Which polisher?

[CBass]

I have washed, polished and waxed my car before and I am happy with the results. However, having read threads on SCN and various links to detailing websites I believe I can do better.

I have searched but I am still not sure which electronic polisher to get and where from (preferably available in the UK, ie. not US import requiring rewiring and transformers)?

Am I right that I need a random orbit polisher with variable rotation speed? and what is a PC? is this the same thing or something else, not sure what PC stands for?

I am happy with other processes and products to try, just not sure about the polisher...

 

[Sisson]

PC stands for Porter cable...

Its the one most people use and import from America as its the best one out there IMO..

 

[FinerDetails]

the best value, for performance etc, and ease of use is the PC. There are detailing suppliers in this country who will provide you with the whole kit for convenence.

go to
www.motorgeek.co.uk

Get Ron's number from the contact us page, give me a bell and he will give you a price for a whole kit toy get you started.

Any Q's, shout.

Iain

 

[CBass]

Crikey, they're expensive ... I presume they must be drastically better than the ones you can by from Halfords/Motormania/GKs/et al for ~£30?

I am stuggling to justify the purchase when I can already get my car looking pretty tidy, even harder when you can't actually see the product before you buy it!

This is the spec:
Porter-Cable 7424 150mm Variable-Speed Random-Orbit Polisher
The 7424 Features:
• 3.7 Amp, AC Only
• Electronic variable speed 2,500-6,000 OPM
• Random, swirl-free polishing action
• Spiral/bevel gears
• 100% ball and roller bearing construction
• Standard Equipment: Polisher, polishing pad #54745,
wrench #48779, side handle, and operating manual
• Power: 120 VAC, 50-60 HZ/120 VDC
• Motor Amps: 3.7
• No-load Speed: 2,500-6,000 RPM
• Spindle Thread Size: Accepts 5/16 - 24
• Gear Drive: Spiral Bevel
• Wheel/Pad Size: 150 mm
• Length: 292 mm

But what is so good about it? Sorry, new to all this stuff, just need a little reassurance that I am getting the right thing with the right bits...

What would you expect to be a good price and what else might I need to go with it in the way of extra pads?

 

[Forbez]

Also consider the Bitlemma, but probably PC for ease of use.

 

[alx_chung]

I had a go at using the PC the other week and even for a newbie, its pretty easy to use and pick up. Its a bit of outgoing to start off with but its well worth it from what people have said and it makes polishing a car a whole lot easier.
Alex

 

[FinerDetails]

speak to Mark E and Fuey, both have bought PCs following an open I did...

The PC is the easiest polishing machine to use for quality and practicality.

The results achieved far out way hand application, for example, in a demo I demo'd that the PC could achieve a better result (test was smoothness of paint) with a single stage product than I could achieve by hand with three step separates.

Money well spent, if you dont want to buy everything, consider paying a detailer once a year to machine polish the car for you.

 

[CBass]

How often will I get use out of it?

I guess polish twice a year, spring and autumn. But what about waxing, can it be used to apply wax or does this need to be done by hand, ie. should I only polish with a polisher (sounds like a stupid question, I know!)?

Can I just wash and wax or do I need to do something else in between? I guess I just need a solution to get my car shiny every time I clean it without the risk of damaging the clear coat.

EDIT:
I have reviewed some more threads and I am happy with the frequency but not entirely sure how to apply the wax for the best finish.

 

[FinerDetails]

some glazes, all selants and waxes do not contain any abrasives, so can be used to the cows come home as they will not reduce the clear coat depth.

Remember, it not necessarily about how often you clean the car, its about what you use!

If you wish to use the PC to apply wax, then use a finishing pad and liquid wax for ease. Paste waxes are a bit messy by PC.

 

[AR-CoolC]

It depends what you want to do really.

I have a PC and bought it with the sole intention to teach myself paint rectification techniques. It's a very expensive purchase if your not going to use it very often.

