Which polishing machine to buy

TonyC911 · 1 Mar 2025

Thomps84 said:
Another query, chemical contam removal or clay bar? I like the speed and ease of the iron and tar removal products vs the time consuming clay bar. Any thoughts?

It depends how bad your paintwork is... for best results do Iron + Tar + Clay, then Compound + Finish + Seal / Wax... give yourself a couple of days.

I can recommend Koch Chemi pads and polishes.

tttc · 2 Mar 2025

Decontamination chemicals and clay, both: they do different jobs.

Menzerna and KC both make great products.

I would advise you go for a corded machine, as constant speed tools eat batteries, and batteries are heavy.

Someone above recommended a used Flex, which I would say is a great idea.

You need to decide two things: whether you want an oscillating or a rotary machine, and whether you want to use constant or diminishing abrasives.

Do not discount a rotary machine out of hand. They need some skill to master but ultimately are much more precise and versatile than an oscillating machine. You can correct faster and finish down finer with a rotary, whereas a DA is more of a ‘one-speed’ kind of a tool. I will caveat this by saying that I haven’t used a DA much though. Be aware that machine polishing a whole car to a high standard takes a very long time, so anything you can do to help your back, arms, and state of mind helps!

Constant abrasives (like Meguiar’s) are like abrasive papers: you pick a grade and work it for as long as necessary then go to a finer grade and repeat. Diminishing abrasives (like Menzerna) become finer as you work them. The latter take longer to work a single stage but finish down more fully in that stage. You have to work them until they have completely diminished. You can get some really clever stuff that will do wonders in a single stage (like Menzerna FG400).

Personally, I use Menzerna and a Flex rotary with 3M pads. I am unlikely to ever move away from this combo. I would advise that if you go for diminishing abrasives, get a range of samples and spend some time practicing to get a feel for how they work and what can be corrected with what compounds. Make sure you test your chosen compound combination on the car thoroughly before you do the whole thing, because there’s a real danger (especially on dark colours) that you’ll not finish down enough whilst working indoors with artificial light, then you’ll roll it outside into the sun and be disappointed!

It’s really satisfying to do a good job on a black car though. Enjoy.

Thomps84 · 2 Mar 2025

I am heading towards the Das 6 pro as a machine.

As for compounds I will get either the kit of Menzerna with 1000, 2500 & 3500 OR a bottle Menzerna 3 in 1 as a all in one solution.

I’m just wanting to make my cars look a lot better than they are, and as a beginner with machines would I be better getting the all in one over the triple pack?

Skoosh1970 · 2 Mar 2025

Scholl S20 black is an excellent product on black cars especially. Single stage so really need to be patient with a clean waffle pad it gives great results.

tttc · 2 Mar 2025

Thomps84 said:
As for compounds I will get either the kit of Menzerna with 1000, 2500 & 3500 OR a bottle Menzerna 3 in 1 as an all in one solution.

The 3 in 1 leaves an LSP (polymer sealant, I assume) behind, whereas the 1000/2500/3500 are just abrasives. I would prefer to keep the abrasive and the LSP separate, because this is more versatile. You might, for example, want to top up your LSP without correcting the paint next time, or you might only need a very fine abrasive to do minor correction. With the 3 in 1 you’re always starting from a reasonably coarse abrasive and finishing with an LSP.

cheshire911 · 9 Mar 2025

Thomps84 said:
@cheshire911 that's good to hear, but since I was looking a few weeks ago it's gone up £30 so I will sit tight and wait for a price drop.

Another query, chemical contam removal or clay bar? I like the speed and ease of the iron and tar removal products vs the time consuming clay bar. Any thoughts?

I have only ever used clay bar. I can see the contaminants that come off onto the clay. Use a spray bottle of water. Spray panel and wipe with clay bar. I used the Meguiars Clay Bar Kit. Again, recommended.