Going to upgrade to a new DA. I don’t do this for a living but I do have 4 vehicles I like to keep looking good. Probably going to do some family members cars and trucks also Yal will laugh (I would to) but I’m still using a PC 7336 and have been using it since 2004 when I bought my first new vehicle. I have been reading on here since 2005 but never joined until last year when I retired I bought me a new tundra. And four months ago bought my wife a new Highlander Saved a little bit of money in my 401(k) They aren’t going to bury me with it so why not spend some of it 99.9% sure on the Flex after doing a lot of research on the flex and Roops my question is can I use the 5 inch backing plate on my PC on the flex. I use the 5 1/2 inch Lake country pads and am happy with them. Thanks Mike. Also what size backing plate comes on the flex
Ready to pull the trigger!
- Thread starter Fishroes
- Start date
Mike lambert
New member
I obviously recommend Griot’s machines. I personally can’t stand the flex and the forced rotation. I’ve tried the new flex da and found it had a lot of vibration. Before investing that amount of money, see if you can find someone with any machines that you are interested in. As far as warranty you’ll not find a better one than Griot’s.
I will check griots out. Thanks Mike
Stokdgs
dansautodetailing.com
Fishroes --
In answer to your questions, the Flex 3401VRG for sure will be able to use the 5" backing plate and a couple of smaller ones..
When I bought mine way, way, back when they first came out, it came with a 6" backing plate, and a really nice bag, and me a a bunch of other people immediately cut the backing plate down to around 5" so we could use the 5.5" pads we all found to be the best for our needs.. Flex eventually made the 5" backing plate available, and later still, came out with couple of smaller backing plates for it..
The counter-clockwise rotation took a minute to get used to, and vibration wise, I don`t know if it is better or worse than other machines because I don`t have them to compare it to..
This model 3401VRG Flex does have more forced rotation than the random orbitals of the day, and I don`t recall it ever stalling out on curves, etc., as I hear machines do today..
The thing to remember about all these machines that are NOT direct drive like my Makita is that they were developed for those that did not want to or were not inclined to want to learn how to handle a big 10+Lb Rotary and the learning process that goes with it..
Reading your post, I think you might be more inclined to want a Random Orbital machine vs a direct drive Rotary, and that can also be a great choice, as many of the top guys on this Forum alone produce exceptional work with those machines..
No matter what you pick for your machine, it will always be about pad rotation to get correction and finishing and in a timely manner..
I also have had a probably 20-year-old Porter Cable that I eventually gave to a son-in-law to learn how to clean up his cars, and he has gotten very good at it..
Eventually I purchased another Porter Cable that I mainly use with a smaller 3" pad for polishing all the glass and sunroofs of vehicles now..
Of course, if the glass is extremely etched, etc., I put a small pad and extension on my Makita and clean up the glass really fast...
Good luck with your research !
Dan F
In answer to your questions, the Flex 3401VRG for sure will be able to use the 5" backing plate and a couple of smaller ones..
When I bought mine way, way, back when they first came out, it came with a 6" backing plate, and a really nice bag, and me a a bunch of other people immediately cut the backing plate down to around 5" so we could use the 5.5" pads we all found to be the best for our needs.. Flex eventually made the 5" backing plate available, and later still, came out with couple of smaller backing plates for it..
The counter-clockwise rotation took a minute to get used to, and vibration wise, I don`t know if it is better or worse than other machines because I don`t have them to compare it to..
This model 3401VRG Flex does have more forced rotation than the random orbitals of the day, and I don`t recall it ever stalling out on curves, etc., as I hear machines do today..
The thing to remember about all these machines that are NOT direct drive like my Makita is that they were developed for those that did not want to or were not inclined to want to learn how to handle a big 10+Lb Rotary and the learning process that goes with it..
Reading your post, I think you might be more inclined to want a Random Orbital machine vs a direct drive Rotary, and that can also be a great choice, as many of the top guys on this Forum alone produce exceptional work with those machines..
No matter what you pick for your machine, it will always be about pad rotation to get correction and finishing and in a timely manner..
I also have had a probably 20-year-old Porter Cable that I eventually gave to a son-in-law to learn how to clean up his cars, and he has gotten very good at it..
Eventually I purchased another Porter Cable that I mainly use with a smaller 3" pad for polishing all the glass and sunroofs of vehicles now..
Of course, if the glass is extremely etched, etc., I put a small pad and extension on my Makita and clean up the glass really fast...
Good luck with your research !
Dan F
Accumulator
Well-known member
Fishroes- The MF pads generally do cut more than foam pads, but on some occasions I`ve had it work the other way around (to my surprise).
With the GG6, I find that I still need to use 4" pads if I want it to do significant correction (for which I generally use something else). Not flaming it at all, love mine and IMO it`s worlds better than the 7336, which I no longer use for anything.
With the GG6, I find that I still need to use 4" pads if I want it to do significant correction (for which I generally use something else). Not flaming it at all, love mine and IMO it`s worlds better than the 7336, which I no longer use for anything.
