I am new to this. I have a new black car that i bought two weeks ago. The hood needs clay, but i don't see swirl marks yet. Most threads i have read recommend 205/105. Should i use this combo or should i go with something else because i don't see the swirl marks. Also, with 7424 polisher should i just buy the starter kit or should i go another route? What pads and sizes pads should i have. Thanks for your time.
buying a 7424 polisher
- Thread starter newmanxl
- Start date
a.k.a. Patrick
New member
I would go straight to Optimums Hyper Polish Spray..........and 5.5" pads.
Thomas Dekany
New member
newmanxl said:
Get the most powerful pc the one made by Griots. m2c
newmanxl said:
Just because you don't see the swirls doesn't mean they're not there :chuckle: They might suddenly appear after a wash/clay/alcohol wipedown. I would go ahead and clay the entire car too.
What car did you buy? (Certain companies are known for hard/soft paint). Also keep in mind you want to start with the least aggressive method. M105/M205 is a popular combo, but you may only need M205 to remove light defects. This also depends on the hardness of the clear (how stubborn it is to polishing). Remember you only have a certain amount of clear coat.
I have the 7424XP and like it a lot. It's a great beginners machine, and i see myself upgrading to a rotary in the months to come.
~Jack
Thomas Dekany
New member
Nagz said:
I have one too but it is only used for applying waxes. Compared to the flex3401 and my rotary the xp is a toy.
OP - DO NOT get the xp, it isn't powerful enough.
I have the PC 7424xp and love it. Great first polisher at a good price. For a newer car finish for the casual 'weekend' user (not a professional who needs to do very serious defect correction and/or many, many cars in a day), it is more than enough power to do what one may need. I never used any of the other polishers (other than a rotary a long time ago...), so I cannot compare them to the PC. I do not think you can go far wrong with any of the polishers mentioned here, but since I have the PC I will speak to that.
PC works great for me.
I recently did 3 of my cars that turned out extremely well:
one with paint 4 years old and very light defects,
one with paint 1 year old with some serious water spots etched into the roof,
one with paint 4 years old that had some water spots and other defects and looked dull.
The PC handled all of them well; paint looks new (or at least as new as it can with the usual stuff like chips and such).
Like some of the other posters, 5.5 pads works for me.
white LC pads for light work (like light swirls) when using the m205.
orange LC pads for light to medium defect work (like water spots that have etched in) when using the m105.
gray, black, or blue LC pads for waxes and sealants.
If you search you will find many threads here on which pads to use and why - but just about everyone agrees on the white and orange pads.
I looked at starter kits that include things like pads and polishes along with the buffer. But, most of the kits included things that I did not want or need, so I just got the PC and the things I did need and made my own 'starter kit':
PC 7524xp
6 LC white pads
6 LC orange pads
2 LC black pads
2 LC blue pads
M105
M205
several packs of LC Snappy Pad Cleaner
some new plush MF towels for wiping away residue
Some plastic containers: one to keep the polisher in, another one for the pads, another one for the polishes.
All of the above has worked out well for me; no regrets. Quite frankly, I am amazed at the results that can be produced with the right products, tools, and advice (such as is found in this forum).
One thing to mention, if you have a brand new vehicle, you might not even need to polish right now (personal choice). But if you did want to, you probably only need some white pads and the m205 and go light on it.
For example, for the car I did with 1 year old paint, I used the m105 and orange pad on the roof where I needed to get rid of some serious etched in water spots (followed up with m205 and white pad), but I only used the m205 and white pad everwhere else.
If I have learned nothing else, only use the degree of product, pressure, and pad, required to do what is needed - no more than that.
Good luck with whatever you do buy! Have fun!
PC works great for me.
I recently did 3 of my cars that turned out extremely well:
one with paint 4 years old and very light defects,
one with paint 1 year old with some serious water spots etched into the roof,
one with paint 4 years old that had some water spots and other defects and looked dull.
The PC handled all of them well; paint looks new (or at least as new as it can with the usual stuff like chips and such).
Like some of the other posters, 5.5 pads works for me.
white LC pads for light work (like light swirls) when using the m205.
orange LC pads for light to medium defect work (like water spots that have etched in) when using the m105.
gray, black, or blue LC pads for waxes and sealants.
If you search you will find many threads here on which pads to use and why - but just about everyone agrees on the white and orange pads.
I looked at starter kits that include things like pads and polishes along with the buffer. But, most of the kits included things that I did not want or need, so I just got the PC and the things I did need and made my own 'starter kit':
PC 7524xp
6 LC white pads
6 LC orange pads
2 LC black pads
2 LC blue pads
M105
M205
several packs of LC Snappy Pad Cleaner
some new plush MF towels for wiping away residue
Some plastic containers: one to keep the polisher in, another one for the pads, another one for the polishes.
All of the above has worked out well for me; no regrets. Quite frankly, I am amazed at the results that can be produced with the right products, tools, and advice (such as is found in this forum).
