Pretty anxious to use my new DA machine.

But I was hoping there would be at least a small instruction booklet ?

One thing of particular interest to me, is "how to clean foam pads, after use" ? The brief instructions they give, doesn't seem like it would clean them very well. I was thinking like warm, lightly soapy water, in the sink, then set out to dry.... No ?

Another thing; They say > To prime new, or dry pads, mist on M34 Final Inspection.... Great ! Now they tell me ! So what else can I use to prime my pads, since I didn't get any M34 this time ?

I do like the feel of my G110 DA machine though. Feels proffessional

My car is crying for attention..... But the Sturgeon are calling me back out too ! So much detailing to do, and so many fish to catch.... but so little time. What's a guy going to do ?

Peace,
Fish

 

There are some really good instructional videos for the DA on the internet.. Check Autogeek or similar sites.

To clean pads you can just wash them in the sink with a good dish soap. I've found that Dawn Direct Foam works very well. Make sure you rinse them well because they really soak in the soap.

It's not absolutely necessary to prime your pads, I never do and get good results. But if you really want to then you could spray a light mist of filtered water on it, or go to a local auto parts store and find some quick detailer spray.

Here's a good video - http://www.autogeek.net/dual-action-polisher.html Just remember to be patient, start out at a slow speed to spread the product around and then bump it up to do correction.

 

Much thanks MOford. I see that detailer spray all over the place. Even Wally World I think. I need some blue masking tape anyway, so I'll pick some up then.

I'm going to go look at those videos now. Thanks for the link !

Peace,
Fish

 

Fish, I just got my DA a few days ago as well. Priming with a spray just helps the product stay on the outside of the foam. It's not needed.

Wiping the foam off with a terry cloth every so often is just a way to keep the old, caking polish/wax from building up.

I clean my pads with Tide liquid detergent. The kind with no softeners or perfumes. As mentioned, just make sure you rinse them out very well.

The videos are a must. Basically you apply a circle of product to the pad. With the machine off, rub it around a small section. Turn the machine on setting 3 and work the product around just a little. Then turn the machine to 5 and go over the area. You want to keep moving but move slow. I feel myself wanting to move faster then I should. Apply 10-15lbs of pressure. Read up on the product your using to know how is breaks down. This is important to know as you need to know when it's no longer doing anything.

So far my fav is Ultimate Compound. It does not break down quickly and even though it's pretty high up on the scale, I think it takes out minor swirls pretty slowly.

 

Hey tcope, so, as a first time DA'er, let me ask you this; Is it hard to tell when the polish is breaking down ? ....and when you have worked it enough ?

I'm a little concerned about having enough light.... but still staying out of direct sun. I'm thinking I'll pull the car just far enough into the garage, and under the garage door, that it has no direct sun on it.... but direct sun just past it (if that makes any since) Also, I can hop in and roll it back 10 feet every once in a while, just for a quick peek.... then roll her back in the garage before it starts getting too hot.

Anyway, I'm shooting for next Tuesday. And I'm hoping that I will be able to do;

M105
M205
M07 Glaze
and M26 wax...... Without completely killing myself.

It's a pretty small car.

The truck will be a "bigger" job.... but then it won't need the M105 polish either.

BTW, I had said before that I didn't want to have to go over my whole car.... well, even 4 X's.....

But 1) I've been reading that a good glaze, followed by a good wax, gives a bombastic finish and 2) if ever my car needed some extra time and attention, it would be now. Maybe the next time I can can skip at least the 105.

This is going to be interesting to say the least,

Peace,
Fish

 

Fish, you can prime the pad with the polish as well. Just work a bit of it in to the entire pad with your thumbs. It shouldnt take a whole lot. Dawn dish detergent is a popular way to clean pads as is Murphy's Oil Soap. I mix the two together and let pads soak overnight usually. However, I just realized that I have pads soaking now for going on probably two months. Crap. I guess I should take care of them today. Anyway, soak em, massage them a bit with your thumbs, work the soap in, rinse out under warm-hot water and keep repeating until clean. Some polishes may stain the pads a bit. It's not a big deal as long as you know what color the pads are supposed to be so you don't use the wrong pad for the wrong application. Squeeze the excess water out, attach to your DA and you can spin them dry a bit. Then leave out to finish drying on it's own.

 

Should we tell them the proper way to prime with 105/205/151/95?

I don't want the dude to go nuts

 

Yes, I do have a hard time telling when it breaks down. If your using Mequiars products I _highly_ recommend that you review the forums on the online site. Trust me... their is a _wealth_ of information there.... on every product that they make. Set aside a few hours and take a Tylenol cause your head is gonna hurt!

As I mentioned, I know little about what I speak of.... I used Mequiars Machine Glaze and did not like it at all. But this was only because ti flaked and dried out _really_ quick. I have no doubt I was probably doing something wrong though. But also I did not think Ultimate Compound was overly abrasive and I loved the way to slowly broke down and wiped away. I used it for some light swirls with an orange LC pad and I had to make two passes. But, as you brought up, I think I should/could have worked it a little longer then I did.

Let me tell you... an F150 hood is a big thing! )

Park the vehicle in the garage and pick up some halogen lights. They are $10 each (or less) at Home Depot/Lowes and the stands are inexpensive as well. They are going to show every detail on the paint.

 

Oh, this is one page that I bookmarked and I find myself going back and looking at it every so often. Shows the agressiveness of many of the Meguiars products:

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/sho...imate+compound

 

I just received my order also and the HD and Shampoo Plus was busted and leaking every where. This is the first time that this has ever happen to me after ordering from ADS several times but I'm not worried b/c I know that Rick is a great guy and will take care of this. I emailed him some pics last night and I'm waiting for him to get back to me. I don't know if this is wise but I usually wash my pads in the washing machine. ADS and Autogeek do sell pad washing buckets/stations.

 

I think Meguiars just came out with machine washable pads. That sucks about your order pmason. I'm sure rick will do right by you. Obviously it wasn't packed that way so it's probably a matter of filing a claim with UPS. I was once considering a second job loading trucks at UPS until I took a tour of the warehouse and saw the conditions and the people that worked there and how they handled packages. They will purposely handle Fragile packages extremely rough.

As far as 105, 205, 95, Ultimate Compound, Scratch X2.0 and Swirl X, they will not break down. They use Super Micro Abrasive Technology. The abrasive are different than your typical diminishing abrasives which break down into finer abrasives. As long as the product is wet/workable, it will continue to cut.

 

Yes, upon closer inspection of my new pads, I see where it says right on them > Machine washable <

I also noticed that while I ordered / paid for 6.5" pads, they sent me all 7"s ? Is this a good, or bad thing ? Or does it not really matter. It seems odd to me that they would make a whole different line of pads, only 1/2" different that the next anyway. Are detailers just that picky ?

Hey Tcope, yea', I 've been watching a whole bunch of the MG's videos. Getting a little more confident.

Peace,
Fish

 

I'm using 7" pads and I have no complaints. I think some people use the smaller pads to maybe get into tougher areas even though this is not there main reason for using them.

 

I feel he will. I'm just waiting for an reply

 

Pmason...sorry for the hijack..I got a note from Rick this morning and he is looking for you regarding your latest order. He asked me to tell you he didn't receive your last email...you may want to give him a shout.

Cheers...I will try and pm you as well

RR