Blavatsky

Just placed an order on autogeek for the following:

1 OPT-7424 Optimum Porter Cable Kit
1 PB-NPW-BL Poorboys Natty's BLUE Paste Wax
1 MB-2020 2 QTY Cobra Deluxe 6 Inch Orange Micro
1 LC-77-216 Lambswool 6 Inch Leveling Pad
1 XMT-PCC **Pinnacle XMT Pad Care Combo

The kit has all the pads I need plus optimum compound, polish, and sealant.
I'm going to follow all that up w/ Natty's since I have a black car (made for dark paints).

I've done the whole claybar/polish/wax by hand for a few years now, can't wait to step it up and really get my black back to looking wet and non-swirled. Any advice for when I get my kit and start?

UDel

I did three cars a couple weeks ago with my new PC, took a bit of time and some hard work but got most of the swirls and scratches that I could. One mistake I made was that I did not put pressure on the PC when doing my hood and just kind of let the weight of the PC be all the pressure, after I was done I noticed little to no difference which puzzled me as my hood had never been polished before. I asked around and everyone said you definitely need to add a fair amount of pressure and push down on the PC when trying to correct, after doing that it was a night and day difference and I did start to notice it correcting. Also don't put too much polish on the car/pad and don't work too large of areas, I generally put maybe 2 or 3 pea sized drops and try to work that into a manageable area like splitting the hood into eighths, it helped by putting a little polish on my fingers and then drawing the line sections that I wanted to do on the car so it took some guess work out of which areas I did and evening things out.

I used Menzerna Intensive Polish which is top of the line stuff, it does dust up alot so remove cars from the garage you don't want dusted up, it dries fairly quick so you can spritz it with water if it is getting too dry too quick, also keep the pad on the car at all times when starting it up/stopping/changing speeds, I accidently lifted the PC when reaching for water and polish shot out all over the car. Also get back up pads because your pads like the orange pads are going to become too soft and cacked with polish every few panels and you will need to switch out and clean the used ones because they won't have anymore cutting power when soft and caked(wish I had 4 oranges instead of 2). Make sure you have clean microfibers to wipe away after polishing. Go slow, don't move the PC fast at all and go back and forth in different ways going over the area several times, make sure you thoroughly clean and clay the car before starting, make sure to get all the dirt off the under side panels of the car because you don't want to pick up dirt in the pad and create and bunch more swirls. Make sure you have good light to check your work, halogen or a flouresant desk lamp work good. It takes a while to fully polish the car so give yourself a 2 or 3 days of just keeping the car in the garage and not driving it while it is being polished, if you drive it you will have to wash it all over again before polishing again. There are some videos on the internet that demonstrate polishing techniques. Good luck, keep us informed.

Neofate

iTrader: (1)

Wow, that is awesome advice for someone who is waiting on their PC. I intend fully on obtaining one as soon as it reaches the top of my funds to priority list. Until then,.. the ol hand is doing the job. (That doesn't sound right )

Does the PC make a huge difference in the quality of the shine/depth etc? I imagine so,.. does it 'shine' so to speak in the Polish department compared to hand? Just curious what exactly a PC is doing that you can't by hand.. ie: Why it is *better*. Convenience/speed/not wear your arm outo -- That is all great, but it IS a better result as well. How much better, and why?

Thanks.. and I'm going to check out price son Autogeek.. sounds like a good site name

Blavatsky

UDel - Thanks for the tips, sounds a lot like the autogeek vids i've watched: put some good pressure on, keep the orange pads clean, take your time, etc.
I've got a good work light to check my work and plenty of microfiber, etc. I think my kit comes w/ 3 orange pads.

Does your 01 have a clearcoat? I'd say that made it harder to penetrate and de-swirl....my 99 is one stage paint and they say it's easier to work with. I looked at Menzerna and XMT and Optiumum, etc, etc and finally went with that package because all those brands look great and that was the best deal at the time.

The prices are pretty damn good - that main kit has the 7424, pads, backing plate, cloths, and 3 32oz (!) bottles of compound, polish, and sealant for about $240. I just had to add a good wax and some more supplies to make a complete detailing arsenal.


short answer - yes. Basically you can use stronger products (like a compound) then polish out any micromarring they may leave and it all happens at thousands of RPMs, something your elbow just can't do. I've done lots of jobs by hand, but finally met my match in this black car: there are swirls and etchings etc that I've slaved over with no avail, but the PC has the speed and movement (along w/ a good product) to take off a tiny layer of paint and reveal some freshness underneath.

eyezack87

iTrader: (4)

Welcome to polishing . I still have finish the other half of my ES haha. You'll be amazed if your car has a lot of swirling and light scratches

There are packages at Detailed Image that you might like btw

UDel

You should be good with 3 orange pads, I find you use them the most for most applications so that is why it is best to have a couple oranges, I believe my 01 has a clearcoat, I think 01 is when Lexus used the clear on the black cars or at least the black GS, pre 01 blacks I believe is single stage which is easier to correct and usaully looks a little nicer for black or dark colored cars. I used 4" pads with a 3 1/2 backing plate as that is a good combo for paint correction with the PC. I have a 5 inch backing plate and 2 5 1/2 inch blue pads for general applying wax. I could not correct everything with the IP and orange/yellow pads so maybe I would have to step up to a compound and whool pad but I am okay with what I did for now. Polishes/Waxes seem to just be personal preference as I don't see one brand that is universally better then they others from what people seem to report, they have their positives and negatives.

