Not joined yet? Register for free and enjoy features such as alerts, private messaging and viewing latest posts and topics.

DA Polisher and Kit

Claying, polishing, waxing... share your secrets in here.
john-e89
Lifer
Lifer
Posts: 11026
Joined: Tue Feb 10, 2015 10:27 pm

DA Polisher and Kit

Post by john-e89 » Wed Jan 13, 2021 11:50 am

If you can borrow a depth gauge then it’s a no brainer, you will then know for sure what you’re dealing with rather than leaving it to chance. Also IF the clear coat is thin then you might say forget it as you’ve never done this before and let a pro detailer do it, then look after the car as well as possible. The money you’d have spent on kit is the same as a pretty good detail. :thumbsup:
M roady...OEM CSL’s, strut brace, Remus back boxes, ZHP
MR2 MK 2
E89 35i project car...mapped 365bhp, M4 stoppers & wheels, KWV3’s, H&R front ARB, M3 front arms, strut brace Eisenmann cat back race exhaust, VRSF downpipes inbound
E89 35is
G29

mgrlane
Member
Member
Posts: 946
Joined: Wed Sep 25, 2019 8:29 am

DA Polisher and Kit

Post by mgrlane » Wed Jan 13, 2021 1:40 pm

inkey$ wrote: Wed Jan 13, 2021 11:40 am All good advice and appreciated. Realistically I might only attempt this a couple of times over then next few years. Don't want to be dropping £300-500 on kit until I know its something I could get into (and before entering the murky rabbit hole of detailing), so I might borrow a paint gauge if I start get really worried.
I am sure any bodywork/tinting place would do it for you if you asked nicely. The guy that tinted my widows gave mine a quick blast across various points on the car.

I did offer him some money but he was fine.

beanie
Member
Member
Posts: 834
Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2012 9:57 pm
Location: Bournemouth/Turin

DA Polisher and Kit

Post by beanie » Wed Jan 13, 2021 2:18 pm

If you can get someone to check the paint depth then obviously that would be great, however, I have a feeling that only the priciest gauges are able to differentiate between the layers of paint with many just giving a total depth-useful for understanding if it’s been painted but it only allows for a best guess regarding clear coat.

If you take it easy and only use light polishes and pads I think you’d have to be very unlucky to have any issues with paint thickness. If you were to be at risk of striking through with the light cut products and a DA then it should already be obvious from just looking at the paint as it would lack depth and look flat.

This approach probably won’t do much for tackling heavier scratches but light swirls and marring will come out and will give you 90% of the effects from a full defect removal but with minimal risk of strike through.
Image
RUBYIMOLACARBON

User avatar
mr.tourette
Lifer
Lifer
Posts: 4288
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 9:16 am
Location: north wales

DA Polisher and Kit

Post by mr.tourette » Wed Jan 13, 2021 2:37 pm

You're right about keeping in budget, Ive used mine twice in 4 years, once you've done a first decent job its a long while before you will be needing it out again, you can keep on top of it then with good maintenance. A das6 is a decent enough bit of kit for amateurs imho :thumbsup:
if its got tits or tyres..its trouble :D

john-e89
Lifer
Lifer
Posts: 11026
Joined: Tue Feb 10, 2015 10:27 pm

DA Polisher and Kit

Post by john-e89 » Wed Jan 13, 2021 10:22 pm

beanie wrote: Wed Jan 13, 2021 2:18 pm If you can get someone to check the paint depth then obviously that would be great, however, I have a feeling that only the priciest gauges are able to differentiate between the layers of paint with many just giving a total depth-useful for understanding if it’s been painted but it only allows for a best guess regarding clear coat.

If you take it easy and only use light polishes and pads I think you’d have to be very unlucky to have any issues with paint thickness. If you were to be at risk of striking through with the light cut products and a DA then it should already be obvious from just looking at the paint as it would lack depth and look flat.

This approach probably won’t do much for tackling heavier scratches but light swirls and marring will come out and will give you 90% of the effects from a full defect removal but with minimal risk of strike through.
Valid point and I should have mentioned that people like Beedub know the clear coat thickness of each manufacturer, I don’t think it’s hard to find out, so armed with that info you’re pretty safe unless you have a car with resprayed panels.
M roady...OEM CSL’s, strut brace, Remus back boxes, ZHP
MR2 MK 2
E89 35i project car...mapped 365bhp, M4 stoppers & wheels, KWV3’s, H&R front ARB, M3 front arms, strut brace Eisenmann cat back race exhaust, VRSF downpipes inbound
E89 35is
G29

User avatar
Smartbear
Lifer
Lifer
Posts: 13685
Joined: Wed Feb 05, 2014 6:54 pm
Location: a barn in Somerset

