The rotary is a different beast altogether. When I was doing a machine polishing tutorial with someone, they wanted a shot of the Makita on their own car. During the session they had been using their own Megs G220 Dual Action machine. When they had a go of the rotary, they did not feel comfortable at all with it and got a little scared. And that was with a 4inch pad attached, which is less torquey than the larger pads.
I corrected my A4 over 2 days with the Porter Cable DA and got really good results and that's why I stuck with it. The A4 had 5 years of severe swirling. I was challenged a few times with the DA on different cars and was glad I started my machining on it. I would recommend that if you are starting out that you do the same. You can learn a lot about abrasion, speed and control etc in relative safety. You can correct the paint on your Audi to a very good level indeed with the DA.
When I moved up to the Rotary, I got the orange Silverline from Kingdom Tools. I practised on spare panels in the workshop and immediately realised that this was a completely different ball game; it pulls you, you have to learn the best way and direction to machine a panel or section, you need to appreciate the heat build up - why it occurs, how to minimise it, where not to produce too much of it. You have to learn how to position yourself for different panels and sections. A spare panel is okay, but a real car throws so many other logistical and practical challenges your way. There's a lot of learning involved and it's really satisfying when you achieve different goals and sometimes surprise yourself. I got the rotary because I knew I was going to be trying to do lots of cars to satisfy my initial 6 months' buzz. Remember the Silverline does not have constant-speed control and so is more torquey than say the Mak. The good thing about the Silverline from KT is that it comes with a 3-yr replacement guarantee which basically gives you 3 yrs for it to break down and you can get a free one in its place. That is quite attractive. The Silverline is my spare.
In addition, to get the best out of the rotary, pad and polish choices and combinations become more critical at times to get the best out of it. Getting a rotary does not necessarily lead to better or quicker correction. It can also cause more imperfections in the paint. What do you do then? That's where learning on the DA comes in useful! I used to do paint correction in 2 days with the DA. I still do paint correction over 2 days with the rotary and could still take more time - you can always do with more time. The rotary allows me to achieve a sharper finish but it is useful to remember that it will not necessarily correct defects first time. You still require more than one hit regularly and you still have to work the polishes properly for a good length of time, in fact this is where learning and skill has to be developed to make the rotary work. My last correction took 3 days - the Boxster.
Sorry this is a bit long, but as someone who has used both the DA and rotary over the last 14 months, I hope my views can be seen as useful.
I reckon I've now corrected 6 cars with the DA and 16 with the rotary in that time and I'm still being challenged with it each month and I'm not doing cars any quicker! I do think that my increasing experience however, is making me more effective on a variety of different paints. It also makes me want to get just that little bit better each time.
Keep your eyes peeled for a secondhand DA IMO.
Hope this helps, it's my experience that's all - and I'm not selling products or machines etc. Some people may think that Rich and Clark are trying to push people down the DA route because they sell the machines and pads and all. I'm one of the people who are glad they bought a DA, and do you know what? I've still got it and still use it!
A rotary is good, but it's not always the best way forward.:icon_thumright:
, TBH i havent had much time on the car for a few weeks..... been busy putting fences up and laying paving :icon_thumright:
..... on the other hand....group buy!!! comon...... anyone else after a DA
My dad's N reg A4 has got some serious swirl marks and I'm going to have that as a little project to see how I get on. Looking forward to it too! I've been wondering what polisher I should get and I think this thread has helped me make up my mind! 
......im not sure what the margins are so we'll leave it to you to comment
