Porter Cable owners??

[NELSON]

I want to buy a Porter Cable to speed up the waxing process.. but I'm not sure if I need the $50 pad kit that http://autopia-carcare.com recommends to get along with the polisher.
Here is what I I plan to do and what I think I need:
1. Clay the car
2. use the Porter Cable to apply the Cleaner/Pre-Wax (Sonus Blue foam pad, along with Sonus Flexplate)
3. buff by hand
4. use the PC to apply the wax (same Sonus blue foam pad)
5. buff by hand

Does anyone think I need the other pads other than the FlexPlate and Blue Foam pad?? just getting these saves me about $25 over the entire pad kit.
Also, how much time does this machine (or any other one) save you compared to waxing all by hand???

Thanks for your help..

[mgthe3]

I turn my wax applicator too often to think about using a machine to apply it.
Try this:
Take a white cotton terry cloth and apply wax to about 6 square feet. Look at the cloth. I betcha anything you will see something on it besides wax. I use cotton pads to apply my wax, turning/disposing quite frequently. No matter how clean you think your car is, wax always picks up some things all the other stuff didn't. I would hate to pick up even the smallest particle and swirl it around on my Mo.

just my 2 cents.

[Stephan625]

I have the 7428 Porter Cable polisher and I chnaged from the backing plate to a similar one shown in the link you provided. I found the flexible backing plate easier to used especially when going over curved areas.

[njjoe]

NELSON-

Be very, very careful when using the orbital polisher. It doesn't take much effort to get swirl marks in the paint.

I, too, bought an orbital polisher for the MO. But then after hearing the recommendations from the Zaino supporters on this forum I opted instead to hand polish my car. I couldn't be happier.

-njjoe

[hfelknor]

Years ago I bought a Porter Cable random orbital buffer.
Used it a couple of times. Worked real good.
Then I discovered Zaino and talked to Sal Zaino,He said I could continue to use the PC, but why?
It just makes a very easy job a little more difficult.
I never used the PC again and finally sold it at a garage Sale.

I guess if I used wax instead of Zaino, I would have kept it and used it for the Buffing stage.
Wax requires buffing, Zaino does not.


I guess it depends on your detailing philosophy.

Homer

[Stephan625]

Originally posted by njjoe
NELSON-

Be very, very careful when using the orbital polisher. It doesn't take much effort to get swirl marks in the paint.

I, too, bought an orbital polisher for the MO. But then after hearing the recommendations from the Zaino supporters on this forum I opted instead to hand polish my car. I couldn't be happier.

-njjoe

I have not tried the Zaino yet but maybe I will give it a shot. Usually with a Orbital polisher you would have to be be pretty rough with it to leave swirls marks, however if you are talking about a circular buffer with high speeds, then yes you can damage the paint.

[mgthe3]

"I guess if I used wax instead of Zaino, I would have kept it and used it for the Buffing stage. "

Don used what I do and can affirm the ease of buffing Collinite 845.
It would be quite silly to use a buffer on it--- Kinda like driving tacks with a sledge hammer.

Oh, and I guess I better apply it again soon--it's been 4 months easy--still perfect looking, but it doesn't sheet water as well as it did the first two months.

[hfelknor]

Yes, my favorite wax, P21S also doesn't require hard buffing.

But that is because some waxes Like Collinite and P21, don't have a high percentage of Carnauba wax and make up for it with a very soft wax "filler".
The filler is often bees wax.
The filler is what makes a wax easy to apply/remove.

If you had 100% Carnauba, you would have a block of wax that is almost as hard as stone!

Some wax companies flirt with truth in advertising laws by saying they have "100% Carnauba".
Their point is that they don't dilute the carnauba that they put into their formulation. But they don't just sell you Carnauba, even they will admit that.



I haven't used Simonize paste wax for years, but old timers will tell you that that stuff was hard to put on and VERY hard to remove.
Zymol uses a very high percentage of Carnauba. as much as 60% IIRC.
Most use about 5%.
People who use Zymol swear by the stuff.
A buffer is HIGHLY recommended for Zymol.

Homer

[ekaxel]

I washed my car last week. First time this winter.......

[NELSON]

thanks for the great responses... hmmmmm..i was excited about getting the Porter Cable, but i guess i'll spend an extra half hour using these God-given hands..
i had a honda element which was easy to wax given that it was half plastic / half paint... hehehhe

[NELSON]

I, too, bought an orbital polisher for the MO. But then after hearing the recommendations from the Zaino supporters on this forum I opted instead to hand polish my car. I couldn't be happier.

njjoe,

So are you looking to get rid of that polisher that you don't use anymore????

[njjoe]

Originally posted by NELSON


njjoe,

So are you looking to get rid of that polisher that you don't use anymore????

Nelson,

Sorry, you're a few months too late. It ended up as a B'day gift for my brother (In case you're reading this bro', it was unused! ).

-njjoe

[Ohio Murano]

I have the Porter Cable and love it. I have used it several times on the Mo and it puts on the wax better than I ever could by hand. As far as buffing it off I do that by hand. All I have to say is no more WAX ON for this guy. Just wax off!!!!!!!!