Rotary vs DA - Newbie

[Klone]

right, so i didnt want to do this on Detailing world, as im sure they see this quite often!!!

I want to get a machine polisher, and have read about rotarys and DAs and from what i can read a good percentage of people say a DA is the one to start on, because its harder to burn the paint with it...

my question is, unless your a complete mook, can you actually get a rotary that wrong?!

I mean if you move the machine reasonably quick over the surface of the car it wont be in contact with the same area long enough to cause damage?

i dont want to buy a DA, then move onto a rotary for better correct and buy twice...

My bonnet is nackered from my bra and the previous owner ruined it with stickers, so i thought id have a go with a polisher on that... and the cars getting a respray in a few months anyway..

what do you guys think?

DA and quit complaining and fork out if the DA isnt what i want, or rotary and just be careful?

 

[jonjay]

The learning curve on a rotary is a lot longer and bigger than a DA. Thats not to say mastering a DA is easy. Some people say it is but then it depends what sort of results you are after.

I would say get a DA purely because you have to start learning from somewhere and its a good platform to start on as its relatively safe. With a rotary, they are far more dangerous because they are very powerful and you have more things to consider. You can easily strike through with a rotary on the edges of panels as the clearcoat is very thing. They are much harder to control especially when you get sticky paint or paint that isnt playing ball with your pad or polish combination. They produce a lot of heat on the paint panel and you have the ability to inflict your own RDS if your not careful.

Good detailers need both machines because both serve a purpose. For example, on a silver LCR I done recently the rotary did not like the paint not matter what pad/polish combination I tried to achieve correction. I ended up using a DA....

The newer DAs have very powerful engines and can almost achieve rotary type results so i have heard....

 

[Klone]

thanks for the reply jonjay... just what i needed.

as i havent got a paint reader, maybe it is safer to get a DA as im pretty sure parts of the car may be quite thin... i just thought as its getting a respray anyway i could be a maverick and try the bonnet!

the scratches from the bra could be the first test!

i missed my chance on getting some deals on CYC which sucks.

 

[Chris_a_73]

I use a DAS-6 Pro and have corrected my paint with very good results. On my brother's mazda it went from swirl city to shiny shiny with a couple of passes with a medium pad and polish. Doesn't take that long due to the more powerful motor, and is very easy to learn how to use it well.

 

[Klone]

well, the way i see it is, that German cars require a little bit more "effort" as such polishing wise... and then other makes are a bit softer..

might be worth a DA if i could seriously cause issues... my mum wants hers done after and so does my nan on her mx5

 

[Chris_a_73]

Well my brother has an MX5 NC and the paint was very soft. He had plently of RDS from the previous owner. He was apparently the head of the county mx5 owners club but didn't look after it at all :/ After trying the softest combination, swirls were removed but light scratches and RDS remained. With medium the majority of defects were removed apart from a few bits of RDS, and seeing as I was pretty new to machine polishing, I didn't want to go into wet sanding / heavy cutting compounds on soft jap paint.

My paint was a bit harder to conquer (being VAG...), so ended up using a cutting pad with heavy cut polish for 1-2 passes on the boot and the bonnet, then medium for doors, and then a final couple of passes with a light combination to remove any swirls/holograms. The paint was in good condition to start with, aside from some RDS from my magnetic L plate on the bonnet, which I never got round to sorting out, and some scratches on the boot from people not using the handle >.<


In my eyes, the main reason people want a rotary over a DA is for faster results, however I achieved really good correction in a short period of time with the DA Pro

 

[Klone]

right that sorts it then.. will go with a DA... i dont mind taking some time doing the polishing... just want to be able to get a good result. and if i can make the car look better whilst i save for the respray happy days

Would you recommend anywhere else other than CYC??

 

[Chris_a_73]

I bought mine from CYC.. It was this kit;

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/polis...try-hydro-tech-and-menzerna-kit/prod_842.html


I use mine without the D-handle, I think it's crap and you suffer from harsher vibrations when using it.

 

[Klone]

nice one cheers!

birthday soon so might treat myself