.

Your new car detailing and customising business sounds like it's shaping up a treat !

Sounds like a pretty decent price there, but won't having two polishing heads make more complicated areas more difficult to do?

I've never used one these proper polishers though (only a cheapo one I got from Halfords) so no idea what they're like to use

.

.

So you will be dropping the engine out to do inside the bay ?

[quote name='DJ Wozza' post='636204' date='Feb 11 2009, 10:54 PM']So you will be dropping the engine out to do inside the bay ? [/quote]

no mate i have a steam cleaner now aswell for doing the engine

Ah......the old Chinese knock off of the original machine!
Any questions, just ask......

yea, 2 heads are supposed to help cut down strain in the arms through vibration etc as chris said.

looks a good piece of kit - especially at that price.

is it rotary polisher or random orbital?? i always thought the random orbital were better for the paint - but not entirely sure. mind you, when used correctly i guess both should work a treat!!

what products u thinking of using chris?? there's a massive range out there, but some well priced quality products can be had from poorboys, mezerna etc. try cleanyourcar.com i think it is. They're brilliant and know their stuff really well. Can get all sort from them mate!! i've used them several times and i think its tim is more than happy to speak on the phone and offer advice - top service.

i would reccomend the klasse products also (also branded as carlack 68), but they're more for hand application. I have enough of the stuff to do a fleet of cars, so your more than welcome to borrow the lot and have a go - that way u can get a feel for them and see what the results are like without buying them.

are you thinking of doing a full paint correction type job? or just get rid of bad swirls and generally improve the clarity/shine of the paint??

What's paint correction mate?

basically mate its a full restoration of the paint so that all swirl, sanding, marring, oxidation marks are removed and a uniform paint thickness is established across the car. Its a service generally offered by pro valeters, but can be done urself with the right knowledge, time, equipment and effort. the results are 2nd to none, but its not a short process.

a bit more info here mate: [url="http://www.finerdetails.co.uk/7.html"]http://www.finerdetails.co.uk/7.html[/url]

Thanks for that link mate, they've got some great work on there!

[quote name='Rob's Lexx' post='636313' date='Feb 12 2009, 09:33 AM']yea, 2 heads are supposed to help cut down strain in the arms through vibration etc as chris said.

looks a good piece of kit - especially at that price.

is it rotary polisher or random orbital?? i always thought the random orbital were better for the paint - but not entirely sure. mind you, when used correctly i guess both should work a treat!!

what products u thinking of using chris?? there's a massive range out there, but some well priced quality products can be had from poorboys, mezerna etc. try cleanyourcar.com i think it is. They're brilliant and know their stuff really well. Can get all sort from them mate!! i've used them several times and i think its tim is more than happy to speak on the phone and offer advice - top service.

i would reccomend the klasse products also (also branded as carlack 68), but they're more for hand application. I have enough of the stuff to do a fleet of cars, so your more than welcome to borrow the lot and have a go - that way u can get a feel for them and see what the results are like without buying them.

are you thinking of doing a full paint correction type job? or just get rid of bad swirls and generally improve the clarity/shine of the paint??[/quote]


Yes Rob its a dual random orbital, so should be a pretty good starting point for a beginner

Might be popping to the Smartool training centre as its ony in Lichfield so about 6 miles from me, they do a 1 day or 2 day training course which i think would be good to do and learn the basics of paint correction?

Hopefully i'll be able to tidy the paint on mine a bit, to give it a bit more life as its starting to show its age now But have a feeling it will come up quite well

That course sounds very interesting indeed! Any ideas on price Rob?

price on what matey?? the course?? no idea mate, its chris who's looking into that...

as for full paint correction by a pro detailer - ur looking at £200 upwards mate....

Heres the course matey [url="http://www.autosmart.co.uk/Valeting%20Training%20Complete%20Guide.html"] [b]clicky[/b] [/url]

Will see how i get on when it comes then look into the course a bit more if i want to get into it in a bit more depth?

Thats a VERY good price for 2 days. I would normalt think 2 days training would be £300 - 600. So £150 is a bargin so long as you learn what you are expectiong to learn.

