[TwistedX]

I'm trying to figure out the orbital part of detailing, I have a dewalt random orbital, can I use this on the car if I get the correct pads from somewhere like grinot or chemical guys? Or does it have to be a specific on made for car detailing?

[overcoil]

It depends on the power and speed and backing plate configuration as well as the movement designed into the orbital.

You could try to match up the specs of your machine to the many dedicated machines to see if it might work.

Google your machine model # to find if other people use it on a car - but dedicated auto detailing machines have almost a fail safe design : they’re made so a novice won’t burn through the finish.

[TwistedX]

Damn, ok appreciate it!

[Maynard]

Unless you have some imperfect cars to practice on, you may be better off leaving this to the pros. Even the 'safe' ones can do a number if you aren't used to it. That factory paint is about as thin as humanly possible these days, so very little room for error if you are cutting in too deep.

[delvec03]

no need for it. just wash and wax. that'll take you 2 hours alone. no time for all that jazz that's gonna mess your car up.

[vancitymike]

Do you mean a Dewalt orbital sander? I don't think that will do anything as they don't have near the same power/throw/working area as a polisher. I own both, my griots polisher is a much bigger, hevaier and more powerful machine than my orbital sander. The "big foot" rupes polisher is supposed to save a bunch of time because of its extra big throw.

Larry talks about polishers... warning, if you're like me, you'll spend big parts of your life watching his videos.

If it were me, I'd probably get the meguiars or chemical guys polisher. When you don't have cars to polish, it sits (in my case, for 3 years) so you may not want to invest too much...

I've also heard our paint is very thin and soft, meaning you can polish away too much clear if you're not careful. I got my car used, someone else polished it so I'm leaving it alone incase the clear coat is getting thin. Some day I hope to borrow a paint thickness gauge so that I know for sure...

[TwistedX]

I bought mine used as well, at 28k miles and it looked well maintained so I will probably have someone do a full detail and correction then some clear bra on the whole body. Save me some cleaning time hahah

[SteveInfante]

Good plan. The Dewalt DA would be good for applying wax or sealant to your car as it's a non-abrasive (except for the cleaner waxes and even then those should be fine). Just make sure and buff it off by hand with a quality MF towel.

Watch the videos.