One thing to mention, if you have a brand new vehicle, you might not even need to polish right now (personal choice). But if you did want to, you probably only need some white pads and the m205 and go light on it.
For example, for the car I did with 1 year old paint, I used the m105 and orange pad on the roof where I needed to get rid of some serious etched in water spots (followed up with m205 and white pad), but I only used the m205 and white pad everwhere else.
If I have learned nothing else, only use the degree of product, pressure, and pad, required to do what is needed - no more than that.
Good luck with whatever you do buy! Have fun!
tdekany said:
I'm not saying the 7424XP the most powerful machine, all I am saying is that in my experience with picking up polishing it's an easy and forgiving machine to learn on. Not bashing the Griots DA you recommended. I agree with you that the 7424XP is not the most powerful machine, which is why i have the 9227c on my wish list
~Jack
Accumulator
Well-known member
newmanxl said:
I have both and the GG is simply a better tool for the job.
You might have swirls appear if they're currently hidden by dealer-applied glaze (likely), in which case the M205 on a 5.5" pad (or even a little 4" pad) might be enough. Don't use M105 unless you *need* to.
Even though the Griot's is listed as a 6" polisher, and companies sell big pads in "Kits" with the PC, smaller pads work better. Much better.
Since black is tough to maintain [Insert lecture about learning how to wash without marring the pant here..] you might want to consider a product that does a little concealing (for use both after the above polishing and also for periodic upkeep). Something like Autoglym's Super Resin Polish, topped with a good durable wax. You don't want to make ongoing maintenance too tough on yourself.
I own a PC (original not XP) and i think its a very good machine.
Granted I have the 4" LC pads to go with it and that helps your cutting ability (when needed) since the pressure is focused on a smaller area.
I think its a great start up buffer...but i already have the itch for a rotary...I know the Flex 3401 is sort of an 'inbetween' buffer..between a DA and rotary...but if your just starting out you might not want to go there first...kinda depends on what you feel.
For claying...often times the flat surfaces (hood,trunk,top) need claying the most...but if you feel anything at all on the sides...i think its worth it to just clay those areas as well.
I just did my friends Chevy Express conversion van (what a BIG beast that was) and I had to clay the whole thing...sides felt almost as gritty as the hood...then did 105 on bad spots...205 to follow and 205 on the rest and shes shiney now
. Next is applying some wax...hmm decisions decisions....
good luck with your decision...let us know what you choose!
Granted I have the 4" LC pads to go with it and that helps your cutting ability (when needed) since the pressure is focused on a smaller area.
I think its a great start up buffer...but i already have the itch for a rotary...I know the Flex 3401 is sort of an 'inbetween' buffer..between a DA and rotary...but if your just starting out you might not want to go there first...kinda depends on what you feel.
For claying...often times the flat surfaces (hood,trunk,top) need claying the most...but if you feel anything at all on the sides...i think its worth it to just clay those areas as well.
I just did my friends Chevy Express conversion van (what a BIG beast that was) and I had to clay the whole thing...sides felt almost as gritty as the hood...then did 105 on bad spots...205 to follow and 205 on the rest and shes shiney now
. Next is applying some wax...hmm decisions decisions....good luck with your decision...let us know what you choose!
Accumulator
Well-known member
newmanxl said:
Note that you'll also need a small backing plate to go with the smaller pads. Whoever you order from should be able to help you get what you need (note that the Griot's polisher takes the same backing plates as the PC).
The alcohol (yeah, IPA/Rubbing Alcohol) and water mix (or just the IPA straight) is used after polishing to remove oils/etc. that the polish leaves behind. This will uncover any temporarily concealed marks and remove any oily residue that can give a "pseudo-hologram" appearance.
FWIW, not everyone uses the IPA wipedowns, at least not every time they polish.
newmanxl said:
I think the size backing plate you need is the 3 1/2" or 3 3/4" (i forget what size they sell) for the 4" pads.
For pads you will probably need your basic 3 types....cutting/polishing/finishing.
For me when i got my 4" set up I got the LC (lake country) 4" CCS pads (thou almost any pad, CCS/Flat etc will be just fine).
The color tells you the cut...for LC ones i got they are as follows
Yellow- heaviest cut
Orange (very popular) - medium cut
^These are your cutting pads
White- Light cut (this is your polishing pad)
Blue/Black - basically no cut (use these for your wax/sealant)
When you compound your leveling the paint, thus need a harsher pad....polishing your only slightly correcting the paint (less cutting) so usually a white is the pad of choice. Once you wax/seal you are no longer cutting and simply putting the icing on the cake
Megs Soft Buff 2.0 are said to be very good pads...kinda want to try some myself
. SurBuf I've also heard good things about, but i mentioned the LC ones first since thats what i use.Using 4" pads with a DA helps you focus the pressure more and therefore have better correcting ability (with practice of course, hell im still learning lol). If you're doing a car thats not in that bad of shape, I'd say eventually move up to a 5.5" - 6.5" Pad and Plate...but personally i think the 4" are great to start with. They are slower due to their size, but its worth having that extra cutting ability incase you need it.