Some images of potential interest:

[url="http://community.webshots.com/photo/2796091570067168410wBcbFi"][img]http://inlinethumb14.webshots.com/44365/2796091570067168410S500x500Q85.jpg[/img][/url]

[url="http://community.webshots.com/photo/2741167580067168410anzNJW"][img]http://inlinethumb13.webshots.com/39692/2741167580067168410S500x500Q85.jpg[/img][/url]

[url="http://community.webshots.com/photo/2520870860067168410TkaluN"][img]http://inlinethumb50.webshots.com/43441/2520870860067168410S500x500Q85.jpg[/img][/url]

[url="http://community.webshots.com/photo/2053179580067168410tewUCv"][img]http://inlinethumb53.webshots.com/19764/2053179580067168410S500x500Q85.jpg[/img][/url]

[url="http://community.webshots.com/photo/2058309830067168410StdcAX"][img]http://inlinethumb26.webshots.com/41177/2058309830067168410S500x500Q85.jpg[/img][/url]

[url="http://community.webshots.com/photo/2020880320067168410HWOmSi"][img]http://inlinethumb09.webshots.com/42440/2020880320067168410S500x500Q85.jpg[/img][/url]

[url="http://community.webshots.com/photo/2466202380067168410yYNLLR"][img]http://inlinethumb10.webshots.com/42761/2466202380067168410S500x500Q85.jpg[/img][/url]

[url="http://community.webshots.com/photo/2092473920067168410jOuFTk"][img]http://inlinethumb61.webshots.com/43900/2092473920067168410S500x500Q85.jpg[/img][/url]

[url="http://community.webshots.com/photo/2587319700067168410LrucbU"][img]http://inlinethumb22.webshots.com/43221/2587319700067168410S500x500Q85.jpg[/img][/url]


Click on images for larger view.

ahh, the cyclo i believe... great polisher, but pretty heavy bit of kit though isn't it??? i guess this smartool variant would be a lot lighter and more manageable IMO. keep us posted on it chris

Actually, it's not all that weighty, and what extra weight it has over the Autosmart copy, is advantageous as witnessed by the extremely low vibrations and relative lack of need to add any downward pressure when polishing.

aztecbandit,your getting the bug now fella,once you get it all polished up your car will look superb,what colouris it.i can recomend the menzerna polishes and as rob say's the carlack:nsc68,lls and the shampoo.sample size pack's for the menzerna polish is a good choice as they are in 250ml bottles from clean your car .co.uk.i bought some shampoo a while back and when i opened the package and about a third had leaked out,i phoned cyc and tim sent me another bottle foc,great service.

[quote name='dgman' post='637125' date='Feb 13 2009, 07:54 PM']aztecbandit,your getting the bug now fella,once you get it all polished up your car will look superb,what colouris it.i can recomend the menzerna polishes and as rob say's the carlack:nsc68,lls and the shampoo.sample size pack's for the menzerna polish is a good choice as they are in 250ml bottles from clean your car .co.uk.i bought some shampoo a while back and when i opened the package and about a third had leaked out,i phoned cyc and tim sent me another bottle foc,great service.[/quote]

Yes mate i'm quite looking forward to giving it a good going over now With the colour of my Lex i'm hoping it will look pretty good after

Here's my lex matey, And will have a nosey at cyc thanks

[img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc320/tempra5/2009_0131snoopersapphireplus0019_ed.jpg[/img]

[quote name='aztecbandit1' post='637127' date='Feb 13 2009, 08:02 PM'][quote name='dgman' post='637125' date='Feb 13 2009, 07:54 PM']aztecbandit,your getting the bug now fella,once you get it all polished up your car will look superb,what colouris it.i can recomend the menzerna polishes and as rob say's the carlack:nsc68,lls and the shampoo.sample size pack's for the menzerna polish is a good choice as they are in 250ml bottles from clean your car .co.uk.i bought some shampoo a while back and when i opened the package and about a third had leaked out,i phoned cyc and tim sent me another bottle foc,great service.[/quote]

Yes mate i'm quite looking forward to giving it a good going over now With the colour of my Lex i'm hoping it will look pretty good after

Here's my lex matey, And will have a nosey at cyc thanks

[img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc320/tempra5/2009_0131snoopersapphireplus0019_ed.jpg[/img]
[/quote]it look's like a clear coat pearl /mica, is that right.

Not 100% on the clear coat mate but it is a a pearl mica so thinking about it, it probably is clear coated? the colour is aztec fire red what would you reccomend for this type of colour matey?

