Time estimate, Rotary vs PC?

C

Changeling

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With a given vehicle in "X condition" that a PC could handle what would a good estimate be for the time it would take to polish it out to through final prep with a PC vs a rotary?

Changeling
 
I would think that on a light job like minor swirls, it would take atleast 1/2 the amount of time with a rotary in comparison to a PC. With a heavier job like compounding, it would take 3-5 times longer with a PC that with a rotary. That's if the job could actually be done with a PC. For removing a scratch that can *almost* be felt with a finger nail, it takes me 10 minutes with rotary to wool pad, foam pad and then wax. That identical job would probably take 30-45 minutes with a PC.
 
I did a full meal deal on a black 2003 Nissan Sentra with my makita rotary and the full line of menzerna power gloss, intensive polish, fpII and FMJ (applied and removed by hand) in about 2.5 hours. I stopped to chat it up with a few people in between. This didn't include the time it took to wash and dry.



I have never tried a full menu with a PC before...it just doesn't sound appealing to spend 5 hours (or more!) vibrating my arms out of their sockets. rotaries are sooo smooth to use...and only weighs 6.6lbs. It took me about 2 months before I could do a whole car without my arms tiring out...now I can do a 3 step cut back to back product without tiring out..but it gets me sweatin pretty good.
 
David Fermani said:
I would think that on a light job like minor swirls, it would take atleast 1/2 the amount of time with a rotary in comparison to a PC. With a heavier job like compounding, it would take 3-5 times longer with a PC that with a rotary. That's if the job could actually be done with a PC. For removing a scratch that can *almost* be felt with a finger nail, it takes me 10 minutes with rotary to wool pad, foam pad and then wax. That identical job would probably take 30-45 minutes with a PC.
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and what speeds do u use the rotary at when removin a scratch?
 
Changeling said:
With a given vehicle in "X condition" that a PC could handle what would a good estimate be for the time it would take to polish it out to through final prep with a PC vs a rotary?

Changeling
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It's not a big time saver on an "almost good" vehicle with soft paint - something that needs a finishing pad and FPII, for example. The worse the condition and harder the paint, the more the time divide. I did a black Audi with key marks, deep swirls, scuffs, etc in 5 hours via rotary. I've seen people spend 12+ hours taking out moderate marring (far better than this car) on Audis.
 
themightytimmah said:
It's not a big time saver on an "almost good" vehicle with soft paint - something that needs a finishing pad and FPII, for example. The worse the condition and harder the paint, the more the time divide. I did a black Audi with key marks, deep swirls, scuffs, etc in 5 hours via rotary. I've seen people spend 12+ hours taking out moderate marring (far better than this car) on Audis.
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agreed!!!!



i have spent 9 hours on a volvo with rock hard clear....brugandy pad and PG took about 3 passes to start to clear up enough to move onto the next step...way too long....I hated that detail! Now, with a rotary, I think it would have been closer to 5 hours
 
themightytimmah said:
It's not a big time saver on an "almost good" vehicle with soft paint - something that needs a finishing pad and FPII, for example. The worse the condition and harder the paint, the more the time divide. I did a black Audi with key marks, deep swirls, scuffs, etc in 5 hours via rotary. I've seen people spend 12+ hours taking out moderate marring (far better than this car) on Audis.
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http://autopia.org/forum/click-brag/85158-2004-nogaro-s4-detail-56k-upgrade.html



case in point.

PG with yellow edge pad was about 8 hours give or take 1/2 an hour

IP on green edge pad was about 2.5 hours.

FPII on blue edge 2k pad was about 1 hour or so.



Total time was just shy of 12 hours. to get 70-75% out by porter cable.
 
The answers in this post have taught/shown me more than reading and searching my butt off ! I only wish I had used that lump sitting on my shoulders a long time ago to ask these questions!!

I really appreciate the answers and advise you guys have given, I am sincerely honest in my appreciation and hope someday to repay you in some way.

Changeling
 
DieselMDX said:
For normal swirls it usually takes me about 5 hrs to polish with PC



with Rotary less than half, tho i have never used one
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ive heard a pro on another site that polishing with a rotory will do a great job in less time but not a perfect job there will be some halos in the paint there for needing to follow up with the p/c to make it perfect
 
trhland said:
ive heard a pro on another site that polishing with a rotory will do a great job in less time but not a perfect job there will be some halos in the paint there for needing to follow up with the p/c to make it perfect
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It depends - its a combination of pad, polish, paint and user skill. I can finish out perfect on 90% of the paints out there if I use a finishing pad and FPII. Sometimes I need to break out the PC or cyclo to get them out - mostly on super soft paint or if I'm having a real bad day.
 
trhland said:
ive heard a pro on another site that polishing with a rotory will do a great job in less time but not a perfect job there will be some halos in the paint there for needing to follow up with the p/c to make it perfect
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I depends on a couple of things. During times of high humidity, I always finish with a PC to lessen the chance for cloudyness. If I have a car that has a lot of tight spots or trim, I'll do it by hand to avoid overlap. I really like using paste wax because it's easy to spread and easy to remove. Also, some finishes are so sensitive to swirls, that a PC lays the wax down really uniform and reduces the chance for smeary, steaky, swirls. Your pre-waxed/LSP finish has alot to do with what I'l reach for to finish with.
 
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