As someone whos been into detailing for a while but has only recently started machine polishing this was really helpful and relatable , thanks for the great video Jon!
Approaching a vehicles paint correction is one of the most problematic errors that many people (even myself years ago when starting biz) have had to learn the hard way, prior to being correct! Love watching your forensics!
Thanks for this Jon. I would consider myself to an enthusiast. The point you make about washing and proper decontamination of you car before attacking it with a DA is bang on. Couldn’t agree more. You can have the best polishes and equipment and unless you have a good clean car, you simply will not get the results. Great video btw. 👍
You sharing your experience and advice is great viewing. The way you explain is very helpful; especially to a noob to proper detailing like myself. Thank you.
“Don’t go chasing those big juicy scratches” lol love it! All of these tips are so helpful. I’ve always thought about a paint depth gauge just for peace of mind. Thank you Jon!! 🍻
Great advice for beginners as always. I had to smile to myself at the section about not chasing scratches. It bought back some memories from when I took a mk2 golf gti down to metal polishing right on the front of the roof above the windscreen about 25 years ago. I learnt that lesson the hard way. Hopefully your video will save plenty of people from making the same mistake.
Phenomenal vid. All major points covered succinctly. Doing my first full polish in a few weeks and feel well prepared. Lovin’ the channel from across the pond and keep making those vids.
Very good and helpful video mate. I get so angy and disapointed when I cannot get what I want to do right at the first go but I am aware it takes time to master the skill, sensitivity and the knowledge to become a very good detailer. Thanks once again
From my own experience when i first machine polished i found having good masking tape is important. The masking tape i put on was flying off when the machine was near it causing some bits of the plastic to stain. My car has a plastic strip which goes down the roof and now whenever i like from my roof i can see those bits are now white. Also noticed after 2 months now some bits of plastic have gone white. I think it would be really good if you made a video on removing polish from plastic. Also wash the pads after a few sets of using them. One of my pads started to get saturated with polish and didnt do any cutting plus it started to break apart. Dont know the reason why it broke apart other than wear and tear. I'd probably say also when you test the product on the car and decide to use it on the entire car start on the small areas like the windscreen pillars places where you'd use your smaller pads as if you start there first you have the strength to keep the machine on there. I did the pillars near the end and was struggling to keep it in that small area that the pad slipped off and not sure if the velcro from the backing plate scratched the paint.
Great video Will be polishing out side in my narrow drive way that slopes down hill with just enough space to walk by you just gave me a great idea i will put car close to the shaded wall and use the sun to see what I am doing this will give me more room then turn car around Optimum polish with lake country pads will use onr to wipe polish away not to many scratches or swirls then optimum gloss coat
Almost perfect timing for me JD :-). Had my first go at the DA, did just the bonnet as it was the easiest and give most satisfaction - really pleased, does show I need more practise as my technique was inconsistent - but I didn’t need to rush it. I can only really do stuff like that out in the yard in the sun/cloud, so it tends to take longer on the QA side of things. Thanks for your help and guidance though, very pleased with the investments made.
Thanks Jon, another ‘interesting’ video as I am about to start machine polishing for the first time so it’s good to recognise the limitations in what I can realistically achieve before I start. Really interested as well in your consolidation video when you do one as with the cost of all this kit I am really keen to get as much bang for my buck as I can without wasting money on things I don’t need. I have realised that I still need more microfibre and something to separate and keep it clean and dust free so more plastic drawer sets. I also need a tumble drier to condition my cloths properly as my attempts to repair our old one failed. I don’t want to start doing it until I know I have all the kit and the means to care for it.
Add 13: Lifting the pad/machine while it's running, or starting the machine while the pad is not yet on the surface. Not only creates a mess, but a mess that's usually very hard to clean up, because of some product sling onto the trim, and because the drops slung more far away being so tiny, that they dry instantly, which makes them very, very hard to remove even from surfaces which can be scrubbed aggressively, like glass.
When I first used a machine 12 years ago (a Porter Cable DA) the thing I did wrong and have seen other do incorrectly, is going too quickly on too large an area. Newbies have to learn machine polishing isn’t a quick process and is knackering! I bought 4 of the edgeless 300’s a year ago. They’re a decent cloth and very versatile.
