Gentlemen, I need some guidance regarding buffing equipment that I shall be purchasing. I have a malbec black sedan and ever since its delivery to me, the dealership did quite a job scratching up the new paint so after a couple of hand washes and what not, seems like hand detailing is out of the question and Im going to be purchasing the porter cable-7424 so my questions are the following;

- I know there are a couple of different sizes for pads (6.5, 5, 4.5), which one from your experience is the one that is most easy to work with along with good for getting in those curvy trim area?

- Currently in my arsenal I have as a sealant JetSeal 109, for polish I have Blackfire gloss enhancing polish and as a wax I have the P21S 100% carnuba wax. What else would I need besides this in order to tackle the scratches and swirls on my paint? I've heard and read many great things about Menzerna products, what would be recommended for this job?

- Last, which color or type of pad goes with what? Which pad am I suppose to use with selants and polishing?

Many thanks guys!

 

Use the 6.5" pads primarily. You might also consider purchasing a few of the 4" pads along with the backing plate for them. They are useful for tight and small areas.

You have chosen good products. I would suggest getting a clay bar and lubricant to completely clay your car before polishing it. It makes a difference. Menzerna makes great products and I used to use them exclusively for polishing. Now I love Meguairs Professional polishes, they are easy to use and work quicker than the Menzerna polishes. I'd recommend Megs Pro M105 on a white pad. Unless you have some horrendous scratches to correct, this will have enough cut to get the swirls and light to moderate scratches out. It finishes down very well and you shouldn't need a finer polish after using it.

As far as the "how", just work very slowly and be thorough. Do about 1 or 2 square feet at a time. Move the polisher at about 1" per second and work side to side with moderate pressure, then go back and make the next pass up and down. After 2 or 3 passes the polish will look less white and chalky and more watery or almost completely gone entirely. Wipe off and inspect the area then move on to the next. You will develop a feel for ti quickly. Proper polishing is labor intensive and tedious.

Also the Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish is really a glaze, not a polish at all. It has good shine and slickness but absolutely no cut. Total misnomer.

Get white pads mostly, I use them for most of my polishing. Maybe an orange or two for heavier cut in tough areas. I don't do anything with the polisher but polish or compounding. No sealant, glaze, or wax. I've tired it but I find doing those by had is faster, easier, and more thorough. Personal preference. If you do seal, glaze or wax with the polisher, use a blue pad. don't mix products on the same pad unless you've thoroughly cleaned it in between. They are very soft and have no cut.

I want to see some good before and after photos of the Malbec black so be sure to take some in good light and post results when you're finished.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or want advice and opinions.

 

I'm in the same boat (though I have OB) - thanks for the info. Question - how is polishing the scratch-shield paint? I have heard feedback all over the place.

 

I just completed a 10hr exterior only on my 09 OB. I used the PC with the megs DA microfiber cutting pad w/megs 105 on speed 6, followed by Wolfgang 3.0 swirl remover on 5.5" cyan lake county hydro tech foam pad speed 5-6. Then megs 205 on a 5.5" white pad speed 5, then wolfgang paint sealant (cure for 12hrs) followed by Ps21 pure carnuba on a 5.5" red pad. Turned out very well, got rid of 100% of the fine swirls and about 90% of the deeper scratches in the clear and all the hard water spots. It was very time consuming, but well worth it in the end.

The PC seems to cut better with the smaller 5.5 pad..imo..
I hope this helps, best of luck with your detail.

 

excellent info guys!! much appreciated! how long does a pad normally last, can I get by using one pad on the entire car if I was polishing it? and then a new pad for applying glaze? or do I have to change say half way through polishing the car? thanks

 

You can use one pad and just clean it when it gets dirty or saturated with polish but I generally use several on a car. 3 or 4. Then I just clean them all afterward.

 

What I consider to be the best PC How-To available - Machine Polishing By Dual Action Polisher, Dave KG –
Machine Polishing by Dual Action Polisher - Full Guide - Detailing World

 

I generally would use 2 pads per step, you should clean them after every panel with the terry cloth or with compressed air.

The link in the above post will help out a lot.