As Ian has said, it may be more worth while getting the paint, profesionally rectified (if it needs it) and then just carry on as you are by hand.

Someone has mentioned the bitlema (sp) that is available from Sweden, it's about £40 and can plug into UK mains. This will do pretty much all the PC can. The only problem is that the company won't deliver outside Sweden, so you need to know someone who is visiting there.

 

[MarkE]

speak to Mark E and Fuey, both have bought PCs following an open I did...

Indeed. If you want professional results then this is a mighty impressive piece of kit. You'll never hand-polish again (apart from on really awkward-to-reach bits) and the finish you can achieve with very little effort is incredible. This is from someone who liked his car clean but didn't want to spend any time getting it that way. Now I'll spend most of Sunday getting it just right

Agreed, it's not a cheap piece of kit compared to the Motormania (twin-handled) ones but you'd really struggle to do anything meaningful with one of those things other than maybe apply and remove a liquid wax. I reckon even if you don't need to do any paint correction you'd still benefit from a PC (that said, once you get into it, you start to see swirls and scratches that you'd previously not have bothered about...)

Anyway, the price of the tool pales into insignificance next to the price of all the polishes, glazes, sealants, waxes, towels, pads and cloths you'll end up with to go with it

 

[Sisson]

plus you can charge your mates to do their crs and make your money back in no time!

 

[AR-CoolC]

Anyway, the price of the tool pales into insignificance next to the price of all the polishes, glazes, sealants, waxes, towels, pads and cloths you'll end up to go with it

That is one very good piont. Buying a PC is just the tip of the iceburg that is detailing.

 

[CBass]

Right, I have now done some exstensive research and have a few more questions...

There are PC7424 kits about, but they seem to have pads with them that I won't need so don't really want to pay for.

I can get the PC from here:
http://www.maxtool.co.uk/index/porter-cable/polishers.asp
for £84 but don't know yet whether this includes the required transfromer.

And I can get pads from here:
http://www.thepolishingcompany.com/sonuspolishingpa.html
but not sure what I need.

My paintwork is 4 years old and in generally very good condition, therefore I would have thought I only need a fine polish pad and a finish pad to buff up, and another finish pad for the wax. Bit confused as to sizes, FlexPlates and velcro attachement...

Also is there anywhere that you can recomend that can tailor my purchase to what I actually need at a reasonable price?

 

[MarkE]

Maxtool is actually a US company with a .co.uk website so you'll end up paying import tax and the price will look a lot less attractive. And that price doesn't include the transformer, no.

If you don't want to go the most common route and import from Autopia, http://cleanyourcar.co.uk sell a kit which includes the PC, transformer, extension lead and a single backing plate and pad.

They also sell the Sonus pads (most people use the SFX pads rather than the DAS ones). You could also check out www.cleanandshiny.co.uk for Meguiar's and Lake Country pads, both of which are suitable for the PC.

Hope this helps.

 

[CBass]

Right, the time has come to buy the above mentioned PC, the question now is should I get SFX or DAS pads?

What is the difference, and which is the most useful?

I presume that I just need one pad to polish, one pad to apply wax and 2 buffers to remove residue from the above 2 steps (do the buffers fit over the pads?) the final pad is probably of no use as my paintwork is pretty good as it is so won't need any heavy work...

 

[Reg]

SFX pads. I would suggest having at least one, or better still 2 polishing pads (1 x 6.5" and 1 x 4" spot pad) that have a slight cut to them, and 1 6.5" Finishing pad, for glaze/seal/liquid wax. I personally would forget about the buffing bonnet, its easier to just buff off with a decent microfibre cloth. One of the great things about the PC is that when applying your finishing products, you get a really nice thin even layer on which works best and is easy to remove.

Remember also if you do get any 4" pads, you will need a 3.5" backing plate to go with it.

 

[cordobabrendy]

or spend 34 quid on a silverline rotary polisher and use the rest of the 100 odd saved on products.
Ive been using one for a few months now (searchy for my posts with pics)