Great Video Jon! A future series of videos going over your shelf inventory w/a short reflection of each sku would be must watch. I'm also sure this would include some funny stories to recollect as well what vehicles they were applied and what was trending in the industry at the time.
Im gonna do something like that It is utterly silly how much stuff is on the shelves and I sort of keep it purely because I like it but I wont ever get around to using it.. Id rather it go to a patreon for them to use and get their thoughts on it.
Been into detailing for over ten years but drew the line at machining. Picked up a DA for the first time yesterday to do my neighbours astras headlights. They came up a treat. This video has came just at the right time, as my mate is picking an xc90 next week and wants me to bring some years back into the paint. I'm thinking of going over it with some prima amigo or srp. Great video. 😎👍👏👌🔥
Amazing video with all the major subjects addressed. Curious to see what would be the products remaining in those shelves, the ones that you actually use daily
Great video once again! How do you polish small/tight sections (under mirror, front bumper, trims...) with the D6 polisher witht he 6 inch pads? How could you polish everything with just that 1 machine
Great video Jon, i really enjoy most of your videos this one is really useful but there is one really important point that i don't think you covered is KNOW YOUR LIMITATIONS , you have to judge what you can get out before you start.
Also, thanks to your PDG video I picked up that same paint guage you showed. After calibrating it's actually really nice!! Took a bit but got it dialed in. Never did the multiple film calibration, but did the zero and the single. Not a bad price either. Mine did come with all foreign manual and stuff lol. Downloaded the manual online. And found out my truck has aluminum hood lol. I run it on single and auto so it says FE or NFE. Hood (bonnet you say across the pong) said NFE lol
Good tip for someone starting machine polishing is go to a scrap yard and get a old bonnet and a door and practice on them, its better to wreck them than your or someone else's good car. Also good for trying out different products.
17:04 Apart from the good advices given in this video this helpful chap also reveals that the theory of planet revolving around the sun is in fact incorrect. Is the Sun that moves apparently. Good to know and very informative video. Many thanks.
After watching this video, I was able to determine why I had missed a few corners of panels I tried to polish. I did a test section. Looked like I had the proper polish/pad paring. My question is what is the best technique for detecting missed spots prior to waxing? I polish outdoors, on cloudy days.
I've tried the pearl weave towels from both paragon and rag master for coating removal, I found that they had a tendency to push the coating around quite a bit since they are only short napped towels, they load up much quicker than a plusher one and have a slight higher risk of scratching. I was using Kamikazie Miyabi + ISM + 20 pearl weave towels (10 from each brand) at the time and i ended up getting a bunch of high spots and a little bit of marring over that car. I THINK due to the fact that i couldn't see the high spots with the LED lights in my garage, they are much more prominent in overcast weather and the nap of the towels. Maybe if i was using plusher towels and took the car outside once i finished it will have been a different story. Still worth a try though to see what you think!
I got a pearl weave from ragmaster ive not used it yet but I think Im not going to use the pearl generally for ceramic removal. Im just not too sure about reusing any of the towels after using them with ceramics. so Im really after a towel I can dispose or sideline as a rag for destructive cleaning things.. I really want to get the types of cloths I use down to an absolute minimum. might even be one terry one open pile and my glass cloths but I bought some edgeless 300's and 360 just to use for a few months as well see how I get on with them.
so you want to match your large pads with your small ones.. have a wach of the best polish pads video because i delve into all this kenny. combos of pads. Cg hex is a popular combo but the smaller pads are 4 inch. you could look at the zvizzer pad range very good nice price 3 inch pads for 75 ml plate available in their cone and standard pucks. Also check the URO tech pads from in2detailing. again available in all sizes.
So in the dusty southWest usa environment, if one decides to polish the front of the car one day, and leave the back sides and rear for a few days later so as not to "get bored and hurry", well do you wax the front half of the car, wash it the second time with a ph-neutral soap, and wax the rear later?
Hi Jon took your advice Using scholl xxx with both rotary to start then a rupees on a rupees or shinemate polishing pad but the Finnish is still got some haze in
Great info as always I’d love to hear your opinion on meguriars da polisher or a shinemate da polisher gonna purchase my first machine soon and it’s gonna be one of these ✌️ from Ireland 🇮🇪
I was looking up paint depth gauges and relize they are priced from $10.99- $549.99. So whats the difference in those would be a good video. Thats a wide range.
