Buying from Autogeek.net

[solo]

Hey guysI'm planning to buy some stuff from autogeek.net to outfit my makita. The shipping cost is a minimum USD65 in a 12x12x12 inches box. The stuff I'm planning to buy can be seen from the attachment below and polishing pads will not fill that box. So just out of curiosity, is anyone interested in sharing the cost of shipping with me?They are also having a Buy-One-Get-One-Free promotion on Lake Country Flat 6.5" Foam Pads.SalutView attachment 22458

 

[ICEMAN 68]

i buy mine here from KC ...more better as you get to feel it at the same time ....

 

[KrisMas]

Could you possibly work out what's the cost like per pad including shipping (in RM)? We have a local Lake Country dealer here in Malaysia that supply those pads and just wondering what kind of price difference and whether it's worth it or not to get from AG.

oh...another thing. I'm not too sure you'd need that many grades of pads. Maybe you should pay the local LC dealer here a visit and get some views from him before purchasing.

Regards.

 

[solo]

Could you possibly work out what's the cost like per pad including shipping (in RM)? We have a local Lake Country dealer here in Malaysia that supply those pads and just wondering what kind of price difference and whether it's worth it or not to get from AG.

oh...another thing. I'm not too sure you'd need that many grades of pads. Maybe you should pay the local LC dealer here a visit and get some views from him before purchasing.

Regards.

Well based on my calculation and shopping cart, I have 16 pads, one backing plate and Duo-spur pad cleaner. So 18 items for a total of USD101.91. Shipping to my doorstep is USD65. So the total is USD167.91. At today's exchange rate of RM3.04:USD1, that means I'm spending all-in-all, plus shipping RM510.446

Divide RM510.446 by the 18 items in my cart, so cost PER item is...well...you get the picture.

By the way, there is no local LC dealer in Kuching City, Sarawak. Is the local LC dealer Osren or Duragloss?

Salut

 

[KrisMas]

OOpppsss....again, I apoligise for my short memory....I forgot you're from Kuching....again....sorry for my ignorance.

Osren is the dealer. Duragloss Malaysia is a retailer.

 

[solo]

OOpppsss....again, I apoligise for my short memory....I forgot you're from Kuching....again....sorry for my ignorance.

Osren is the dealer. Duragloss Malaysia is a retailer.

No worries. As for me, Osren is a very good company to deal with. Emailed the headquarters and they said I must deal with their agent in Sarawak, no exceptions. The agent is located in Sibu and I'm in Kuching City. Its like you are in KL and the agent is in Kuantan. So anything I order will be charged shipping twice - KL to Sibu and then Sibu to Kuching City.

Anyway I asked about what LC pads they had and the guy in Osren HQ says they don't have the whole range and that for further details, I would have to contact their Sarawak agent. The guy explained that the company had carved the country into regions and I could not even buy a single thing from HQ, unless I was in KL. Sigh!

Ok. For the heck of it and just to know the price of the pads, I called the agent in Sibu and the agent told me he would ask someone in Kuching to contact me. Ok no problem. The guy in Kuching called me and I asked him to SMS me the price of some pads.

For flat foam Yellow, Black and White 6.5inch pads - RM75 each. 4 7/8 inch backing plate - RM140.

So how now brown cow?

Salut

PS:- The experience described above is mine, and mine alone. In no way should it reflect or be representative of any other person's experience. It should not be used to judge the company or its agents. The experience is just a telling of my experience.

 

[KrisMas]

Well...I guess it's worth getting them from AG then. I've done so quite a few years ago when the only stuffs available locally are from Meguiars/Hypercoat, and their prices are even worst. Got the duospur for half the price of what people are selling locally. But back then, shipping was only around USD35 unless I'm getting liquids in gallons. I guess the BOGO on the pads made it even more attractive. I would love to share the shipping with you but I've already got too many products and there are even some that I haven't even opened yet.

But I still think you should reconsider the pad colors though, as I found that white and black can tackle almost any paint with any polishes and for heavier compounding job, I'd rather go with either the purple foamed wool or straight to the 3-ply as they are 'friendlier' on the paint due to lesser heat produced and more aggressive cutting as oppose to using foam.

Regards.

 

[solo]

Well...I guess it's worth getting them from AG then. I've done so quite a few years ago when the only stuffs available locally are from Meguiars/Hypercoat, and their prices are even worst. Got the duospur for half the price of what people are selling locally. But back then, shipping was only around USD35 unless I'm getting liquids in gallons. I guess the BOGO on the pads made it even more attractive. I would love to share the shipping with you but I've already got too many products and there are even some that I haven't even opened yet.

