# Newbie to machine polishing - loads of questions



## bentent (Mar 15, 2021)

Hello - been lurking around reading posts for about 12 months (during lockdown needed a hobby and now car cleaning has taken over my life and my wallet - I blame you lot and your enthusiasm) so have now decided to take the plunge and join the forum properly to ask you guys about machine polishing.

I have a 13 plate Peugeot 508 which has horrendous swirls and a few scratches, a few too deep for polishing but a few I'm sure I can get out with a machine.

Tried using compounds/polishes "manually" which improved them slightly but I think with a machine I can get rid of most of them completely.

Obviously I'm a novice and only have 2 cars to look after (plus my wifes car is fine so leaving that for now) so I don't need to go down the professional silly money route for a polisher (although never say never), frankly I'm looking at the Argos £50 Guild DA, which gets good reviews both on their website and on here, as a starter machine.

So, my questions are:

Is the Argos Guild an ok machine or should I pay more for a DA6 - what's the difference?
Is it necessary to change the backing plate (I see quite a few do this - but when you factor that in you might as well go for the DA6)?
Any other budget polishers you might recommend?
I already have Megs UC/Polish (xmas present) but what are the best pads to use? (presumably ones supplied are a bit gash as most seem to change them)
I'm in my 50's should I buy a stool/seat to save my back? 

Appreciate any responses that may come my way, in the last 12 months you guys have already converted me to 2 bucket washes, microfiber clothes, waffle weave for the glass and drying towels- it's costing me a fortune :thumb: Gone is my bucket and sponge and a chamois, never to be seen again :wave:

Cheers chaps


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## RS3 (Mar 5, 2018)

I'd go with the DA8 for my 1st machine
https://www.in2detailing.co.uk/prod...machine-polisher-scholl-concepts-complete-kit
Comes with 3 and 5" plates and a more powerful motor than the DAS6 and is a bargain (especially if the Kit is in stock).
I would recommend Flex pads (expensive but long lasting) or Chemical Guys Hex pads for the cheaper option and Koch or Scholl abrasives.


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## straight6hatch (Jul 17, 2020)

bentent said:


> Hello - been lurking around reading posts for about 12 months (during lockdown needed a hobby and now car cleaning has taken over my life and my wallet - I blame you lot and your enthusiasm) so have now decided to take the plunge and join the forum properly to ask you guys about machine polishing.
> 
> I have a 13 plate Peugeot 508 which has horrendous swirls and a few scratches, a few too deep for polishing but a few I'm sure I can get out with a machine.
> 
> ...


:wave: Long time Lurker now converted to a regular poster here!

Welcome!

Congrats on your progression to buying a Machine Polisher. Its scary at first but I am a good few cars in now and I wouldnt be without mine.

Ill try and address your questions as youve asked them. Bare in mind, I am just a weekend hobbyist so take what I say with a pinch 

The Argos Guild Polishers - I have never used or even held one. I have a Das Pro and its great. Slightly loud if I had to be fussy but not too heavy and does a good job on most paint (read anything that has a softer paint). IMO, I would push for the Das Pro as theyre a great machine and very well tested. Perhaps you could find a used Das Pro for the same money as a new Guild?

Backin Plate - I kept my original one and now have 5", 6" and 3". Having bigger ones and smaller ones does help. I have never even removed the 5" from its packaging! The small one though, absolutely ideal for those intricate areas. Personally, I would spend my money on extra pads!

Pads - This is a hotly debated area. I have a selection now that I have built up. I favour Chemical Guys Hex Logic Pads - as do lots of others! Their explanation of what does what is simple and they do what they say on the tin. There are hundreds of pads but I have found the cheap ones to be rather temporary!

Seat - With all due respect, I am half your age and even then, doing a car in a day can put its toll on me. That said, I am a lowly pencil pusher! A chair is 100% recommended. As is a car lift / jacks as they will raise the car up a bit and make those lower sections much easier.

A word of warning - Take your time. Its very difficult to mess up paintwork with a dual action by the nature of its function. However, to get good results you should take your time and be patient. Do 1 pass, check your work, do another, check again etc etc. Its the best advice I have been given and I learnt my lesson thinking I had 'finished' my BMW only to find I had failed to correct a good few panels!

Lastly - Youre in good hands here. Keep an eye on the other threads. I found Meguiars youtube to be helpful in regards to how to use their products. Also, a rather famous gent among the Detailingworld Community would be JunkMan2000. He made some fantastic (lengthy but fantastic) videos that I have watched many many times to cover the basics. Hes also a really funny guy!

