Just got my PC 7424...

hoanger · 07-08-06, 11:30

Hi guys, I just got my PC today, and I was supposed to get the extra pads (black, orange, blue etc) but she forgot to ship it, so it won't be here till next week.

So this is what I've got:

along with the screw and one washer.

that white pad attaches to the PC, is that just a pad for the other pads to attach to? or is that an actual pad that I can use? If so, I was wondering if I could polish with this white pad and then wash it.

also... when it spins... is it supposed to be a perfect circle? or be off path?

another question... since the back of the white pad has some metal in it... if i hand wash it; will it rust down the road?

White95Max · 07-08-06, 11:41

That factory pad is worthless. After 2 years of sitting in the wrapper, I finally got around to ripping it up with my pocketknife into small pieces that I now use for headlight polishing.

The PC orbits instead of spinning. That's the difference between it and a rotary. It's supposed to wobble AND spin.

hoanger · 07-08-06, 11:47

So i cant use the white pad i got to polish?
it seems better than the Meguiars foam pads you would use by hand.
I really wanna try this out... but i;m scared I'll ruin it...
i also dont have a backing plate for some reason... in pictures i've seen the black plate but I dont have that.. -_-
am i being scammed? haha help!

hoanger · 07-08-06, 05:17

Well.. I decided to brave it out and use the white pad that came with the PC with 3M swirl mark remover clear coat safe and at first I didn't know how to use it so it didnt really do much to the panel i tried it on.

I then decided to kick it up to 2000RPM and stay on the panel a little longer because I was scared that I would od some damage to the paint (my car is black BTW)

one concern that I have is... as I was working on the panel, as the product started to lessen on the car... it left a sort of spectrum of color behind with no product following... its hard to explain. It was almost like when your wiping glass, you get the sort of spectrum of colors. Is this a bad thing?

and how long should I be working it in for? after a while i started getting the hang of it and i got swirls out of the trunk.

hoanger · 07-08-06, 06:37

perfect! thanks a lot! now i know for next time
and here i was scared to even go to 2

and i think i will try taking the handle off, seems a bit better anyways

thanks again, i appreciate it very much!

hooked · 07-09-06, 03:58

A question about changing the speed on the PC...Do you turn it off and then switch speeds or do you switch on the fly?

hoanger · 07-09-06, 06:23

well since I'm starting off... its hard to manoeuver my hands to hold it steady and switch it while its on because I dont want to keep it in one spot for too long but i ended up switching it once while it was on.
the other times, when i went onto the next panel I would switch to 2 before I turned it on... is that bad?
whats wrong with turning it off and switching or switching on the fly?

a.k.a. Patrick · 07-09-06, 06:33

I usually turn it off, switch speeds, then back on to avoid any mishaps.

hoanger · 07-09-06, 08:42

^ I think thats what I'll start doing... I find it difficult to hold at anything above 4
my arm shakes like crazy haha

but I just finished my car with the 3M swirl mark remover and Mothers Carnuaba Wax and it looks amazing...
I can't believe I lived without it!

btw, how do you guys wash your pads? I soaked them in car wash shampoo for a bit and take a toothbrush and scrub em down till they're clean and air dry over night...

White95Max · 07-09-06, 02:07

I wash my pads in a bucket of warm water and Dawn. Massage any product out of the pad, rinse well, and stand up to dry.

hoanger · 07-09-06, 04:16

okay great, I think I'll start using dawn or sunlight also to get the wax out
might make it a little easier on me

hooked · 07-10-06, 09:10

Didn't mean to confuse you hoanger when I asked the question about switching the speed. My question was directed at the "experts," not you specifically. I was just wondering what the best practice was. I also turned it off before switching speeds. I was curious to see if there was a better way of doing it.