BitViper

iTrader: (63)

Achieved with a good wax and a cheap 10 year old Sears orbital buffer...



I used Simply Z Best....bought it a few years ago at the fair...go figure...I love this stuff. But I'd bet you'd get similar or better results if you used any of the big 3-4 wax mfg's out there

I just thought Id test the theory that you needed to buy a really expensive set up to get good results....All the swirls are gone and the thing looks just like its been sprayed with water...

Besides..what did people use before PC existed....Ive always thought that most of the good products out there are about the same...and with time ( this took 30 min of application and 10 of removal)..taken with minimal hardware you can get good results....
I know I bucking the trend....but hey...its me!

Now granted I did'nt have a really damaged paint job to start with but I did have some swirling.....

Next time I might even Claybar

99 LS1

iTrader: (1)

I have a PC and somewhat feel the same way you do. Before I had it, I did it all by hand and was pretty stubborn in my way. After it sitting for a few months I started using, it just made the hand process easier.

Then again, I need to order new pads for the thing. I think that is the thing with them, that plus it's pretty difficult to do damage to the car/paint. From what I've come to understand at least.....

PedroDePackas

iTrader: (1)

I don't get what you're tying to say. You waxed your car and it looks good. But what does that have to do with a PC (Porter Cable).

tennz28

Hes saying you dont need a high priced buffer to get great results.

camaro-94-z28

iTrader: (3)

hard work beats people with too much money; then people that buy the most expesive tools and dont work hard. imo

transambandit

iTrader: (6)

I like my PC.

raptorws6

iTrader: (1)

Looks really good.

PedroDePackas

iTrader: (1)

Yes he used a cleaner wax and got good results. But a polisher (in this case the porter cable) is not for applying wax, although it can be used for that, its manily used for doing paint correction like removing swirls and scratches. Thats why I didn't see what he was getting at.

BitViper

iTrader: (63)

It was/is not a cleaner wax...its a polish/wax..anyway..most people dont buy a high end tool like a PC to just get rid of swirls...they do apply polish and waxes...

Yah dont get me wrong if you've got some real corrections/repairs to make or your a pro and doing several cars a week..your gonna need an industrial strength tool and a PC or UDM is what your gonna need to ...

But If your just and average "joe shmoe" and you need to polish/wax fix some small problems..you dont need to make a huge expenditure to get good results.

Ive seen post where people bad mouth the lower end stuff because its not what proffesionals use...most people diont need proffesional grade tools to get a good results

Breathtaker

iTrader: (31)

Very nice and shiny, nice looking vette, love the wheels too.

davered00ss

iTrader: (4)

Looks good, but like you said, your paint was in good shape to start with. PC has it's place, and like everyone said, you don't need it, but it's a good tool to have.

chupr0kabra

iTrader: (10)

How cute.

Before the PC existed, people used rotaries. Since many people discovered rotaries can burn through paint quickly, people started using dual action orbitals.

And Simply Z Best is not a polish. Polishes remove clearcoat to remove imperfections. Simply Z Best is a sealant with fillers to help hide/mask the swirls.

I'm not saying your car doesn't look great. It does! I'm just saying you've proven that a car whose paint is in relatively good shape looks good when you cover it in a filler-based sealant product.


-Mike

Avengeance

iTrader: (4)

Do you have any pictures of the car with the sunlight on the paint? Like this:



Did you use your buffer on the paint without claying first? If so Im willing to bet theres still swirls in the paint. Unless you used a wax (or your last step product) with a TON of fillers in it.... which is coincidently just like the product you mentioned... something youd find at a fair. Nothing wrong with it... just that fillers are a bandaid for paint issues.

I use filler products on customers cars that arent willing to pay for true correction.

To see how well your buffer actually does try this: after buffing with your buffer wipe down the surface with a microfiber using a 50/50 solution of rubbing alcohol and water. Then check it in the sun.... I bet youll be surprised.

The porter cable is a great tool..... however I now use a Hitachi Rotory. The results are outstanding.

Avengeance

iTrader: (4)

Try removing these issues by hand... the cleaned up side is done with a porter cable polished 2 times. Just an example of what the PC can do.

PedroDePackas

iTrader: (1)

Well according to the description on their website:

Simply Z Best is a non-abrasive, swirl free, Carnauba formula car wax. Z-Best enhances all automotive finishes including newer cars with clear coats and will restore oxidized finishes to a lustrous clear shine. Z-Best cleans, waxes and protects. The cleaners in Z-Best will instanly dissolve road tar, bird stains, grease, road film and bug marks...

Kind of sound like a cleaner wax to me, maybe and All In One (AIO) type of product. Either way its not really going to do anything to remove swirls, maybe cover them up a little. Especially if you are working by hand given the Corvette's notoriously hard clear.

I hope I'm not coming of as an "***" with my posts as it wasn't the intention. I wasn't trying to criticize your results, like I already said the finish looks good. I was just trying to point out that your original comparison of using this product as oppose to a PC was an unfair comparison as they do two different things.

BTW what do you mean by lower end products? I ask because lower end to me sounds like cheap less effective products. However if what you mean is over the counter products then I agree with you. You don't necessarily need boutique products because Mothers, Meguiars and Duragloss makes good products you can get over the counter.

Fast_94_Z

iTrader: (12)

i use a rotary buffer with 8" foam pads for everything and for everything it cant get i have the 3" rotary buffer. i dont see the need for a porter cable really. its just an easier buffer to use in my opinion since some people would burn right through the clear with a trotary. i agree i wanna see that yellow vette in the sun from multiple angles to see ur results. also i forgot to mention before i invested in a rotary buffer i used a random orbital and got a decent finish out of it.

99'CajunFirehawk157

iTrader: (57)

I still have one of those old craftsman 10" orbital buffers, it work fine but the foam separated and fell apart, new foam was like $35 so I just went one above the porter cable, and bought the Flex 3401, its a Lil pricey but made in Germany, need I say more, its the latest and greatest in non rotary buffers...

Learn more about polishing over @ www.autopia.org/forum the best auto detailing forum, IMHO.

BitViper

iTrader: (63)

Not to get into too much more of a pissing contest that it already turned out to be..my point is that...ahh who cares!

Steve P

iTrader: (6)

We sell hundreds of PC kits every year to many individuals because it's reliable, safe and user friendly. The key to getting results is the variable speed feature using the correct foam pads and chemicals which give one the ability to remove a wide array of surface blemishes to applying last step protection products thinly and evenly.

For every car that I will need to use a machine for buffing, I will test the surface with the baggy test to determine the need for clay bar. Failure to do so and you just asking for more problems when buffing begins.

Those are some impressive pictures after completing the detail.

I like to see my results with the use of halogen or natural lighting during buffing until satisfied.

Yesterday I polished an '05 white C230 that the surface looked like the sample picture posted by Avengeance. Mercedes and others feature cerami-clears that are very difficult to remove scratches with conventional products. I used the UDM with an orange pad at speed 5.5 and Menzerna SIP to remove them. Sorry no pictures were taken. The Menzerna is quite impressive that it finishes down so cleanly that no micro-marring occurred. At $39.99 a quart, it is worth every penny when you get those results.

bluehawk2

iTrader: (74)

You don't have to have a PC, but it sure does make it a lot easier to get good results.