Thinking about getting the G110

[Geek]

Hey MOL geeks, been reading a lot in this forum and decided to register.
I am a homeowner that always waxed my cars by hand; just wash and wax pretty much and use the Meguiar's Deep Crystal Carnuba wax. Never used a Dual Action Polisher before and according to the posts this is a safe machine for a normal homeowner (not professional detailer).

I have a Sienna 04 mini van and just bought a new Civic 2009 Sedan (silver), and now looking to get more into the detailing techniques from the experts.

For the first time ever I bought a clay bay from Meguiar (at
Walmart) that I plan to start using, EVEN on the new car.

1. for the 04 van I don't really see noticeable swirls, maybe minor ones in a couple spots, aside from a couple bad scratches that I think can only be fixed by repainting.
For this van: should I still polish or just :

-wash/rinse
-clay bar
-seal
-wax

2, for the brand new car, do I just :

-wash/rinse
-clay bar
-seal
-wax

3. lastly, are the G110 and PC 7424 pretty much the same DA polishers? I can get the G110 online for $119.95 and think I JUST need a white pad and a blue pad....

Thanks much guys,

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Thinking about getting the G110

Your process looks good, you might look at a light cleaner/polish like our new SwirlX for use after claying and before waxing/sealing.

When used with a DA Polisher and a polishing pad it will remove light swirls and perfectly prepare the paint for application of wax or a paint sealant.

The primary difference between our polisher the the Porter Cable unit is our polisher offers more power which is valuable if you do a lot of swirl removal as more power means better, faster, more efficient removal of the swirls themselves.

The thing everyone loves about these tools is they are safe as they won't burn the paint or instill swirls, they do this because they have a clutch which will stop the pad from rotating if too much pressure is applied to the face of the buffing pad.

It is this same safety feature that reduces their ability to remove swirls because the way you remove swirls is you remove a little paint. This mean pushing down on the head of your polisher and when you do this too much the pad will stop rotating and more or less just vibrate against the paint. At this point it's not doing anything.

As you work around your car and your pad becomes wet with product the combination of wet or soggy foam acts to dissipate the power coming out of the tool used to keep the pad rotating, thus as you work around the car and your pad becomes wet with product, (normal by the way), you become less efficient at removing swirls because your pad will tend and trend toward not rotating as well.

That's where the 'more power' feature of our tool comes in handy. Another option is to switch to dry pads which will restore rotating action.

Since you say neither of your car's have a lot of swirls you may not be as interested in the extra power feature. I just want to explain a little of what's going on when machine cleaning and polishing.

Don't take the above the wrong way, you'll get much better results faster when working with a DA Polisher versus working by hand but the clutch/safety feature is both a blessing and hindrance for people looking to do major paint correction. These tools do work well and this forum is here to help people maximize their time when using a tool like this by helping you to perfect your techniques when using one of these tools.

Read through this before making a purchase,

How To use: G110 - G220 - G100 - PC/Porter Cable - UDM
If you're moving up to machine polishing, be sure to read the below thread before starting...
Tips & Techniques for using the G110, G100, G220 and the PC Dual Action Polisher
(These are all similar tools)

[Geek]

Re: Thinking about getting the G110

Thanks for the responses Mike.

So for my brand new Civic, it doesn't make sense to use a DA polisher just to apply wax, does it?

[Nappers]

Re: Thinking about getting the G110

Thanks for the responses Mike.

So for my brand new Civic, it doesn't make sense to use a DA polisher just to apply wax, does it?

A lot of people like to use the DA to apply wax with the finishing pad.

I personally like to wax by hand. It's really up to you, you can try it and see if you like it.

Other than that, the DA is a great tool for you to get.

[zdubsi]

Re: Thinking about getting the G110

I use my G110 to apply waxes and it works great. I just personally cannot apply waxes thin enough by hand and I end up having to strong arm the residue off after its dried. Using the G110 I can apply waxes/sealents whisper thin in about 1/3 the time and I can buff it off much easier as a result.

[Geek]

Re: Thinking about getting the G110

Your process looks good, you might look at a light cleaner/polish like our new SwirlX for use after claying and before waxing/sealing.

When used with a DA Polisher and a polishing pad it will remove light swirls and perfectly prepare the paint for application of wax or a paint sealant.

one last question on this topic:]

If I determine neither my 04 van nor my new 09 Civic (2 weeks old...) have any light swirls then I have No need for the light cleaner/polish like the SwirlX, is this correct?

The point I'm trying to make is that the "polishing" step is NOT needed at all, for example on my new car, if swirls/scratches are not present.

I just want to make sure this step is not necessary for a "normal" car waxing/detail.

Once again, thanks...!!

[Golden]

Re: Thinking about getting the G110

I doubt your civic needs polish. I didn't have a single swirl mark at the 3 month mark on my cobalt, but then again I am very cautious as to what I use on my vehicles.

You're going to love the clay bar. I won't work on my paint before using one.

[Murr1525]

Re: Thinking about getting the G110

one last question on this topic:]

If I determine neither my 04 van nor my new 09 Civic (2 weeks old...) have any light swirls then I have No need for the light cleaner/polish like the SwirlX, is this correct?

The point I'm trying to make is that the "polishing" step is NOT needed at all, for example on my new car, if swirls/scratches are not present.

I just want to make sure this step is not necessary for a "normal" car waxing/detail.

Once again, thanks...!!

A pure polish is always optional. But one of the steps for a detail would be to clean the paint. That could be with a mild cleaner just for dirt, or a strong cleaner to remove swirls.

Now, a cleaner/polish kind of covers both steps at once. The cleaner polishes you would want to look at for a mild cleaning include SwirlX, #80 Speed Glaze, and #205 Finishing Polish.

[Geek]

Re: Thinking about getting the G110

thanks a lot guys..!!!

[zdubsi]

Re: Thinking about getting the G110

Being an owner of an 8th gen civic, I will comment that for that sedan M66 is a great mild paint cleaner and is about a third the price of 205. Its also a wax so if you let it dry you will add a measure of protection as well. I don't know how big you are into weekly waxings on your civic like I am so that may be something you should look into.