Polishing your car is a dance between the tool and the user, and technique is essential to master. If you don't clay-bar your vehicle, you run the risk of buffing those contaminants INTO your paint. Then, working one small section at a time, spray and rub the clay bar over the area, regularly folding the clay bar over to trap the lifted contaminants into the folds. Clay bars require lubricant, so be sure to have a quick-detailing product on hand to spray while you clay-bar your car. Next, you'll want to use a clay bar to remove environmental contaminants such as brake dust, sap, and water spots. Here are the best car buffers, as determined by the Hearst Autos Gear Team.įirst, wash your vehicle thoroughly and rinse. We compiled our notes to decide which buffers are best for specific-use cases, narrowing down our top picks. Tools/products used: Brüel & Kjær G-4 2250 Light Decibel Meter, Meguiar's Cleaner Wax, Meguia r's Quick Claybar Starter Kit.Afterward, we evaluated the units on other parameters for a complete overview. Using Meguiar's Cleaner Wax, we ran each buffer for five minutes, evaluating its comfort and decibel reading. After pulling, preparing, and partitioning the hood, we put each buffer to the test on its own section. Our testing process involved an unsuspecting junkyard hood and a team determined to breathe new life into its paint job. But after a few hours training someone on a rotary polisher, I wouldn't let them go home and polish their own car." Therefore, we recommend starting with either an orbital or dual-action polisher. As Mike Pennington, director of global training at Meguiar's, says, "I can spend a few hours training someone on a DA (dual-action) buffer and happily let them polish my car. For clarity, these are not the tools we tested, and we strongly recommend against using them unless you have extensive experience. On the other hand, high-speed rotary polishing wheels are a professional tool and come with a huge learning curve. Dual-action and orbital buffers are considered the driveway warrior's tool of choice since even a novice can quickly master these tools. Larger orbital and random orbital buffers operate similarly but generally don't rotate as quickly. Light work can be done with these, including waxing and gentle polishing, but they won't perform major paint corrections. They're designed to mimic the hand movement of manual polishing, by rotating the pad on a spindle in an eccentric motion-similar to how the Earth wobbles as it rotates on its axis. Dual-action (DA) polishers combine rotary and orbital motions into one forced action. There are two main types of buffers you can buy. (Bonus? No tripping over cords!) Buffer Type Or perhaps you're marooned way back in the shed with no power, in which case you may want to consider a portable battery-powered option. Power SourceĪre you polishing your car near a power source? If so, you can get away with a corded option. For more information, read our article on How to Choose Buffing Pads. ![]() If not, you will need to order some additional products. Make sure to confirm whether the car buffer you want to purchase provides pads. ![]() Others will arrive as just the buffer itself. Some buffers come in a starter package, with a few pads as part of the selection of accessories. No matter what way you cut it, you're gonna need pads with your polisher. Take stock of the finer details your vehicle displays and shop accordingly. Alternatively, if you're polishing your toy hauler or other extensive bodywork, you might want to consider a larger polishing pad for covering vast, flat surfaces. What to Consider When Buying a Car Buffer Car Designĭoes your vehicle have angular features with scoops and hoods? If so, you might want to consider a polisher with a smaller pad size to get into the dips and crevices.
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