Thank you, Jon, for making these videos. Oddly, I find them to be both entertaining and informative. I'm acquiring equipment, material and, hopefully, knowledge to get me started in a retirement hobby. So-a page one question-you use the term "set" a few times (e.g., "after about five sets..."). What is a "set"? Is it a 2'×2' area that has been polished? Is it a body panel? Is it a period of time? What?
Paul Millen a set consists in a number of passes you do in a cross hatch pattern on a particular area (eg 5 passes on an area, after which you stop and inspect the results; sometimes you need 2 such sets or even 3 in the cutting phase especially, depending on the result you are looking for).
Very interesting I’ve been detailing for two years now only doing friends cars which I love have a real passion for it ,however I have a lot of trouble with the Finnish any video or help would be greatfull Love watching you keep em coming "
hey dave you have a problem like with the final stage finishing part of machine polishing? what are you using at the moment mate, machine, pads, abrasives
Hi mate, I love your channel! Thanks to your video I am back to learning polishing on my cars. Do you suggest spending 2h polishing a bonnet is quite normal?
thats a decent amount of time. theres no wrong or right answer here really. you can polish it in 10 minutes with a single stage if your trying to do a car rapidly. but if your cutting it down to remove swirls on a DA it could take 3 sets for example on hard paint. And then you might look to refine it with 2 sets after... It really depends. The longer you can spend doing it the better the results are generally.. just be careful chasing individual scratches during the correction/cutting part.
Hello Jon, question kinda related to avoiding mistakes. Curious if you have ever done a video on doing Rock Chip repair? I've got the OEM paint and touch-up tools, just confused about the various polishing pads & products I should get prepared. I've got multiple chips, many within the same close area at the front of the bonnet on soft black paint. Thanks so much
hey buddy no. generally over the course of say 2 years if your using the car your gonna get rock chips. the thing you have to weight up is the cost and time to fill and flatten and buff up all the chips versus getting the panel repainted.. its actually the time thats the factor. but will do a video on it at some point
I clean my pads with chemical guys pad cleaner Few sprays around the pad massage it in by hand ,then rinse with water and turn the machine on inside a bucket to fling the residue out. Rinse and repeat as necessary.
Hi Jon, great Sunday afternoon information / watch. On the wifes tablet though. For somebody who has yet to use a DA on my car (have one in the garage for months now) my car is quite angular especially rear quarters and boot (Astra GTC), would you suggest a smaller backing plate (3 inch) to ensure proper correction given the contours of those panels? bonnet, front wings and side doors should be OK with the backing plate that comes in the box , 5 inch I think, as they are quite flat. I keep on meaning to go to a scrap yard to get a test panel but not taken that plunge yet. Cheers Adam.
yes mate 5 inch pad with 5.5 pad and 4 inch pad roughly on a 3 and a half inch plate roughly. so the hex logic combo is a good to start on . really the whole front bumper you would be better using a 4 inch pad for example. really unless you have spot pads and spot tooling options you are less likely to be attempting a real full on polish where you try and hit up virtually all the painted panels and trying to do so becomes too hardcore for most guys at home.
wouldn't disagree with any of your wise words Jon...for me what stands out is not chasing perfection and safe scratch removal this definitely comes with experience...an issue I have with polishing day in day out, is when a customer has paid for an enhancement, enhance the paint, not correct it, as your not being paid to correct....more of a trade issue, I know but my experiences
I'm guilty of this myself; not getting in a comfortable working position resulting in half assed lower panels and bumpers because they are so low to the ground. Get an adjustable chair, or even your bucket and try to relax and make it a bit more fun. Your lower back will thank you!
Slims detailing do some nice adjustable chairs. I do agree though. I used a toolbox to sit on when doing the lower parts however the really low parts I had to bend my back which resulted in back ache the next day
I'm a big fan of your videos. what do you think about spraying water to extend the compound life ? is it a good thing, does it give you more cut or less ?
wont work on most modern abrasives Mo. will work on some abrasives that use water as the primary carrier with water miscible solvents... most dont work this way now.. for example trying to use water with scholl concepts abrasives dont not work.
