PC versus Rotary

[05Sleeper]

Well, I know that the Rotary has many advantages when it comes to olderf paint, but what about on new paint? I have an 05 Audi, silver, and I want to polish it up to an OUTSTANDING shine before I use any LSP's, but can I really get these results form my PC?



If not, where can I learn to use a rotary properly?

 

[Thomas Dekany]

Just look at any of Scottwax's pictures. He doesn't have a rotary. To tell you the truth, if your new car paint is in good shape, a pc is all you need in my opinion.

 

[3Dog]

Everybody should have two or three PC's.

Really, for a new car thats the way to go. You shouldnt have any defects on new paint that would require a rotary. IMO

 

[Flatfour]

I do all my detailing work with a rotary.

I don't own a PC because it's not available in Belgium, I also need a transformer then.

It goes faster with a machine then by hand, that's a fact and I have never ever had a problem using the rotary.

I tried my rotary out on a scrap panel, Orange SFX pad with the heaviest compound and even then it took me about 5min before I went trough the paint...

No worry there, the only thing you have to learn is the speed and rate of the thing and to prevent hologramming...

 

[Chris_DBS]

if you like the sound of a rotary, yet like the safety of a PC



buy the Festool Rotex 150



it has a standard PC mode you might call it and flick the swith and its in rotex mode like a rotery but spins in a orbit this machine will remove many more defects then a PC and about 90% of what a rotary will do. They are not cheap but you are really getting two machine..... oh and buy the way, its almost imposible to leave buff swirls marks with them and almost impossible to damage the paint...unless you drop it on the car..



Worth looking at



I have a Rupes rotary and the Festool Rotex and use the Rotex about 90% of the time



Chris

 

[cwcad]

Hey you can never go wrong with a PC. Of course a rotary is faster. But I am not willing to say it is better for the enthusiast. I got a vector rotary and have used it extensively on vehicles in Alaska and Texas. I do not plan on using it this winter(left it in alaska). Since I am not a professional and like the time that I work on my vehicle, the PC is the way to go for me. It seem that with a rotary you are always headed to a place that can or will become a problem if you are not careful. I started getting the mindset of .... Just one more pass and it will be perfect. With me and attittude like that was only heading me for disaster. jmho

 

[White95Max]

You don't need a rotary for your car. I have a Chicago Electric rotary, which isn't anything spectacular, but it's gotten the job done for me a couple times. I only use it for REALLY bad swirls, and it comes through for those jobs.

I haven't used the rotary since June, on my dad's minivan.

 

[sQuashed]

if you like the sound of a rotary, yet like the safety of a PC



buy the Festool Rotex 150





Chris

Thats a good looking tool :xyxthumbs Will our standard backing plate work with this Chris?

 

[Accumulator]

05Sleeper- Heh heh, I'll wager the "you don't need a rotary" comments are coming from people who don't own Audis All it takes is *one* careless wash and the hard Spies Hecker clear is marred beyond what a PC can fix. Been there countless times, and I don't mean just six or eight It's all a matter of how close to truly flawless you want it to be. You can get one very nice with a PC/Cyclo, but it won't be *perfect*. With a rotary, you'll get a look you've never seen before.



The only way I can get a flawless finish on a marred Audi is by rotary. I've spent an entire day (speed 6, many wool pads before switching to foam, almost an entire bottle of PI-II FCRC) on a silver Audi and I couldn't get it perfect- period. If hours on end (over four hours on the trunk lid alone) won't get the marring out (completely) then it simply isn't coming out in a reasonable amount of time. Even the Cyclo won't give the results I get with the rotary. I've been polishing Audis since the early '90s and if you could get 'em perfect without a rotary I'd have done it by now. There's always something that'll show up under certain lighting. With the rotary, I can get it so it looks great under *any* lighting, even under magnification.



Using the rotary isn't all that tricky. The most common problem is holograms and as long as you don't do something weird they'll come right out with at PC/Cyclo. I hadn't used one in over 20 years but I took it out of the box and used it on my beloved S8 with no problems at all. I do follow up my rotary work with the Cyclo, but for the actual *correction*, the rotary is the way to go. Just use common sense, know when to say "good enough", and take your time and you should do fine.



In my experience, Audis call for a rotary. But tape off the clear anodized aluminum trim.

 

[Chris_DBS]

Accumulator your are 100% correct for absolute perfection you need a rotary yet perfection is different to each person some dont know perfection untill its pointed out.



The Festool is an awesome tool but like you for total correction I use the rotary and then finish off with my festool Rotex.



The Rotex is so much better then a normal random orbital weather it be a pc or any other brand. cause you have 2 modes in the one machine and both are safe. No holograms



As for sQuashed question I dont know what backing plates you use I'm in Australia and PC's are very few and far between (we are 240v) so not sure.



I use the edge pads 6"



Hope this helps



Chris

 

[Accumulator]

Accumulator your are 100% correct for absolute perfection you need a rotary yet perfection is different to each person some dont know perfection untill its pointed out...