Thanks for the input Sir accumulator. Glad to hear it is a step up. The worst thing that I have to correct is the red rock pearl Ridgeline it has a whole lot of swirl marks. I haven’t been real careful with the washing since it’s turned into a daily driver. The tundra and Highlander stay undercover and are only driven when the conditions are right (not raining/no salt on the road). I will be using some jescar correcting cream for the first time to see how that works on the swirl marks. I have used the Jescar power lock plus several times and am happy with it, so why not try the correcting cream. Easy on easy off and seems to last a pretty good little while. I still like the Klasse sealant but it’s just hard to remove and you can’t hardly see it as you’re putting it on but I know it lasts a long time because I’ve used it a bunch of times. Do you apply Klasse with a DA and foam pad I haven’t tried that yet. I’m sure it’s easier that way. That’s the way I put the Jescar sealant on. When the weather warms I’m going to put klasse sealant on 1/2 of the hood and fk1000 on the other half but I don’t think there will be much difference in the two other than ease of use. You’ve probably tried that already thanks
Accumulator
Well-known member
Fishroes- The Klasse Twins were my benchmark for durability/protection before I discovered FK1000P, and I still use them on a handful of specific things (primarily the smooth black exterior plastics on the Tahoe). With four or more coats the KSG is quite impressive (other than, IMO, its look).
Yeah, KAIO via machine goes fine for me. Damp pad, not too much product, don`t work it too long.
FK1000P with two coats lasts about as long for me as KSG with four. With only one coat each it isn`t even close, the FK is infinitely better IME.
The only thing KSG offers over the FK1000P IMO is that way KSG layers up to become a discernibly thick build-film, like a layer of acrylic/"plastic" on top of the paint/etc. Not always a good thing because of how it looks (and it`s not the slickest LSP either), it can, IME, actually provide a physical barrier against marring. That`s why I use it on the Tahoe`s plastics and on a few other things as well (license plates come to mind).
When applying KSG I put it on so thinly that I simply cannot see it on light colors. I`m used to that and I just go by feel. Note that I used far less than one ounce to do a Suburban, and that included the jambs...I`m an absolute fanatic about the Thin Application thing.
As with the FK1000P (and most any other LSP I use), fogging the surface with my breath helps make the KSG buff of easily, and the longer I let it set up the easier it is too (though I do the wipe-on-wipe-off method on textured trim and rubber).
IMO a Daily Driver needs an even *more* careful wash regimen since it`s likely to suffer harder use than a Garage Queen
Heh heh, yeah, OK....I know, I know...sorry, but I couldn`t resist!
Actually, I do think it`s cool that vehicles like a Tundra/Highlander can be pampered like that. Now if I could just get you as [nutty] as I am about the Ridgeline....
Yeah, KAIO via machine goes fine for me. Damp pad, not too much product, don`t work it too long.
FK1000P with two coats lasts about as long for me as KSG with four. With only one coat each it isn`t even close, the FK is infinitely better IME.
The only thing KSG offers over the FK1000P IMO is that way KSG layers up to become a discernibly thick build-film, like a layer of acrylic/"plastic" on top of the paint/etc. Not always a good thing because of how it looks (and it`s not the slickest LSP either), it can, IME, actually provide a physical barrier against marring. That`s why I use it on the Tahoe`s plastics and on a few other things as well (license plates come to mind).
When applying KSG I put it on so thinly that I simply cannot see it on light colors. I`m used to that and I just go by feel. Note that I used far less than one ounce to do a Suburban, and that included the jambs...I`m an absolute fanatic about the Thin Application thing.
As with the FK1000P (and most any other LSP I use), fogging the surface with my breath helps make the KSG buff of easily, and the longer I let it set up the easier it is too (though I do the wipe-on-wipe-off method on textured trim and rubber).
Fishroes said:
IMO a Daily Driver needs an even *more* careful wash regimen since it`s likely to suffer harder use than a Garage Queen
Heh heh, yeah, OK....I know, I know...sorry, but I couldn`t resist!
Actually, I do think it`s cool that vehicles like a Tundra/Highlander can be pampered like that. Now if I could just get you as [nutty] as I am about the Ridgeline....
I’m headed that way. The night before it snowed here,35 degrees outside I washed the tires and wheels on the Ridgeline and highlander (they were dirty) then it got dark. Got the 500 watt light out and put some megs express spray wax on wheels for protection from salt (wheels aren’t but a year old on Ridgeline) It’s getting bad. I didn’t quite understand but do you put the klasse sealant on with the da/foam pad? I agree thin is the way to go. I will put fk1000 on the entire truck. I have some 476s but it is 10 years old. My guess would be it’s not 100% but I don’t know. Think I’m gonna build a garage this spring. The 2 toyos stay under a 3 sided metal carport. I can’t get this out of my mind- my neighbors up the road from me (married couple)had a 30x32 metal carport. The man had a nice dodge pickup 3/4 ton in it. It had been snowing for roughly 8 hours. Around 9:00pm (still snowing) the lady looked outside and told her husband it looked like the carport was sagging a little tiny bit from the weight of the snow. She went and moved the truck out of the carport. The next morning the carport had caved in to the ground. Good thing she looked outside
Accumulator
Well-known member
No, I could never even come *close* to a properly thin application via machine (not hating on the approach otherwise, almost enjoy doing it with some products). FWIW, I still have *LOTS* of KSG left, from my first and only bottle, which I bought before we moved into this house in 2000. And that`s despite doing at least 6 coats on big vehicles for over a decade and knocking it over/spilling it a few times
It just doesn`t take much since 99.99999% of whatever you apply gets buffed back off.I have lots of 476S that`s older than that. Dried out (oughta put that in scare-quotes..."Dried out"...) to where it`s kinda granular. Oh yuck, no good!?! Wrong
It still works absolutely fine. I bet yours is still OK too..
Great idea IMO...though it`s easy to spend your money for ya
I had to park outside for while when I was younger, and it made such an impression on my that the Garage tail has wagged the House dog ever since.
Yikes, that`d scare me off carports forever! Though it sounds like they just overdid theirs size-wise without considering stuff like the snow.