[getchapull]

and going to town on the car myself.

Never done it before, looks easy enough. Shop wants $350 for a 1 step correction.

Couple of questions for the experts:

1. Bought the car with almost 4k miles on it and its lightly swirled. What pad and product would you recommend to get the swirls out and ramp up the gloss?

2. Harbor Freight DA polisher ok?

Thanks.

[KirkH]

There are a bunch of threads in this subforum on this topic. Do a search and you will find lots of info.

[KirkH]

https://www.camaro6.com/forums/showt...light=polisher

https://www.camaro6.com/forums/showt...light=polisher

https://www.camaro6.com/forums/showt...light=chechnya

[LARRY01Z28]

I use a porter cable and I love it.

[harner]

This topic is beaten to death across the internet. It should be "easy enough" to do your own research.

With that being said, I'd recommend the Maxshine 15mm on Amazon, grab 4 or 5 medium polish pads like a yellow Rupes, a solid polish like Meguiars M205 and go to town.

Are there better products out there? Yes. But, it's a good starting point.

[NeverDie]

PC7424XP is a great place to start.

I believe Griots has a knockoff of it with a longer warranty, but I beat on my PC for a good 10 years before it shit the bed. I use Rupes now.

[jeverton]

Check out Adam's Polishes for a comprehensive list of polishes, pads and videos to get started. A general rule is start with the least aggressive polish and pad and by taping (no locking edges type tape) a 2x2 section to see what works best and inspecting with a LED light before proceeding over the rest of the car. If you want to protect the finish for a longer period of time, you need to consider a ceramic coating or spray vs. wax.

I personally use a Flex XC3401 VRG HD DA and Adam's Swirl Killer Mini 12mm.

[Adam's Polishes]

Originally Posted by jeverton

Check out Adam's Polishes for a comprehensive list of polishes, pads and videos to get started. A general rule is start with the least aggressive polish and pad and by taping (no locking edges type tape) a 2x2 section to see what works best and inspecting with a LED light before proceeding over the rest of the car. If you want to protect the finish for a longer period of time, you need to consider a ceramic coating or spray vs. wax.

I personally use a Flex XC3401 VRG HD DA and Adam's Swirl Killer Mini 12mm.

Thank You!

[Spartan268]

Originally Posted by getchapull

and going to town on the car myself.

Never done it before, looks easy enough. Shop wants $350 for a 1 step correction.

Couple of questions for the experts:

1. Bought the car with almost 4k miles on it and its lightly swirled. What pad and product would you recommend to get the swirls out and ramp up the gloss?

2. Harbor Freight DA polisher ok?

Thanks.

1. Like someone else mentioned start from least aggressive and build your way up. I personally used Meg's Ultimate Compound and Polish combo (was my first time). I used the compound with a orange (aggressive) cutting pad. To be very honest it was too safe for me since it hardly cut there the light marks on my car. Maybe I didn't go slow enough on my passes. But the end result did bring out more shine and reflective properties from the paint. The polish felt little useless, seems like it just prepped the surface and didn't really do much else; maybe the dim lighting in my garage threw off my perception.



Anyways do some research with what you're comfortable with. I started easy. Next time I'll be getting something more effective but I'll hold off for another year or so until that happens.



2. Personally I grabbed a Porter Cable from Amazon. There was a chemical guys bundle deal online which included the pads and a cleaner/conditioner as well. Try to find something similar if you can. The cleaner was useful in getting the product out of the pads.

[JROC]

I've had my HF DA for probably 11-12 years. Works great. You just have to do your part.

[getchapull]

Here's what I'm contemplating:

- DA (they are all made in china so brand doesn't matter)
- a clay bar or towel
- Griots correcting cream
- Griots orange correcting pad
- Megs new Sio2 sealant wax
- Griots best of show wax to finish

What do you boys think?

[KirkH]

Originally Posted by getchapull

Here's what I'm contemplating:

- DA (they are all made in china so brand doesn't matter)

I don't agree with this. Some polishers have heavy vibration and melt your pads with heat. Some Chinese polishers are better than others. For example, the Chechnya Tools 21 mm DA is rebranded as a Griots Boss 21. It is a nice smooth tool. The Harbor Freight DA is made in China and it will beat you to death with vibration and needs the backing plate exchanged to a pro plate or it will melt pads.

The German and Italian made polishers have almost no vibration.

[getchapull]

KirkH,

Since I will only use the polisher maybe once a year what low end DA would you recommend? I have seen some amazon polishers for like 70 bucks.

[RWT]

I just picked up a Griot's garage G9. Low vibration, comfortable design. Has some design features that make it easier to use and provide a better polish.


This is not my first polisher but it is currently my favorite.


https://www.autogeek.net/new-griots-polisher.html


I haven't used it on the Camaro yet but I have used it on my Colorado.
See the reflection examples from the hood of my Colorado below: