What 7424XP Backing plate?

[Charlie Walker]

Hi folks, this is my first post. I purchased Mike's DVD a few days ago and I have really learned a bunch. I am retired and will be 69 on the 25th, so I am ready to purchase a PC 7424XP. I plan to use it with the Meguiars pads Mike used in the DVD, W8006, W9006, and a W7006 as a "backing pad". However, I don't know which backing plate to order and I see there are 18001 and 18002 PC's available, with the latter being a "contour" plate.

We have an 08 Dark Blue Nissan Quest on which the finish is in very decent condition. I plan to use Meguiars Deep Crystal System Paint Cleaner first, Deep Crystal Polish, followed by NXT Gen Tech Wax 2.0. I plan to follow Mike's tips and techniques as shown in his DVD as closely as I can. I am new to "detailing", all I have ever done is wash the a vehicle and then use a one step cleaner/wax by hand. I am really looking forward to the PC and keeping our vans in much better condition. Any tips and advice will be greatly appreciated, especially what backing plate to use and counterweight.

Charlie Walker - Newborn, GA

[VISITOR]

i would get the 5" lake country backing plate as you can use both 5.5" and 6.5" pads with it...

lake country 5 inch backing plate, 5 inch backin plate, 5 inch hook and loop backing plate (http://autogeek.net/lc43125.html)

[loudog2]

Some of these product descriptions are contradicting. It says in "red" to use the 5 inch BP with a pad up-to 6 inches(meaning not over 6 inches). Then, on the page for the 6.5 inch pads, it says to use the 5 inch plate.

[2old2change]

If your preference is the Meg's pads then you may want to check out the newer Meg's 2.0 soft pads and a W68DA backing plate that Meg's has just released.
paul S

[Charlie Walker]

If your preference is the Meg's pads then you may want to check out the newer Meg's 2.0 soft pads and a W68 backing plate that Meg's has just released.
paul S

Thanks Paul. The problem is I am an absolute newbie and I am reluctant to depart from what Mike uses in the DVD not knowing squat about pads. But I will take a look at the new pads and backing plate non the less. Thanks for your help!

Charlie

[2old2change]

I have that dvd and its pretty good for beginners and not so new alike.If I remember correctly his go to product then was 80 and 83 which a lot have replaced with m105 and m205. It is a few years old and the Meg's line has been up-dated since then. AutoGeek as well as other now carry the new style of pads and backing plates and compounds. You will also learn as you go along the key will be to find the least aggressive product needed to do the job and adjust accordingly. You are on the right track and at the right place to learn.

Paul S

[Buckskincolt]

Charlie,

You will most likely get some feedback from Mike himself on this thread tomorrow when he comes in (unless he is slammed) , You might send him a PM and ask if he were making that video today what products he would use. I'd bet it wold be the new pads and MEG Ultimate compound and Scratch x 2.0. Just a guess.:buffing:

[Nappers]

I have the G100 (same as 7424/7336/7335) and I use the W67DA backing plate with the 7006/8006/9006 pads and I also use the W68DA with the new 7207/8207/9207 pads.

I have great luck with the 83/80 series but the new M105/M205 series are new technology and work great. I also use Ultimate Compound and SwirlX in my regiment.....

I am wanting smaller pads and my next go to will probably be the Lake Country 5.5" pads and some 4" pads for the smaller stuff.

The bigger pads (7207/8207/9207) spin fine for me on my G100 and should be fine with the 7424XP.

The nice thing about the new pads (soft buff 2.0) are the fact they are machine washable! I use them and throw them in the wash and don't worry about the backing coming off!

The older pads can be washed (as I have washed them) but the backing can come lose....Meguiar's doesn't recommend washing them.....I lost 2 pads out of 10 or so and 2 years of use....not a big deal :D

So....the Lake Country, Meguiar's pads (old and the new) will work fine for you. I am liking the idea of the 5.5" pads as they may spin better on smaller surfaces than the bigger pads and of course the 4" pads for the door sills etc.

