Product Review/DIY: Griots 6" DA polisher

[JupiterBMW]

Ok guys.. So there are lots of great threads about polishing and the best polishers, pads, products, etc etc etc... But, I feel like there isn't a BASIC thread that teaches the newbies how to do this stuff... Ok, so my thread isn't the BEST attempt at that, but I still wanted to write a product review, and add a few pics... And to be honest, it can serve as a bit of a DIY as well...

So, I recently purchased the Griot's 6" DA polisher after MUCH reading and comparing, watching Youtube vids, and browsing other forums. For YEARS I've used the cheap random orbitals and I've always had amazing results. My first detail on my ZHP was with the same $30 polisher I picked up at Walmart... But, I still chose to buy a new polisher and really get professional with my abilities.

After much reading, I learned that smaller pads give better correction, so I chose to go a little smaller than the 6" pad. I want with a 5" hook/loop backing plate and a variety of 5.5" foam pads. I continue to use the same products I've been using for a few years now, Meguiar's Ultimate lineup... Frankly, I still don't think its necessary to buy the insanely high end (expensive) products that you can get online. I shop for my products at Walmart, and I think they are great.

As for pads, I went with Chemical Guys with "Hex Logic" technology. The hex pattern in the pad face is supposed to hold the product and help to better distribute it across the panel while polishing. They have a variety of different durometers for different products/uses.

For this test, I will be polishing on my ZHP. For those of you that saw the car at the Reunion, I think its safe to say that the paint is in excellent shape. It is very smooth, very glossy. But, I figured I'd give it more and see if I could further improve it. Besides, I had one small scuff mark on the rear corner where the back bumper meets the wheel arch... I rubbed my workbench backing the car in recently... Yes, I have to park that close to fit both cars... :facepalm

Ok, so what to do? First, I had to attach my new smaller backing plate with the Griot's supplied wrenches. No sweat, very easy and took about 20 seconds. From there, I set up each of the pads with the correct product. Just for testing purpose, I went through a 3 step process, or a full correction.

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You can see from left to right the products/steps I'll be using, as well as the pads matched with each product. Meguiars Ultimate lineup has proven to be really nice, the products go on well and come off easily. The other spray products are great, have good smells, and work really well. Personal favorite? The Ultimate Quick Detailer.

But I digress... I chose to do a 50/50 of the trunk lid. It was a small enough area to do fairly quickly and yet big enough to get a feel for the polisher. The flat surfaces on the vehicle take the most abuse (sun, settling dust, water spots, etc)... So, we'll go with this one. I washed the car and inspected. A few small hairline scratches in the clear coat, but otherwise a pretty smooth finish, and plenty of shine. Of course, alpine white being a NON metallic, very hard to get any depth out of it... So, apply the masking tape (I chose medium stick by 3M so it'd come off easily) and choose a side to correct.

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From here it was time to put the polisher to use. I attached the orange pad to start and applied some product. You can see how much I used, which I believe was more than enough.

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Once I applied the product I placed the pad flat onto the surface and let'er rip! I chose speed 4 (1-6 available) for the compound. I went across the surface 4 times total, back/forth and then up/down alternately, two times of each direction. I used a damp microfiber to remove the compound. Then I switched to the white pad and repeated with the polish. For the polish, I went down to speed 3. A clean, dry microfiber was used to remove little haze from the polish. Then I switched the black finishing pad and repeated again with the liquid wax to provide the finish shine. For the finish, I went with a speed of 1.5 (the click right between 1 and 2). Another clean, dry microfiber was used to give the paint a final, light buff. Very little buff was needed. At completion of this, I used my Craftsman LED worklite to expose any scratches and try to reveal what changes I made. Its VERY hard to see imperfections in white, so I wasn't expecting much.

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But, I looked and was able to barely see the scratches... On the before section, I could see them a bit... On the after section, I could still see a few scratches, but they were much more shallow and almost impossible to feel. Then I felt the two and WHOA... Night and day... My before feels pretty damn smooth, but the after is better than "glass". I honestly couldn't get photos of the difference as white is so hard to photograph, but WOW, I couldn't believe how much smoother the paint was after just a QUICK polish with each step. I can only imagine how much improvement could've been made with some actual time spent... Totally thrilled... Stay tuned for a full 3 step detail... And I just finished a really thorough wax job before the reunion... I didn't think I needed ANY correction!

Absolutely sold on the Griot's, the pads, and still my same products... :thumbsup

[toddness]

Thanks for this write up!

I'd love to hear some of the other experts take on your choice of Meguiers vs. the 'expensive' products.

