Just got my first DA!!!!

[GLOCKer]

And some of you may frown at me. I saw that Harbor Freight had their DA on sale for $69.99, and they had a coupon code for 25% off taking it down to $52.49. I decided to check it out, and it turned out the only one they had in stock was an "open-box" (damaged box) and was priced at $55.99. The nice lady at the counter broke the rules and applied the coupon to that and I was out-the-door for $44.50 after tax!

My detailing regimen consists of a two bucket wash, compounding, polishing, and waxing my car. I prefer to hand wax my car, so I will need the proper stuff to compound and polish my car with my DA. I would really appreciate any suggestions on a backing plate and pads for my new DA so that I can compound and polish with it. If I can fin something that works well, but keeps me low on the budget, I would really, really appreciate it. Thank you!

[DasBurninator]

Re: Just got my first DA!!!!

The thin Meguiars pads are REALLY nice to work with and have impressed me. Same with the new backing plates, as they are much stiffer on the edges to help put the power to the paint so to speak.

http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-5-inch-da-foam-discs-6pk.html

Lake Country pads are a bit more economical and I believe they just came out with thin pads as well.

http://www.autogeek.net/lake-country-thinpro-5-inch.html

Also I would recommend using the 5" backing plate/pads with whichever option you go with. It will allow you to have much better control and offer better results in general.


This also opens up the options for you to get a 3" backing plate and pads at a later date for tighter areas on cars.

[Eldorado2k]

Re: Just got my first DA!!!!

You're the man! That's an awesome deal you jumped on. It's great to see you go from your words of sometime in the future to owning your 1st DA in less than a day
You deserve it, happy for you

Do you already have Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish? If you do than you really shouldn't need much beyond that to handle your own Black Mustang as it's in good shape as it stands. You may find yourself reaching perfection with just the Ultimate Polish on a Meguiars Thin Foam Polishing Pad.

Speaking of pads, get a 6pk. or just start with 2 Megs Thin Foam Cutting Pads [burgundy color]
And 2 Meguiars Thin Foam Polishing Pads [yellow]

Buy either 6pk. or 4 pads, whichever is the better value. If you decide on the 6pk. choose 3 cutting, 2 polishing, and 1 finishing pad.

You also need either the Meguiars 5" DA backing plate or the Lake County 5" DA backing plate.

I just checked it out.
If you purchase throughAutogeek.net you can buy 3 [only 3 pads which is cutting yourself very thin] and the Lake Country 5" inch backing plate and have it shipped for a total of $56.43

If you purchase throughAutodetailingsolutions.net you can buy 6pk. of pads along with the 5" Lake Country backing plate and have it shipped for a total of $68.89

If I were you I'd buy the $68 version because 3 pads isn't enough.
So there you have it, and you do need these items to be able to start. Good luck!

[Eldorado2k]

Re: Just got my first DA!!!!

1 side note: It's a good idea to utilize a thick gauge extention cord while using your DA. 14 gauge is ideal.

The manual warns that using light duty cords can affect the power of the machine and affect proper performance. How critical is that? I'm not totally sure but I chose to not take a chance and bought a 14 gauge extention the same day I bought my polisher and won't plug it into anything but that cord.

[The Guz]

Re: Just got my first DA!!!!

All I have to say is that it's about time .

That's a good deal indeed. I would definitely pick up the 6 pack of thin Meguiar's pads and the backing plate. Have Autogeek or Autopia Car Care price match the deal that Auto Detailing Solutions has and order from tem given that Autogeek and Autopia Car Care are closer to you.

Autopia currently has a 20% off sale with free shipping over $50. Sounds like a good time to order to me.

[willowcatfish]

Re: Just got my first DA!!!!

This is exactly the stuff I need to be hearing as well. Very helpful thread! And congratulations on your first DA GLOCKer!

[Eldorado2k]

Re: Just got my first DA!!!!

@The Guz. That's a great tip about having Autopia match the price and + they're having 20% off and free shipping on orders right now? That's gonna save a good chunk of $$$!

Connecting through the internet at its best here in this thread

[GLOCKer]

Re: Just got my first DA!!!!

Thank you everybody, and thank you Guz. I just got into my office this morning and once I get settled in, I'll check out the info in the PM you sent me. Thank you!

[04blkpearlcoupe]

Re: Just got my first DA!!!!

Have you tried yours out yet? I just bought the same DA from HF the other day and tried it for the first time tonight. Had to modify the backing plate with a ring I cut out of some plastic and attached it with velcro to save my 5" pads from getting torn up by the outer edge of the 6" velcro backing pad (The backing pad that comes with it is meant for 6" pads, but I had 5" ones that I used on my rotary). I plan on buying some meguiars or lake country 6" pads soon.

I was surprised that the DA stopped rotating so easily and thought it was defective until I watched a couple pro detailers on youtube (one of them being Mike Philips) basically showing that that's how DA's are. It sure is a world away from using a rotary which you can't stop from rotating if you tried. I'm going to use the DA on my bimmer (which is also black) and save the rotary for paint correction on my honda. Oh and yes the DA took out swirls very nicely once I figured out that I needed to bump it up to speed setting 3.