Hi john a newby to your channel I’ve been watching a lot of your videos I’m wanting to get a machine polisher but after a friend bought one and tried showing off with it, put autoglym polish on the pad then put the Machine on the bonnet and had the machine up at maximum speed pulled the trigger and put a massive swirl mark on his newish car which is still there to this day and he cannot get out without a full bonnet respray another question is do you teach how to Machine polish in person as I have seen your video it looks like your teaching someone many thanks ian
Sorry if I missed a comment here. As a beginner, I've had foam pads fail while compounding - recently LC-Force pad slowly ripping away from backing. Heat? Pressure? Not cleaning enough? Don't see this subject addressed much. Thanks.
sounds obvious but remember foam pads are exactly this. foam with a bit of velco backing glued to the foam. the amount of energy the machines puts out, how much of that energy gets absorbed into the pad plays the biggest factor. doesnt matter what pad make it is, if you hammer them you will heat them up and weaken the glue. forced rotation actually hammer the pads the most. saying that My LC pads have held up amazingly well on the forced rotation. Im really carefull not to over work them during the set, not to over pressure them into the panel, swap them out every 10 sets or so with another pad and Im really carefull when I tear them off the plate. LC pads I find are the best at not delaminating on the surface no idea why maybe because they are so dense. I get these pads to last a lot longer than otherones which start to break down on the face outer edge a lot quicker.
Take each polish job by its own merit, and don't attempt to tackle the whole car until you've found the ideal combo on a small test area. This will save you the disappointment of going round half the car and then realising your method isn't working. Also check your work after each pass.
off topic I know, do you have any problems with the front splitter with speed bumps and driveway incline etc.?. Toying with the idea of getting one myself. Top informative vid as usual.
I am really really really really reeeeaallly paranoid about grounding out the splitter lol. had other cars with splitters and I would smash them up, sometimes glue and filler them back up myself and get them refinished and a week later bang.. so far I can get over every speed bump ive hit without grounding out but theres a really stupid one at my daughters school that even the golf front end grounds out on so like I dont take the m140 over that now.. Ive seen it smash up so many cars of parents going in and out of the school but the school say it can be traversed without issue (hmm).. but basically seems ok, so far I can live with the car without having any issues. i had the 135 completly stock looking and now the m140 motech'd and I really love what that motech package provides to the car.
What is the name of the long metal shaft that u used on your DA so you could attach a smaller backing plate. I seen another guy used one on a rules 3in and he used the same shaft and attached a 1inch backing plate and pad. Thanks for your help. I will be waiting for your response .
sure Mo, remember the GSM is just the density or weight per square meter.. so really its more about the format of the cloth (the weaves) but a 400 gsm open pile cloth works great for polish removal.
Can't wait to see the Melbourne Red.....looking amazing are you going to give it the Gyeon treatment again or go down the old wax Sealant route? Again your covering parts of machine polishing others don't 10/10
thanks james its all back on the roud now and driving really well. been a long saga with the damage to the car from the pothole. next week Im getting the alloys all repainted in light anthracite, gonna get the rear lower trim panel done in gloss black. then when it comes back Im polish it up and shoot some videos in the process for the channel. so nice to have it back :)
Just bought an Audi Q5 3 litre and would.love to know how to detail the car as pretty significant swirl Mark's with a few scratches. Do you have a video which shows the basics and how to start? I'm getting on a bit, can I do it all myself as I worry about taking h the paint back too far etc. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
hey angela, if you search you tube for "how to polish a car with a DA for beginners" theres 2 videos I did. Watch the "updated" version really. you do need to watch it all really but its comprehensive and usefull.
@@ForensicDetailing well, washed, dryed and polished with poorboys Black Hole. Took out most of the swirls but some of the scratches may have been a little too.much for it. Yes I was right, too old to get into derailing now, ache all over this morning.
When you put a DA on a bonnet that has swirl marks should you machine polish the entire car or do you just machine polish the panels with imperfections?
if theres swirls on the bonnet there is typically swirls everywhere but its just a lot easier to see the ones on the bonnet. ideally you would take the opportunity to polish the entire car and try and keep a consistent amount of clearcoat all over the car. but you could just polish the bonnet if you wanted to.
@@ForensicDetailing this is what I thought. I asked the same question to a mate who is a detailer and he preferred just doing the panels affected. Personally I'd go with you - keep the thickness roughly the same all over the vehicle. Thanks for the reply Jon.
