PC versus Rotary

by the way 04 Cobra in regards to what a rotary can do for the Burgunday car (sorry I dont know what it is) firstly as far as pros are concerned SPEED, time is money. in saying it I hardly use my rotary but almost always use my ROTEX once again "speed" I dont have to worry about swirls or anything it always leaves a great finish. Also with the pic the car looks great from what we can see. yet unless in direct sunlight its hard to see what we are really looking for imperfections.



BUT at the end of the day..... if it looks good and you are happy with the look and you feel good for achieving it who cares whats others think.



Chris



PS the silver car looks great aswell..........and did i mention that the burgundy one's not bad either.
 
The ROTEX sounds like the...uhm..oh gee I forget what the machine is :o BO50-something.



Sorry, having a complete brain-pause- just can't remember, but there's a machine with a semi-rotary/forced random type of action that's been discussed here before. IIRC most people found it less than swell, but the ROTEX might be an improved variation on the same theme.



What voltage is the ROTEX? Is there a US distributor? We don't hear about them here in the States.
 
I'm not much of a rotary person, yet I still bought one (OK, so it's a cheapo Chicago Electric). I mainly use it for cars with extreme neglect until they are within the realm of the PC and in areas that it isn't practical to use the PC and going at it by hand is extremely time consuming.
 
I honestly don't understand all that hype about rotary's and burning.

I use my rotary for 6-8 months now without one problem, OK, from timt to time I have some small hologramming but that will be easely corrected with a soft pad and some finishing polish.

The only thing that bothers me is the splatter from time to time and/or the stickyness of the polish...

But that depends on the paint/used product.



I use a rotary simply because there is no PC or equivalent available in Belgium at a reasonable price ! (and without the hassle of tranfo's and so)
 
Wally- Yeah, I sometimes wonder what the big deal is too. But then people are different and you do have to be careful with the rotary whereas the PC is pretty much foolproof. IMO a lot of people just don't have the temperament for the rotary; they have limited attention spans/are easily distracted, or they're gonna do that "just a little more..." thing once too often, or else they won't think about crown lines, plastic parts, etc. and they'll do something that you and I might not do (knock on wood 'cause I know I'm not infallible by a long shot).
 
I'd rather do something by hand then use a rotary (like small parts between doors, bumpers and so), because like yuo said, a mistake is quickly made and is difficult to reset.

On the other hand, it's like riding of your garden, you don't trash the lawnmower into the hedge when you see the egde of your garden...
 
have been reading a lot on this forum but this is my first post since I also would like to buy a pc or a rotary. Since I live also in Belgium (like Wally) it's kind of hard to get these machines, pc doesn't seem to be available here. So, can I start with a rotary or is this too difficult? I own a sapphire black mettalic bmw and it's a pain getting rid of those swirl marks.
 
stijndg- Welcome to Autopia!



If I were in Europe I'd get a euro-spec CYCLO . There's just *no* way I'd have only a rotary (and I don't have any real problems using one).



I got by for a long time with just a Cyclo, and I still like it better than the PC for most jobs.
 
Accumulator said:
The ROTEX sounds like the...uhm..oh gee I forget what the machine is :o BO50-something.



Sorry, having a complete brain-pause- just can't remember, but there's a machine with a semi-rotary/forced random type of action that's been discussed here before. IIRC most people found it less than swell, but the ROTEX might be an improved variation on the same theme..
Click to expand...

Bosch BO6040. :)



Its almost identical to the Festool, with a similar price.



I've used it and it can perform amazing corrections. I've never used it on an Audi clear, but I'd wager it would be able to tackle it quite successfully.



Not quite a rotary but 90% there!
 
I think that the difference between the two tools is a matter of TIME. If you have all the time in the world, a PC will work, even on an Audi. (I know, I did it. It took 8 hours. I didn't know that it wouldn't work, so it worked. I wish I'd had a rotary.)



Remember that water created all those beautiful smooth stones in the stream, and cut the Grand Canyon.
 
Mosca said:
.. a PC will work, even on an Audi. (I know, I did it. It took 8 hours. I didn't know that it wouldn't work, so it worked..
Click to expand...



