Porter Cable model question
 

I'm considering the purchase of a P/C random orbital sander to detail my cars...

What are the differences between the 7424 and the 7336?

I found a brand new 7336 on ebay for $125.00 + 12.00 s/h. Good deal or not?

The Skinny On Porter Cable Polishers By Coastal Tool

I think the offering by Coastal Tool is pretty good too.

most people use the 7424, well most people I know at least.
Check the autopia-carcare and autogeek.net sites and see if they
offer flexible backing plates and pads for both. Using a rigid backing
plate is a little riskier.

Thanks 98, I bought one from Coastal tool just now. They're price is better and you get both the 4 inch and the 6 inch pad and counterweight.

Now my question is whether to move up to the 6 inch. Do you P/C owners use the 4 or 6 when working on your Boxsters?

I've actually graduated to a 7 1/2 inch pad... benifits are detailed on this web page link... http://www.properautocare.com/ad712inhipa.html

Does "graduating" to the 7.5 inch pad require the counterbalance be upgraded, or will the 6 inch one that comes with my new unit work?

As an undergraduate, I use the 6"pads. While I like the shape of the edge on the larger pads, I wonder how they would work on the sides of a Boxster. My experience is that even the 6" feels a little too large for the curves of the door area. I sometimes actually drop down to a spot polishing pad for the bottom of the doors.

Check my work here:
http://986forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3413

Maybe "graduated" wasn't the proper word... I've used the 6" pads for years... I just tried the 7 1/2", and prefer them... To each his own...

scared off
 

I was on the very edge of buying a Porter. I have never used one and a local body shop scared the bejesus out of me by telling me horror stories of people bringing in their new cars all marred up and the paint removed from some of the edges of doors, removing swirl marks, and other visual defects by the inexperienced user.

Can anyone check in on this? Am I getting scared off for no reason?

Gus

A guy who sells them online has been emailing me today. He was quite emphatic about the use of softer buffing disks and letting the buffer do the work, not the user. I bet those folks with burned off paint put far too much elbow grease into the use of the buffer and didn't do the job slowly and with a light touch.

I bet a cautious user like yourself would do fine with it. Check out this page I found on how to use it step by step with pictures:

http://www.properautocare.com/meninpol.html

I tell you what. I'll try mine out as a total nooby without anyone showing me what to do and post the results good or bad, with pictures, even if it's embarassing... but I'll start on my wife's old Honda and not my Boxster. I'm no idiot! :cheers:

Porter Cable -- Buy It
 

If you have a darker car and want to make (and keep) it looking great a PC is the way to go. (It works great on white/lighter cars too but ... they are less susceptible to visible swirls.) The autopia website has a great how-to as does the roadfly detailing forum. It makes the detailing job faster/easier/better. It can be done wrong but takes some serious stupidity to do so. Most buffer induced night mares are from rotary buffers. ROs are more forgiving. The PC and Microfiber are must haves for modern detailing. Obviously IMHO.
ATB,
Tom

PS Its use can be addictive though.

I did just that, but on my DD Subaru - you can see the before/after comparison in this thread.

It does get addictive. Do be careful on the edges - I used low tack masking tape on the panel edges and actually managed to eat through the tape in one place (paper is paper after all) where the seam was slightly off between two panels. Use the tape and you'll have nothing to fear about seams/edges. Working on the body of the paint is much easier and less risk if you're not doing something like putting all your weight into the tool.

I used the Poor Boy's World polishes combined with Lake Country 6.5" "Variable Contact" pads - Yellow (#46-576VC), then White (#46-676VC).

BTW, I've not had time since to finish the hood, so I'm still daily seeing the before/after comparison... will fix this weekend. ;)

They were probably referring to a rotary buffer!
 

St. Louis - There are two popular types of polishers. The Porter Cable 7424 is an orbital buffer. Then there's the rotary buffer. The PC is far safer. Just use the Sonus or Lake County pads, erring on the side of caution when using a heavier duty polish or swirl remover - try the softer pads before moving to the firmer "cutting" pads. I got this from the Meguiar's site:

(The orbital buffer is) specially designed to run in an eccentric circular motion. This safe, random pattern doesn't apply torque to the surface, and assures the buffer never concentrates its energy in one spot, unlike your hand or a regular rotary buffer.

If you use a rotary buffer and are not skilled in its use, you can easily apply too much pressure to the paint and burn right through it, requiring a new paint job. For the same reason, do not use buffers that are attached to power drills.

You'll be fine with a PC. It's great for your car and was really designed for sanding. So if you do any woodwork, you'll again have the perfect tool.