PC7424XP - Which Polish?

[Michael M]

With the "annual" buffer sale going on I am sorely tempted to get a PC. I have a new car and at this point it only has very fine scratches in the finish from washing - no RIDS. I have clayed the car and applied Klasse AIO followed by their sealant. The finish looks great but certainly gets very fine scratches from repeated washings.


Questions:

1. Is the PC starter package the way to go? e.g., are the pads that come with it ones that I will actually end up using?

2. What polish should I purchase?

Thank you for helping me spend more money chasing the ultimate finish!

- Newbie slipping further down the steep detailing slope .................

[Mike Phillips]

What kind of new car are you working on?

[Michael M]

2010 Black Cayenne

[Keatonus]

I'm not an expert by any means, but yes the Starter kit comes with every pad you'll need for the time being. In the future you might want a Yellow cutting pad in case swirling and defects get out of hand.

Since your car is brand new Meguiars #205 finishing polish should serve you well. pair it with the White pad in the kit and you should be able to buff out any swirls that occur. The small orange pads are for spot correction, if you happen upon a stubborn scratch try the 205 first, if that doesn't work, pick up M105.

pick up a clay bar and a lot of Microfiber as well. hope this helps.

[S2K]

I'm no expert either, all I know is what I've read on here. I looked at the starter kits but saw things I thought I might not use so I put together my own with the advice of the pro's on here. I think it's all about what you are going to be doing if the kits are right for you. My car has a lot of defect I want to correct so the kit wasn't right for me,but it might be for you. Read the threads and ask a lot of questions, there is a lot of great help here. The sale on Megs right now is GREAT, and if you order $199.99 by tomorrow night you get a $50 tub of Fuzion for free!!! Now that's a deal! and I bet it would look Great on that Cayenne. Welcome to the detail addiction!

[Keatonus]

I'm no expert either, all I know is what I've read on here. I looked at the starter kits but saw things I thought I might not use so I put together my own with the advice of the pro's on here. I think it's all about what you are going to be doing if the kits are right for you. My car has a lot of defect I want to correct so the kit wasn't right for me,but it might be for you. Read the threads and ask a lot of questions, there is a lot of great help here. The sale on Megs right now is GREAT, and if you order $199.99 by tomorrow night you get a $50 tub of Fuzion for free!!! Now that's a deal! and I bet it would look Great on that Cayenne. Welcome to the detail addiction!

Agreed. Also pick up a good paint sealant such as DP:PCPS or Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant. Top it with the free Fuzion and your car will look incredible.

[cobalt9123]

With the "annual" buffer sale going on I am sorely tempted to get a PC. I have a new car and at this point it only has very fine scratches in the finish from washing - no RIDS. I have clayed the car and applied Klasse AIO followed by their sealant. The finish looks great but certainly gets very fine scratches from repeated washings.


Questions:

1. Is the PC starter package the way to go? e.g., are the pads that come with it ones that I will actually end up using?

2. What polish should I purchase?

Thank you for helping me spend more money chasing the ultimate finish!

- Newbie slipping further down the steep detailing slope .................

I really don't suggest going with a starter package. But that is just my opinion. The porter cable is a solid machine, as solid as a rock from what I have heard. Let's just say, you RARELY hear people say "Stupid Porter Cable broke again". So it's definitely a good machine to start off with.

First off, what are you washing with? (mitt/soap/method?) You shouldn't be getting very many fine scratches, but you do own a Porsche and your paint is very soft (it mars/scratches easily).

In my personal opinion, I would go with 5.5" Hydrotech pads. These pads are great because they don't gum up with polish after working with them over the car. Many people like flat pads, and you can't really go wrong with CCS either, but in my experience I get better results and easier use from Lake Country Hydrotech pads. I prefer 5.5" pads over 6.5" pads because in my opinon they're easier to work with and correct faster. I also like my 3.5" backing plate with a 4" pad for the smaller and harder to reach areas around my car.

I, too, have a new car. A '09 Chevrolet Cobalt SS/TC. I had very fine swirls and scratches from the stealership washing it before I recieved it. What worked for me, and not saying it will work for you as I haven't seen any pictures, was this 2-step polishing method:

Meguiar's 205 on a Tangerine Lake Country Hydrotech Pad (5.5" and 4")
Menzerna P085rd on a Lake Country Gray Finishing Pad (5.5" and 4")

I actually didn't need the 2nd step of P085rd but I wanted it to really bump up the shine. You will probably need the 2nd step as you have very soft Porsche paint and you will likely have some micromarring from the polishing with M205 step. I would, however, suggest using the Crimson Hydrotech pads to apply the PO85rd (if you so choose to) because the PO85 is a very wet polish and you will get a long working time, great finishing results, and it won't gum up your pad with a Hydrotech pad like it will with a flat pad.

Helpful links:
lake country 5 inch backing plate, 5 inch backin plate, 5 inch hook and loop backing plate
3.5" Dual Action Flexible Backing Plate- porter cable 7424XP hook and loop backing plate 3.5 inch.
Lake Country Hydro-Tech 5.5 x 1.25 Inch Foam Pads, hydrotech foam buffing pads, dual action foam pads
Lake Country Hydro-Tech 4 x 1.25 Inch Foam Pads, Hydro Tech Foam Buffing Pads, spot polishing pads, pads for water based polishes
Menzerna Polish PO85RD, Mernzerna 85rd, Menzerna po85rd
Meguiars Mirror Glaze #205 Ultra Finishing Polish, final polish, Meguiars polishes, car polish, 205 FP

[ScottB]

Menzerna SIP and Nano, Wolfgang TSR and FG, and Megs 105/205 are all great polishes and come in kits or alone with each buffer. Add in the DP Poli-coat on BOGO to protect and you have one serious deal.

[Bunky]

My ideal combo would be a PC XP, standard 5.5-in LC flat pads with 5-in backing plate, and Meg's M105, M205, Menz PO85RD. The Meg's polishes to me are more newbie (less sensitive to technique - pressure, etc) and DA friendly. The PO85RD is just in case the M205 does not finish ideally.

I have yet to use a hydro-tech pad (just got some)but all the reports I read is that you need to switch them more often meaning more pads, they are more difficult to clean and need to be thoroughly dry before using for the benefit of very slightly faster correction and less induced marring but maybe not LSP ready (run on sentence..). For someone new to polishing, I do not think these benefits outweigh the negatives.

[Michael M]

Thanks to everyone for all of your superb suggestions and help. I have decided to go with the starter kit and the Meg's 105/205 combo. It sounds like this will work for my immediate need. I will fill in with additional pads and the Menz PO85RD in the near future.

As to Porsche paint. Being a total newbie I was not aware of the "soft" nature of this paint. I wash the car with a microfiber mit using the 2 bucket method in the shade, blow dry with a leaf blower and then dry with a blue waffle MF towel. This method seems to work ver well. Nonetheless, when I get my call in bright sun I can see very very faint - I will call them micro - scrathes. I am assuming that this comes from washing. I am interested to see if a little light polishing removes all traces of these micro-scratches.

Thanks again for all of your help. This site is the ultimate resource for car care information.