I'm thinking about buying a machine polisher but in two minds..

has anyone used one here and how easy was it to do?

what are the results compared to hand polishing?

my budget is about £150 to start with including pads.. realistic?

cheers Dorey

to gain good results with a machine will take time and practice but the only way to gain both is to give it a go so get one bought and have a go, try reading on sites like detailing world ect for tips and what to do, if you could raise your budget a little then you would get a pretty good machine for that, have a look on ebay for compound and mop head deals to try keep costs down, many people use and recomend different products but best to experement to see what works best for you, farecla and 3m are good products for a start and are easy to get hold of, once yove got the hang of it then you can start using other products like do do juice, poor boys ect. have a shop around for a good machine but some of the names to look out for are milwakee, mirka and rupes, these are what we use in the body shop and are a durable machine but you can use a cheaper machine like a sealy but make sure you get one with a variable speed rating and make sure its got a goo rpm band, hope this all helps

I bought a silverline one about 4 years ago for £15 or £20 and its been absolutely bang on. Still totally spot on has soft start and variable speed. I got it cheap brand new from eBay but even if you buy them new from a shop they are about £50 +VAT.

The Dodo Juice DA (dual action) one is within your budget and really good. It has different speed settings and comes with pads and stuff. The Dual Action means the pad does not spin on the same spot so reduces the risk of burning the paint.

To be honest mate, coming from someone who's had both DA's and Rotary's, i'd say get yourself a Rotary and a practice panel and take it from there.

Just need to be more careful with a rotary. As long as you lube up enough you'll be cush.

To be honest mate, coming from someone who's had both DA's and Rotary's, i'd say get yourself a Rotary and a practice panel and take it from there.

X2!

VW paint is notorious for being rock hard.

I wouldn't waste your time with a DA. (Like i did ) You'll be there for 5 times as long than a rotary would take to get the same results.

Just read up on techniques, pads and compunds on detailing world (or the likes) before you start, have a practice on something that doesn't matter, and get stuck in!

I couldn't care less about the difference between a rotary or an orbital.

Both are superior to polishing by hand. Using just a Halfords own brand orbital has saved me countless hours and given a shiny, streak free finish everytime.

I'm so lazy I use it to apply wax also.

As long as you lube up enough you'll be cush.

rotary are the best to use and give very good results but can be quite messy especially at higher speeds, choosing the right pad and compound is essential as a hard pad with a corse compound will remove heavy oxidation but may require polishing again with a fine compound and a softer pad to acheve a good finish.

also remember that every time you polish you are thinning the paint or lacquer so its not something you want to be doing regularly. once done you might not need to polish it again for a year. you can use autoglym super resin polish applied by hand or with a soft pad if the paint starts to loose its shine.

As long as you lube up enough you'll be cush.

There is me thinking the youth would be up on that comment

Also Quinny???

What sort of pads are best, wool or foam? Or anything else?

You should only need to machine polish your car once every year or two...I'd rather borrow one from someone for a day and just pay for pads/polish.

As long as you lube up enough you'll be cush.

There is me thinking the youth would be up on that comment

Also Quinny???

I'd love to go up your comment

i've got a megs da and love it... but be careful on thin paint!!! i bought it cheap (its actually an ultimate detailing machine) as its 110v, but i just bought a cheap industrial transformer on ebay for £10 locally second hand.