Just trying to get a feel for who the fanatics are! What kind do you use (regular, orbital) and for what (applying wax/polish, removing wax/polish, removing scratches)?

 

Am I the ONLY one who's that anal about getting scratches out of the paint?

 

on a black car- you must be kidding!!
only hands (with very soft cloths touch my paint!!!

 

I used to use an orbital buffer when I owned black cars, too. It was the only way to get scratches and swirls out with a minimal amount of effort. It was priceless when it came to scratch and chip repair. I used it for every phase of the process. Cleaner, swirl remover, polisher, buffer. If it's designed for a car, let the unit's own weight do the work. If it's just a drill with a buffer pad attachment, watch out for buffer burn. I don't use it on my silver car.

 

I use a Makita variable speed orbital sander with Meguirs buffing pads. Porter Cable makes a similar unit as well.







They are very effective, but much easier to use and more controllable than the cheap, two-hands electric "buffers" they sell for cars.

I should note, however, that I have not yet had a need to use this on the S2000. Just hand applyied Zaino. The buffer works great, however, on the oxidized paint of my non clear-coated Land Rover.

Here's a link to some info on the porter cable unit:

http://www.topoftheline.com/porcaborpol.html

 

I got the Porter Cable 6" random orbit. I've heard the ones you can pick up at wallmart are really cheap (price and quality). I got this one since I was reading about it on Griotsgarage.com, but I didn't buy it from them since it was too expensive. Still waiting to receive foam pads, so I haven't used it yet.

 

Our friends at Griots sell the Porter Cable 7424 for $199.00, but if you do a little looking around you can get a much better deal. Two good sites to check are:

www.coastaltool.com

www.harborfreight.com

Both places usually have the 7424 for about $110.00 plus pads. I have had my Porter Cable for a couple of years now and its great. Highly recommended. I do use the Griots pads (I have a couple of orange and a couple of red) and while I haven't tried to many others, they seem to work very well. Good Luck.