# That cheap Argos DA polisher…



## CleanGirl (Mar 27, 2017)

So, I know this gets asked loads and I've read the numerous threads about it but I've got £15-worth of vouchers that I can use at Argos, which would mean I could buy their Challenge Xtreme DA for £33, at which price point it just seems like a bit of a no-brainer to me? At £50-60 I can see the argument of spending a bit more for a DAS-6 Pro, but at £30 I can't see a reason not to get the Argos machine. Just looking for someone to back me up here, lol


----------



## virgiltracey (Apr 19, 2017)

I've got one and it's a great machine... once you adapt it properly.

Firstly ditch the backing plate, it's too big and stiff, aim for a 5" plate with a small amount of flex in it, espescially if you're a beginner.

Secondly ditch the pad too, the velcro is crap and the pad material may not be suitable for your needs.

I bought a 5" flexipads backing plate for about £13 and a selection of Lake Country CCS pads for around £8 each, so add another £40 to the price to get it covering all the bases as needed (cut pad, polish pad, finishing / waxing pad).

Even then it's £70 for a machine fully adapted and ready to work on multiple vehicles safely, so a good buy i think!


----------



## CleanGirl (Mar 27, 2017)

virgiltracey said:


> I've got one and it's a great machine... once you adapt it properly.
> 
> Firstly ditch the backing plate, it's too big and stiff, aim for a 5" plate with a small amount of flex in it, espescially if you're a beginner.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the advice  Why would you suggest going for a smaller backing plate? And what size pads do you use on your 5" plate?

I've just realised that as Argos is part of Sainsbury's I can use some Nectar points to get it even cheaper, so I think I've made my decision!


----------



## virgiltracey (Apr 19, 2017)

CleanGirl said:


> Thanks for the advice  Why would you suggest going for a smaller backing plate? And what size pads do you use on your 5" plate?
> 
> I've just realised that as Argos is part of Homebase I can use some Nectar points to get it even cheaper, so I think I've made my decision!


I think the standard backing plate is 6" i think and the pad is 7" which may tends to be too large for modern cruvy and angular cars as there is more chance of catching an edge.

Instead I use 5.5" LC pads on a 5" plate and these work well for most areas of bodywork.


----------



## pxr5 (Feb 13, 2012)

Machine is pretty good. I do find that the speed dial moves on it's own due to the vibration. So, if you set it at 4 it'll quickly jump to 6 when you start using it. I stuck a bit of tape over the dial once the desired speed was set. Otherwise it's fine.


----------



## enc (Jan 25, 2006)

Can't speak for the polisher as I haven't used one but I do have a couple of their other tools ... for the money they are great... think some of the range have a 2 year warranty included too.


----------



## Lexus-is250 (Feb 4, 2017)

I had one but unfortunately it packed up. It was my first machine and it's Easy to use but as stated above just get different backing plates and pads. 

I found if using a AIO polish it's great and will probably last for ages, but I tried to correct my car with a compound and it struggled with it due to the power of the machine and what I wanted it to do. 

It did a reasonable job and it was my first experience trying to correct a car, but after a good few hours of running it started to burn out. If your going down the road of correcting the car like I did I would do it in panels over a few days and it should be ok. 

Get a selection of pads maybe from eBay to use as they are perfectly capable and keeps the cost down. The one that comes with the machine is not of use for anything really. 

It will give you good results though. 

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk


----------



## CleanGirl (Mar 27, 2017)

Lexus-is250 said:


> I had one but unfortunately it packed up. It was my first machine and it's Easy to use but as stated above just get different backing plates and pads.
> 
> I found if using a AIO polish it's great and will probably last for ages, but I tried to correct my car with a compound and it struggled with it due to the power of the machine and what I wanted it to do.
> 
> ...


Thanks for info  How long did you have it before it packed up? Starting to wonder if it's worth spending the £10 on the extended warranty, just in case.


----------



## virgiltracey (Apr 19, 2017)

It might be worth mentioning whereabouts you are based? Potentially a member nearby could offer you a chance to try theirs before buying?


----------



## CleanGirl (Mar 27, 2017)

virgiltracey said:


> It might be worth mentioning whereabouts you are based? Potentially a member nearby could offer you a chance to try theirs before buying?


