Using your car polisher nowadays isn’t an incredibly daunting task, it’s actually quite simple if you follow a few simple steps.

Before using your machine polisher, however, it is extremely important to ensure your paint is properly prepared & decontaminated. This ensures that no contaminants such as iron & tar are going to get stuck in our pads, and potentially cause more damage whilst polishing. To learn more about decontamination, click here.

Now that your paint is prepared, here are some basic steps to follow to ensure you are using your car polisher properly:

1. Choose an appropriate pad & compound for your desired application. To ensure results, you need to assess your vehicle and find out where you should start. It’s always best to start with the least aggressive combination (for example a finishing pad, with a finishing compound), and move your way up depending on results.
2. Next, attach the pad to the polisher, ensuring that it’s centred to the best of your ability to avoid any imbalances & ensure optimal performance.
3. Now apply polish/compound to your pad by applying a few pea sized drops. On a fresh pad, apply 4-6 drops to prime the pad, and then 3-4 ongoing.
4. Set an appropriate speed. With variable speed machine polishers, it’s best to start at a low speed to spread the compound around your working area, and then move up to your working speed (usually somewhere between 4-6 for cutting, and 3-4 for finishing).
5. Make sure you are working in small sections, usually around a 40-60cm x 40-60cm square, or similar area. This ensures proper performance.
6. Now place the polisher against the paintwork and turn it on. You want to move up and down in vertical motions until you cover your work area, and then follow up with horizontal motions on the same work area. Once this is down (both vertical and horizontal passes), you have completed 1 pass. We recommend completing 3-4 passes. Once this is done, wipe away any residue with a microfiber cloth, and inspect your results, hopefully with a proper detailing light.
7. We recommend letting the machine do the work for you and not reply on excessive pressure to achieve cutting power. Light-medium pressure should be the max you should ever use. If you find you are using more pressure because you want more cut, then adjust your pads/compounds to suit - pressure won’t help, it will only hinder results and in some cases damage the buffing machine.

If you follow these simple steps, we are confident you will be an expert with your car polisher in no time!

When assessing what compounds and pads you should use with your machine, there are a few variables to consider:

Type of your paint: Your car has a specific type of paint, and this will roughly determine the hardness. Generally speaking, Asian cars have softer paint systems, European cars have harder paint systems, and Australian cars are more in the middle, intermediate paint systems.

Paint condition: Simply put, this is just regarding how many defects/scratches are in your paintwork, and what you are looking to get out.

Type of pad: Different pad types offer different benefits. Foam pads are usually the standard, as they provide a good level of cut, and are easy to finish with. Microfiber pads provide a fast, rapid cut that usually leaves a good finish, but require an air compressor to blow them out after each pass. Wool pads offer incredible levels of cut, but usually leave a poor finish, and will most likely need to be further refined.

Pad size & compatibility: Pads come in an array of sizes, and they usually taper down. For example, Shine Mate pads come in 4”, 6” and 7” in terms of their pad surface size, but they taper down to a 3”, 5” and 6” backing plate respectively. Pads also may be tailored to a specific machine, e.g. Lake Country CCS pads are made for more rotary machine applications.

Type of Compound: Compounds come in different grades of cutting ability, and some have waxes, sealants or coating embedded in the products. It’s important to choose a compound that suits that application of what you are trying to achieve.

You can browse our wide selection of cutting pads, intermediate pads, finishing pads, microfiber pads, wool pads, intermediate compounds, cutting compounds and finishing compounds. It can be easier to also look at our Kits & Pad Stacks, or our Compounds Kits.

If you are struggling to figure out what pad/compound selection is right for you and your car polisher, feel free to get in touch with us through live chat, emailing us on info@waxit.com.au, or giving us a call!