lexusscturbo

iTrader: (12)

S202 is onyx black

oski83

Thanks Greg....now a couple questions hopefully you can answer:
1-Maintenance and warrranty...which one do you think is better?
2-Any replacement parts to get on either difficult to get/repair?
3-On Flex, can trigger be locked ONLY at FULL SPEED? Or can it also be set/locked at a lower speed like PC for a couple minutes. I know from past experience holding a trigger for a lengthy period is a PITA
4-Does Flex come with a counterbalance to reduce vibrations or is it normally smoother than PC from the factory?

Thanks!

PS-I saw the vid on your page- I like the relatively "quieter" properties of the Flex

lexusscturbo

iTrader: (12)

If hmnn Parts would be easiest to find for the Makita and PC units..
as far as the trigger lock, on the Makita it can be set at any speed. it also has a slow startup clutch as well.
And the Makita with the 3M BP does not bounce for me

Stage3

iTrader: (3)

Thanks for the advice so far, guys. I have done some research on autogeek.net and have watched the videos on the processes involved. I even read that show detail guide that was sticked at the top of the forum. To answer a few questions, my budget is around $200-300. I'm not looking to go super crazy, but I know quality matters when it comes to paint care. My main areas of damage are my hood, front bumper and roof. The doors need help, but definitely not as much as leading edges.

So far, I have planned out that I need to start with a Dawn Pre-Wash followed by clay, followed by the rewash. So, what comes after that in regard to repairing the paint? Like I said, I read the detailing super-guide post and am willing to follow that, but I just need a little more guidance...

UDel

If you can post up some pics of your car and the problem areas you are trying to correct, it will help us better determine what route you want to go.

Your right, do the dawn wash and try to determine if that got most of the contaminants/old wax off, you may need something stronger like diluted vinegar or alcohol but dawn should do it. Get a claybar kit and clay the car, make sure to lubricate the area to be clayed well and work in small sections. Don't go too fast. Once you are done claying you need to wash the car again to get the clay residue off and you need to get a buffing machine, pads, backing plates, and polishes.

I would get a PC7424, it is safe, well built, reliable, inexpensive, and can correct most swirls, oxidation, spots, scratches, etc. You should also get a 3 1/2 backing plate and 3 or more 4" orange pads, a yellow pad or two , and 3 or more white finishing pads. Lake Country makes some pretty good pads, CCS are nice. You can also get some blue pads for applying AIO or waxes/sealants. Four inch pads work the best for correcting but will take a little longer and you need a 3 and a half inch backing plate to use four inch pads. You will also need some polishes, since your car is in pretty bad shape you will need a more aggressive polish like Menzerna IP which works great, you will also need a finer finishing polish to get rid of haze from the IP. If your finish is really bad you may need a compound but hopefully Menz IP is the most aggressive you will need. All this stuff should be well under $300, if you look hard enough for deals you can probably get everything for around $200-220.

When you have washed after claying you should be ready to polish with your Porter Cable, read up on and study some videos on the internet and then give it a shot. You will have to press down on the PC fairly hard and run it at 5 or 6 or the strongest speed and go over the section a couple times in order for it to do any correcting but after some trial and error you will find what best suites you. Menzerna IP and most polishes dust alot so be prepared for lots of dust. Go over small sections at a time and then wipe it clean an inspect your work to see if it is correcting and looking better then the non polished area. Once you are satisfied with how it is correcting and your method do the whole car. While polishing you will noticed pads getting soft and flat and they will lose their polishing ability, put them in warm water and clean them and let them dry and switch to a newer dry pad, that is why you need several pads of the same color when polishing a car. When you are done correcting with the orange pad and more aggressive polish switch to a white pad and a finishing polish or AIO and go over the car again to get rid of the grayish/whitish haze that is usaully left over from correcting. A freshly polished car with no wax will look much better and glossier then a non polished car with several layers of the most expensive highest quality waxes/sealants. You only need to polish once a year, twice at most.

Once your car is polished to your satisfaction you will want to do another dawn wash to wash away the oils left on your car from the polish. Your finish should be as smooth as glass and most scratches/swirls gone. You will not be able to get rid of all of the deeper scratches. Once you have washed all the oils off your car you need to choose a good sealant/wax to protect your finish. I recommend Klass AIO/SG, Jeff Werkstatt AJ/AG, Zaino AIO/Z2/Z8, and Collinite 476S. A good wax/sealant not only protects and enhances gloss but it also provides a slick surface to where dirt does not stick and can easily be washed off which helps reduce swirls.

Once you have your wax/sealant process on you should take some tips on washing your car like getting new mircofiber rags, mits, and towels. Use 2 buckets-one with water to rinse the rag and the other with car wash. GO SLOW AND LIGHT, do not wipe fast or wipe hard or you will introduce swirls/scratches even with microfibers. If you have a good sealant/wax on then just the weight of the rag should get all the dirt off without putting any pressure on it. Dry the car in the shade and again wipe slow and soft to reduce swirls/scratches. Wash the car at least once a week to reduce dirt/crud accumilation and never use a drive through/automated car wash or let the dealer wash your car.

Here is a list of what you will need

-PC 7424
-Backing plates for PC-3 1/2 inch and maybe a 5 inch plate for larger pads
-Pads- 3 or more orange 4" correcting pads, 1 or 2 yellow pads, 3 or more white pads, some blue pads for applying sealants/wax if you want. Lake Country are nice pads.
-Polish- A stronger correcting polish and a finishing polish. Menzerna makes great polishes but they are pricey. Sonus 2 and 3 are pretty good finishing polishes.
-Claybar kit with lube.
-Microfiber rags/towels
-Sealant/Wax-There are tons out there so it is personal pref.