[quote name='aztecbandit1' post='637142' date='Feb 13 2009, 08:42 PM']Not 100% on the clear coat mate but it is a a pearl mica so thinking about it, it probably is clear coated? the colour is aztec fire red what would you reccomend for this type of colour matey? [/quote]yes it's a clearcoat from what you have said.carlack as said is my choice,with it being a sealant it brings out the best in your pearl finish and will also give you superior protection against bird droppings.with you polishing back the paint you could leave aside the nsc and just use multi coats of lls.after polishing,wipe down with meths&water 50/50 solution.then apply lls on a damp micro fibre very thin coat then buff off with m/f one panel at a time.you won't beleive the gloss.

[quote name='dgman' post='637156' date='Feb 13 2009, 09:07 PM'][quote name='aztecbandit1' post='637142' date='Feb 13 2009, 08:42 PM']Not 100% on the clear coat mate but it is a a pearl mica so thinking about it, it probably is clear coated? the colour is aztec fire red what would you reccomend for this type of colour matey? [/quote]yes it's a clearcoat from what you have said.carlack as said is my choice,with it being a sealant it brings out the best in your pearl finish and will also give you superior protection against bird droppings.with you polishing back the paint you could leave aside the nsc and just use multi coats of lls.after polishing,wipe down with meths&water 50/50 solution.then apply lls on a damp micro fibre very thin coat then buff off with m/f one panel at a time.you won't beleive the gloss.
[/quote]

Thats great mate, thankyou for your advice

just want the polisher to arrive now so i can give it a go, and just been on cyc so will order some gear ready

[quote name='aztecbandit1' post='637157' date='Feb 13 2009, 09:12 PM'][quote name='dgman' post='637156' date='Feb 13 2009, 09:07 PM'][quote name='aztecbandit1' post='637142' date='Feb 13 2009, 08:42 PM']Not 100% on the clear coat mate but it is a a pearl mica so thinking about it, it probably is clear coated? the colour is aztec fire red what would you reccomend for this type of colour matey? [/quote]yes it's a clearcoat from what you have said.carlack as said is my choice,with it being a sealant it brings out the best in your pearl finish and will also give you superior protection against bird droppings.with you polishing back the paint you could leave aside the nsc and just use multi coats of lls.after polishing,wipe down with meths&water 50/50 solution.then apply lls on a damp micro fibre very thin coat then buff off with m/f one panel at a time.you won't beleive the gloss.
[/quote]

Thats great mate, thankyou for your advice

just want the polisher to arrive now so i can give it a go, and just been on cyc so will order some gear ready
[/quote]don't forget,full report with sun close up's and also before and after's.

[quote name='dgman' post='637163' date='Feb 13 2009, 09:17 PM'][quote name='aztecbandit1' post='637157' date='Feb 13 2009, 09:12 PM'][quote name='dgman' post='637156' date='Feb 13 2009, 09:07 PM'][quote name='aztecbandit1' post='637142' date='Feb 13 2009, 08:42 PM']Not 100% on the clear coat mate but it is a a pearl mica so thinking about it, it probably is clear coated? the colour is aztec fire red what would you reccomend for this type of colour matey? [/quote]yes it's a clearcoat from what you have said.carlack as said is my choice,with it being a sealant it brings out the best in your pearl finish and will also give you superior protection against bird droppings.with you polishing back the paint you could leave aside the nsc and just use multi coats of lls.after polishing,wipe down with meths&water 50/50 solution.then apply lls on a damp micro fibre very thin coat then buff off with m/f one panel at a time.you won't beleive the gloss.
[/quote]

Thats great mate, thankyou for your advice

just want the polisher to arrive now so i can give it a go, and just been on cyc so will order some gear ready
[/quote]don't forget,full report with sun close up's and also before and after's.
[/quote]

Yes i will do mate just hope we get some sun

thanks again

nearly forgot,clay bar before polishing-very important.

[quote name='dgman' post='637177' date='Feb 13 2009, 09:32 PM']nearly forgot,clay bar before polishing-very important.[/quote]

yep allready got the clay ready to go

Have you ever used the AG ultra deep shine?

[quote name='aztecbandit1' post='637183' date='Feb 13 2009, 09:40 PM'][quote name='dgman' post='637177' date='Feb 13 2009, 09:32 PM']nearly forgot,clay bar before polishing-very important.[/quote]

yep allready got the clay ready to go

Have you ever used the AG ultra deep shine?
[/quote]i 've not used it ,looking at the description it appears to be a cleaner polish with some swirl masking ability which is fine if your are applying by hand.you now have a machine and therefore can get the best results with a dedicated medium and fine cut polish like the menzerna sample range,that's the way to go.

