jmiller20874

I keep hearing this and that about Random Orbital Buffers but with no real good advice so....

Which Random Orbital Buffer do you guys recommend? And how would I use it to get rid of minor scratches that go down to the primer?

I have the touch-up paint, but these scratches are annoying the crap outta me. I've always been one to do it myself but I've never used one for such an application.

TDIGuy04

Porter Cable PC 7424 with edge 2000 foam pad system. No buffer will remove scratches down to the primer, you have to touch-up the scratch, wet sand to make it level with the existing paint, then buff the wetsanding marks away.

jmiller20874

How do you wet sand? Any links to a step-by-step?

TDIGuy04

Start with an 800 grit wetsanding paper(available at most auto parts stores), soak it in a soapy water solution for about 15-30 min...1oz car wash soap in 1 gallon water. Might want to get a 24oz spray bottle and put 2oz of car wash soap and add water... this will be your lubricant. The key to wetsanding is keeping the surface you're sanding well lubricated. So spray the area you touched up liberally and ensure the whole area is covered in your wtsanding solution, then begin to wetsand the area with the soaked wetsanding paper. Just sand a lil at a time in one direction...the direction air would pass over that panel when moving forward. Make sure to keep spraying the area while sanding and not to let it get dry. Once the paint is about level you move up to 1000grit wetsanding paper, sand it to be level then use 1500 grit wetsanding paper. Then you will buff the whole area out with a yellow buffing pad and some compound, I recommend poorboy's ssr line for the Porter Cable. SSR 2.5 will probably do the trick here using the yellow pad on setting 5-5.5 buff the area going up and down then side to side, basically crosshatching across the panel...finishing of course in the direction air would pass over the panel. If there is any light marring left you will need to step down to a polishing pad(white) and SSR 1, I believe ssr 2.5 will work fine with a polishing pad as I have detailed without stepping down from it without any signs of micro-marring. Once that is done you should have a like new panel ready for a wax or sealant.

I would recommend getting ssr 1,2.5, and 3 along with some natty's paste wax if you like paste wax. I use the edge 2000 with quick connector pads, easy to attach and the pads have 2 usable sides, You can get a starter kit for edge 2000 with the porter cable connector piece for around $75-85, come's with 1 of each pad you'll need.

If you need any more help feel free to im me.

jmiller20874

Thanks! That is some good info.

TDIGuy04

Here's some links to the products I listed and where to order them.
Edge 2000 pad kit for the PC 7424 http://www.autogeek.net/foam-polishing-kit.html
Pooerboy's SSR line http://www.autogeek.net/pbsr.html
PC 7424 www.coastaltool.com

magicmanjk808

looks like everything is covered, but i just wanted to say i agree with the porter cable 7424.

Tropi-Care

We carry the Porter Cable 7336 and include the 6" velcro backing plate needed for the foam buffing pads. Priced at $119 and shipping of $7.95 anywhere in the lower 48 states. For other destinations, contact us for shipping costs. TX residents shall be charged 8.25% sales tax.

To complete your buffing kit, we stock foam buffing pads in orange(heavy cut), yellow (medium cut), and black( finishing pad). List for all three is $27.37. Sale price for the 3 pad kit is $24.63.

The backing plate($17.95) and pads also sold separately. Order the complete Tropi-Care Porter Cable buffing kit for $143.63 through steve@tropi-care.com(use promotion code SLPC 0905) and receive a package of 2 white microfiber polishing bonnets for wax and sealant removal FREE(a $5.99 value). This offer is not available online.

See these items and our complete product listing at www.tropi-care.com. For any questions, e-mail us at steve@tropi-care.com or call toll-free at (866)-341-0050.

TDIGuy04

I don't like velcro backing plate's anymore. Pads tend to tear around the velcro patch, centering isn't perfect, plus there's only 1 side to the pad, and you really can't use the edge's because of the backing plate. They're cheaper to start off with but I prefer edge 2000 because of their versatility, I use to use lake country pads.

jmiller20874

Got to thinking about this some more. What about the clearcoat surrounding the area, will it be damaged, need for a re-apply?

TDIGuy04

It will be sanded down but not enough to need re-coat. You want to focus on the touch up when using the 800 grit, try to level it just about even with the existing paint, then you will use the 1000 and 1500 grit to blend it in, I also should have recommended a sanding block to ensure an even pressure. If you feel uncomfortabel doing this yourself there are detailers who can do it for you, it will cost some $$$ but if they mess up it's their responsibility to fix your car. If you do this by yourself just do very lil at a time, wipe with a microfiber and check the paint level, once it looks level stop and start buffing out the sanding scratches. Remember you can always take more off but you can't put it back, so go slow and double check your work. As a rule of thumb don't go more than 3-6" outside of the scratch for sanding, you only want to sand the immediate area surrounding the scratch and then buff it back in.

jmiller20874

Thanks again. I'll definitely try this when I get the Buffer.