I'm sure Mike will chime in on Monday when he catches his breath and has a cup of joe :D

[Charlie Walker]

Charlie,

You will most likely get some feedback from Mike himself on this thread tomorrow when he comes in (unless he is slammed) , You might send him a PM and ask if he were making that video today what products he would use. I'd bet it wold be the new pads and MEG Ultimate compound and Scratch x 2.0. Just a guess.:buffing:
Boy what great response from the forum, I am most appreciative. I think the advice to ask Mike what he would recommend today vis a vi what he used in the DVD is well said. Our 08 Nissan that we purchased in late June is in fine shape and I don't believe I need anything real aggresive. I like the idea that the new pads are machine washable, which makes the higher price more palatable. Gracious I love retirement, but the SS income reigns me in from time to time. But GOD is good, and he has never left nor forsaken us, and we have the ability to get a new 7424XP and the stuff needed to go with it.

Thanks again folks for the great welcome to the forum!

Cordially,

Charlie

[Buckskincolt]

Boy what great response from the forum, I am most appreciative. I think the advice to ask Mike what he would recommend today vis a vi what he used in the DVD is well said. Our 08 Nissan that we purchased in late June is in fine shape and I don't believe I need anything real aggresive. I like the idea that the new pads are machine washable, which makes the higher price more palatable. Gracious I love retirement, but the SS income reigns me in from time to time. But GOD is good, and he has never left nor forsaken us, and we have the ability to get a new 7424XP and the stuff needed to go with it.

Thanks again folks for the great welcome to the forum!

Cordially,

Charlie

Welcome aboard Charlie...Enjoy your retirement!:dblthumb2:

[Mike Phillips]

Wow!

It's noon on Monday and I'm just now getting to this thread and I have a couple hundred threads still to get to...

One thing I learned about running a discussion forum is,

There's no such thing as a day off... just a day behind...


The question asked is interesting,

If I had to make a new DVD today, what would I use?


One thing for sure I wouldn't use a car with a single stage finish because although you typically do all the same things to single stage as you would a clear coat finish, it caused way too much confusion for people with clear coats.

Also, at the end of the DVD we added some BONUS material and too many people thought these were procedures you would do to the Corvette after buffing it out and that's just not the case.

In the DVD I demonstrated how to apply and remove #7 Show Car Glaze and How to apply and remove a spray-on wax.

But... after we applied the wax and then removed it from the Corvette the buff-out on the Corvette was 100% finished. The reason we showed the two bonus procedures was because,

We had some daylight left (We shot this in one day with no script)
We had a car with a flawless finish to demonstrate on


Since we had some daylight left and Steve Radigan's house was at least 100 miles away from both my house and Richard's house we're talking about at least 2 hours of driving time in SoCal traffic, so we figured, "Hey while we're here...


The other reason we added is because "one" of the many uses for #7 is to hand polish or hand glaze a flawless finish just to give it that wet-look. When used like this it's supposed to be used on a finish in EXCELLENT CONDITION, as in a true show car finish, not the old Ford Taurus sitting in the driveway that has never been waxed in 5 years.

So because we had just cleaned and polished the paint on this old Corvette to perfection, (it's maximum potential), we had a finish perfect for demonstrating how to apply #7 Show Car Glaze.

Technically, it was incorrect because we had just applied the Tech Wax to the paint and you typically apply #7 before the wax goes on but the bigger picture was the paint was in smooth, clean and defect free, (forget about the wax for a moment), it was the condition of the paint that made it qualified for rubbing down with #7

Because over the years there's been so much interest in this product that came out in the 1920's or 1930's I wanted to share how to apply and remove it so people could see the correct technique.


As for the spray wax, this too is a point of confusion for people. A spray-on wax isn't for a neglected finish, it's for a finish already polished, and in excellent condition. There are some spray-on waxes that can be used as a dedicated wax, or paint sealant, but the Meguiar's spray-on waxes in my opinion seem better suited to be used as booster waxes after a person has already applied a NORMAL coat of wax or paint sealant, as in either an application of either a liquid or paste wax/paint sealant.

So again, with the Corvette sitting there all polished-up and with a fresh coat of wax, it made an ALMOST perfect candidate. It wasn't exactly perfect because since it had just been waxed it didn't need to be waxed again, it was because the paint was in the right condition that it was qualified for the demonstration.

In the real world, Steve, the owner would probably not need to restore that just waxed look using a spray on wax till he had driven the car a bit or some time had passed, but again we had daylight and my nature is to show as much as I can when I can, so we filmed how to apply and remove a spray-on wax.


So if I had to do a video today I would use a clear coated car and I would not add any bonus techniques at the end, at least not the way we did it in that particular DVD.

We did shoot a rotary DVD that came out at 3.5 hours long using a red Viper with horrible water spots and swirls but that was pre-M105 and M205 so it's pretty dated now.


