New porter cable Z
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Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,326
Likes: 1
From: NW Houston/Nacogdoches, Texas
Brian, I recently did the porter cable job to my car. I had all the products ready but had to wait till thanksgiving break for the time. I finished my first go with "real" detailing in about 3 days maybe 18-25 man hours.
My advice: map out a plan of action, buy quality pads and the right products, and most importantly, keep enough pressure on the head of the pc to stabilize/supress the pad when using above speed 4 1/2.
People suggest to let the pc work under it's own weight but I found that could be harmful because at high speeds the velcro on the pad will want to tear away under the rotation/oscillation and with my particular 6" propel pads the velco actually was pulled off of the pad. This was half the fault of the insufficient velco/pad adhesive and me neglecting to keep the pad firmly planted on the car's surface. I mangled 2 pads and was pretty frustrated, but I managed to repair the pads. Most other pads will be fine but I just suggest all this so you can keep your pads in tip top shape.
My Process:
-2x wash with 60/40 mixture of meguiras wash/dawn
-1x slow pass with clay
-2x passes with Menzerna Intensive polish (added some Red machine glaze to mixture to decrease buff dust)
-1x pass with Menzerna Final Polish
-1x pass with Poorboys EXP sealant
-1x pass with carnuba moose wax
Results
-significantly reduced swirls and minor scratches
-improve shine and luster of paint
-beads water good due to sealants and waxes
-car looks great after a simple wash
Just remember that the PC isn't nearly as powerful as a rotary so you have to compensate with time. When polishing go very slow and make many many passes to ensure quality results.
If you're gonna do this in Nac, give me a call and I'll stop by and help out.
My advice: map out a plan of action, buy quality pads and the right products, and most importantly, keep enough pressure on the head of the pc to stabilize/supress the pad when using above speed 4 1/2.
People suggest to let the pc work under it's own weight but I found that could be harmful because at high speeds the velcro on the pad will want to tear away under the rotation/oscillation and with my particular 6" propel pads the velco actually was pulled off of the pad. This was half the fault of the insufficient velco/pad adhesive and me neglecting to keep the pad firmly planted on the car's surface. I mangled 2 pads and was pretty frustrated, but I managed to repair the pads. Most other pads will be fine but I just suggest all this so you can keep your pads in tip top shape.
My Process:
-2x wash with 60/40 mixture of meguiras wash/dawn
-1x slow pass with clay
-2x passes with Menzerna Intensive polish (added some Red machine glaze to mixture to decrease buff dust)
-1x pass with Menzerna Final Polish
-1x pass with Poorboys EXP sealant
-1x pass with carnuba moose wax
Results
-significantly reduced swirls and minor scratches
-improve shine and luster of paint
-beads water good due to sealants and waxes
-car looks great after a simple wash
Just remember that the PC isn't nearly as powerful as a rotary so you have to compensate with time. When polishing go very slow and make many many passes to ensure quality results.
If you're gonna do this in Nac, give me a call and I'll stop by and help out.
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,063
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From: Tomball/Nacogdoches TX
Thanks for the help Matt. It seems like I'm on the right path. I'm using the same process you used except zaino as my sealant and wax.
It would be nice to give me something up at school to do, but I'm just gonna do it here at home. Will have much more tools at hand and a garage to keep it at during the process.
It would be nice to give me something up at school to do, but I'm just gonna do it here at home. Will have much more tools at hand and a garage to keep it at during the process.