[DasBurninator]

Re: Just got my first DA!!!!

Oh and yes the DA took out swirls very nicely once I figured out that I needed to bump it up to speed setting 3.

Bump it up to 5-6 for defect removal, 4 or so for polishing, and 3 for waxing/applying sealant.

Obviously that is just a general rule of thumb.

[The Guz]

Re: Just got my first DA!!!!

Have you tried yours out yet? I just bought the same DA from HF the other day and tried it for the first time tonight. Had to modify the backing plate with a ring I cut out of some plastic and attached it with velcro to save my 5" pads from getting torn up by the outer edge of the 6" velcro backing pad (The backing pad that comes with it is meant for 6" pads, but I had 5" ones that I used on my rotary). I plan on buying some meguiars or lake country 6" pads soon.

I was surprised that the DA stopped rotating so easily and thought it was defective until I watched a couple pro detailers on youtube (one of them being Mike Philips) basically showing that that's how DA's are. It sure is a world away from using a rotary which you can't stop from rotating if you tried. I'm going to use the DA on my bimmer (which is also black) and save the rotary for paint correction on my honda. Oh and yes the DA took out swirls very nicely once I figured out that I needed to bump it up to speed setting 3.

Get yourself a 5 inch backing plate and 5 inch pads.

[04blkpearlcoupe]

Re: Just got my first DA!!!!

Bump it up to 5-6 for defect removal, 4 or so for polishing, and 3 for waxing/applying sealant.

Obviously that is just a general rule of thumb.

Thanks. I will give those a try. I would love to be able to use this all the time instead of the rotary because its so light and you don't have to fight to keep it steady.

[DasBurninator]

Re: Just got my first DA!!!!

Thanks. I will give those a try. I would love to be able to use this all the time instead of the rotary because its so light and you don't have to fight to keep it steady.

I have no issues using DA's to correct at all. Especially with the newer DA's that have come out.

Edge work I still haven't found anything better than a rotary. Maybe the new Rupes Nano polisher will take that place for me.

Pad choice and compound choice can make all the difference in being able to get cut out of a DA. 5" pads make work quicker and the newer Meg's thin pads translate to more power to the paint. Mark you backing plate so you can easily check if it is rotating. No rotation means no correcting happening.

[04blkpearlcoupe]

Re: Just got my first DA!!!!

Well I've decided to return the DA. It works ok, but it takes a lot longer to remove swirls compared to my rotary and it seems like no matter what I do it always leaves a bit of a haze. I have for years used 105 and Ultimate Compound with my rotary and never got haze. It always leaves a nice deep gloss on my black car. After trying to avoid haze with the DA (with no luck) I quickly pulled the pad from the DA and attached it to my rotary and the haze was gone on the first try, and this is using the same pad and product I just used a minute ago on the DA. My guess is that the orbiting action is somehow digging the compound into the paint. I'm not pressing hard with the DA either and I could see that the pad was rotating at a good speed. I was pressing just hard enough to keep it steady and on the paint. I tried using speeds 4, 5 and 6 and still ended up with haze/cloudiness. Speed 6 worked best, leaving a haze that was very subtle and could only be seen under direct bright light.

I understand that compounding supposedly produces a haze that needs to be polished off but I get excellent results right off the bat with my rotary so I'm taking the DA back tomorrow. Thanks you guys for the helpful suggestions though.

[The Guz]

Re: Just got my first DA!!!!

Well I've decided to return the DA. It works ok, but it takes a lot longer to remove swirls compared to my rotary and it seems like no matter what I do it always leaves a bit of a haze. I have for years used 105 and Ultimate Compound with my rotary and never got haze. It always leaves a nice deep gloss on my black car. After trying to avoid haze with the DA (with no luck) I quickly pulled the pad from the DA and attached it to my rotary and the haze was gone on the first try, and this is using the same pad and product I just used a minute ago on the DA. My guess is that the orbiting action is somehow digging the compound into the paint. I'm not pressing hard with the DA either and I could see that the pad was rotating at a good speed. I was pressing just hard enough to keep it steady and on the paint. I tried using speeds 4, 5 and 6 and still ended up with haze/cloudiness. Speed 6 worked best, leaving a haze that was very subtle and could only be seen under direct bright light.

I understand that compounding supposedly produces a haze that needs to be polished off but I get excellent results right off the bat with my rotary so I'm taking the DA back tomorrow. Thanks you guys for the helpful suggestions though.

Most of the time it comes down to technique. Mike Phillips has good videos on Autogeek's youtube channel.

What pads are you using? How much product are you using? What products are you using?

Some paints are hard and some are soft. DA haze can happen, especially on softer paints. But can be remedied with a polishing step.

You should not need to compound everytime on your personal car. You run the risk of removing more and more clear coat being that aggressive.