How idiot proof is the Porter Cable 7424?

E

Egoolps

New member
I bought my Brilliant Black Dodge Charger in August of last year. It's gone through a nasty Chicago winter outside along with 3-4 long road trips of dirt, stones, and who knows what else.



Freshly washed in the shade, my car looks great.



Up close and/or with sun hitting it, it looks like there are a million scratches on it.



I'm a novice at auto detailing. I always had used/beater cars, so taking them for the 1.75 machine wash was much easier and much less expensive than getting all the products, etc.



This forum has helped me a lot. Hence, you guys are the reason I bought the Porter Cable!



I've taken great care of my car, as my inside is virtually flawless. However, winter time is approaching, and though I'll probably wax one more time before the snow comes, I'm going to do my own full detail this weekend.



I've bought the Wolfgang duo (the scratch remover and polish), Wolfgang Sealant, and a Wax. I'm ready to use the Porter Cable. However, as my question states, how idiot proof is this?



Is there any possible way I can "screw up" using this thing? Thanks in advance. And any tips for "first timers" would be appreciated.
 
The best part about a random orbital is also it's biggest downfall. It won't burn paint, but it also won't cut well. The paint on a Dodge Charger is pretty hard, and the PC probably won't give you perfect results.





John
 
I've polished many black cars with a pc, I have a rotary now..., but its really idiot proof... I left it in one spot on my brothers G35 to show him how "easy" this is...
 
It is possible to burn paint with a PC with a 4 inch pad but only if you apply a lot of pressure & keep it stationary. Otherwise I would say the PC is foolproof.
 
Uber idiot proof.



I think people also underestimate the correcting ability of a PC/DA. With the right pad/polish combo, you'll eventually get to where you want to be in regards to how perfect the paint is. That being said, the rotary will get you there in at least half the time.
 
I agree with the others, yes it is pretty much idiot proof, but you still need to learn your polish/pad combo's and if you go too aggresive you can leave some micro marring but that's about it.



Just make sure you don't work a polish in too long after it's dried.
 
Hey OP,

I'm here to be the voice of little experience. I too had never had a car I cared much about until Jan 07 when I got a red mazda CX-7. Then I got the bug. I got a PC last summer and love what it can do (as compared to working by hand.) I've probably used it less than half a dozen times for polishing or waxing, but every time I've used it, I've felt more comfortable and been even more pleased with the results. I have not felt at any point like I was in danger of doing damage. (The only thing I sometimes almost forget to do is reduce the speed on plastic bumpers.)



At this point, I'm not shooting for 100% correction. I can see some swirls in certain light, but I have been able to remove light scratches with just an orange pad and 1Z paint polish. Generally, I smile when I see my car as its shine really makes it stand out from the other cars I see.



Anyway, that's my long-winded way of saying fear not and have fun. I know I love seeing that clear reflection when I finish a session.
 
Depending on how severe the swirls are, you might want to invest in smaller 4" pads for spot treatments of difficult areas. I just did my first detail last weekend and I bought Adam's Polishes 7.5" pads as I incorrectly thought that bigger = better. I used these on my wife's '98 black Mustang that hasn't seen a detail in the 150K miles it has on it. For the sections of the car that had little damage, the large pad worked fine. For the parts that needed more attention, the 7.5" pads were worthless; even on multiple slow passes.



I also suggest you invest in a 6" counterweight if you get anything over a 6" pad. Speed 6 on my PC with a 7.5" pad vibrates so much It feels like its going to rip itself apart. Speed 6 must hit a resonant frequency because speed 5 is very manageable.



Finally, I recommend starting at speed 3 to evenly distribute the polish to a fine thin layer across your 2x2 or 3x3 panel then crank it up to speed 5 to work the polish in until it breaks down.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top