I'm in Kent  But, tbh, with the vouchers I've got and my Nectar points, I can get this for free, so I can't imagine having any complaints at that price! :lol: I'm not planning on masses of correction - the bonnet and boot of my show BMW are looking quite swirly so this is mainly for that, especially as I have a couple of indoor shows coming up and the lighting is brutal!


----------



## virgiltracey (Apr 19, 2017)

In which case go for it!

I'd spend the money on some good pads and polish though, i've not worked on BMW paint yet but i've heard it is usually quite hard so may be worth finding something to practice on first or just using the DA to apply a polish with light fillers to mask the swirls for the shows, AG SRP applied by machine is surpisingly brilliant!


----------



## CleanGirl (Mar 27, 2017)

virgiltracey said:


> In which case go for it!
> 
> I'd spend the money on some good pads and polish though, i've not worked on BMW paint yet but i've heard it is usually quite hard so may be worth finding something to practice on first or just using the DA to apply a polish with light fillers to mask the swirls for the shows, AG SRP applied by machine is surpisingly brilliant!


It's actually been resprayed in Midnight Purple from the Skyline GT-R so I'll be working with softer Japanese paint  My current polish lineup of products that I was considering using includes: Meg's Cleaner Wax, Auto Finesse Tripple, AD Cherry Glaze, literally gallons and gallons of SRP (they give it away everywhere!) and Meg's Ultimate Compound. I was also thinking of buying some Meg's Ultimate Polish for finishing, maybe? I was thinking of starting with something gentle like one of the AIOs first, perhaps, just to see how I get on with that and to see what results I get before trying something heavier.


----------



## Lexus-is250 (Feb 4, 2017)

CleanGirl said:


> Thanks for info  How long did you have it before it packed up? Starting to wonder if it's worth spending the £10 on the extended warranty, just in case.


Had it a few months and had done a few cars with Bilt Hamber cleanser polish which was very good. Just wanted to go up a level so went for more of a correction. Did have some 50/50 images somewhere of the bonnet of the step daughters car I corrected with it and on black Japanese paint it did the trick. Then packed up🤨

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk


----------



## Lexus-is250 (Feb 4, 2017)

Lexus-is250 said:


> Had it a few months and had done a few cars with Bilt Hamber cleanser polish which was very good. Just wanted to go up a level so went for more of a correction. Did have some 50/50 images somewhere of the bonnet of the step daughters car I corrected with it and on black Japanese paint it did the trick. Then packed up🤨
> 
> Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk


Here you go. Silver one is my boot lid after correction and the black is a little Toyota aygo. The bonnet of the aygo was with a compound and the wing/door with cleanser polish
























Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk


----------



## CleanGirl (Mar 27, 2017)

Lexus-is250 said:


> Had it a few months and had done a few cars with Bilt Hamber cleanser polish which was very good. Just wanted to go up a level so went for more of a correction. Did have some 50/50 images somewhere of the bonnet of the step daughters car I corrected with it and on black Japanese paint it did the trick. Then packed up🤨
> 
> Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk





Lexus-is250 said:


> Here you go. Silver one is my boot lid after correction and the black is a little Toyota aygo. The bonnet of the aygo was with a compound and the wing/door with cleanser polish
> Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk


Wow, very impressive! Which compound did you use for the bonnet?


----------



## Lexus-is250 (Feb 4, 2017)

CleanGirl said:


> Wow, very impressive! Which compound did you use for the bonnet?


Carpro Fixer.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk


----------



## slider09 (Jul 12, 2013)

If you need to buy new backing plates, pads, extended warranty in case the the thing breaks, isn’t it worth spending a few pounds more and buying a decent one?

I too am a total novice in this area however it seems false economy in buying a cheap polisher only to then replace half the stuff on it to make it suitable. 

My 2 pence worth. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## percymon (Jun 27, 2007)

slider09 said:


> If you need to buy new backing plates, pads, extended warranty in case the the thing breaks, isn't it worth spending a few pounds more and buying a decent one?
> 
> I too am a total novice in this area however it seems false economy in buying a cheap polisher only to then replace half the stuff on it to make it suitable.
> 
> ...


I guess that depends on how you value your vouchers and nectar points; at the end of the day it depends whether you really don't need/want anything else from Argos, now or in the near future.