But I still think you should reconsider the pad colors though, as I found that white and black can tackle almost any paint with any polishes and for heavier compounding job, I'd rather go with either the purple foamed wool or straight to the 3-ply as they are 'friendlier' on the paint due to lesser heat produced and more aggressive cutting as oppose to using foam.

Regards.

Thanks for the support and understanding. At least I know someone in the same shoes. The BOGO is pretty attractive but I'm partial to the LC constant pressure pads. So what colour of LC pads do you recommend I get? I already have the four-ply wool pad that came with my makita. So that will cut pretty well. What colour of LC pad do I use to follow up to remove the haze and swirls?

Also, I can understand about having too many products. My lineup is 101% Megs because it's sold at Parkson. One dealer told me to sell off all my products and buy his. Go figure.

And to top it all off - Thanks for your time and guidance.

Salut

 

[KrisMas]

Well, I've tried quite a few LC pads like the CCS, Curved CCS, flats, constant pressure and hydro pads. To tell you the truth, I'm contemplating of selling all of them off and reverting back to Meg's pads. I find that the LC pads quality is irregular, especially with the pad symmetry and density. Some of my pads are not perfectly round which made it impossible to get it truly centered and this would cause a lot of vibration due the the accentric spinning, even at low speed. Then, even when I got it centered properly, I feel that some of the pad's density is just not uniform and this would also create a little vibration. Although it *might* not effect the polishing, sometime, it can be quite annoying. The best amongst them are the constant pressure and hydro pads. But, unfortunately, they don't last. The hydro pads foam started to break down and gave off 'foam dust' after around three or four washes and it's a PITA to wash off the polishes inside it, those leftovers that's been absorbed into the pads. So, the best, I'd say is the constant pressure pads. But, personally, I find that their construction is stiffer than the traditional foam and don't really feel comfortable using them, especially for refinement polishing.

Now, the above might sound quite dishearthening, but don't get me wrong. To begin with, their quality is comparatively decent and they work fine enough in general and can get the job done. I started out with Meg's pads before trying them out due to their more attractive price. But, in the end, it just justify that you'd get what you pay for. There are better quality pads out there but, you would only 'feel' or noticed this after quite a few rounds of usage and trying out a few other pads.

Just for info, the best pads that I've tried so far is the 3M Eurofoam waffle pads. Unfortunately, they're borrowed from a friend and are only available in Europe. I can't find them selling anywhere in the US's online shop. Shipping cost is a bomb from Europe.

About the pad types, I find that the most useful ones are white and grey. White for medium to light polishing and black/grey for refining or finishing or for paint cleaning using AIO or liquid sealant application. I also have a few orange and one yellow but I seldom use them as they heat up the surface and gum/dry up the polishes very fast, even when I use the Optimum compound, which is a very lubricative compound. But, saying that, I do like using my small orange spot pads for light compounding. The larger ones just produced too much heat for my comfort. Now, I'm just talking about medium & soft paints here. For harder paint like the ceramic clear or glasurit, the harder/aggressive foam works like a charm in removing medium level defects like swirls and light scratches. If yours is the harder clear, then I guess it's good to have those harder and more aggressive foam like the yellow or orange pads as the harder clear can tolarate more heat without gumming up the polishes. Now, again on harder clear, I don't think you'd see much of a difference between white or green, nor would you get much of a different result between black/grey and blue. So, my suggestion, if your paint is medium or hard, you look at the Lake Country buffing pad chart, just pick one from each section, namely a set each from compounding, polishing and finishing section and you should be able to tackle most job on your paint.

About the makita wool, it is EXTREMELY aggressive so just be extra careful when using it as it would level the paint very fast and gives out very nasty buffer trails or buffer marks - much like very nasty swirls. Most of the guys I know would just keep it away from the paint and only use it for extreme cases when aggressive cutting is required, like removing sanding marks or severe oxidation. I like using it to polish stainless steel in my kitchen though and shine up my ss sink and cooker hood in no time.

Ok. After all that, I just want to say that the above is just my own personal experience and observations based on maintaining my own rides and a few of my close relative's cars. I'm in no way a 'pro' (as in doing any commercial details) as compared to the rest of the guys here nor do have I a huge portfolio to show off. So, my view is just a personal view from an enthusiast/hobbyist point and the other sifus here should give you a much better recommendations as they are more experienced with various cars under their belt.

I hope I didn't bore you too much....hehehe....

