bokmeipai

iTrader: (1)

I am considering buying a Porter Cable 7424, UDM or Griots polishing machine any advice on which is better ? I am a beginner with no experience with a machine. Also need advice on what type of pad and polish to use to maintain my 2007 Lexus GS. Currently very well maintained with no scratches or swirl marks. After polishing should I buff with towel or machine?

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

For the price, the UDM is very attractive. I've used both PC and the UDM. I like the built quality on th PC better, but the UDM has more power. Haven't used the Griot yet but it looks to be similar in terms of power and functionality. But I do hear complaints about the backing plates not being as versatile as the PC/UDM.

I personally rather stick to the tried and true PC. At the equivalent speed, the UDM vibrates more. It vibrates a hell lot more when you get to full speed. Plus I feel more comfortable with the quality of the PC than the UDM.

But dont take my word for it. There are a lot of other users out there who prefer one machine over the other.

bokmeipai

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for input, what pads and polish do you recommend for me to use, car is 4 months old with no scratches or swirls.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

There are so many polishes and pads out there, it's basically a preference. I use lake country pads because I usually buy from autogeek.org. It's just more convenient for me to buy pads at the same place where I buy my polishes from.

Buy a mild polish and a fine polish. Depending on how much you want to spend, there is the Menzerna Intensive Polish and the Menzerna Final Polish. Both are costly, but the result is damn good. Use the fine polish now because you have little to no swirls, but use the intensive polish later on when you start racking up more swirls (eventually you'll have some deeper swirl/scratches).

Everyone has their favorite polish so expect to have lots of responses!

harleydjce

You might want to consider the Cyclo. Great machine particularly for beginners

zzzzdoc

PC has better build quality.
UDM has a little more power.
Griots has much less power than both. It easily stops rotating.

The new hotness is the Flex XC 3401 VRG. More expensive than the three above, and fits in between a DA and a rotary. Much more power than a DA, but much less likely to burn paint than a rotary.

tod071

Given the 3 choices, I'd go with the PC. If you can find one, the PC7336 (6" counterweight) would be ideal. Recent problems with the UDM have led me to believe that the problems are more common than expected. Griots machine has alot more power, but no torque. A friend was able to stop the machine with very little pressure.

Now, I see the Flex was brought into play. Although it looks like a very cool toy, its very heavy. My choice would be the Makita BO6040. Very rugged, tough, and alot of torque. There is no way you can stop this machine. Even though its rated at 480rpm on rotary side, it does alot more correction than the Festool (which I own as well) and equivalent to the Metabo at 700rpm speed.

Even if your car doesn't have scratches or swirls, a good paintwork cleanser like Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish or P21S Paintwork Cleanser on a Lake Country White pad, followed up with a nice carnauba or sealant like Blackfire would do the trick for you.

Good luck!

zzzzdoc

Have you had any backing plate issues with the Festool? That's the biggest reason I went with the Flex over it.

The flex is heavy. I don't think VERY heavy, but definitely more than a PC or UDM. I think torque is much more important than power in regards to a DA. The rotary aspect of it stops when you look at it cross. It still oscillates, but the pad doesn't spin. Never heard anyone differentiate the two, but your comments are very well taken.

I'm really taken by the forced rotation of the Flex. It will spin no matter what. And provides ALMOST as much correction as a rotary, but with more effort and less risk. As with everything, pluses and minuses. Personally, if money wasn't an object, I'd choose the Flex again. If you are trying to save some bucks, the PC really is an established standard. Hard to argue against it, and you can do very, very good work with it.

picus

I'm a 100% rotary guy, but I've been using the Flex this week and it has impressed me bigtime. I think when they get a good distro network in North America this thing is going to do very well.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

+1 on the rotary club. I only use rotary. I havent touched my PC in ages. It's sitting in my room collecting dust

tod071

No problems with my backing plate. The only 2 that I've heard about were from guys who didn't re-seat the bp properly. It has flown off on me before, but that's because it wasn't re-seated properly.