Hmm..maybe that autogeek sale

[wertyu78]

Good write up!

[Washburn]

Cool!
I got the same Griots 6" buffer with the AG buffer sale for $119 shipped, and only a few white Lake County CCS pads (6") as I am hoping just to do some mild polishing/correction.
I also got the 3" backing plate and 3 Griots 3" foam pads for it, to do smaller areas.
The Products I have chosen to do the wash/clay/polish/seal are quite different - will do a full review and give all the details once I get to work on the ZHP - I have to work 4 week ends in a row :( due to us being short-staffed at the hospital, so I have to wait till I get a full week end to start ...hopefully soon

...Mine is also AW, of course :) it's a discouraging color to detail as you know you can't show off reflections, depth etc, but I know at least it will be protected...

[JupiterBMW]

Thanks for the replies guys... I know its not much of a DIY really, I just wanted to post my account for those that have never used a polisher before, and I had a few pics to accompany... I get a lot of people ask me how its done, and I think I'm more shocked by the fact that they still wax cars by hand... :biggrin

[danewilson77]

Joop, did you wash and clay the car prior to PC? I didn't get that in the read and wanted to understand what you did to prep the car beforehand (if anything).

Thanks

HTC DNA ON TT4 BETA, WILLIAMSBURG, VA

[ELCID86]

Thanks Joop. Mine is on order. Still have not decided on what polishes to use. Leaning towards M205/M105. That has to be the cleanest garage I have ever seen!

[JupiterBMW]

Dane- Being that the car was clayed and recently waxed, I just ensured it was clean. I did wash the car, and then gave the trunklid a wipe down with detail spray to ensure it was clean.

Shawn- Thanks man, the garage really needs to be swept and mopped again, but I try to keep it clean... As for your product choice, sounds good, they're always favorites... I think the compounds might be a little heavy for what your car needs (not much)... But, I don't know for sure, haven't used them, just what I've read online...

[danewilson77]

So the first step in your process/pc was wax removal.

HTC DNA ON TT4 BETA, WILLIAMSBURG, VA

[fredo]

Jupiter, what's the deal about different pad colors ? Do they represent softness ? Thank you, man.

[ELCID86]

I recently found this that helps explain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFnmfn9mwYc

[Torxuvin]

http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-basic/popcorn.gif In for more pics

[fredo]

I recently found this that helps explain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFnmfn9mwYc

Thank you, sir.

[ELCID86]

Lookie what I got! 8-]9122


Shawn in VA.
Via thumbs and Tapatalk.

[Washburn]

All LC Pads explained (CHART from AG):
http://www.auto-geek.net/charts/buffing-pad-chart-lc.htm

And a nice overview:

http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/autogeek/flowchart.jpg

[danewilson77]

Yep. Like it.

HTC DNA ON TT4 BETA, WILLIAMSBURG, VA

[JupiterBMW]

Great info added for others...

A small update to my post... Devlin came down and hung out for the day and we really put the Griot's to use. We did a full 3 step correction on his car. We did a wash and then went right into the polisher work. We chose not to clay based on time and the fact that I don't think the car needed it. The paint was in pretty good shape, but did have some hazing of the clear. After a full compound, polish and finish wax, the car had much greater depth and it looked a darker red. The paint felt extremely smooth and overall really happy with the results. The buffer did build up quite a bit of heat, but overall it performed flawlessly. One other thing I noticed was that with a 5" backing plate and 5.5" pads, I had no problem getting to all spots on the car. I was able to get all around/under the sideview mirrors. Also, taking the couple of minutes to take off the license plate/bracket made doing the trunk a LOT easier.

Just some FYI for others jumping into this.

[328ioc]

Jon is fast becoming the master of detailing.

Just for kicks I did clay the top of the trunk and it is a bit smoother than the rest of the car but the difference is not that great.

I can also see every stone chip now.......

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[M0nk3y]

You need to clay regardless.

Not claying you're defeating the purpose of polishing. Because when you polish you're picking up all of those small particles, and then proceeding to grind them into the paint during polishing.

If you don't have time, to go an aggressive 2 step combo

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[M0nk3y]

Thanks for the replies guys... I know its not much of a DIY really, I just wanted to post my account for those that have never used a polisher before, and I had a few pics to accompany... I get a lot of people ask me how its done, and I think I'm more shocked by the fact that they still wax cars by hand... :biggrin

I still wax my car by hand, literally.

I used my hands to apply my dodo juice, the heat helps melt the wax down and spread easier and better coverage

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[ryankokesh]

That's what the dodoers do! Haven't tried it yet myself...