Buying a Das machine in a bundled kit with pads and polished would probably be the most efficient way, both in terms of value and your time using the items

You can usually find one of the slims / did juice / dad bundles on offer from the major detailing outlets


----------



## CleanGirl (Mar 27, 2017)

slider09 said:


> If you need to buy new backing plates, pads, extended warranty in case the the thing breaks, isn't it worth spending a few pounds more and buying a decent one?
> 
> I too am a total novice in this area however it seems false economy in buying a cheap polisher only to then replace half the stuff on it to make it suitable.
> 
> ...





percymon said:


> I guess that depends on how you value your vouchers and nectar points; at the end of the day it depends whether you really don't need/want anything else from Argos, now or in the near future.
> 
> Buying a Das machine in a bundled kit with pads and polished would probably be the most efficient way, both in terms of value and your time using the items
> 
> You can usually find one of the slims / did juice / dad bundles on offer from the major detailing outlets


My DA shopping price breakdown is as follows:

Argos DA: £0
Extended warranty (3 years total): £10
Lake Country backing plate: £19
Scholl Ecofix pads x4: £26.25
Meg's Ultimate Polish: £11.50
Sonax Perfect Finish:£16.33
Carpro Eraser: £12.95

Total: £96.03

I didn't need to buy the Sonax as I have Ultimate Compound already and it was a freebie from a while back, but I wanted to have the option of a different compound to try. I could have also maybe used something else that I already have as a finishing polish instead of Meg's UP but, again, I've read very good things about the Meg's and I like having a selection of stuff to try out.

Regardless of what machine I bought, even as a package, I would have most likely changed the backing plate, had to buy a couple of additional pads and the Eraser, and possibly a different compound of my own preference which would have added about £50 on top of what I spent. If I'd paid for the Argos DA, then it would have probably made more sense to buy a DA package from somewhere else, but with the DA costing me nothing I was happy to spend some money one a good selection of products to go with it, so I'm happy with my package.


----------



## AnthonyUK (Jul 25, 2018)

So far I've used in on my Mercedes, one daughters Fiesta and anothers Civic and it has done exactly what was required. No stalling or bogging down.
As mention before, if you are doing this day in, day out then this and any other one of the same design is not for you but for the weekend detailer it is perfectly fine.


----------



## CleanGirl (Mar 27, 2017)

AnthonyUK said:


> So far I've used in on my Mercedes, one daughters Fiesta and anothers Civic and it has done exactly what was required. No stalling or bogging down.
> As mention before, if you are doing this day in, day out then this and any other one of the same design is not for you but for the weekend detailer it is perfectly fine.


This is the thing, I'm going to be using it maybe twice a year and it's not even going to be doing a full car, just panels that are particularly bad, so it's perfect for someone like me.


----------



## matty.13 (May 3, 2011)

Would love to see some pics of your show car when your done 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## CleanGirl (Mar 27, 2017)

matty.13 said:


> Would love to see some pics of your show car when your done
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I should probably start a thread in the projects section!


----------



## iCraig (Aug 9, 2017)

I have an Argos DA and like you I’ll be using it once or twice a year when needed.

I have replaced the backing plate with a 5” one from Amazon for £11 that seems okay quality and I’m using Lake Country pads.

So far it seems okay for it’s purpose. At the moment I’m just getting in to machine polishing and I’ll upgrade in future if I need to.


----------



## BarryAllen (Feb 3, 2017)

AnthonyUK said:


> So far I've used in on my Mercedes, one daughters Fiesta and anothers Civic and it has done exactly what was required. No stalling or bogging down.
> As mention before, if you are doing this day in, day out then this and any other one of the same design is not for you but for the weekend detailer it is perfectly fine.


Couldn't agree more.

Wouldn't even have bothered with the extended warranty. You get 12 months as a basic. That's less than a fiver a month you'd be throwing away even if it did go 'pop' (which it won't with consumer use only)


----------



## Andyblue (Jun 20, 2017)

BarryAllen said:


> Couldn't agree more.
> 
> Wouldn't even have bothered with the extended warranty. You get 12 months as a basic. That's less than a fiver a month you'd be throwing away even if it did go 'pop' (which it won't with consumer use only)


Which is a fair point, but for £10 to extend it to 3 years - probably worth it


----------