Song0330

Hate to resurrect, but I must get an answer!

All the posts here are in favor of the Porter Cable buffers...but don't explain why. Can someone shed some light on why I should spend $120 on a Porter buffer vs $70 for a Craftsman vs $20 for a Coleman?

paul34

The others are crap. I know it sounds like... crap, but its true . Sorry.

Gotta get either a PC7424, 7336 (same thing as 7424), or a new machine, called the UDM (ulitmate detailing machine) - although this one is so new you might have trouble getting your hands on it.

Anyway, all three machines are essentially the same thing, with the exception of the latter being an improved version of it.

Song0330

Well, "crap" as in what way? Do they fall apart after a few uses, or do they not get the job done, etc.

kungpaosamuraiii

The Craftsmen orbital polisher actually does fall apart after a few uses. Some of the other more comparable polishers don't have adjustable speeds which is very important. Some don't have enough power and some vibrate a whole hell of a lot.

And then there are some that are perfectly good. These however are usually more expensive or just unproven.

I would go with the UDM. In fact, I already have one. It's basically a PC7424 but more powerful and steady (fewer vibrations.) It'll correct more than a PC but be just as safe. It's also been said (by the manufacturer so take this with a grain of salt) that at speed of 4 or 5, the UDM can have as much correctional ability as a rotary at 800 RPM.

The UDM costs about the same and comes with more than the PC, standard (but you can get a better deal than the UDM at properautocare.com if you get the package that's called "ultimate detailing machine" which is kind of confusing since that's what UDM stands for but it comes with a PC and several pads.) Also, the manufacturer, Autopia-carcare.com, has EXCELLENT customer service.

Song0330

I've actually been reading a few reviews about the UDM - it seems that there are issues with the vibrations being an issue. I may wait a couple of weeks until after Autopia starts shipping them tomorrow to read more reviews and make my decision between them.

(Although I will admit that since I can get a PC7424 for around $100 on eBay and it's already been proven...I'm more inclined to get that.)

Gsnorgathon

Anyone have any opinions on the Griot's?

ohcanada_00

I have one!

The Griots Garage random orbital was based on the Porter Cable. We took everything we liked about the PC and made it better! THe PC is a great machine, we just took it a step farther.

First, we added extra holes in the ventillated backing plate in order to draw more heat off the surface of the paint and away from the machine. This will eliminate any chance of burning the paint at all. With our machine, you can burn paint period.

Also, we;ve added a ventillated cooling fan and exhaust to allow the heat we draw off the paint some where to go.

Our machine got an upgrade in power, going from the PC's 3.7 amps to our which has 7.0 This allows for more power and more torque letting you really bear down and let the machine do the work for you.

Other fringe benefits, ours comes with a lifetime warranty the PC comes with a 2 year, ours is a slight bit lighter, and ours has a handel on the top rather than the side allowing for better polishing action and better balance.

we sell ours for 129.99 and almost always have polish kits on sale to go with them. If you're in WA we have a store in Fife, but other can shoot me a PM and I can get you set up with informaton on how to order.

kungpaosamuraiii

The vibrations are bad if you're using the incorrect pad size and counterweight otherwise, the vibrations aren't bad at all. I don't think they're that much less than the PC's vibrations, or if they're less at all, but they're not worse than the PC's vibrations but the UDM is definitely more powerful than the PC. Although, if you're doing corrections on speed 5 or 6 then it's a bit of a chore but the same would be said for the PC. One thing though is that you can really push down on the UDM. While polishing the side of a car yesterday I put practically 75% of my weight into the polisher and it showed no signs of bogging down.

The Griot's garage one seems to be even more powerful with 7 amps (versus the UDM's 4.2 amps) but like I said, I couldn't max out the UDM's motor so I don't think I'd ever think about needing 7 amps worth of polishing. However, with 7000 OPM available you might not even need to weigh it down. It also starts at 4000 OPM so it's technically less versatile but I usually start at 3000 OPM anyways.

Also, if you want a Griot's Garage polisher, you can cut out the middle man and get a Mosay MS8811B

It's the same thing except has the rotary style handle.


Edit: I've found this link to a review on the GG's polisher. Apparently they found the GG to be less aggressive than the PC. Huh.

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/fo...t=10915&page=5