Newbie DA Q's + Mirror Glaze V Consumer Meguiar's

[MidKnight123]

Ive been reading up on getting a DA when the new G110v2 comes out, ive been doing all detailing by hand using meg products and the results are very pleasing, but the long hours looking after a black car are getting tiresum, so thats the main reason why im thinking of going for a DA.

But ill have lots of questions and reading to come before i buy and start using a machine.

First up, ive been using meg stuff such as swirl-X, scartch-x, nxt gen 2.0 polish etc, but i notice most are using the mirror glaze stuff instead of the swirl/scratch-x. what are the differances/benefits in the mirror glaze?

Also with nxt 2.0 wax, can i use the DA to cover the car with it, then use the DA to remove it? (wanting to try the new Gold Class Carnauba Plus Wax, when it comes out too), should i get the paste or liquid?


What pads should i get to start me off?

[ziggo99]

Re: Newbie DA Q's + Mirror Glaze V Consumer Meguiar's

Mirror glaze products are aimed at the professionals, but in this day and age with easy access to online stores, more and more people are using Mirror Glaze and Detailer lines.

Yes, you can use the DA to take off waxes and polishes. Just use a clean bonnet to take them off. Liquids are easier to apply with a DA, although you can always use a knife to put the paste on the pad or if the pad is small enough, put it in the paste container and move the pad around, manually.

Good pads to start off with are from Lake County-The Orange Light Cut, the White Polishing, and the Black finishing pad. Meg's pads are Burgundy Cut, Yellow Polishing, and Tan Finishing. Either company you pick, you'll know you'll getting a high quality pad that will last you a long time.

[Murr1525]

Re: Newbie DA Q's + Mirror Glaze V Consumer Meguiar's

You ma yfind it easier to remove cleaners and polishes by towel, and then using the DA with a MF bonnet as mentioned for the waxes.

Also, some Consumer Line prodiucts are meant for hand use only. But the SwirlX, UC, waxes can be used by hand or machine. Also, buying in bulk in the Pro-Detailer Lines is helpfull for some people.

[Ganesa]

Re: Newbie DA Q's + Mirror Glaze V Consumer Meguiar's

The list above is only a starting point. Ultimately which products you choose will be determined by your skill, the condition of the paint, how hard or "polishable" the paint is, and your personal preferences - especially with regard to your final wax selection.

Some other things to keep in mind when working with the G110/G220 dual action polisher:

1) Pressure – How much pressure you apply to the pad will increase the “cutting action” of the pad/liquid combination. In some cases this is needed, and in other case this could be detrimental to the surface. Generally speaking you will use more pressure when correcting defects and less when applying a wax.

2) OPM – By increasing the OPM (oscillations per minute) of the machine, you automatically increase the action of the machine. This means additional “cutting action” when using products that have defect removal capability. If you’re simply spreading a wax or pure polish, however, you should reduce the speed of the machine for this step.

3) Arm Speed – The quicker you move your arms back and forth, the less chance the product has to do it job. Slow down your arm speed to give the pad/liquid combination more time to concentrate the work over a given area. When applying a wax you can move the machine a bit more quickly, but still move the machine in purposeful movements to ensure a thorough and even application of the wax.

4) Work Area - Just as your arm speed determines how much time the pad/liquid combination can work a given area, so does the overall size of the area being worked. Shrink your work area down to no more than 2' x 2'. Don't try to work the entire hood of your vehicle at once; you'll be spreading the work over too large an area, run the risk of product drying out, and diminish the overall effectiveness of the product. The work area changes dramatically when applying wax as you can now cover all the painted surfaces at once.

5) Pad Choice – The more aggressive the pad, the more “cutting” action will take place. You must first evaluate your finish, determine your goal, and then choose the appropriate pad to do the job. Generally a W8207 Soft Buff 2.0 Polishing Pad will be used with a paint cleaner or cleaner/polish to remove defects. For applying a pure polish or wax you would select a W9207 Soft Buff 2.0 Finishing Pad.

6) Product Choice - The more severe the defect, the more aggressive the product needed to remove them. Heavy swirls in hard paint will be a big challenge for a mild cleaner/polish while a dedicated paint cleaner may make very short work of them. Determining which product is right for the job is best determined by doing a test spot first and evaluating the results. There is nothing more frustrating than just jumping in with a randomly selected product and working over the entire vehicle, only to find it wasn't effective at removing the defects. On the flip side, there is no reason to use an overly aggressive product in a situation where a mild approach would yield the same result.

heres a good link for you to see what pad, speed and product you are going to use once the da becomes available :]

Product, Pad and Speed settings for the G110 Dual Action Polisher - Updated!