GOOD LUCK!


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## macmaw (Mar 5, 2007)

You will get 10 different people telling you to buy 10 different polisher pad combos, most people like what they buy as they get used to them. 
Only the very experienced can differentiate between machine capabilities, pad structures, abrasives etc. 
The best advice anyone can give you is already mentioned above by straight6hatch. 
And that is to take your time, be patient and do *one* pass at a time, don't be tempted to keep working away if you are not seeing the results that you want. 
My advice is to start with the least aggressive combination and work up from that if required, 
Peugeot paint is a "medium" hardness paint so should be fairly easy to correct, but may require a bit of refining afterwards. 
There are some great one step combinations out there, such as the Rupes DA yellow system


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## muzzer (Feb 13, 2011)

And have a read of the excellent guide DaveKG wrote on here yonks ago, it covers a _lot_ of ground


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## JU5T1N (Dec 7, 2019)

A DAS6 or 8 is a much better option and worth the extra money for the more powerful motor, the trouble with the cheap argos da is the weedy motor is likely to bog down on curves.
It is much easier having 2 backing plates or even 2 machines of different sizes the smaller plate will make polishing areas like arches,boot lids much easier, the trouble is if you don't change the counter weight aswell the machine will vibrate alot with the smaller plate.
I am younger than you I do fine without a chair , I just have kneeling pad that I can kneel or sit on when doing the lower areas.

The main differences between pad is closed or open cell, open cell have better cut , better cooling but eat the polish, closed cell has less cut but doesn't absorb polish like open cell. Most pads around are open cell and open cell is fine unless your using a runny polish.


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## Lexus-is250 (Feb 4, 2017)

The argos one is ok and I've used it a few times to correct paint. However it wasn't until I got a das 6 that I realised the amount of vibration that comes through the argos one vs the das 6. 

You will need a couple of backing plates and some different pads but I'd recommend that at first dont mad, just enjoy the machine and how it feels. Even using a basic polish like SRP will look very different when used on a machine and will give you time to learn it. I used Bilt Hamber cleanser polish the first few times and it really helped. 



Sent from my SM-A505FN using Tapatalk


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## bradleymarky (Nov 29, 2013)

I started with a das6 and meguiars m105 and m205 and still use the polishes to this day.
I learnt a lot from a guy that used to post on here but I can’t remember his name, it was a black guy from the US. His YouTube videos helped me a lot.
Maybe try get a scrap panel to practice on if your unsure.


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## nbray67 (Mar 22, 2012)

bradleymarky said:


> I learnt a lot from a guy that used to post on here but I can't remember his name


That'll be Junkman on Youtube.

To the OP, take a look at these Youtube videos as they are an excellent guide for beginners. He's using a Portacable DA from memory, very similar to the DAS6.


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## bentent (Mar 15, 2021)

Wow mightily impressed with all the replies, if i knew how to do the thank thing i'd thank all the posters!

So i've gone right off the Argos cheapo and thinking that the DA8 from in2detailing is the way to go, as recommended by RS3, as i like the fact you get different size backing plates.

Probably go with CG hex logic pads as they're getting a lot of love too.

Will defo be watching them you tube vids from Junkman over the next few days.

Special thanks to straight6hatch for informative post - will definitely be taking my time when i pluck up the courage to start (and have spent up)

Thanks again all :thumb:


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## B8sy (Dec 6, 2014)

I've got the argos guild da which I no longer use, only because I got a bargain on a meguiars da. Happy to sell you my guild da, I used it twice. £30 and that will include postage.

As for technique, the best tip I found for speed and pressure is that the weight of the machine should provide sufficient pressure and 1 inch per second speed. As others have said for your first go, start with 1 pass, wipe over with a clean mf and see what effect its had, if after 4 passes (vertical, horizontal, vertical, horizontal) you're not seeing a good improvement then consider a stronger pad/polish and start with 1 pass again, etc.

Finally, I got a cheap paint measurer on amazon, its accurate enough and after thinking I was safe without one, I now wouldn't machine polish without it. If nothing else I have piece of mind I'm not about to cause myself a big repair bill.

Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk


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## RS3 (Mar 5, 2018)

bentent said:


> Wow mightily impressed with all the replies, if i knew how to do the thank thing i'd thank all the posters!
> 
> So i've gone right off the Argos cheapo and thinking that the DA8 from in2detailing is the way to go, as recommended by RS3, as i like the fact you get different size backing plates.
> 
> ...


Have a look:


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