Hi, I have had the Autoglym lifeshine applied to my car before I took delivery of it last year. My question is am I limited to what I can do with the paintwork because of this treatment? or can I still use a clay and da? what would you recommend?
I'd be surprised if the lifeshine a dealer has applied is actually achieving anything after a year, so I'd suggest you wouldn't be doing any harm. You'll probably improving the protection by treating your vehicle.
Hi jon What's your opinion on using Meguiars Wheel Brightener on paint work to remove extreme water spots as I've seen a few vids on youtube.Great videos by the way.
Ive never used it like that but I cant see it why not? you can lower the concentration down. ultimately its for use on clearcoat on alloys as well.. it it contains acids or ammonia its probably going to be effective on water spots... just be carefull on panels maybe work panel by panel to ensure it doesnt dry.
When I learned how to use the DeWalt the boss said that I took too long on the car but the car looked good I didn't wanna rush. I'm getting ready to go get detail training so that I can learn how to work effectively you know. Any help??
Thanks for videos. Can you give me a bit of advise I have the option of a flex 14 2 150 or a flex 14 3 125 what machine do you think is the better of the two. They will both cost me the same.
Hi Jon - been following you for a while now and love how knowledgeable you are with detailing - quick question, how good is that CEM DT-156 paint depth gauge as there are many out there which vary drastically in prices?
Its hard to say really, its able to deliver what I need it to. Im less after real precision because the precision isnt critical so Im more after its ability to spot low points of clearcoat or areas that have been refinished. one thing Ive noticed is you can get different readings on the same spot which I think is just due to the probe and the little spring mechanism it has.. so that could be improved.. but I think its decent enough.. certain a fair few features.
Hi Jon. Been watching your vids for over a year now and enjoy the content. Could you please look into an ingredient called Hydrocarbon. I have seen this on a couple of detailing products’ ingredient list lately and would like to understand more about it. I think it may be interesting.
when detailing products talk about hydrocarbons its typically talking about petroleum based distillates, mineral spirits or naptha type materials. think white spirit and you wont be too far off although its a broader term.. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrocarbon
How about an LED flashlight? I have a couple that run on lithium ion cells and have a very bright high setting. Also has a lower setting. Are these ok and if so you recommend high or low?
@@ForensicDetailing ok will do. I already have a flashlight and been spending alot getting my kit together lol. Hoping I can use something I already have lol. I'll check the video out. Thanks!!
@@ForensicDetailing looks awesome!!! But not available on Amazon here in the US :-( But I see you also linked a normal LED flashlight :-) I am going to finish watching the video :-)
@@sahhull ended up grabbing this one. Has worked very well and alot cheaper than the expensive ones I see the detailtubers use (scangrip) and it has 97+ CRI Thanks all!! Astro Pneumatic Tool 50SL Sunlight 400 lm CRI 97 Rechargeable Handheld Color Match Light www.amazon.com/dp/B01CHP76CU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_pkDACbRT2382P
My problem is that i get frustrated while doing some light detailing by hand and then i start to rush. I get frustrated because the car that i wax and have been detailing and taking care of needs some rust fixing and new paint because of dent and deep scratch. So yeah, i would like to make it perfect but it needs too much money and the car is not worth shit, lol. But i think that is perfect car to practice, i just need to keep in mind that it won't be a showcar, even though i hate it.
Can you test how effective the 'touchless wash' system are, often see this advertised as zero swirl mark method but is it any good? If so, would we need to do any machine polishing?!!!
Forensic Detailing Channel hi John, I've seen a few products advertised as a 'touch less wash systems' . They spray a detergent in a foam lance, rinse off, steam clean the car, spray on a sealant and then blow dry the car. Benefit seems to be zero swirl marks or contact washing required.
Just googled images of marring. Now I know what I have on my GTi. Couldn't see any under a torch, work flood light, directly under a multistory light, direct evening sun. But the other day at first light in direct 'morning low' sun.... OMG!!!! Where did that come from? I was horrified by marks all over the drivers and rear door. I know know it's marring. About to venture into machine polishing as for years just been hand polishing using autoglym products.
to patreon for sure james.. theres some cool stuff but I cant use it all. gonna sending out loads of stuff soon just need to shoot some consolidation videos. really need to create space in the garage hasnt helped just bought up a ton of stuff for pad, shampoo and foam videos.