[quote name='dgman' post='637191' date='Feb 13 2009, 09:58 PM'][quote name='aztecbandit1' post='637183' date='Feb 13 2009, 09:40 PM'][quote name='dgman' post='637177' date='Feb 13 2009, 09:32 PM']nearly forgot,clay bar before polishing-very important.[/quote]

yep allready got the clay ready to go

Have you ever used the AG ultra deep shine?
[/quote]i 've not used it ,looking at the description it appears to be a cleaner polish with some swirl masking ability which is fine if your are applying by hand.you now have a machine and therefore can get the best results with a dedicated medium and fine cut polish like the menzerna sample range,that's the way to go.
[/quote]

Thats sound mate, my other half brought me a 1ltr bottle earlier for £5, so no loss there and i could always use it on hers

Will go with what you suggest

i reckon that she will have you giving her car the top treatment as well.

the polisher is the same as a biltima polisher, i bought 1 for about £20 but its in sweden so not really available in the UK - search for biltema on detailing world.

Some suggestions:

1.when you recieve the polisher open it up and apply a heavy duty grease to the plastic cogs inside as the grease during production is minimal.
[u]2. Grease is advised to act as a damper because the noise levels from the polisher are very high due to backlash in the plastic gears, infact on high speeds (4 and 5) the noise levels are so high as to cause hearing damage during prolonged use, i measured the polisher at 98db!![/u] - try using it for a bit and your ears will be ringing!
3. Finding the correct sized pads of decent quality is impossible, the polisher requires a 3.75" pad, but the only pads available with different cuts are 4", this means the pads bump together by upto 1/2" during the rotation and wear each other away causing the pads to take on an "hour glass" shape.
4. the standard supplied pads with the polisher are of a cheap basic foam with nearly no cutting action, 1 option is to cut 4" pads down to 3.75" using a hole cutter, obviosly not the idea solution!
5. having 2 heads works quite well however due to the 2 heads it is awkward to use on the body especially around the bumper and wing/arch areas.


i would be very interested if u can find pads that fit properly because it looks like im going for a kestrel or g220 sometime in the very near future.

[quote name='Rob' post='640306' date='Feb 24 2009, 09:36 AM']the polisher is the same as a biltima polisher, i bought 1 for about £20 but its in sweden so not really available in the UK - search for biltema on detailing world.

Some suggestions:

1.when you recieve the polisher open it up and apply a heavy duty grease to the plastic cogs inside as the grease during production is minimal.
[u]2. Grease is advised to act as a damper because the noise levels from the polisher are very high due to backlash in the plastic gears, infact on high speeds (4 and 5) the noise levels are so high as to cause hearing damage during prolonged use, i measured the polisher at 98db!![/u] - try using it for a bit and your ears will be ringing!
3. Finding the correct sized pads of decent quality is impossible, the polisher requires a 3.75" pad, but the only pads available with different cuts are 4", this means the pads bump together by upto 1/2" during the rotation and wear each other away causing the pads to take on an "hour glass" shape.
4. the standard supplied pads with the polisher are of a cheap basic foam with nearly no cutting action, 1 option is to cut 4" pads down to 3.75" using a hole cutter, obviosly not the idea solution!
5. having 2 heads works quite well however due to the 2 heads it is awkward to use on the body especially around the bumper and wing/arch areas.


i would be very interested if u can find pads that fit properly because it looks like im going for a kestrel or g220 sometime in the very near future.[/quote]

Thanks for the info Rob

This one is only a single speed and quite quiet, but will give it a good greasing up as it'll help in the long run

I'd read on detailing world that the Biltima was an awkward pad size so brought this one as i knew i could get the pads, and because i couldnt get hold of the Biltima version, so brought some pads for it from the smartool office up the road from me which is quite handy

Just got to give it a go on my car now, i had a little practice with it the other day on an old panel and seems to work very well

If i get on ok with this one i might go for the G220 in the future.

ah right so whats the pad size then, surprising the make them with 2 different sized heads, it looks just the same machine as the biltema, and as u have correctly stated there are 2 models with and without speed control.

Just measured them mate and the heads are 95mm the same as the Biltema version? and the pads from smartool are the same at 95mm so it is the same as the one you have, Apart from the different speed settings?