DA Polisher and Kit

Post by Smartbear » Wed Jan 13, 2021 11:25 pm

I used to work in quality control in a paint shop & could tell fairly accurately the paint thickness in microns just by looking at it, we had a proper electronic gauge but after a while it was only used occasionally :thumbsup:
Rob
Image

e89 Sdrive 20i, plenty of mumbo & good economy-the thinking bears z4
e89 Sdrive 30i, this ones busted, pass me another...
e85 3.0si sold

john-e89
Lifer
Lifer
Posts: 11026
Joined: Tue Feb 10, 2015 10:27 pm

DA Polisher and Kit

Post by john-e89 » Thu Jan 14, 2021 12:00 am

[quote=Smartbear post_id=&lt;a href="tel:<a href="tel:1804157">1804157</a>"&gt;1804157&lt;/a&gt; time=&lt;a href="tel:<a href="tel:1610576741">1610576741</a>"&gt;1610576741&lt;/a&gt; user_id=15701]
I used to work in quality control in a paint shop &amp;amp; could tell fairly accurately the paint thickness in microns just by looking at it, we had a proper electronic gauge but after a while it was only used occasionally :thumbsup:
Rob
[/quote]

Yes yes yes that’s all very good Bear but that was 30yrs ago when you had proper job eyes and you can’t now travel to Inkey$ house even if you can still see 6 yards in front of you now can you.....bloody useless post...... :poke: :wink:
M roady...OEM CSL’s, strut brace, Remus back boxes, ZHP
MR2 MK 2
E89 35i project car...mapped 365bhp, M4 stoppers & wheels, KWV3’s, H&R front ARB, M3 front arms, strut brace Eisenmann cat back race exhaust, VRSF downpipes inbound
E89 35is
G29

User avatar
Chris_D
Lifer
Lifer
Posts: 6615
Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2016 11:41 pm
Location: Mostly Holland. Sometimes UK.

DA Polisher and Kit

Post by Chris_D » Thu Jan 14, 2021 12:02 am

Smartbear wrote: Wed Jan 13, 2021 11:25 pm I used to work in quality control in a paint shop & could tell fairly accurately the paint thickness in microns just by looking at it, we had a proper electronic gauge but after a while it was only used occasionally :thumbsup:
Rob
Now that's a skill!
And a skill I wish ida had early on in my nuclear engineering career when my then-boss shamed me into appreciating the importance of being accurate.
When he asked for a dimension on something I was designing for MOX/Sellafield at the time I said 'It's aroundabout 2.5mm at that point'.
To which he retorted 'We don't do aroundabout fookin anythin 'ere young man, we're fookin nuclear. Do you know what that fookin means?? We're micron fookin tolerances lad, microns!!'
I wish the ground would have swallowed me up! :lol: :roll:
E85 3.0i roadie (03) 'Benny'. E93 320d M-Sport Cabrio (11) 'Bob'.
Image
'Always different, always the same.' John Peel on The Fall.

User avatar
Reamesy
Member
Member
Posts: 638
Joined: Mon Aug 31, 2020 12:40 pm
Location: Whitchurch

DA Polisher and Kit

Post by Reamesy » Thu Jan 14, 2021 12:04 pm

Smartbear wrote: Wed Jan 13, 2021 12:00 am I use a meguires da with hex pads & ultimate compound polish, it seems to work well but that’s the limit of my experience :thumbsup:
Rob
I will second that. Very good kit😉👍
Currently; 2011 E89 23i SDrive M Sport Highline Titan Silver
Previously;
2014 SLK250CDI AMG Sport
2012 E89 SDrive 2.0 M Sport. White
2011 Audi TT Quattro
2006 Z4 2.5 Sport
2013 420D coupe
2002 Z3 2.2 Sport
1996 Z3 1.9

User avatar
inkey$
Lifer
Lifer
Posts: 10475
Joined: Sun Mar 21, 2010 9:48 pm
Location: Sevenoaks & Suffolk
Contact:

DA Polisher and Kit

Post by inkey$ » Sat Jan 16, 2021 4:11 pm

Went for the DAS-6 Pro kit on Clean Your Car, in the end. £150 delivered with a couple of pads, Megs compound/polish and carry bag. Should be good to start off with.

https://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/das-6-pr ... -logic-kit
5BC83BFE-35C4-4FE4-B10D-ED0AB95908D3.jpeg
5BC83BFE-35C4-4FE4-B10D-ED0AB95908D3.jpeg (71.93 KiB) Viewed 950 times
Current: Project Audi A2 1.4SE
Previously: Z3R 2.8 • E46 330i • Z4R 3.0 • Z4///MC • E90 335i • Z4///MR • Z3///MC 'Breadvan' • Z3R 2.8 • E30 325i R • Z4C • Z4R 3.0

User avatar
mr.tourette
Lifer
Lifer
Posts: 4288
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 9:16 am
Location: north wales

DA Polisher and Kit

Post by mr.tourette » Sat Jan 16, 2021 4:48 pm

A good buy :thumbsup:
if its got tits or tyres..its trouble :D

Post Reply