Best of regards.

ps. oh....I'd also suggest to stay clear of that LC backing plate as I've already went through 2 of them dissintigrating on me after only around 3 years of minimal usage. Btw, here are some of my pads collection. This was from back in '09 when I was 'spring cleaning' my storeroom/cupboard and it has increase since then but, just that you'd get the idea of how many I have:

 

[solo]

KrisMas,

Thanks for the info. Luckily I haven't ordered anything yet. In terms of backing plate, which do you recommend?

And may I say that is a very impressive collection of pads. I'm looking at 4, 5.5 and 6 inch pads made by LC and Megs? Even the old makita pad is there. Also I agree with you on the 3M pads. From my reading, it seems Europe makes better foam than US. In your opinion, are the Meg's pads are slightly better than the LC pads, in terms of durability and quality?

May I be so troublesome to you by asking - In your years of experience, what pads would you recommend me? All Meg's pads? A mix of LC and Meg's? What sizes?

Last but not least, where do you buy your stuff from?

My paint, can be seen here. Swirls came with the car.

All in all, thank you for your astounding patience for putting up with me and for the detailed and stimulating replies. By the way, your kids are cute as buttons.

Salut

 

[KrisMas]

KrisMas,
Thanks for the info. Luckily I haven't ordered anything yet. In terms of backing plate, which do you recommend?

And may I say that is a very impressive collection of pads. I'm looking at 4, 5.5 and 6 inch pads made by LC and Megs? Even the old makita pad is there. Also I agree with you on the 3M pads. From my reading, it seems Europe makes better foam than US. In your opinion, are the Meg's pads are slightly better than the LC pads, in terms of durability and quality?

May I be so troublesome to you by asking - In your years of experience, what pads would you recommend me? All Meg's pads? A mix of LC and Meg's? What sizes?

I, so far, am very fond of my Megs' pads (although I haven't got the opportunity to try anything else other than LC and 3M). They are durable and of better quality (of course for a price). I only have one small issue with them which is their sizes. Ever since I've tried some 5.5" pads (including LC and 3M ones during one gathering that we had) I've fallen in love with that size but Megs only have 6.5", 7" and 8" pads. So, if you ask me, putting the size aside, I'll go for Megs' all the way.

But I guess my dream set up would be something like this:

View attachment 22473

I like the 5.5" or 150mm pads as this size would give me more control especially against pad skipping and heating up of the paint surface. I've also had the opportunity to try the backing plate shown there and the 3M one (which is about twice as expensive) and they are very much similar in performace and also helps in gaining more control over the rotary.

At the bottom there you can see that it just costs a little more that your pre-order from AG. And since you're using mostly foam pads, forget about the duospur as there's not much use of it on foam. A stiff bristle tootbrush or the like would do much better in cleaning foam. The duospur would be only be very useful for wool (did I mention that I also have one).

Again, some say the larger pads would be able to cover more area faster, but, since I'm just a hobbyist and only working on my own rides, time is not an essence and I'd like to enjoy my time doing the polishing without worrying about delivery time catching up on me.

Last but not least, where do you buy your stuff from?

Everywhere when opportunity present themselves....group buys, friends in detailing that came back from oversea trips, singapore, on-line and recently, from our local supplier (mainly from Osren, Duragloss and some 3M stuffs from a guy that I got to know). The local ones are a little bit more expensive but it beats the hassle of ordering, waiting and the suspense and anticipation of whether or not your package would be detained by customs and tax/lavy imposed.

All in all, thank you for your astounding patience for putting up with me and for the detailed and stimulating replies. By the way, your kids are cute as buttons.

Salut

Ooooppsss....I didn't know that you can scroll through all the pics in there....hehehe....
Thanks...although they get on my nerves sometimes (or should I say ALWAYS hehehhe) but they are my pride and joy.....

Regards.

 

[ICEMAN 68]

bro krismas ..when ya gonna have a session of detailing ?? can join ??

 

[KrisMas]

Errr....aren't you a bit OT there bro Ice...hehehe....

Not sure what you mean....but I do have plan to do up my neglected waja this coming long weekend + holiday. You're welcome to come over. But I have to warn you though....I'm not much of a host....

 

[solo]

KrisMas,

Thanks for the detailed reply. It's such a pleasure and honour to be discussing things with someone as knowledgeable as you.

I agree with you on the sizes of the pads and about detailing as a hobbyist. Time is of little concern, what is more important is the satisfaction of detailing your own ride to the way you want it to be.

And if you don't mind, I'll be going with your dream set up because when the Master speaks, the Padawan must listen. Just curious though what's the difference between the Flexipads 75mm Rotary M14 Backing Plate and the Flexipads 75mm Rotary M14 Backing Plate?

By the way can I have the contact number of the 3M you know? Is he local and what is the difference between his prices and the price of the site in your attachment?

