Griot's 3" Polisher to Apply Glaze/Wax

[budski]

Alright so I've been on this detailing kick that's destroying my mod budget and have bought some products that I thought would be great but then regretted after they didn't work as well as I thought it would.

Case in point, I ordered the Griot's 3" Polisher from Phil@DetailersDomain and liked that it matched the pads I was using for my Rupes 21 (just go ahead and buy the 5" backing plate with 5.5" pads; for the M the 6.5" pads are too big). However, my technique isn't up to par to actually utilize the lower powered Griot's 3".

Man, I was pretty upset that I "wasted" $100 on this polisher. But I did some research on Autogeek and someone mentioned that they love this polisher for applying glazes/waxes so I picked up a couple Adam's Focus 4" Machine Super Sealant and Wax Pads. For this pad, I had to use the stock backing plate as the extended backing plate Phil includes is too big.

Last week I applied Chemical Guy's Blacklight to my Tundra using a microfiber applicator and it took forever and used up more product than I hoped for. Last night, I hooked up the Griot's 3" with the 4" Adams pad and this thing is awesome. I applied three strips of Blacklight to the pad and was able to cover an entire panel without reapplying product. The best part is the process is so fast and effortless. Since the product is more evenly distributed, you no longer have high spots and the product dries much quicker.

Attached is a quick photo. So if you're like me and want to speed up the process of applying glazes/sealants/waxes, I highly recommend picking up a Griot's 3" polisher. Once I get better, I'll be able to polish the smaller sections of the car using this polisher but for now I will never apply glazes/wax without it.

[W///]

Haha I went on the same detailing kick a year ago, but I hate detailing so it's ridiculous.

I use the Meguiar's DA to apply Menzerna sealant and went through a lot more product than I wanted as well. Will definitely keep this in mind!

End result. Not perfect, I'd say I got 80% of the swirls and scratches out, but that's good enough for me right now.

[Marc08EX]

I also use my GG3 solely for wax application.

[budski]

Detailing is definitely a PITA. I corrected the M's paint the other week and it took me at least 30 hours between washing/claying/compounding/polishing/opti-coating.

The truck is my current project but unfortunately it's too big to fit in my garage so I'm just correcting one panel at a time.

Your M is looking good! 80% is pretty good especially if its a DD. Which part of SC are you at? I'm moving to Augusta, GA next month.

[budski]

Originally Posted by Marc08EX

I also use my GG3 solely for wax application.

What kind of pad/wax are you using? So far I have only tried it with the Adams 4" black pad and CG Blacklight.

[Marc08EX]

Originally Posted by budski

What kind of pad/wax are you using? So far I have only tried it with the Adams 4" black pad and CG Blacklight.

I use it with 3" Lake Country Hydro-tech crimson pads. I want the pad as small as possible. Yeah it takes longer to cover the entire vehicle but I waste less product that gets absorbed into the pad. In addition, I can fit that pad into a lot of paste wax cans.

Have you tried using this with a paste wax?

[budski]

Originally Posted by Marc08EX

I use it with 3" Lake Country Hydro-tech crimson pads. I want the pad as small as possible. Yeah it takes longer to cover the entire vehicle but I waste less product that gets absorbed into the pad. In addition, I can fit that pad into a lot of paste wax cans.

Have you tried using this with a paste wax?

I hand applied Pete's 53 paste wax but haven't tried it with the machine since it says to only hand apply it . I might put an order in for that pad as the Pete's 53 won't slide out of the can so I can rub it against the pad.

Have you tried machine buffing the wax off? I saw where you can get a lambs wool pad with MF bonnets to quickly get the dried wax off.

[Marc08EX]

Originally Posted by budski

I hand applied Pete's 53 paste wax but haven't tried it with the machine since it says to only hand apply it . I might put an order in for that pad as the Pete's 53 won't slide out of the can so I can rub it against the pad.

Have you tried machine buffing the wax off? I saw where you can get a lambs wool pad with MF bonnets to quickly get the dried wax off.

I haven't tried removing wax by machine. I enjoy removing it by hand using a MF towel. Applying wax is a pain though and I try to use the machine whenever I can.

[W///]

Originally Posted by budski

Detailing is definitely a PITA. I corrected the M's paint the other week and it took me at least 30 hours between washing/claying/compounding/polishing/opti-coating.

The truck is my current project but unfortunately it's too big to fit in my garage so I'm just correcting one panel at a time.

Your M is looking good! 80% is pretty good especially if its a DD. Which part of SC are you at? I'm moving to Augusta, GA next month.

30 hours???! Oh hell no, definitely don't have patience for that. I'd say about 12-15 hours, can't really remember. I didn't touch the interior though, that's on my to do list. My trusty 08 has 75k miles on her, so IMHO there's no need for a concourse style detail as I drive the car pretty often (not my DD though). Was just happy to remove this kind of crap (no idea how where this came from):



I live in Greer/Greenville SC. There's a whole bunch of us that meet up and go for drives up in NC. I think another member and I are planning to do a track day at CMP in Dec if you wanted to join. Would love to see a supercharged M3 around.

[W///]

Originally Posted by Marc08EX

I haven't tried removing wax by machine. I enjoy removing it by hand using a MF towel. Applying wax is a pain though and I try to use the machine whenever I can.

Any reason you don't use sealant? The Menzerna portion of my detail is by far the easiest part of the process. It takes almost no pressure to remove it with an MF towel

[Marc08EX]

Originally Posted by W///

Any reason you don't use sealant? The Menzerna portion of my detail is by far the easiest part of the process. It takes almost no pressure to remove it with an MF towel

I use sealants with it too.