Heh heh, man ain't *that* the truth! I have plenty of people who claim they can't see what I'm talking about even when I point directly at the flaws. And I'll also admit that if a vehicle's gonna get marred again anyhow (how many people can wash repeatedly without marring the paint?) then the whole idea of achieving a perfect finish is sorta questionable anyhow.



I will say (for the umpteenth time ) that the rotary gave a really look on the silver Audis though. It's not just marring removal, it's the overall look. I'd simply never seen quite that level of "wow" before despite years of having very, *very* nice looking cars with that paint. Doesn't even matter much which LSP I use, it's the rotary-based prep that makes the difference. Side-by-side, the '01 S8 looked better than a fresh-from-the-wrapper new silver car when I had it up at Stoddard.

 

[03COBRA]

PC and Optimum here. Is this what you are looking for?

Accumulator your are 100% correct for absolute perfection you need a rotary yet perfection is different to each person some dont know perfection untill its pointed out.

I have to disagree. Tell me what a rotary would of done to this paint that a PC didn't? (And please no trim and fenderwell jokes)

 

[s2skimon]

Just look at any of Scottwax's pictures. He doesn't have a rotary. To tell you the truth, if your new car paint is in good shape, a pc is all you need in my opinion.

I Agree 100%

 

[zippymbr]

I love the PC, but cars and vans come to me all the time with defects that the PC can not handle. Well get rid of more like it. A PC will do %90 of what you need and for most that will be enough. My biggest reason for using a rotary is that it saves me large chunks of time on cars that are very neglected. I just posted a Saturn in the click/brag that had a very bad scratched up paint. If I chose to compound and polish it with a PC it would have taken over 6 hours. Took me 1.5 hours with my new Hitatchi and I did not induce any holograms. Get a PC learn it well you will be happy. Borrow a rotary and see what you think.

 

[Accumulator]

I have to disagree. Tell me what a rotary would of done to this paint that a PC didn't?

I'm not gonna :argue or anything, and if you're getting the results you're after then keep doing what you're doing.



I got by for a long, long time without a rotary. If your paint doesn't require a rotary, consider yourself lucky and don't bother with one.



Some paints are simply much harder than others. Factory baked Spies Hecker clear is about as hard as paint gets these days, it rivals ceramiclear and reminds me of single stage white enamel. You won't get it truly perfect without a rotary. When you try to do something for many years you learn whether it can be done or not When I decided that close wasn't good enough on that particular paint, I had to get a rotary. And then I finally saw an Audi with the kind of finish I'd always been after.

 

[Bill D]

Factory baked Spies Hecker clear is about as hard as paint gets these days, it rivals ceramiclear and reminds me of single stage white enamel.

This is so true and I'll add that in the case of Ceramiclear, a rotary is pretty much mandatory if one wants a real Autopian finish. I worked on some relatively minor micromarring, the kind the halogens reveal, and my Cyclo could not correct it. However, the rotary at right around 1000 reps or so with Menzerna PO 85R removed it like magic!

 

[03COBRA]

I'm not gonna :argue or anything, and if you're getting the results you're after then keep doing what you're doing.

Wasn't trying to Accumulator, I didn't mean it as a bad thing. Did sound kinda rude, I apologize!!

 

[Accumulator]

04cobra- No no, don't worry, I didn't take it that way. Also hope that *I* didn't come off sounding all touchy. Heh heh, I probably *am* touchy about the need for a rotary since I'd much rather work with my Cyclo and I'm sorta :angry that I have to use the rotary at all.

 

[Spilchy]

The Festool is an awesome tool but like you for total correction I use the rotary and then finish off with my festool Rotex.



The Rotex is so much better then a normal random orbital weather it be a pc or any other brand. cause you have 2 modes in the one machine and both are safe. No holograms

I visited their website which was very informative including the video that demonstrated your buffer.



I am confused by their terminology however.



The website states:



It switches instantly from random orbital sanding motion to the Rotex rotary random orbital motion



Do they mean that the rotary ability of the polisher moves in a random orbital pattern? If so, how is that a rotary?



If it DOES move in a random orbital fashion (the rotary aspect) then that would mean you can do serious surface correction with a lot less fear of damage that can be caused with a traditional rotary.



If true, I know what I want for a birthday present!

 

[Chris_DBS]

OKAY - the RO mode Random Orbital is like any other RO you can get either 3mm, 5mm or 7mm offsets 5mm is best for cars. then when you switch to ROTEX it still has the 3,5 or 7mm offset but actuaaly spins like a rotary in a forced rotation so there is not bogging down you can actually stand on this thing and it wont stop - so im told.



Yes you have much more correction power then a RO with no fear of damaging paint, even the trim is relativly safe. This machine will remove all but the tuffest imperfections, in which case you may need a rotary. As i said earlier I use the ROTEX about 90% of the time as was discussed in this tread most people dont know perfection like we do.



I dont mask anything anymore (unless using ROTARY) when getting close to trim or badges switch to RO mode and go overthem if you need to, then back to ROTEX and

Roberts your mothers brother (bobs your uncle - aussie term LOL)



Hope this helps