well I bought a 6" rotating power buffer from pep boys for 20 bucks....I used it to put on and take off 2 coats of wax...it seems to have done a pretty good job but I have no experience with power buffers...what can the more expensive ones do?...and what kind of power buffer will damage your paint .. thanks

 

I bought one like the one you described, and have since grown out of its capabilities. I'm in the process of buying a Porter Cable, Sonus Cutting pads, and some good products. They are useful for applying and removing wax, but past that, they don't serve too much good.
Random orbital buffers are the ones that are safe for use by novices.

 

What?? Are you saying that you can't use the Pep boys buffer for polishing and waxing? If you can do both, what else do you need it for???? Have have you outgrown this buffer?? I know that the PC is a nicer buffer but what are you planning on doing with the PC that the other one can't do?

 

In a nutshell, the cheaper buffers don't generate enough friction to break down polishes well. That's why the PC 7424/7336 are highly regarded around these parts.
If you are concerned about damaging the finish with a PC, it won't happen. With a rotary (e.g DeWalt DW849, Makita 9227), you can wreak some havoc with your car's finish if you are not experienced.

This is the PC and Pad Kit that BigLou is looking at

 

Linky no worky. I think it is this one

 

Whoops.....that's what I get for posting @ 3:56 am.

 

I've always wondered how you clean those pads that you use with the higher end buffers and how easy it is to clean them. Personally, I went with the $20 cheapy from wal mart (6" RO) and get the turtle wax pads from home depot and toss them when I'm done.

Don't mean to brag, but I get exceptional results with the cheapy on my '04 but my car is still only a few months old so the clear coat isn't damaged at all and definately hasn't been neglected. On the other hand, I've done the 6 step process on a few other (1990's) cars where the surface was severely neglected and noticeably damaged and the cheapy didn't yeild the greatest results so I guess that's where a PC would come in handy.

 

You can clean them using a decent dish detergent and working them in the solution. I use Sonus Der Wunder Wascheand get good results.

 

hey PrinzII thanks for your info...yeah you are right and that makes sense, because it didnt seem like that pep boys buffer was tearing up the wax that great...I had to go over a spot atleast 5 times just to get the wax off ... im gonna invest in a PC very soon .. so you say these PC's are "paint ruining proof" ?

 

That is correct. They will not ruin the finish of the vehicle at all. Also, another advantage is that there are accessories for the PC to make it even more flexible (e.g. brushes for leather/vinyl, carpet)

 

sry if this has been said before .. but which PC do you recommend .. PC7424 ??

 

Get the 7336. Same as the 7424 and already comes with the 6" counterweight.

 

I have a 7336.

 

Yup, I bought the 7336 and the $50 set of DAS pads. Thank you Prinz for explaining my apparantly unclear post

 

Not explaining, just reinforcing what you said.

 

I didn't know that. Thanks Prinz. I had no idea there were attachments for the PC to work on carpeting/leather etc. I'll go google now. I have a lot of pads for my PC, but never saw any for anything other than car bodies.

 

I just dropped about $260 on the PC, Pads, and products. For products, I picked up a clay bar, Sonus SFX-2 and 3, Klasse All-In-One, Klasse Sealant Glaze, Trim cleaner/treatment, wheel brush, all from autopia-carcare. I can't wait to see how my car turns out.
BTW, be on the lookout for a thread asking for the technique/pad/speed to use when applying the above products....

 

Yep. I got the leather/vinyl brush from www.topoftheline.com

 

I got my PC today!!! I didn't think that it would come with the white polishing pad, but it did. The part number was 7336sp (I guess the "sp" denotes a sanding and polishing package). Now I'm just waiting on everything that I ordered from autopia...

BTW, in comparison to Sonus's DAS pads as far as cutting/polishing ability, what pad most closely matches the white pad. (Would it match the orange, green, or blue) Is it safe to apply wax with?

 

Cutting pads? Is that if you decide you want to cut a hole in your sheet metal?

 

Prinz, whats the difference between the Sonus SFX kit and DAS kit? (aside from price).

 

No, genius. A cutting pad is used for applying particular types of polishes to a damaged paint finish. It allows the user to "cut through" all the crap on the paint to get it down to the bare finish.

 

Bump for post 19...What can the Porter Cable's White pad (the one that comes with the polishing package) be used for in comparison to the Sonus DAS pads. I know it is useless when talking about polishing ability, but is it OK to apply wax with?

By the way, the Sonus SFX are more aggressive than the DAS pads.

 

I was being a little sarcastic anyway thanks for the info.

 

Ya, I've got to be careful with all of that post whoring you do to decide whether or not you are being sarcastic.