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[Washburn]

You need to clay regardless.
Not claying you're defeating the purpose of polishing. Because when you polish you're picking up all of those small particles, and then proceeding to grind them into the paint during polishing.
I agree - not all the benefits of claying can necessarily be seen, and embedded dirt can still be there even if the 'paint looks good'.
If a car is going to be compounded/polished, corrected, sealed and/or waxed, doing all that without prior claying seems a waste and incomplete, in my opinion, as those products used afterwards will be so much more effective with claying.
One will never know the difference it could have made.

I am kinda lazy and impatient about detailing stuff, but I am going to force myself to use use a nanoscrub sponge (excited to see how it compares to traditional clay) before polishing/sealing mine.

[JupiterBMW]

I do normally agree, but in the effort of time, we chose not to. I don't think any harm was caused, and plenty of benefit was still gained. In a perfect world, I would wash, clay, and polish/wax every couple of weeks, but I have a house, kids, social life, and work all getting in the way.

[Washburn]

Understand fully about not having enough time, etc: I have all the products I need since about 2 months ago, and work schedule is crazy - working extra weekends and evenings at the hospital has not given me the chance yet to start....

[JupiterBMW]

Understand fully about not having enough time, etc: I have all the products I need since about 2 months ago, and work schedule is crazy - working extra weekends and evenings at the hospital has not given me the chance yet to start....

Exactly. Many years ago I used to have an entire day every weekend for detailing... The beauty of things now is that while I have a great garage, I don't have the time to utilize it nearly as much... Of course, having a nice garage means the car stays cleaner, longer. Its all tradeoff I suppose.

[Washburn]

Exactly...Just when we moved to a place with a garage, the schedule went crazy...people leaving, or leaving on maternity leave, vacation etc...and people who work every 3rd wk end having to work every 2nd, etc...
But this craziness is supposed to end in about 2 months...I am looking forward to having a normal schedule again....
Sorry for getting OT a bit.

[bullfrogs_M3]

......... I would wash, clay, and polish/wax every couple of weeks, .........

This sounds massively (over) aggressive, hopefully you were just joking. Wash every couple weeks with a polish and wax every couple months should be all you need to keep your glass like paint. Too much polishing can actually do more harm than good ( depending on product of course) unless you are just going to use an ultra fine polish compound.

Generally a good wax has a half life of about 1-2 months, less in hotter areas/states. The polish should last around 2-4 months. The first to get "weathered" away is wax of course, then the polish (or sealants if you use one, then polish).

Keep the car washed with a PH balanced soap will keep your wax, sealants and polish in maximum life and work. Use other soap types to strip the wax and polish off the car prior to redoing your polishing/waxing again :)


Handwritten on my Moleskin notepad

[Washburn]

I will post full details of my products I plan to use later, but the polish, then sealant combo is supposed to give me about 6-8 months protection, and that's how often I hope to do a full detail
- in between, just quick/basic ONR washes and a good spray quick detailer/wax when dirty should keep up the finish...
At least that's my plan...will see how well it really works.

[danewilson77]

Wash every couple weeks with a polish and wax every couple months should be all you need to keep your glass like paint....
Handwritten on my Moleskin notepad

:rofl

Oh Jeremiah.

[M0nk3y]

I wash every week (thanks to the tire dust on the weekend) wax every other month or so, and I haven't polished in 2 years

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[bullfrogs_M3]

I think I accidentally.....


Handwritten on my Moleskin notepad

[bullfrogs_M3]

I wash every week (thanks to the tire dust on the weekend) wax every other month or so, and I haven't polished in 2 years

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Which wash product are you using?



Handwritten on my Moleskin notepad

[JupiterBMW]

This sounds massively (over) aggressive, hopefully you were just joking. Wash every couple weeks with a polish and wax every couple months should be all you need to keep your glass like paint. Too much polishing can actually do more harm than good ( depending on product of course) unless you are just going to use an ultra fine polish compound.

Generally a good wax has a half life of about 1-2 months, less in hotter areas/states. The polish should last around 2-4 months. The first to get "weathered" away is wax of course, then the polish (or sealants if you use one, then polish).

Keep the car washed with a PH balanced soap will keep your wax, sealants and polish in maximum life and work. Use other soap types to strip the wax and polish off the car prior to redoing your polishing/waxing again :)


Handwritten on my Moleskin notepad

Yes... I understand that much work isn't necessary. Overly aggressive might not be the right choice of words, but unnecessary definitely... I was being sarcastic. I used to wash every week and wax every 4. I learned to detail 14 years ago, and have been learning more and trying new products ever since... Honestly, I have the opinion that detailing theories change every few years, much like fashion, diet ideas, etc...

