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Product Review/DIY: Griots 6" DA polisher
Ok guys.. So there are lots of great threads about polishing and the best polishers, pads, products, etc etc etc... But, I feel like there isn't a BASIC thread that teaches the newbies how to do this stuff... Ok, so my thread isn't the BEST attempt at that, but I still wanted to write a product review, and add a few pics... And to be honest, it can serve as a bit of a DIY as well...
So, I recently purchased the Griot's 6" DA polisher after MUCH reading and comparing, watching Youtube vids, and browsing other forums. For YEARS I've used the cheap random orbitals and I've always had amazing results. My first detail on my ZHP was with the same $30 polisher I picked up at Walmart... But, I still chose to buy a new polisher and really get professional with my abilities.
After much reading, I learned that smaller pads give better correction, so I chose to go a little smaller than the 6" pad. I want with a 5" hook/loop backing plate and a variety of 5.5" foam pads. I continue to use the same products I've been using for a few years now, Meguiar's Ultimate lineup... Frankly, I still don't think its necessary to buy the insanely high end (expensive) products that you can get online. I shop for my products at Walmart, and I think they are great.
As for pads, I went with Chemical Guys with "Hex Logic" technology. The hex pattern in the pad face is supposed to hold the product and help to better distribute it across the panel while polishing. They have a variety of different durometers for different products/uses.
For this test, I will be polishing on my ZHP. For those of you that saw the car at the Reunion, I think its safe to say that the paint is in excellent shape. It is very smooth, very glossy. But, I figured I'd give it more and see if I could further improve it. Besides, I had one small scuff mark on the rear corner where the back bumper meets the wheel arch... I rubbed my workbench backing the car in recently... Yes, I have to park that close to fit both cars... :facepalm
Ok, so what to do? First, I had to attach my new smaller backing plate with the Griot's supplied wrenches. No sweat, very easy and took about 20 seconds. From there, I set up each of the pads with the correct product. Just for testing purpose, I went through a 3 step process, or a full correction.
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You can see from left to right the products/steps I'll be using, as well as the pads matched with each product. Meguiars Ultimate lineup has proven to be really nice, the products go on well and come off easily. The other spray products are great, have good smells, and work really well. Personal favorite? The Ultimate Quick Detailer.
But I digress... I chose to do a 50/50 of the trunk lid. It was a small enough area to do fairly quickly and yet big enough to get a feel for the polisher. The flat surfaces on the vehicle take the most abuse (sun, settling dust, water spots, etc)... So, we'll go with this one. I washed the car and inspected. A few small hairline scratches in the clear coat, but otherwise a pretty smooth finish, and plenty of shine. Of course, alpine white being a NON metallic, very hard to get any depth out of it... So, apply the masking tape (I chose medium stick by 3M so it'd come off easily) and choose a side to correct.
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From here it was time to put the polisher to use. I attached the orange pad to start and applied some product. You can see how much I used, which I believe was more than enough.
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Once I applied the product I placed the pad flat onto the surface and let'er rip! I chose speed 4 (1-6 available) for the compound. I went across the surface 4 times total, back/forth and then up/down alternately, two times of each direction. I used a damp microfiber to remove the compound. Then I switched to the white pad and repeated with the polish. For the polish, I went down to speed 3. A clean, dry microfiber was used to remove little haze from the polish. Then I switched the black finishing pad and repeated again with the liquid wax to provide the finish shine. For the finish, I went with a speed of 1.5 (the click right between 1 and 2). Another clean, dry microfiber was used to give the paint a final, light buff. Very little buff was needed. At completion of this, I used my Craftsman LED worklite to expose any scratches and try to reveal what changes I made. Its VERY hard to see imperfections in white, so I wasn't expecting much.
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But, I looked and was able to barely see the scratches... On the before section, I could see them a bit... On the after section, I could still see a few scratches, but they were much more shallow and almost impossible to feel. Then I felt the two and WHOA... Night and day... My before feels pretty damn smooth, but the after is better than "glass". I honestly couldn't get photos of the difference as white is so hard to photograph, but WOW, I couldn't believe how much smoother the paint was after just a QUICK polish with each step. I can only imagine how much improvement could've been made with some actual time spent... Totally thrilled... Stay tuned for a full 3 step detail... And I just finished a really thorough wax job before the reunion... I didn't think I needed ANY correction!
Absolutely sold on the Griot's, the pads, and still my same products... :thumbsup