machine polishers

[Turner]

Right im looking at buying a polisher and i cant decide which pc to buy,ive spoke to 182_blue and taken in his info,ive looked over all old threads and even over on detailing world but every one seems to have mixed views on the pc7424 and the UDM 1000,now i want one which is easy to use for a novice im not wanting to do loads of paint correction just to be able to polish the car to as near perfect as i can get it myself and use waxes and some slightly abrasive polishes if need be,so any recommendations welcome but it seems some people comment on the machines on threads ive read havent even probably used either machine

 

[Rich]

Not enough info on the UDM at the moment, so still to early to tell. Most people over here are waiting for a UK machine rather than importing them over as they would a normal P.C hence the lack of info on them. The PC sounds like it will be fine for your needs though.

 

[Jay]

I had my spare PC delivered from the States last week

 

[Turner]

Yeah cheers guys,it just looks like its the cheaper option to buy from autopia as the same ones for sale in uk are alot more money like £200ish when you can import one with extra bits for £140ish,just hope the uk spec one will similar price?

 

[Rich]

Importing yourself should save you some cash, the UK machine will be 240V so will mean no need for the transformer etc so could be swings and roundabouts on the price.

 

[Turner]

Yeah i see what your saying mate so i suppose ive waited this long for one i could wait to see the uk spec one i guess its gonna be the same polisher just with a 3 pin plug instead of 2 pin and trans should be the same polishing qualitys i.e spec

 

[Tom H]

I use a UDM 1000 and love it!

 

[Turner]

Do you just use it for normal polishing waxing etc or correctional porposes?Whats the vibrations like and power?

 

[Tom H]

Before:

During:

(smeer marks are just excess polish i didnt whipe of)

After:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1013/1250905191_bd026f2465.jpg
Vivbration is as minimal as i think it gets infact its only really noticiable at high speeds and seems very powerful.

But im all a bit new to this so cant really offer much advice other than the results i have got, and the benz was stupidly swirly and turned out very well

 

[Turner]

Good results mate and on merc paint i bet its quite hard paint as well,what sort of products do you use with it?

 

[scala]

When machine polishing, becuase of the fast rotary motion, is there a risk of dispersing polish everywhere?

 

[Rich]

Work the polish on slow speeds first to spread it out evenly across the panel before cranking up the speed.

If you use to much speed at first or to much product there will be splatter everywhere, same as if you lift the machine off while the polish is wet and the machine is spinning.

 

[scala]

Just use a bit of common sense then really? I was trying to explain the benefits of PC'ing to my old man, who then informed me that he had two mechanical polishing machines and both were a waste of time, due to splattering. Not sure what makes they were, probably found them in a pound shop somewhere.

 

[Tigger]

As far as I'm aware you can't do any harm with the PC, some says its foolproof?

I started off without the first notion of what I'm doing and can say I've brought my car up well from how it was before :approve:

Practicing the technique and knowing how much polish & pressure and what pads & polishes to use depends on the condition of the paintwork you are working with.

I've had my PC polisher just over 2 years and I'm still learning

 

[Rich]

As far as I'm aware you can't do any harm with the PC, some says its foolproof?

Biggest bit of Bull s**t going .... you can go througth clearcoat by hand so by machine is going to make that easier still.

 

[Tigger]

As far as I'm aware you can't do any harm with the PC, some says its foolproof?

Biggest bit of Bull s**t going .... you can go througth clearcoat by hand so by machine is going to make that easier still.

Glad I know that now.

How can you tell if you do go through your clearcoat?

 

[Rich]

Was not a did at you btw, was in response to the people (some who have posted it on here when selling them in to people) that you can't damage paint unless you through the machine at the car etc.

Buy a very expensive Paint Thinkness Gauge that measures all the seperate layers in the cars finish! In the real world, be carefull.

 

[Tigger]

Seen those, think I'll give it a miss @ over £400 lol

 

[Rich]

And the rest for ones that actually give you a break down of layers

The 400 quid ones only give you a total measure which still leaves you pretty much guessing what you think the clearcoat layer is thickness wise.

 

[Tigger]

Interesting, are there any visible signs of a thin or worn-away clearcoat?

 

[Rich]

You will know when you actually go through it as it losses all the gloss, thin clearcoat in theory however can still look fine until you actually strike through. Look very carefully at the paint especially on the edges etc and see hoe it compares to other areas of the car. The amount of orange peel is a good give away on most clios!

 

[Tigger]

Cool, any way of fixing orange peel?

 

[Rich]

If it is just in the Clearcoat - wet flat and polish, in the base coat as well repaint time!