Wish I could've fixed the A6 I was referring to in only 8 hours :( After more than that I could still see marring when I threw in the towel. Could be that my tendency towards mild products (nothing harsher than 1Z Ultra/Extra unless I'm using the rotary) limits what I can do more than other product choices would. On that A6 I think I erred in sticking with the PI-II FCRC, just too mild for the job.



Heh heh, if I were just a little crazier than I am I'd get hold of a marred Audi and try correcting it without the rotary, using different products this time. But hey, life is short enough as it is :D
 
Orange cutting pad and #83, high speed. Follow with polishing pad/IP and polishing pad/FP, then finishing pad/FP. Still, I wish I'd had a rotary, I was sore for days afterwards.



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Accumulator said:
Heh heh, if I were just a little crazier than I am I'd get hold of a marred Audi and try correcting it without the rotary, using different products this time. But hey, life is short enough as it is :D
Click to expand...



Accumulator, I'd highly recommend the Menzerna line for Audi via rotary,PC, or Cyclo. It delivers results with all 3. Although the "crowning achievement" ( at least on Ceramiclear in my experience) is with using it with a rotary.
 
Mosca- Thanks for elaborating. I'll keep the orange/#83 combo in mind when people with only the PC ask about correcting the S-H clear (the rest of the steps make sense, it was the major correction I got stumped with). Nice results all right, I'm impressed.



Heh heh, I bet you *do* really appreciate the rotary after doing jobs like that :D Must be the other end of the spectrum from the Miata.



Bill D- Yeah, I can see there's gonna be some PO85RD or something in my future at some point. But with any luck I'll be confining my upcoming efforts to the cars that have pretty delicate finishes- I'm not gonna do too much to them abrasion-wise, just live with the marring and keep the original paint as thick as possible.
 
Just want to add that I've been able to get by with a PC only for a long time too - but it met it's match last weekend. A white C class mercedes with ceramiclear paint. Man oh man that was a long couple hours. I did manage to get it looking reasonable but for an autopian finish it will definitely require a rotary.
 
hello everyone this is my first post but ive spent a couple of hours reading. i have one of those vector sander/polishers do you guys think this is a competent rotary? i cant seem to find any pads for the backing plate though. im a newb and i want to be able to detail my own car
 
The cheap $30 polishers that you can find in local stores are worthless. They do not have sufficient torque to remove swirls/scratches in the paint.

If this is your first time detailing your car, there's a good chance that you'll have plenty of swirls in the paint that should be removed in order for your car to look its best.



The first thing you need to do is buy a PC 7424/7336sp orbital polisher, either online, or from Lowe's. Then buy a set of pads for it. I'd recommend the Propel line from http://www.exceldetail.com To use those pads, it's best to buy the 5" urethane backing plate as well.
 
I have a PC and can excellent results with it but like others have mentioned it does take more time to correct defects and there are some that the PC can't remove that a rotary may (or may not, depending on depth) remove and more quickly as well. The downside is having to tape off the car, some splatter, possibility of holograms and burnt paint. I used a rotary a few times when I took a paint and body shop in high school and it didn't seem to hard to use at the time-however, we practiced on the car we were going to paint so if we messed up, it didn't matter.



I still haven't decided if I will get a rotary or a Cyclo next. The Bosch BO6040 sounds interesting too.
 
sha4000 said:
hello everyone this is my first post but ive spent a couple of hours reading. i have one of those vector sander/polishers do you guys think this is a competent rotary? i cant seem to find any pads for the backing plate though. im a newb and i want to be able to detail my own car
Click to expand...



I got my pads and backing plate from CMA. Also got my vector from the same vendor. I am sure there are other places but since i bought the vector from them i got the plate and pads. I use the 7.5 inch pads for the rotary and the PC. It has worked for me.
 
Scottwax said:
The downside is having to tape off the car, some splatter, possibility of holograms and burnt paint.
Click to expand...



With practice there really is no need to tape a car before rotary work, IMO. Splatter can be eliminated with proper product pick-up. With that being said I do still get some sling in door jambs as I buff up to the panel edges but it is easily wiped out. Holograms and burning paint are a real worry though.



I like my PC and will be picking up a Festool or similar in the near future but there is no replacement for a rotary for correction work, especially when time is a factor. Then again I may be changing my tune once I get a Festool in hand, we'll see...
 
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