maximo-SE

iTrader: (7)

I need to find an answer asap because ill be purchasing a buffer soon.

does anyone know how to actually buff out light scratches? Do you use some sort of chemical/paste/bar/etc that you can buy from autozone with the buffer?

Im really noob at this and i cant seem to find answers on the detailing section.

any professional or experienced advice is appreciated.

djfrestyl

iTrader: (89)

Detailing forum > 5th gen forum

for this question, at least

maximo-SE

iTrader: (7)

yeah i checked, no answers. wish i was able to use the search option

Y2k2maxse

iTrader: (1)

I do detailing for BMW and I do buff. what you need to do is get rubbing compound. That is a liquid that (although you cannot feel it) has grit in it. You apply some to the scratch, (you can find these things at your local auto parts store) start the machine out slow, than gain speed. you want the machine around 12-1400 RPMS. DO NOT keep the buffer in one spot, as you WILL burn through the paint. move around the scratch slowly, applying light pressure to the buffer. dont buff one area for more than about 20 seconds, give it time to cool than try again. When that scratch is out, you'll need "swirl mark remover" basically the same as rubbing compound. it's much less coarse and will remove any marks caused by the buffer, You will need a foam buffing pad to apply swirl mark remover, and a wool pad is recommended for the rubbing compound (although a foam pad can be used). make sure when you are ready to apply swirl mark remover, you wipe the paint with preferrably a micro-fiber towel to remove any leftover compound. after you use the swirl mark remover, but the car in the sun AND see if you see any "3-d" marks, these are swirls that will appear to be 3-d when you put the car in the sun. If you can see those, you need to put on more swirl mark remover.

here are some tips:
- keep your buffing pads clean, get a toothbrush or something, run the machine upside down and while its spinning, put the brush on the pad.
- Clean out all the crevices after you are finished on the car, most likely compound will get in there.
- keep the buffer off of plastic trim as it will burn it.
- yes, you can buff plastic door moldings and bumpers.
- works great on dull black trim (mirrors, between the glass on the doors, etc) turns dul black into rich, deep black.
- for some scratches and blemishes, you can buy 1500 grit sand paper and sand out the blemish, and buff it like normal (you should get help with that though from expierenced personnel)

ANY more questions, feel free to e-mail me at toyotaTRD33@aol.com

Y2k2maxse

iTrader: (1)

oh and also, you need to get the buffer than actually spins around. there are buffers which just basically vibrate and do not spin. you need the one that spins as a drill would spin. the ones that do not spin are called "multi-orbital" buffers. that is to apply and take off wax. not for buffing.

maximo-SE

iTrader: (7)

thanks a lot man. i will try it out and get back to you. lots of useful info there.

Terran

iTrader: (6)

This is VERY bad advice. Rotory's (what he's talking about) take a certain amount of skill to use properly. If used improperly they can easily burn paint or swirl the finish...I won't say anything against Y2KmaxSE as I have not seen his work, but dealerships are notorious for creating horrible finishes (holograms galore) for the simple reason that they hire inexperienced kids without proper training and hand them a rotory without properly training them.

A porter cable 7336 or 7442 (commonly refered to as a PC) would be a much better choice. It's a random orbital polisher which will be much safer for a beginner. There's a common saying in detailing circles that the only way to damage paint with a PC is to drop it on the car. It will take longer than a rotory and will have limits where a rotory could do the job, but it's really the best choice for your situation.

Stuntin' 101

i stongly suggest you use POLISHING COMPOUND as opposed to rubbing compound.. you can very easily ruin your paint job

gto400no1

iTrader: (5)

being as you are a beginner i would recomend a PC. how ever after using a PC for the past year i have found that it just isnt powerful enough for me. i detail cars and boats as a side job, and the pc just doesnt get the work done nearly as fast as a rotory because u have to work an area way longer and the pads are smaller. i have recently bought a rotory and am in the process of converting. i will say the pc was a good starter but i just dont think it has the power to get out a scratch like a rotory.

BlueC

iTrader: (5)

The Porter Cable still does an amazing job. When theres spots it cant fix, I just do some wet sanding and run the PC over it with 3M PII RC. I feel thats the perfect combo when taking out deeper scratches. Just as good as using a rotary.

86maxima96

iTrader: (10)

I'm am just learning the ropes here. What is so good about a buffer? What do you use it for? just to apply wax and such and other polishes? I always wax by hand and love the results. Is there anything a PC can do that I couldn't do by hand? I'm sure it can do anything quicker, but other than that?

Also, I am willing to put in the extra time with a PC rather than what a rotary would take, so that is not a problem. But is there anything that a PC can't do that a rotary can't do? Or can't do as well? If it can do everything a rotary can but just over a longer period of time, I am fine with that.

