Using DA to remove polish/wax

[ironbark]

I use my DA to apply polish or wax and then I have been buffing it off with microfiber cloths.

Seeing I have the DA I want to make the best use of it, aging is not kind and it's getting harder for me to buff off the polish/wax.

I did have some Maguires microfiber bonnets, they worked OK, however, they are not available in Australia and I can't even find them on any USA sites?

Is there a pad or similar I can use with my DA to buff off the polish/wax?

[Murr1525]

Re: Using DA to remove polish/wax

http://www.autogeek.net/10inch-microfiber-bonnets.html

Something like that perhaps... certainly good for wax... not sure if it is easier or not for polish, but whichever you find easiest.

[ironbark]

Re: Using DA to remove polish/wax

I need 6.5 inch if I go the bonnet way.

[ironbark]

Re: Using DA to remove polish/wax

Is that the best of the suggestions?

Can you use a buffing pad to take off the polish/wax?

[davey g-force]

Re: Using DA to remove polish/wax

Well, yes you can...

...If you use a MF bonnet!

Either like the one in the link above, or these ones are made for a DA with a 6.5 inch pad:

http://www.autogeek.net/pc7424-bonnet.html

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Using DA to remove polish/wax

Is that the best of the suggestions?

Can you use a buffing pad to take off the polish/wax?

The problem with using a pad to remove product is that you're asking the pad to do quite the opposite of what it was designed to do. With the exception of a quality finishing pad, most pads offer some cutting ability in and of themselves, and you select the appropriate pad to work in conjunction with the liquid chemical you're using to remove defects. So if you apply product with, say, a polishing pad to remove swirls and other defects and then you switch to a fresh pad to remove the residue, what you're really doing is continuing on with the buffing/polishing process.

The microfiber bonnets that are designed to wrap over a foam pad and remove wax do work well for that process since the wax residue is dry and, if properly applied, very low in volume. Trying to accomplish the same thing to remove compounds and polishes is going to be a bit tricky due to the heavier nature of these products, plus the fact that you're supposed to wipe them off while they're still wet.

We used to sell microfiber bonnets for wax removal, but we discontinued them due in part to poor sales, and in part because they just aren't needed. From personal experience, they're seem to create more work than they save. It's very easy to get overly aggressive when removing wax this way, and you end up with the very real potential of removing literally everything, including the small layer of wax you intended to leave in the first place! Plus, a bonnet wrapped over a foam pad doesn't seem to reach every tight spot or contour and you end up having to go back over the car again just to get all those spots.

If a compound or polish is used properly - minimal amounts of product, working them until they're quite thin on the surface - then removal with a clean, quality microfiber towel should not involve any scrubbing or even repeated rubbing of the surface. And if you have to work really hard to remove hazed wax, you really need to assess your wax application process or maybe switch to a different wax. This is something we discuss every single time we do a demo, whether in our training garage or at a remove event, and we like to select someone from the crowd who admits to having a hard time removing wax once it's dried. That's the person we have wipe off the wax we applied, and they're always amazed at how simple it is to wipe off a properly applied and fully dried coat of wax.

Now, you specifically mentioned that age isn't being kind (you're definitely not the first one to notice that!!) but if age hasn't stopped you from working with a DA buffer, then it certainly shouldn't be causing any issues with product wipe off. Using appropriate pressure to get the most out of a DA, using the tool on vertical panels, and the whole process of machine polishing a vehicle in general, takes a fair bit of strength and endurance. But the wiping off of product should be among the easiest aspects of the whole detailing process.

[davey g-force]

Re: Using DA to remove polish/wax

^ Great response right there!

[STRIFE]

Re: Using DA to remove polish/wax

I find wax or polishes/compounds applied via DA is very simple and easy to remove by hand/MF.
I find using a DA to remove dried wax or compounds more work actually....but if you wanna use a bonnet/DA....enjoy

I did buy some MF bonnets from ADS and I suppose I will try them out this spring

[Murr1525]

Re: Using DA to remove polish/wax

Hmm.. I never have had bad experience removing wax with a MF bonnet.