Its a shame they dont post the Biltema version? as i bet its a better tool with it having different speeds

[quote name='aztecbandit1' post='636111' date='Feb 11 2009, 02:42 PM']Been looking at giving my car a good clean for a while now, so been looking at different polishers on and off the past few months and was going to go for the G220 but then came across this?

The Smartool orbital polisher,
[img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc320/tempra5/smartool.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc320/tempra5/smartool1.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc320/tempra5/smartool2.jpg[/img]

So thought i'd get one after reading quite a few good reviews on it and seemed a good buy for thr money, So did my usual bargain hunt and got one in the end for £37, then i needed to get hold of some pads for it so brought 14 pads in the end again bargain hunting for £21 so £58 in total so far :D

Next on my list is a range of cleaning/polishing products to go with it, Been a member on detailing world for a while now but very rarely go on there and just had to re-register ;) So will be having a good search over the next few days to see the best way to use my new toy :D

But any suggestions are very welcome, cant wait to try it out now :D

Anybody on here use the Smartool??[/quote]
WELL NOT A SMARTOOL NEVER HEARD OF IT BUT LOOK'S JUST LIKE MY CYCLO MODEL 5 ONLY MINES NOY PLASTIC IT'S HARD AIR CRAFT METAL. I'VE HAD MINE 25 YEAR'S AND JUST BOUGHT ANOTHER FOR WORK.

[quote name='aztecbandit1' post='636209' date='Feb 11 2009, 05:06 PM'][quote name='DJ Wozza' post='636204' date='Feb 11 2009, 10:54 PM']So you will be dropping the engine out to do inside the bay ? :whistling:[/quote]

:lol: no mate i have a steam cleaner now aswell for doing the engine B)
[/quote]
JUST MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE IT RUNNING WHILE CLEANING OR YOU MIGHT BE SORRY...TB.

I just brough exactly the same polisher and now I am after some pads.

Can I please have the website where you found 14 pads for £21 as the cheapest pads I have found are like £4.95 each.

[quote name='Bod42' post='643930' date='Mar 9 2009, 12:15 PM']I just brough exactly the same polisher and now I am after some pads.

Can I please have the website where you found 14 pads for £21 as the cheapest pads I have found are like £4.95 each.[/quote]

Hello matey i originally brought them from [url="http://stores.ebay.co.uk/johndaveypaints_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ0QQftidZ2QQpZ2QQtZkm"] [b]THIS[/b] [/url] ebay seller but looks like he's only got the 80mm pads on sale at the moment? the ones i got were 100mm pads, I had a pack of 10 polishing and 4 compound pads for £21 but won them in one of his auctions

am i correct in assuming that you hav'nt done any polishing yet?

[quote name='dgman' post='644002' date='Mar 9 2009, 05:36 PM']am i correct in assuming that you hav'nt done any polishing yet?[/quote]

Yes you are mate, not had the time as yet, but cant wait to have a good session with it

Went out to give my Lex a good cleaning session this morning and as soon as i'd filled the buckets it started to rain Told my other half that i'm going to sell the house and just buy a two storey garage, so i have some where to live and some where to work

It didnt go down very well though

you managed to use this yet matey??might look into getting one.

[quote name='ormi' post='676796' date='Jun 19 2009, 12:47 AM']you managed to use this yet matey??might look into getting one.[/quote]

Yes mate and it works very well for the money that it cost, I used it on our other is200 a while ago, here's the topic [url="http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=58498&hl="] [b]CLICK ME![/b] [/url]

i have one that has the speed control and find it far too big and bulky for proper use - also need to use special sized pads not norm available from regular car detail places.

ill be selling mine soon i think as i have ordered a proper polisher

[quote name='Rob' post='677030' date='Jun 19 2009, 06:35 PM']i have one that has the speed control and find it far too big and bulky for proper use - also need to use special sized pads not norm available from regular car detail places.

ill be selling mine soon i think as i have ordered a proper polisher[/quote]
What you going to get then Rob ?

i have ordered a kestrel machine - its just the same as a G220 or a PC but its far cheaper.. shinearama are the cheapest..... £75 and very cheap post... i got a 12kg packet sent to germany for £8... yes £8!!!

[quote name='Rob' post='677072' date='Jun 19 2009, 08:23 PM']i have ordered a kestrel machine - its just the same as a G220 or a PC but its far cheaper.. shinearama are the cheapest..... £75 and very cheap post... i got a 12kg packet sent to germany for £8... yes £8!!![/quote]

Thats a bit of a bargain mate