I'm just wondering what makes: Hand Wax< PC < Rotary true.

Is it just the amount of time a project, or are there results that you can get with a PC/rotary that you will never in your life see with a hand job?

86maxima96

iTrader: (10)

perhaps 7336 or 7424, I believe?

BlueC

iTrader: (5)

Lets put it this way. Polishing by hand is like trying to remove the paint off a car by hand with simple 600 grit sand paper. The PC is basically the "mudhog" in time saving equipment.

86maxima96

iTrader: (10)

alright, but that's all it is is a time-saver?
I really have never fully detailed my Max or any other car yet and I am trying to figure all this out so I will be ready in the coming Spring.

Terran

iTrader: (6)

You are correct. Oops.

To try to answer your other questions, PC can remove more defects than hand and sometimes a rotory can remove more than PC, but if you aren't doing it professionally then it's best to just stick with the less dangerous PC.

86maxima96

iTrader: (10)

alright. was there a thread comparing the two PC's?

BlueC

iTrader: (5)

I use the PC for my side business in detailing. I've made some cars look brand new after taking years of abuse, almost to the point to where you'd think that panel was repainted. I've used both Rotary and the PC, and I can say I like the PC much more. Sure it takes longer but its less damaging and much easier to use. So even if you are doing it professionally, the PC will do just fine, it all depends on how you use it.

rbrown81

iTrader: (3)

I just got a nice little 6 inch long scratch on my car today, right near the foglamp housing on the bumper from a piece of debris. Id like to avoid using a PC, is there any paint care or wax products that will help conceal the scratch until I decide to repaint?

PrinzII

iTrader: (2)

rbrown: Is the scratch deep?

djfrestyl

iTrader: (89)

Yea Prinz it's down to black bumper. I told him there isn't MUCH that can be done and have it look semi-decent but maybe you have some other remedy?

maximo-SE

iTrader: (7)

yeah... its a deep scratch. I also have some small deep knicks that would be a b*tch to touch up. (probably going to use langka)

I finally decided that I will be buying the front and rear bumper on ebay. Then ill have them painted. Probably going to cost me $400+ and they will be aftermarket... it just heart breaking to see this sh*t happen. The funniest thing is all these scratches were caused by bad drivers in parking lots.

Besides that, I want to get my hands on a easy to use buffer so I dont have to spend $$$ to have somone do it for me.

rbrown81

iTrader: (3)

Yep... Like Nilesh said... Its deep.

PrinzII

iTrader: (2)

Personally, this would require getting refinished. Even using the strongest rubbing compound to remove the scratch will not remove it if it is down the the black plastic.

As for the poster who said rubbing compound is too harsh, it depends on the cut. Case in point, I have a light cut rubbing compound that works for moderate defect removal. If you are running a medium or heavy cut rubbing compound, then you are correct.

Supermax95

iTrader: (2)

If your too lazy to do all that buffing with rubbing compound, get wax thats the same color as your car and the wax will fill up inside the scratch when you buff it in.

maximo-SE

iTrader: (7)

they have sheer silver wax?!?!?! never knew that. (no sarcasm, im serious).......

Supermax95

iTrader: (2)

um not sure about silver, but i know turtlewax makes a black colored wax....and all the other colors besides pebble and sage should be easy to find.

Y2k2maxse

iTrader: (1)

please dont state false info...bmw wont hire inexpeirenced kids to budd $80,000 cars. I went to school for auto body 4 years...and most people working there are over 30. if there are any swirls on our cars at all, we need to re-do them. yes a polisher is not great for a beginner but with the right advice and starting out slow it IS possible to learn. i did learn on my own. its not very hard just use some common sense.

BlueC

iTrader: (5)

Who are you talking to? You were the one giving false information. I have a hard time understanding what you typed out in that post....

Terran

iTrader: (6)

I believe he was talking to me. I did state that I wouldn't speak against him as I have not seen his work, but I still stand by my original post. Go over to autopia and ask what they think of dealership detailers and you'll see that my opinion is prevalent among both pro's and enthusiasts. Personally I would take his advice with a grain of salt. Even the things he's recommended that aren't overtly wrong still kind of rub me the wrong way ("its not ur cloths or anything" from " When wiping off wax/polish, I get swirls." Poor quality cloth WILL cause marring). I haven't seen any really good advice from him. I don't want to get into any kind of flame war over this, but he seems to feel that he should say he does detailing for BMW in every thread to show that he's who everyone should believe. Honestly I think it may be the exact opposite.

BTW, here's the "quality" job a BMW dealership can do http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?t=61461

BlueC

iTrader: (5)

I agree with you. I know the kind of detailers dealerships hire. It's lower pay, they will basically hire anyone with a clean record. I've been in the business and I refuse to deal with dealerships because of that reason.