Another thing I want to know is - how long do pads usually last? Say if you detail once every four months.

Took the whole lunch hour to scroll through your album and I love the foam master and the glossy car photos. Noticed it besides the arsenal of brushes and all those Grit Guards. Still have any to sell me in a few months time?

As for your pride and joy, well they can be annoyances now, but they grow up so fast and in an eye blink they will be leaving home. So enjoy and if they get on your nerves too much, set them a task like washing the pool or the porch or the barbeque.

Salut

 

[KrisMas]

Thanks for the detailed reply. It's such a pleasure and honour to be discussing things with someone as knowledgeable as you.

Hey...don't mention it and the pleasure is all mine. Nice to chat with somebody as understanding and open minded as you. I've gone through a lot of trial and error with tools and products and lots of stuffs had gone into the 'trash box' stored in the storeroom at the back of my house collecting dust. I'm not really as knowledgeable as you think if compared to some of the people I know. You should see the variety of stuffs that fishbonez has in his collection.

And if you don't mind, I'll be going with your dream set up because when the Master speaks, the Padawan must listen. Just curious though what's the difference between the Flexipads 75mm Rotary M14 Backing Plate and the Flexipads 75mm Rotary M14 Backing Plate?

Mind??? I'll be full of envy if you do...hehehe.

Errr....both are the same...???? If you mean the two backing plate that's in the pics, the difference is in their sizes. One is 125mm for the 150mm pads and the other is 75mm for the 80mm pads.

By the way can I have the contact number of the 3M you know? Is he local and what is the difference between his prices and the price of the site in your attachment?

Yes he is local but in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. He brings in a lot of 3M stuffs but he doesn't have the sizes I mentioned above. Understandable since most bodyshop prefer larger pads for polishing as it saves time.

Another thing I want to know is - how long do pads usually last? Say if you detail once every four months.

My first few Megs pads that I bought quite a few years (I'd say at least 5 or 6 yrs) ago are still in good working order. Only thing is that one of the pad's velcro had peeled off on me but the pad is still in good condition. But I blame that on the improper washing of the pads during those early times.

Comes to think of it, I don't think I have any of my pads quit on me except for the LC hydro pads. But I do tend to use the Megs pads more than the others so I'm can't be sure how durable are the other pads are.

The guy who I borrowed the 3M pads from is still using them after almost 1 year now, and he does commercial part time/mobile detailing.

So I guess the good quality pads last quite long if properly taken care of. Maybe some commercial detailers here can chime in on this.

Took the whole lunch hour to scroll through your album and I love the foam master and the glossy car photos. Noticed it besides the arsenal of brushes and all those Grit Guards. Still have any to sell me in a few months time?

Oh...those are pics from the group buy that I previously organized. I don't have any left. But if you want some I can still get them as I know a local supplier for them and his price is very decent. The only problem is the shipping though, don't know if it's worth it.

As for your pride and joy, well they can be annoyances now, but they grow up so fast and in an eye blink they will be leaving home. So enjoy and if they get on your nerves too much, set them a task like washing the pool or the porch or the barbeque.

Fully agree and I've no complaints. I take it as it's parts and partial of growing up and being a parent. We both know that we were also like that during those times....aren't we? What goes around comes around....ain't it? hahahaha......

I really enjoy this.

Best of Regards.

 

[solo]

Hey...don't mention it and the pleasure is all mine. Nice to chat with somebody as understanding and open minded as you. I've gone through a lot of trial and error with tools and products and lots of stuffs had gone into the 'trash box' stored in the storeroom at the back of my house collecting dust. I'm not really as knowledgeable as you think if compared to some of the people I know. You should see the variety of stuffs that fishbonez has in his collection.

Mind??? I'll be full of envy if you do...hehehe.

Errr....both are the same...???? If you mean the two backing plate that's in the pics, the difference is in their sizes. One is 125mm for the 150mm pads and the other is 75mm for the 80mm pads.

Yes he is local but in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. He brings in a lot of 3M stuffs but he doesn't have the sizes I mentioned above. Understandable since most bodyshop prefer larger pads for polishing as it saves time.

My first few Megs pads that I bought quite a few years (I'd say at least 5 or 6 yrs) ago are still in good working order. Only thing is that one of the pad's velcro had peeled off on me but the pad is still in good condition. But I blame that on the improper washing of the pads during those early times.

Comes to think of it, I don't think I have any of my pads quit on me except for the LC hydro pads. But I do tend to use the Megs pads more than the others so I'm can't be sure how durable are the other pads are.

The guy who I borrowed the 3M pads from is still using them after almost 1 year now, and he does commercial part time/mobile detailing.

