Porter-Cable 7424 Polisher
 

My long desired/anticipated polisher arrived, just 1 day after ordering from Coastal Tool. Highly recommend them if you're interested... fast service, good confirmation immediately on ordering and shipment tracking.

Here's a picture of what came in the order, the standard polisher and pad plus the "free bonus" 6-inch velcro backing pad and associated counterweight. Can't wait to put this to use, but I have a question for those that have walked this path already...

What do you recommend for pads to use with the 6" velcro backing pad? I've taken a peek at those offered by Autopia and Griot's. I've also seen some from Lake County that seem to be at several sites. Looking for an experienced perspective...

Also, I just have light swirl marks on the car at this time (can only see them in the right light conditions). I'd like to get rid of those and then reapply the Zaino. I've had good luck with the 3M "Body Repair Finish Restorer" when using by hand. Anyone have any experience using the same with a DA polisher?

I'm going to use the Subaru daily driver as my guinea pig... :D

How much? Link?

I got the tip on this offer from the recent "clay bar" thread elsewhere on this site. $126.50 delivered, UPS Ground.

I ordered one same source same price from the clay link - should be in next week. Also looking for any added tips. Noted the comment on 2 handed operation.

Donv,

There are plenty to choose from and each has advantages/disadvantages. Some last longer, some are cheaper, etc. I think if you stick to the brands you mentioned you'll be ok.

Personally, I use Edge2000 pads. They eliminate the velcro backing plate altogether. One issue with the velcro backing plates is that you have to "center" the pad or it'll spin out-of-whack. It's a non-issue with the Edge system. Plus, you get to use both sides of the pad vs. just one side (as well as use the edge of the pad, for mirrors, etc). They cost a little more than the other pads, but since you can use both sides instead of just one, it's actually a little cheaper in usage. That, plus the centering quick-change system makes it a no-brainer to go with Edge. Not a lot use this pad on autopia, but that's because they've already invested in plenty of backing plates.

Swirl marks are hard to diagnose thru words. Take your digital camera and take a picture of the car in direct sunlight (with the sun directly reflecting back in the pic) and one in the garage using the flash (again, with the flash reflecting directly back). This will expose how bad the swirls really are. Post the pics so we get an idea what you're dealing with. This in turn will determine the polish and, more importantly, the type of pad that you're going to need.

One important thing to remember is how fast you move the PC. Around 3" per second is about as fast as you want to go. It'll seem really slow in usage. This isn't the type of polisher that you move quickly back and forth. Technique is everything with the PC.

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Pine Pollen Postponing Pix
 

Thanks for the info and the offer to customize the solution suggestions to my car. As soon as the d*#n pine pollen snowstorm ends I will take some pix to post. (Seriously, it looked like a bright yellow fog here the other day, the yellow powder is coating everything in my neighborhood!).

Ah, I remember that yellow crap well from my days as a citizen of Beantown.

Don't miss that aspect of NE at all.

:cheers:

remember to moisten teh pad with quick detailer or water before applying wax or polish.
The 1Z paint polish is very popular with Porsche owners and on the Autopia site.
Use a Sonus white SFX3 pad to remove light swirls. There are more abravise cutting pads for really bad swirling but that doesn't seem like your situaiton.
The key is to move sloooowly at 4 or 5 on the speed dial, generating heat is important to allow the PC to buff out the product without having to remove residue by hand. Let the polisher sit on the paint surface under its own weight no need to push down.

OK, had some time to clean and photograph the car today...

This was taken outdoors in sun - today was overcast.

Another outdoor shot...

Same hood, outdoors, close-up showing light scratch where AutoBahnd was replaced...

Indoors with flash...

Another indoor flash shot... that spaceship is the garage light. :D

And for contrast - the Subaru DD with flash indoors. This one gets way less pampering... the swirl marks are easily seen just with the garage fluorescent lights on this one, while the Boxster swirls are really hard to see.

I'm looking forward to your recommendations for pads/polishes based on the shots!

Don,

Your car looks to be in fantastic shape. I think my '04 had more swirls than yours does.

For compounds I would get Poorboy's SSR2.5 and SSR1. 2.5 is a mild cutter and 1 is a final polish. Both are available on detailing sites on the net. This is what I use and I'm happy with the results. If you plan on using different compounds, consult autopia for suggestions.

For the subie:
1. Medium cutting pad with SSR2.5. Work in a 2'x2' area. Work the SSR2.5 until it breaks down and starts to dust. I put 4 dime sized dots on the pad and spread it on speed 1 and then crank it up to speed 5. You'll use this technique on pretty much all the compounds.

2. Light cutting pad with SSR2.5.

3. Finishing pad with SSR1.

4. Your favorite wax.


For the Boxster:
1. Light cutting pad with SSR2.5

2. Finishing pad with SSR1

3. Your favorite wax.


Here's some things to keep in mind:
1. Try and use the least aggressive pad/compound that you think you'll need.
2. Sometimes you'll have to go over an area 2 or 3 times to get the result you want.
3. It's ok to apply a little pressure to the PC. But just letting the weight of the machine apply the pressure is usually adequate. Again, move the PC ~3" per second. Let the speed of the PC do it's job.
4. Make sure whatever you use to remove the compound (I use MF towels) does not contribute to swirls/scratches.

Post the results when you're done. I think you'll be happy. BTW, it gets addictive really fast. :D


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Thanks for the detailed info! I'll be ordering the supplies this week to give it a try, and will definitely post the results.

Results from first try...
 

Well I finally made some time to try out the equipment and supplies. I did go with the Poor Boy's polishes and used Lake Country yellow and white pads.

The photo montage below shows the effect on my Subaru daily driver. Top set are taken with flash in the garage, bottom are in filtered (through the trees) sunlight. Left is after polishing and right is in the original "with swirls" state.

I will follow with a second photo posting showing on-car direct comparison in sunlight. I did a half-done, half-not to show the difference more clearly.

I'll be practicing on the rest of this car and our other daily driver before moving on to the Boxster. The Boxster should require a lot less work I expect. I've been really pleased with the results so far and it is way easier than doing similar work by hand!

The all-in-one-view comparison...

Boston or Tatooine?
 

Beautiful! I got a PC a couple of months ago and love it. I either use Klasse All-in-One followed by a couple coats of Klasse SG, or AIO followed by P21S.

So you've got two suns north of Boston? And they say there's nothing wrong with our environment!

I'm not a professional paint man(but I did stay in a holiday inn express last night)

But, It looks like it needed a more aggressive cleaner before you polished it.

Hard to tell from the pictures.