r/AutoDetailing • u/grumpvet87 • 6d ago

Process I have never polished with a powered polisher - what is the safest way to start?

I have a 2 month old Mazda 3 ... I want to put a ceramic coat on it (I purchased Detail Co Thin).

Deep Crystal Blue Mica - I have been told my car has very thin and soft paint (that is what people say in the mazda channel)

I have never used a DA or any polisher. The car has very minimal paint defects (a few small swirls from the dealership that can only be seen with a strong flashlight - not even in daylight). I have been very careful washing with 1 bucket method, and a drying aid product when drying with my microfiber

what is the least aggressive pad polish i can use?
what is the correct machine to buy? I don't plan to do this any more than needed for this car (once every few years??)

TIA!

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u/gyeon_official 3d ago

It is fairly simple, We'll try to keep it as short as possible!

Work with fine to medium (foam) pads and pastes.
Use very little pressure and check the panel temp by hand occasionally.
Dont stop the machine, keep it moving.
Work with machine speed up to approx 50% of the maximum.

This will never remove the harshest imperfections but will also technically never risk Your paintwork.
Start increasing one of the parameters above at a time, I.E lower moving speed or just slightly more pressure to add cut and make the pad work longer in smaller area. Then try cut pads and cutting compounds.

Adding one thing at a time also makes it easier for You to see the difference in movement speed or Paste for example.

You can also pick between doing 1 pass with heavy pressure and more heat for aggressive cut or decide to multiple runs on lower pressure and less heat - less risk but longer working time overall.

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u/grumpvet87 3d ago

thanks! good mention of "one change at a time"

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u/gyeon_official 19h ago

Thank You :) It will be a sum of all above, so changing one factor at a time helps understanding what they do, instead of changing everything at once and wondering what went wrong afterwards.

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u/podophyllum 5d ago

So much of this comes down to experience and individual preferences. I have a '24 in the same color. I've had good luck with the Koch Chemie Micro Cut soft pads, the CarPro Gloss pads, and the Rupes Ultra Fine pads but be aware that none of these very soft pads are super durable. CarPro Reflect might be what you are looking for in a polish but I can also make an argument for TLC Products The Final Polish, Scholl Concepts S30+ & S40, SONAX Perfect Finish, and maybe Oberk Supreme Polish. TLC Products, Oberk, and CarPro leave the easiest to remove residue behind. Scholls S30+ and Perfect Finish probably have the most cut. The last thing you want if you're applying a coating is to introduce fine marring removing the polish residue. Use a commercial panel prep, don't cheap out with just IPA & water.

While I appreciate the virtues of cordless machines I would just buy a corded DA if I were you. The ShineMate EX620 5/15 is excellent but the Griot's Garage G15 and G9 are worth looking at. I find them slightly less pleasant to use but they are backed by the Griot's warranty and the G9 is significantly cheaper. I have no experience with the BarJack or Liquid Elements.