, seemed to get a few scratches out but not all (not deep ones either) and it seemed to make the paint dull in one small area? (guessing that may have been my technique or lack of.... its not bad can only just notice in the sun) but im guessing everyone is right when saying cheaping out generally wont work. The paint isnt all that bad anyway i might have another go but by hand next time and see if i can make any improvements... cheers everyone!

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  • 5 months later...
m.j.h Mentor

m.j.h

Posted
Posted

Jason,

Sorry to let you down mate, but you really wont be able to perform any paint correct with that type of polisher.

IF you are on a budget, get a Random Orbital Sander with a 150mm plate from bunnings. Although this will not have the power of the Concours 900w Random Orbital Polisher (@$229) we sell, you could get one or two pads for $20 each and a I step product for $30.

IF you would like any advice let me know.

Im guessing this will not be the only car you ever polish, and I hate to see you waste money on something that wont do the job for you.. IF the budget is really tight, find a few mates and go in together. Otherwise once they see your car you will have to do it.

QFT

I bought one of the Concours polishers and wouldn't use anything else

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