So I am thinking of getting a Porter Cable buffer and had some questions.

First off is it ok to use these things over paint chips on the front bumper. I don't want to F something up that could have been prevented. Also I need to know what kind of pads and polishes to get. I also wondered if things like meguires polishes work well or what are you guys using. I am just looking for all the info I can before I get into this with out knowing what I am doing.

 

Ok, I just went through this so I'll let you know what happened to me. Since I bought my car the paint has looked pretty good. A few scratches here and there, but the part I noticed the most was the spider webbing in the paint. Basically after you go wash your car at the car wash or whatever and dry it off, the car looks pretty good right? But if you look at it in the sun I could see the spider webbing like this...



Well, I had been hearing such good things about zainos that I decided to buy a kit from them. Obviously from the picture it didn't do anything except make my car more shiney. I think that kit would work if your car's paint was in really good condition and you wanted to shine it up, but not for improving imperfections. So I started hearing people say that if you want your paint to look awesome you're gonna have to shell out the cash and get a porter cable and some Merenza SIP Polish to get rid of all the imperfections. The price tag for a kit like this cost me about $240. Yeah, thats a lot right? But it was sooooo worth it! Look at the top of my Trans am's rear spoiler in the picture below. The Right is what it used to be, even after Zaino's. The Left is after applying SIP and using the PorterCable! It erased about 90% or more of all the imperfections in my paint! Zaino's removed nothing. The Two black arrows in the pic show a few stray scratches that I still needed to work on a bit more to remove.



I've heard guys on here tell me its basically impossible to remove stuff by hand but I didn't believe them and I threw away $90 on Zainos. Wish I would have bought the Porter Cable and SIP in the first place. Plus you get some polishing stuff to that goes with the kit. I got mine from Steve at Tropicare, he's a sponsor on this site. Give him a call, he'll set you up with what you need. He's the Sam Strano of Detailing, lol.

P.S. I have a lot of chips on the front of my car, especially on the headlights, the porter cable was fine on them.

 

No problem using the PC over the chips. My front end and hood are full of chips. I use the Lake Country pads and Tropi-Care. The pads fit right on to the PC. Very easy to use and you end up with amazing results. Tropi-care's website can answer alot of your questions. Just post any questions you have or send me or Steve a PM.

 

Ya I have been reading a lot of steve's post lately and learning a lot and I just need to get it down before I buy. Also I saw guys taping off the seams and edges of cars before using a buffer. One guy said it needed a new paint job after they didn't tape the edges and breaks in the body panels. How important is this and what it the gain with it?

 

I never taped off anything. Mines fine.

 

Also how many times can you take buffer over a car. Lets say I do it this summer then in another two years I want or need to do it again. Can I take it over again without any problems in the future. I saw different people running paint thickness checker over the paint and was wondering if the paint can be cut down too much and then I'll actually need a paint job. Like right now I think I can get away with a good detail job.

 

No need to tape the edges if your using a PC. A rotory is a different story. You can use the PC as much as you want. It will not burn the paint. Again a rotory buffer cuts very fast. Thats why you stay away from the edges and check the clear coat thickness. You will have no problems with the PC. Tropi-care has a buffer kit that includes the buffer, backing plate, pads and bonnets. I have had the same PC for 5 years and thats at least 500 cars. You can see for an investment of less than $200 will provide the "regular" user with a lifetime of service.

 

Thanks guys thats all good information to know. I just need to get one and start to practice on cars. Dad said I can do his little car first then their truck and my truck. I figure by then I should be about ready to move to my car. Which is black and will be a tell all. Also how hard is it to switch backing plates on these things. I was thinking of the 6.5" and the 4". That way I can get all the tight spots.

 

Backing plates are switched with the wrench provided with the PC. Very easy and fast. Practice is all it takes. The PC is easy to use and you will feel comfortable in no time.

 

if you can afford it get a flex, i got a PC and wish i woulda considered the flex

 

Whats the gain with the flex? Also can it be more dangerous to use and mess up paint with?

 

The Flex has a tighter rotation. Which means more "cutting" than the PC. I use the Flex for paint correction because its faster. I use the PC for applying and removing polish/wax. I can "one hand" the PC. You do not want to do that with the Flex. You need to use two hands on the Flex. For the entry level or just applying polish/wax I would get the PC. The PC with the correct pad and some Menzerna you can still get some paint correction. It just takes longer. Also the Flex is about $180 more. The PC is $120 and the Flex is $300.

 

Thanks for all the help guys. Any more input on wax and polish types you use or what works best for you would be appreciated. Thanks