UDel

A PC makes a huge difference compared to just using your hand, there is very little you can correct with hand polishing and I have never really noticed any difference in paint/finish after hand polishing, I was unable to get rid of most swirls and water spots by hand but was able to get rid of all but the deeper ones with the PC. Using a PC on light scratches and swirls is a night and day difference if done correctly but it will not generally correct more serious defects which would require a rotary nor is it as fast as a rotary but a PC is safe where misusing a rotary can easily ruin your finish and burn through your paint. The PC is moving so much faster then your hand can possibly move which is how it is able to break down polishes and take away swirls, oxidation, light scratches, 2000 grit sanding marks. Using a PC will make a huge difference compared to doing by hand because it is impossible to move your hand anywhere near the speed of a PC.

MShybrid

Congrats on the new purchase. You will love the Optimum line of polishes. The polish has a long work time, virtually no dusting, and awsome results.
I have been able to remove flaws with the compound and polish that Menz would not touch. (No disrespect ment to any Menz users) I like using the Lake country flat pads (orange) and usually this is the only pad needed because the polish breaks down so well. If you really want to say WOW afterwards, top it off with 2 coats of Pinnicle Souveran wax. It looka amazing on black.

Blavatsky

Should be here tomorrow, can't wait.
I'm really curious to see what comes out...there are some small scratches and bird etchings I thought I'd have forever that will be great to eliminate.
I know it will do a number on my swirling.

Is it safe to use all that stuff on your plastic front and rear bumper as well?

radicalrev

iTrader: (2)

lol...i just sold my PC 7424..now waiting on the G110 to come this week!!! anyway...you'll have fun!!

warrionex

Taken from http://www.blackfireusa.com/megduacpo.html

The Bottom Line between PC 7424 vs. Meguiars' G-110



Nit Picks.

I do have some issues with the G-110 including Meguiars calling it a dual-action machine. For those of you new to machine polishing, the Porter Cable 7424 is an orbital polisher. The pads do not rotate, they "jiggle" in a random motion. This reduces the machine's cutting power (the ability to remove swirls, scratches & paint defects) but eliminates the possibility of the machine creating additional swirls. On a true Dual-Action polisher, like the Flex XC3401VRG and Makita BO6040, the pads still "jiggle" but there is a forced circular motion. Dual-Action polishers have more cutting power making them more capable of removing scratches, spots and paint defects while still being basically "idiot-proof". The Meguiars G-110 has no forced circular rotation. The pads "jiggle" in a random motion with a 5/16" throw. It does not have the cutting power of the Flex or Makita dual-action polishers. To be fair with Meguiars, it's our industry that's screwed up. Within the body shop industry, sanders that "jiggle" are called dual-action sanders. Body shop technicians would consider any polisher that "jiggles" to be a "dual-action" machine. True dual-action or two-mode polishers are not popular in the US but are widely used in Europe and by the world's automakers. This is a nit pick but the consumer should know they are not purchasing a "two-mode" machine.

The Meguiars G-110 machine comes with a 5 inch backing plate and Meguiars recommends using 6-1/2 inch foam pads. The 5 inch backing plate does provide plenty of grip. Meguiars chose a 5 inch backing plate to provide an extra margin of safety between the edge of the backing plate and the edge of the foam pad. The counterweight on the G-110 is not changeable and Meguiars does not recommend using pads larger than 6-1/2 inches. A Meguiars spokesperson told me the G-110 should work just fine with a 6 inch backing plate but they have not done any testing with a larger backing plate.

I happen to prefer 7-1/2 inch foam polishing pads which I use regularly with my Porter Cable 7424 using a 6 inch backing plate and Porter Cable's optional counterweight.

Meguiars does not offer an upgrade counterweight for the G-110 so my favorite combination of backing plate and pad would not work on their machine.

Porter Cable offers an optional
counterweight for using larger backing plates and pads on the 7424.

If you're looking for your first machine polisher, Meguiars G-110 is a sweetheart of a machine offering a comfortable grip, smooth operation and excellent torque. With the supplied 5-inch backing plate, you can use our 5-1/4 inch, Spot Repair Pads, our 6-1/2 inch Constant Pressure Foam Pads or our economical 6-1/2 inch, OEM-Style Foam Pads.

The G-110 machine polisher will allow even the first time user to polish, glaze and finish a vehicle to a mirror-like shine, without fear of swirls, in a fraction of the time it would take by hand.