So I guess the good quality pads last quite long if properly taken care of. Maybe some commercial detailers here can chime in on this.

Thanks for sharing your hard won experience. You are making my life so much easier. You are now my official go-to guy for detailing.

The two backing plates I was talking about was this one:- Flexipads 75mm Velcro M14 Rotary Backing Plate Ultra Soft

and
Flexipads 75mm Rotary M14 Backing Plate

Is the difference only that one is softer than the other?

Thanks for the info about your 3M guy, since he doesn't have the sizes then I'll KIV first.

Oh...those are pics from the group buy that I previously organized. I don't have any left. But if you want some I can still get them as I know a local supplier for them and his price is very decent. The only problem is the shipping though, don't know if it's worth it.

On the issue of the Grit Guards, I'll be sure to inform you when I get them. Have to find some way to get the office to send me to KL for a course or work, so I can save on the shipping and meet you. I know your sister-in-law travels regularly to Kuching but i hate to bother her.

In terms of price, I don't mind paying a bit more for stuff if I can get it locally but I draw the line when the item is 2 to 3 times more expensive then when I buy it overseas.

Fully agree and I've no complaints. I take it as it's parts and partial of growing up and being a parent. We both know that we were also like that during those times....aren't we? What goes around comes around....ain't it? hahahaha......

Haha...I agree with you wholehearterdly. Wait till your daughter becomes a teenager then you'll be buying Panadol in bulk. I have no children yet but I'm dreading the of getting the same headaches I used to give my girlfriend's dads.

Salut

 

[KrisMas]

No first hand experience on the 75mm bp. But I have tried in person it's larger brother the 125mm one and the foam is very soft, and by soft I mean it's as soft as a buffing pad only that the composition is different. About those two, judging from their literature, I'm *guessing* that one would be softer than the other and the yellow foam is thicker than the other too.

By the way, in all the exitement, I forgot to ask about one of the most important factor when choosing a backing plate: what size of thread is your rotary's spindle? Make sure it's M14 and not M16 as you'd need an adapter if it's M16.

Do you mind if I ask something. The way you described your location under your avatar there, are you by any chance a member of TBS forum?

 

[solo]

No first hand experience on the 75mm bp. But I have tried in person it's larger brother the 125mm one and the foam is very soft, and by soft I mean it's as soft as a buffing pad only that the composition is different. About those two, judging from their literature, I'm *guessing* that one would be softer than the other and the yellow foam is thicker than the other too.

I agree with you. I guess I'll get the Flexipads 75mm Rotary M14 Backing Plate and not the Ultra Soft one, since it is already soft enough.

By the way, in all the exitement, I forgot to ask about one of the most important factor when choosing a backing plate: what size of thread is your rotary's spindle? Make sure it's M14 and not M16 as you'd need an adapter if it's M16.

Ah, I'm glad you brought that up. I suspect my Makita is M14 but how do I tell for sure?

Do you mind if I ask something. The way you described your location under your avatar there, are you by any chance a member of TBS forum?

Errr...what it the TBS forum? I suspect its not a forum about the Tabung Baitumal Sarawak or the Terminal Bersepadu Selatan. :biggrin:

Salut

 

[KrisMas]

I agree with you. I guess I'll get the Flexipads 75mm Rotary M14 Backing Plate and not the Ultra Soft one, since it is already soft enough.

I'm having the same opinion.

Ah, I'm glad you brought that up. I suspect my Makita is M14 but how do I tell for sure?

The machine should come with a manual with parts descriptions. I'm not sure about this, but I think M14 generally means the outside diameter is 14mm. Hold on.......


Yup, measure mine with a caliper and M14=14mm and M16=16mm outside diameter (yup, I have 2 different rotaries with different thread size......).

Errr...what it the TBS forum? I suspect its not a forum about the Tabung Baitumal Sarawak or the Terminal Bersepadu Selatan. :biggrin:

By that I'd say my guess is wrong. Sorry about that and forget about it....hehehe....

 

[solo]

I'm having the same opinion.

Great minds think alike eh...

The machine should come with a manual with parts descriptions. I'm not sure about this, but I think M14 generally means the outside diameter is 14mm. Hold on.......
Yup, measure mine with a caliper and M14=14mm and M16=16mm outside diameter (yup, I have 2 different rotaries with different thread size......).

Colour me stupid. I should have realised to check the Makita manual. I'll go home and measure mine. Wah you have two rotaries, Makita for the right hand and Dewalt for the left...I'm so envious

By that I'd say my guess is wrong. Sorry about that and forget about it....hehehe....

No worries, what forum is that, by the way?

Salut