If you take pride in your car, you always want it looking its best. For exterior car maintenance, few tools are as effective as the rotary buffer. Also called a circular polisher or high-speed polisher, rotary buffers are most commonly used by car care professionals to remove small paint discrepancies or imperfections, but can also repair damage such as light scratches or swirls in the clearcoat of your car. A rotary buffer in the right hands and combined with just the right amount of wax or polisher can keep even an old car looking good as new.
Select a compound or swirl remover from an auto body store. Product type will vary depending on the depth of damage; if you have questions regarding a specific product, consult an expert at your auto body retailer.
Mix equal parts rubbing alcohol and water in a spray bottle.
Apply the compound directly to a light cutting pad, and attach the pad to the rotary buffer.
Spread the compound over the affected area without turning the buffer on. Apply more compound as needed.
Start the buffer at 1000 RPMs and move in a horizontal, side-to-side motion across the compound. Gradually work your way up through 1200 and 1500 RPMs to really work the compound into the surface. When you have covered the whole area horizontally, move in vertical up-and-down motions until the compound is worked into the surface.
Turn off the buffer when the compound begins to dry (it will turn clear). Spray the surface lightly with the water-alcohol mixture and buff clean to remove residual compound and get a good look at the results.
Repeat buffing as necessary to remove all swirls and scratches.
Select a finishing polish and apply directly to the surface of the car. Polish will remove any haze left behind by the compound on the car.
Fill a spray bottle with plain water. Attach a polishing pad to your rotary buffer.
Spray the pad lightly with water, just to add a little moisture. Spread the polish around the hazy area with the machine turned off.
Run the buffer at 1000 RPMs flat on the surface in a figure eight to spread the polisher around. Increase to 1200 RPMs if necessary to properly work the polish into the surface. Turn the buffer off after the polish is worked in and drying.
Spray the surface with plain water and wipe clean with a soft cloth. Repeat polishing if necessary to remove all haze and restore gloss to the surface.
