An aquaintance of mine refuses to help considering he use to detail cars professionally..waxing, buffing, polishing...etc.. He claims ill screw up my paint if i buy a buffer to do it myself. How hard can it be ... could you guys recommend me a model or product number for a dependable/affordable buffer? also the most commonly used products to apply on to the paint for the best possible finish? thanks. any additional info would be greatly appreciated.

 

Porter Cable 7424 or Porter Cable 7336
With a PC, its very difficult to burn your paint, everyone can learn how to use it in no time
Sounds to me like your buddy is trying to scare you into buying a detail from him

Read the stickies to learn how to use it and what to buy

 

right on ... i was looking up some of those PCs on that top of the line detailing site ... anyone have other references to order such products for a good deal? also is there a major difference between the two models?

 

As long as the buffer you buy is a random-orbital...you can not burn your paint. You still need to be careful around corners or hard body lines since the paint is always thinner in these areas. But as long as its random-orbital you should have no problem.

 

some buddy, get the Porter Cable and read up on the use, you'll be fine and find a new buddy.

 

Yeah, you can't go wrong with a PC! Unless you're narcoleptic and fall asleep over your car while buffing/waxing it , the chances of you burning your paint is slim. Take your time and you'll be good to go!

 

Read up in autopia-carecare.com and autopia.org. They have detailing "hot-to's" that show how to use a porter cable.
The difference between the 7336 and the 7424 is that the 7336 is packaged as a sander, while the 7424 is packaged as a polisher. The machine is the exact same, however the pad/backing plate differs. You will replace the pad anyways, as the polishing pad included in the polisher package (7424) is pure sh.t, so whichever you can get a better deal on i would go for. I bought mine from lowes.com, and it actually included the polishing pad and sanding equipment. The part number was 7336sp. A PC is very easy to use, and products are endless. Good luck.
I then also bought the Sonus DAS pads/backing plate for $50 from autopia-carcare.com, along with an asortment of polishes and products (the bill was a little pricy...)

 

i see ... good stuff ... i suppose ill be using the PC for the larger surfaces and just buff the edges by hand. cant be too hard. waxed my car by hand once .... never again. pain in the rear. thanks for the link BigLou ...