As for which products I would use today?

If I were to shoot a new DVD today I would borrow some of the ideas we used in the first DVD and then pick a line and showcase that line for the project at hand.

If I were to do a Meguiar's DVD then I would base my product choice upon the tool being used, for example I wouldn't show UC with SwirlX if I were going to do a rotary buffer DVD, if I were to do a G110/PC DVD then I would probably go with M105 and M205 as they do work well as a system with the dual action polishers and because they come in quarts. A DVD using UC and SwirlX could also work well.

As for backing plates, I think it's a matter of finding balance. By this I mean there are some expensive backing plates on the market but because they do wear-out I think you need to consider this and maybe not go withe the most expensive but also go with the most cost-effective to replace after you've obtained good value for your money. That kind of depends on who you are and how often you're swapping out pads and hours of buffing.

A professional detailer using a PC for a lot of their work will wear-out a backing plate faster than someone that only buffs out their own car or cars a few times a year.

Two of the better quality and most versatile backing plates for use with DA style polishers are,

The Edge DA-500 Backing Plate (http://www.autogeek.net/damvp5.html)
Meguiar's W67DA (http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-w67da-5-inch-backing-plate.html)


These both measure 4 7/8" inches across in diameter so they can be used safely with 5.5" and 6" diameter pads. You could use them with a 6.5 diameter pad but there will be a good size area of foam on the outer edges not supported by the backing plate. This isn't a super big issue but usually you want the back of the foam pad backed-up by some plate material or it will have a tendency to gush up instead of work against the paint as much as the foam that has support behind it from the backing plate.


If you're thinking about using the new Lake Country Hydro-Tech 6.5 Inch Foam Pads then you should probably stick with the 6" backing plates and the 5" backing plates, (which are 4 7/8" in diameter), leave a lot of cushion around the outer edge.

Just wrote a little article with pictures to give everyone an idea of the wiggle-room you have with the different backing plates using a 6.5" pad

5" and 6" Backing Plates on 6.5" pads (Pictures to show safety margin) (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/questions-about-porter-cable-7424xp-7424-7336-griot-s-meguiar-s-dual-action-polishers/20620-5-6-backing-plates-6-5-pads-pictures-show-safety-margin.html)


Below are the new Lake Country Hydro-Tech 6.5 Inch Foam Pads (http://www.autogeek.net/lc-hydro-tech-foam-pads.html) with backing plates affixed to show the fitting comparison.


The backing plate on the Cyan Cutting Pad is the The Edge DA-500 Backing Plate (http://www.autogeek.net/damvp5.html), which measures 4 7/8" in diameter.

The backing plate on the Tangerine Polishing Pad is the 3M Hook-It 6" DA Backing Plate (http://www.autogeek.net/3m-6inch-backing-plate.html) and it measures 5 7/8" in diameter.


http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/fiveandsixinchbackingplates.jpg

This is to give you an idea as to how much safety margin of foam there is surrounding the 5" and 6" backing plates.

Also there's more pictures and info in the link posted above.



:)

[Charlie Walker]

Thanks Mike! Being on a Social Security income means cost is a factor. Plus I will probably only do the Nissan Quest and AstroVan 2, maybe 3 times a year. I will "chew" on this and make a purchase decision in a few days.

Cordially

Charlie Walker - Newborn, GA

[Nappers]

Welcome to the Jungle!!!!

[Charlie Walker]

Thanks Nappers, I am impressed with the Forum. I say that as one who is not too much into forums due to so much incivility. That does not seem to be the case here, praise GOD!

Charlie

[Nappers]

Thanks Nappers, I am impressed with the Forum. I say that as one who is not too much into forums due to so much incivility. That does not seem to be the case here, praise GOD!

Charlie

This is a great forum, I actually never knew that AG had a forum. When Mike left Meguiar's Online and came over here, I had to check it out. Now I bounce between here and there as both have great forums. Meguiar's of course deals with Meguiar's products but my eye have been opened to a whole new world of products!

Unfortunately my pocket book doesn't allow me to buy a lot of stuff....I am quite intrigued with the Pinnacle products Mike used in this write up:

Step-by-Step How-To Article using Pinnacle Products with the new PC 7424XP (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-articles/19994-step-step-how-article-using-pinnacle-products-new-pc-7424xp.html)

Check that one out, it's very detailed.

Have fun!