 

The Porter Cable 7424XP Random Orbital Buffer is a great tool, you'll love the results. I generally recommend getting at least two of each pad 5.5", but there is no one right size. Below are some links that will help you learn more about the PC and getting great results on your first attempt.

Porter Cable 7424XP Assembly and Review – Detailed Image
Ask-A-Pro: New to a Porter Cable 7424XP and Need Help with Process – Detailed Image
Polishing with a Porter Cable: Hand positioning – Detailed Image

We have tons of additional articles there just keep searching. I would also highly recommend our Detailing Guide (Auto Detailing Guide - Detailed Image), especially the polishing section. Take some time to read through that and let me know if you have any questions.

Lastly we have a 25% off sale (code Spring12) at Detailed Image - Premium Auto Detailing and Car Care Products through 3/22 if interested but please note it does not apply to tools (i.e. buffers), DI Packages and sale items. If you need a recommendation please let me know.

Greg @ DI

Greg @ DI

 

excellent info guys - this is what my order is going to be. Mind you that my car is not in horrid shape at all, just moderate to light scratches and swirls.

DI Packages Porter Cable 7424XP 6.5" Basic Kit | Detailed Image
Lake Country Porter Cable 7424 Backing Plate for 4 Inch Pads - 85 mm | Detailed Image
4x Lake Country Blue Fine Finishing Pad - 6.5 inch | Detailed Image
4x Lake Country Blue Fine Finishing Pad - 6.5 inch | Detailed Image
4x Lake Country White Polishing Pad - 6.5 inch | Detailed Image
4x Lake Country White Polishing Pad - 6.5 inch | Detailed Image
Chemical Guys Polishing Pad Conditioner - 16 oz | Detailed Image
Meguiar's Ultra-Cut Compound M105 - 8 oz | Detailed Image and the 8oz of the M205
Brinkmann Maxfire Dual Xenon Swirl Finder Spotlight | Detailed Image
Menzerna Top Inspection Spray - 500 ml | Detailed Image

Should all that be good you guys think for my malbec black? Rest of stuff I have like the P21 100% carnuba, Blackfire gloss enhancing polish and Jetseal 109..

 

Thank you for shopping at Detailed Image I hope you're able to take advantage of our 25% off sale with the coupon code Spring12, but please note it doesn't apply to tools like our buffers, sale items and DI Packages.

As for your products I think you are on the right track but I have a few suggestions. If you get the 4" backing plate typically you'll want to get the 4" pads and if you want the 6.5" pads please pick up the 6" backing plate to match.

For the M105 I normally apply this with the orange pad, sometimes the Surbuf pad if I need maximum cutting power. After that I usually recommend following up with a light polish like the M205 and a white pad. I'm not sure if the BF Gloss Enhancing Polish would be strong enough to remove that haze, so that is why I recommend the M205. After that apply the Jetseal 109 and the P21S Wax for outstanding protection and a great shine.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Greg @ DI

 

Thanks for the heads up Greg, the porter cable kit that I'm picking up luckily includes the 6" backing plate. Im picking up both M105 and M205 and I'll be sure to pick up orange pads.

 

Well everything came in today guys, special thanks for DI and all you who contributed their knowledge. After much research and reading through every article about everything on DI, my final order ended up being this;
-Porter Cable
-6.5" & 4" backing plate
-5" counter weight
-5 6.5" white pads
-2 4" white pads
-4 6.5" orange pads
-2 4" orange pads
-Menzerna Top Inspection Spray
-Meguiars M105 and M205
-Chemical Guys pad conditioner
-Chemical Guys black light
-200G medium grade clay bar
-0.75" masking tape
-Brinkmann dual xenon swirl finder







Am I ready or what!? Time to restore the Malbec Black to its true glory!

 

I started today myself. I am using Menzerna Micro polish with an orange pad. My first time. So far I just did the spoiler! All of the scratches and swirls are gone, just a couple hard water spots remain. I am using a speed of 3 with little pressure. Am I on the right track? I find it hard to know when to stop polishing, but at some point it seems that the polisher will start to not be so smooth. I then give it a shot of detailer as a lube.

Thanks

 

Thank you for the purchase!!!! You have a great combination of products that I think you will really enjoy. Good luck and keep us posted on the results.

Greg @ DI