Blown-Interceptor

I have always waxed my car by hand. Is it better to use a buffer? Will the results be better than waxing by hand?

Thanks,

GrayC5

There has been a lot of discussion in the past on this topic in the Car Care Discussion section of the Forum and you may find it better to post this there. Too, several very knowlegeable people and a few professional detailers hang out there.

Good luck!

Blown-Interceptor

Thanks, didn't even thing of posting it there, or checking for that matter.

Immaculate

Random oribital is the way to go. I own a detail company and that is what we use. Reason: When applying by hand you may cause damage because you are using your hand/fingers and will be applying different amounts of pressure with each finger/side of hand. To sum it up the oribital distributes the pressure evenly and rotates at such a safe speed that there will be less/no damage. Hope that this sheds some light.

Winterlude

random orbital....is that when it spins or when it just kind of shakes. I have one that doesn't spin, it just vibrates all over, I find i can never remove the wax completely with it, there's always a haze, comes off only by hand. I always thought the ones that spin would cause swirls.

torch2000vert

For true polishing, there is nothing better than a rotary buffer, period. Random or orbitals just do not achive the same results and are made for glazes and waxes, not for true polishing. If you just want to wax your car, I always apply and remove by hand using the palm of my hand, not my finger tips, working the wax or glaze into the paint. If you have scratches in your clear coat or swirl marks etc, the only thing that will truly remove them, not just fill them, is a low speed rotary buffer. Yes, swirl marks can be caused by rotary buffers in the wrong hands. So if your not familar with wet sanding, machine compounding etc, just stay with doing it with good old elbow grease. Many people rave about waxes glazes polishes etc, but real lasting depth and shine is gained by actually polishing the clear coat surface, not glazing or filling scratches etc. I sledom have to wax or glaze my car as it shines pretty much the same all the time no matter what wax etc I use. FYI Rejex really offers great protection with easy use and a low cost. Maguires body scrub is a preatty easy to use light compound after the clay bar process.


This pic is what you can achieve with a rotary buffer and some patience and this was taken on a very cloudy day:



If you do need to actually polish scratces out of your paint etc, here is a write up that may help you:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1373615

My 02 cents only.

Blown-Interceptor

Thanks for the write up...it sure looks like ALOT of work.

shannanl

Random oribital. I just bought one last week and used it. I have always hand waxed my cars and thought I was doing a good job. I just thought I was until I used the buffer.

Chicago

Do it by hand and enjoy the results.

DPG

it all depends on what the manufacturer recommends. Some waxes should be applied by hand only, while other can be applied using a buffer. A lot of meguires stuff, such as their yellow wax can be applied by machine. Other waxes such as souveran need to be applied by hand

Lancer033

key phrase highlighted

ZaneO

For just waxing, I recommend doing it by hand. For correcting swirls and other defects, a machine is best.

John Ulrich

For hand application of your favorite product I love this Polish'n Pal. I can evenly apply a full 4" diameter of product with no hand cramping from trying to grab/hold an application pad.
Use your DA for rubbing....the pad will pull off if you try to rub hard with it when using a soft pad.
JU

http://www.autogeek.net/pinpp.html

Scuba Ghost

I 've been rubbing and buffing by hand for over 40 years. My cars turn out great. I have never used a buffer and am afraid I'd ruin the paint with one. Just good old hand jobs for me!

0TH0001@properautocare.com

I apply most of my LSPs (minus carnuba wax) via PC with a fine polishing pad. There was some discussion was which is better, but I feel (just personal prefernce) that you get a more even coat and that it helps push the wax into the paint. I also remove with a PC and a microfiber bonnet. However this process generaly takes longer then doing it by hand, so I'm not really saving time. I just feel it looks that little bit better....

However if I am topping with a carnuba, I do that process via hand (and enjoy it).