Here's the biggest thing. If the paint looks good and feels soft/smooth/glasslike (or whatever other descriptive words you choose) then it doesn't really matter what you're doing, as long as that finish maintains. Personally, people get all sorts of concerned with PH balanced soaps and all sorts of other chemical wizardry... But do you run tests on the water, or do you just use what comes out of the hose??

The last time I was on our ship, I ran a bunch of chemical tests on a variety of different sources of water. The WORST one (which tested positive for bacteria cultures) was the distilled water I purchased from the grocery store... So, again, its all essentially arbitrary. Unless of course you have a deionizing station at home...


I will post full details of my products I plan to use later, but the polish, then sealant combo is supposed to give me about 6-8 months protection, and that's how often I hope to do a full detail
- in between, just quick/basic ONR washes and a good spray quick detailer/wax when dirty should keep up the finish...
At least that's my plan...will see how well it really works.

My personal thought?? Washing the car without using water... Why not just pull out the sandpaper... Same idea. Be really careful with the quick detailer. I only use it right after a wash/detail for removal of water spots and then once in a great while for a little spray at the bottom of the panels from the wheels. But after about 24 hours, detail spray is useless, or at least harmful... Again, in MY OPINION... I don't claim to be a pro, just going on my experience.

[328ioc]

I learned to detail 14 years ago, and have been learning more and trying new products ever since...


And now you are teaching me and for that I thank you.

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[Washburn]

My personal thought?? Washing the car without using water... Why not just pull out the sandpaper... Same idea. Be really careful with the quick detailer. I only use it right after a wash/detail for removal of water spots and then once in a great while for a little spray at the bottom of the panels from the wheels. But after about 24 hours, detail spray is useless, or at least harmful... Again, in MY OPINION... I don't claim to be a pro, just going on my experience.

ONR uses water, quite a bit of it, actually, - just no big RINSING like a normal wash...I use the 2 bucket method with a soft lambskin/wool wash mitt ( a microfiber mitt for the lower panels) with grit guards in the buckets...
I have already done quite a few times, and inspected the paint - it didn't scratch anything, just made the paint clean, and smooth, and added some gloss even. I'd never use ONR if the car is VERY dirty, but for a mildly dirty car it works very well.

Why do you think Optimum No Rinse is = Sand paper?

[JupiterBMW]

ONR uses water, quite a bit of it, actually, - just no big RINSING like a normal wash...I use the 2 bucket method with a soft lambskin/wool wash mitt ( a microfiber mitt for the lower panels) with grit guards in the buckets...
I have already done quite a few times, and inspected the paint - it didn't scratch anything, just made the paint clean, and smooth, and added some gloss even. I'd never use ONR if the car is VERY dirty, but for a mildly dirty car it works very well.

**Edit- Oh, and in terms of washing without water, I was referring to repeated detail spray/spray waxes...

Yeah, I'm familiar with the ONR, but honestly, it sounds silly... If you have a LOT of water to use, you'd have a hose right, so why use a product that (to me, again, opinion) takes MORE effort... The rinsing part of a car is the easiest part of all... Soo, why skip it? I dunno.. I don't use it, but I know plenty others love it. Its all good... Again, there are like 37 million products, and they're only as good as the people that use them. We could go around and around all day on all the forums about which products work well. The fact is, they're only going to work well if they're used correctly.

Anyway, good luck to everyone starting on the detailing. Its rewarding to see hard work pay off with a nicely finished paint job.

[M0nk3y]

Which wash product are you using?



Handwritten on my Moleskin notepad

Chemical Guys Maxi Suds II

I have 2 gallons sitting in my garage

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[Washburn]

Yeah, I'm familiar with the ONR, but honestly, it sounds silly... If you have a LOT of water to use, you'd have a hose right, so why use a product that (to me, again, opinion) takes MORE effort... The rinsing part of a car is the easiest part of all... Soo, why skip it?
Because our house is rented and they don't allow 'normal' hose / rinse type of washing outside/in the driveway! So the best I can do is ONR type wash! in the garage!

[JupiterBMW]

Because our house is rented and they don't allow 'normal' hose / rinse type of washing outside/in the driveway! So the best I can do is ONR type wash! in the garage!

Get yourself a bright pink speedo, wear a snorkel, and hook the hose up to a sprinkler set up in the driveway. Proceed to "abnormally" wash your car that way. :rofl

[Washburn]

ok.