Originally Posted by James1549
I have never had a reason to use a power buffer on any car I owned my entire life. If I ever had paint that needed that much attention, I would hand polish it several times, sometimes even with a cleaner over a 2 or 3 week period. Each time it would look better until I felt it was were I wanted it.
Over the years I have witnessed results with an ambitous person with a power buffer.
James
There are basically 3 kinds of machine buffers on the market:
1. Orbitals - like the one Kagen used here, don't have enough power to do much of anything on a modern clear coat except maybe spread your wax.
2. Dual Action - like the Porter Cable 7424 or Meguiar's G110 have enough power to remove swirls, fine scratches and even fairly severe defects with the right pad/liquid combination. They are very easy to use, and very easy to learn.
3. Rotary - the sort of tool body shops use after painting a car to remove wet sanding marks, etc. In the hands of a highly skilled user they will bring out the best possible shine, but in the hands of a novice they can be extremely dangerous and will burn through paint and/or damage trim before you know it.
Kagen's problem wasn't the machine, it was the compound he used. It is highly abrasive and will severely mar a clear coat even when used by hand. Our call center receives a high number of phone calls from people asking how to correct this very problem, and it isn't even our product!! You'd think they'd call Turtle Wax and ask how to fix the problem since it was a TW product that caused the damage in the first place!