Chris@GlimmerGlass

iTrader: (3)

^^agreed^^

heres a couple of PC packages that fall right in that price range too

http://www.glimmerglassdetailing.com/poudmpawfrit.html

http://www.glimmerglassdetailing.com/opuldemapa.html

Just add in clay and youre pretty much set to go aside from any extras you might want to pick up
http://www.glimmerglassdetailing.com...-clay-bar.html
http://www.glimmerglassdetailing.com/lusysucllu.html

Greg@DI

Glad the information was helpful. Here are some answers to your questions:

1.) Both the PC and Flex are quite reliable and only have the occasional problem. Each of the units offers a 1 yr warranty. PC has local places while Flex's have to be sent to one master parts and service center.

2.) I honestly have not had any problems where I needed to get parts. I did have to bring my PC 7424 in once and they fixed it with no questions asked. If needed I think you could get the service or parts you need though without any troubles.

3.) The Flex has a speed dial, trigger and locking mechanism. The speed dial is the first thing you want to set. This lets you set the maximum speed the buffer can go up to. The trigger has a slow start feature that allows the buffer to build up speed smoothly, instead of instantly reaching top speed. At any point you can turn on the locking mechanism to keep the buffer at one constant speed. This is a huge help so you don't have to keep holding the trigger.

4.) The Flex has a different set up all together and it does not require any different counterweights. It is naturally much smoother with less vibration in my experience. Despite the fact it is 60% more powerful it is still remarkably easy to use.

Let me know if I can help you any further.

Greg @ Detailed Image

Greg@DI

I think we have two kits that should suit your needs very well. The first is a Porter Cable Starter Kit so you can have a buffer to get the results you'll want from your detailing efforts. It comes with a backing plate, 9x pads, 3x Pad Cleaning Packets and of course the PC 7424. The second is the Polishing and Protection Starter Kit which gives you a quality clay bar, clay lube, medium polish, light polish, sealant, wax. We hand selected products for each step that work great together and provide high quality results. The clay bar and lube will help deep clean the paint and maximize the results of the next steps. The polishes combined with the power of the buffer will really help remove surface imperfections and restore an optically clear surface for maximum reflection. Next protect the paint with a durable sealant that will last for months. Lastly apply a coat of wax by hand for that extra deep gloss and added protection. If you have any questions about these products or any step in this process please let me know I'd be happy to help. We also have a lot of other packages and options here in our DI Packages section.

Greg @ Detailed Image

durtysc300

depending on your paint, detailing can be easy or difficult. currently my RR sc300 looks like total crap..so on thursday i'm taking the whole day..and this is my plan:
1. Wash with dawn to get off all the old sealant/wax
2. Clay the whole car
3. Start with Meguiars M105 on a PC using a 6 inch LC CCS yellow pad for large areas and a 4 inch yellow for smaller areas 3 to slowly work in the product then 5/6 to correct
4. Meguiars M205 on white same procedure as above..might have to do this process twice depending on how much marring the M105 induces..
5. dawn the car again to remove any surface oils
6. hopefully Pinnacle Souverän, layered 3 times

hope that helps! I strongly suggest the PC7424..it greatly reduces the odds of burning through and such..don't forget to tape off using blue 3M painters tape...and don't be afraid to take your time!

Stage3

iTrader: (3)

Thanks for the SERIOUSLY in-depth replies, fellas... When I get back home from spring break I'll take some picks of the problem areas so you can know what I'm up against.

oski83

I got to stop by my local Auto Body supply store and check out the Flex.

My comparison between Porter Cable 7424 and Flex Polisher-

What I really like was the speed (RPM) dial accessible with your thumb and the lock that can be locked at any RPM.
It actually came with a side grip handle (like the PC) plus the center holding handle near the buffing head.
Cord was a decent size..I think about 15' which is great for walking around car and having over your shoulder
What I wasnt too excited about was how it pulled abit like an Orbital...PC seems more "controllable"
Also, the size (longer than PC) might not help with the control since its bigger but maybe its offset by the center handle.
I liked the fact it had more power which would cut down on polishing/buffing time...but I think it comes with the higher chances of damaging a paint for someone whose never used 1 before than using the PC

Price was VERY decent too. $250 with a backing plate and a Pad FREE

I think after trying it out, I might go for it

TexxIS

iTrader: (3)

who makes a good claybar? mcguires any good?

lexusscturbo

iTrader: (12)

Riccardo is the better of the claybars...(not allowed to be sold in the US) you can get it 3rd party or from Canada

Stage3

iTrader: (3)

Alright, I'm starting to get my shopping cart ready and I have a question. I was looking at the IP as was suggested, and I came across the Super IP. Then I saw the price and just about fell out of my chair. What's the difference between the Super IP verus the IP? I read the differences, and, from what I can gather, the Super is more aggressive. Should I just stick with the IP or go with the super? I think my paint is horrible and would go for the most aggressive stuff out there... but in all actuality, it might not be as bad as I think it is. Either way, I'll post pics when I get back on Sunday and I'll make my final purchase then...

lexusscturbo

iTrader: (12)

Get (Meguiars)M105/205;
And the following by Menzerna: Power Finish (203)-; and PO85RD(Finishing)...