Help Me Setup My Makita 9227C

[2L8IWIN]

Hey Guys,

I purchased a Makita 9227C for some light duty polishing and waxing. I need help getting it setup with the correct materials (pads, cuts, polishes, waxes, etc) to make for good work with great results.

First up is going to be the heads lights on my Escalade. The top portion which is even with the hood is begining to yellow. I'd like to clean this up and go over the entire lense as well to give it a "new look".

Secondly is my wifes white Navigator. I dont think it has ever been waxed and has fine swirl marks all over it. This obviously is a much larger job and will require different materials (and more of them).

I'm not totally new to polishing and wet sanding (wet sanded and polished grand pianos in high school) but know that the right products make the job.

thanks for all the help!

 

[standy]

Search the threads that Marc and the AutoLavish guys have posted. TONS of great info that you can learn from. I had never picked up a wheel before last year, and after reading thru the posts from Marc, I was able to achieve what I consider to be excellent results. Its alot of trial and error, but the end result is worth it without question!

 

[2L8IWIN]

Thanks for the heads up Standy. I'll check it out.

 

[Golden]

Be very careful, it's easy to mess up the paint with a rotary if you've never used one. It's a very great polisher, though. I've used Lake County pads and Meguiar's pads on my DA and liked both. As for polishes, it's hard to beat Meguiar's M105 and M205. M105 is much more abrasive and is normally used with a cutting pad. M205 is great for jeweling the paint or for correcting minor imperfections. M205 is great with polishing pads. LSP's are hard to recommend, as people like different products.

Here is a great article from Todd Cooperider (one of the premier detailers in the country, very well known) on M105 and M205:

http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/polishing-how-to-with-meguiars-m105-m205/

 

[Marc@AutoLavish]

Sorry I'm coming in late to this - wish someone would have given me a head's up on the thread.

9227 is considered the work horse of polishers. Very well balanced, but some might call it the jack of all trades / master of none. We have two along with a Flex rotary which is more powerful and MUCH lighter, but I still would rather use the Makita any day. Many people have noted that rotary polishers are becoming less and less needed with technology changes and the emergence of more powerful Dual Action polishers which are lighter and safer to use. Still, a rotary can be needed, and I recently had to bring ours out to work on a certain red carbon fiber car that'll be posted in the near future.

Safety issues with rotary polishers are infamous. They generate a lot more heat which can cause delamination of clear-coat or "burning through" paint, the edges of pads usually aren't loaded with polish, so pad edges have the ability to cut through surfaces even faster due to that plus they're spinning faster versus the inner area of a pad because of the circular motion.

Here are a few examples of problems with a rotary in the wrong hands taken from a recent thread on autopia.org: http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-detailing/137868-car-detail-nightmare-need-help-pics-inside.html

Burned edges:

Holograms / buffer trails caused by improper technique and lack of finished down correctly:

Things that can be damaged by a pad's edge should be masked off with painter's tape. You'll notice we do this on every car we work on. Having a range of polishes and pads will ensure you have the things needed to finish down properly. Because you'll be working on a GM and Ford, you'll be working on medium hardness clear-coat, which shouldn't be too bad to polish with a rotary. I'd second the choice of M105 and M205 along with a final polish like 3M Ultra Fine Machine Polish, Menzerna 106fa, or equivalent. Pads needed will most likely be orange (heavy polishing), white (polishing), black (finishing), and blue (ultra low cut finishing). Use either 6.5inch pads with a 6inch backing plate or 5.5inch pads with a 5 inch backing plate.

Other notes:
You headlights are coated from the factory with a UV ray inhibitor so they won't fade. Once that coating gets worn off or removed, they'd diminish extremely quickly. Polishing your headlight will have them looking better for 6months-1 year, but they're fade again, and even worse. Be warned.
Applying sealant with a rotary isn't advised because of the chance to create holograms or trails. If you try it out, leave it on the lowest speed possible.

Additionally, when polishing, you should never go above speed 3 which is 1500rpm.

Hope this helps!

 

[Golden]

^ The master has spoken. :hail:

 

[2L8IWIN]

Yes he has. I wish i wasnt 1400 miles away or Id have my Mustang to him (i dont plan on trying to do that myself).

Thanks marc!

 

[Golden]

Yes he has. I wish i wasnt 1400 miles away or Id have my Mustang to him (i dont plan on trying to do that myself).

Thanks marc!

This guy does great work in Dallas (I realize it's still pretty far from you, but just trying to help you out).

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nicks-Custom-Detailing/364122650268

 

[Marc@AutoLavish]

Yes he has. I wish i wasnt 1400 miles away or Id have my Mustang to him (i dont plan on trying to do that myself).

Thanks marc!

You might want to consider contacting a guy like Josh "JoshVette" of Ottmann Detailing. Dude's awesome and has been well known for a good long while. http://www.ottmanndetailing.com/

Once again, take things slow and keep in mind that you can always do it twice, but if you mess up the first time, you're screwed.
Hope this all helps and let me know if there's anything else you need

 

[2L8IWIN]

Had time to go over my wifes Navigator. Used the 105 with a W7006 and the truck turned about 5 shades of brighter white. Was incredible what came out of the paint. The previous owner lived on a dirt road and had put semi-metallic pads on it (since replaced with ceramic). Needless to say the paint was abused. I wish I would have taken pictures.

I used the 205 with W8006 and it gave it some depth. Debating using the the Mirror Glaze with a W9006 I have, kinda burned out working on it to be honest lol.

Thanks for the pointers, pretty excited about the setup.