Best Polisher?

[thompsonracing]

I do have a question...Vipers and other exotics don't see the same real world use that say our work pickup does. Do you have a recommendation for a one shot product for a vehicle that sees a lot of daily use with dirt, water spray, dust, etc. I want something that shines decent but has more durability than a show shine but cleans up well and looks really sharp from 20 feet away. There is just not enough time in the day to clean and polish the work trucks to the hyper shine the show cars get. Thanks in advance.

We never wash our racecar, but it does get dirty by the end of a run. We simply hit it with the Waterless Wash and follow with Detail Spray between every round. Gives it a quick shine and looks good from the stands. Adam's has a Brilliant Spray Glaze that is in between the Detail Spray and the Buttery Wax. Easy to apply and lasts longer than the Detail Spray.

It def. won't be the quality of a Junkman job, but good for the quick and dirty for a car that doesn't get exposed to severe conditions.

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Looks good from far (sorry its a Corvette):

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[Junkman2008]

... Looks good from far (sorry its a Corvette)

Hey! I read that!

 

[Brian_Brice]

Any diy'er just use much caution while polishing. I do not try and make my work seem harder than it is to shy people away from doing it themselves.

Here a few examples of things you want to look out for...
Burned the edge of my paint with a DA. *PIC* - Auto Geek Online Auto Detailing Forum

Burned through the edge with a Da.

Pad explosion

I finally get to detail a Lotus Elise and BAM! Disaster! - Autopia.org

Things like this happen all the time. Yes the da is a safe machine, and yes you can destroy your paint job with it.

You will also have to keep an eye out for trick touch ups and matches that are made constantly by less than admirable dealers and body shops. It's not often but I have removed sharpie ink from inconspicuous areas, they are easy to miss upon inspection. So many variables, liability and total loss coverage usually helps out big time in these situations.

 

[Brian_Brice]

And if you guys are interested in rinseless washing you should take a look into Optimum No Rinse. This product is a must have in everyone's garage. I use it quite often and don't have to purchase but a gallon or two a year.

You simply add one ounce per two gallons of water and wash like you were using conventional methods minus the hose.

Amazon.com: Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine, 128 oz.: Automotive

You can dilute it to create a quick detailer, or a car wash in a bottle.

Probably the most versital product on the market.

Talk about budget cautious, @ 39.00 you have over 100 washes, and a few gallons of qd, window cleaner, you name it.

 

[Brian_Brice]

Here's a pretty good read on ONR the information by the original poster is very accurate.

ONR: The Definitive Thread - Autopia.org

 

[Sellshomesdrivesviper]

ONR: Just bought some thats being delivered tomorrow.

 

[Brian_Brice]

ONR: Just bought some thats being delivered tomorrow.

You will love it.

It has changed over the years, as Dr. G continues to raise the bar in polymer technology. The new version smells very nice, the original...not so much.

It is important to stress washing and drying one panel at a time.

Guess I should have asked if you had used it before.

 

[Sellshomesdrivesviper]

Nope, still a ******, but not for long.

 

[swexlin]

Poorboy's makes a nice waterless wash as well. I've been using that for a couple years, and have read about ONR (I love the Autopia forum!), but have never tried it.

 

[Brian_Brice]

Absolutely swexlin, I love their QD+ as well. Ive had at least one or another Natty's jar since I started detailing too.

 

[agentf1]

ONR: Just bought some thats being delivered tomorrow.

I have not tried the new ONR formula yet so cannot comment on that but I did try their original formula and have to say that I prefer Protect All Quick Easy Wash (QEW) much better. It can be bought at most RV Shops or online from the detail supply places. JMHO

They are all pretty much the same thing and perform similarly but I just have a preference for QEW. I found it had better cleaning ability. My ONR also turned brown which turned me off. I did hear they have remedied that condition though. ONR is on my list to try again.

 

[agentf1]

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I totally disagree with the last part of that sentence. The PC is more than capable of removing paint damage, it will just take quite a bit of time for heavily damaged paint and your technique and products have to be effective. For light to medium damaged paint, this machine is more than capable of removing that damage. I present to you the following hood and fender that I fixed using a PC:

Let me rephrase my quote. In my opinion the PC ROB 7424 type of machine is best suited for removing towel scratches and mild to med swirls at best. Sure, especially now after the Kevin Brown method has become more popular and utilizing heavier non diminishing abrasives and more aggressive pads such as the Sur-Buff or wool pads, and even more aggressive foam pads such as the orange LC pads you can remove pretty much anything with a ROB but in my opinion it is easier with a more powerful forced rotation machine like the Flex 3401 or a Rotary. If you only have a Porter Cable and need to remove some heavy swirls can it be done? yes. Are there better tools out there for the job, most definitely.

 

[Junkman2008]

Let me rephrase my quote. In my opinion the PC ROB 7424 type of machine is best suited for removing towel scratches and mild to med swirls at best. Sure, especially now after the Kevin Brown method has become more popular and utilizing heavier non diminishing abrasives and more aggressive pads such as the Sur-Buff or wool pads, and even more aggressive foam pads such as the orange LC pads you can remove pretty much anything with a ROB but in my opinion it is easier with a more powerful forced rotation machine like the Flex 3401 or a Rotary. If you only have a Porter Cable and need to remove some heavy swirls can it be done? yes. Are there better tools out there for the job, most definitely.

True, but when Bruce revived the thread, he distinctly said...

I am in the market for a polisher and thought I would re-ignite this thread. I am looking for something that will not burn the paint or is ******* edges. I can practice first on my DD and go from thier. Is Porter and Cable a reliable polisher?

Bruce

When looking at his question, the PC or similar ROB is the only reliable choice out there. Of course there are polishers out there that will do more work and do it faster, but that doesn't make them better. There are, however, polishers that are better suited for more advanced work.

 

[KNG SNKE]

Junkman, those videos are extremely informative and very entertaining. I have a yellow snake and I'm sure you know you don't see anything in the paint. Now for the stripes being black I wanted to look into a better polisher to get rid of towel marks and light waterspots. I currently use the 10 inch orbital buffer sold at autozone. Looking into products now but if that PC is better for me to hit the small areas then that is the path I will take.

Brian, your in Virginia. I'm assuming you detail cars for a living? Why haven't you detailed my car yet? PM'ing you for info.

 

[Junkman2008]

If you wanted to do the work yourself, the PC is more than adaquate to get the job done. Case in point.

This sweet ride here really looked good when I checked it out at first glance from a distance. Check it out.

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But when I got close, check out what showed up...

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When I first met the owner, he was wiping his car down with a cheap, made in China microfiber towel and a bottle of I don't know what. So I had to school him on the proper way to take car of his ride. He is now using the right stuff!

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Now those stripes and that green paint looks like it is supposed to!

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Here I am teaching folks how easy the PC is to use. A 11 year old can do it!

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Rest assured, if your stripes look like this, you can bet the yellow paint looks like this too, you just haven't looked at it correctly. Swirls and scratches do not just limit themselves to the dark colors, light colors have them just as bad. If you take the red pill, believe me you will see them!

 

[Brian_Brice]

Looks much better Junkman, nice job.

 

[Todd Helme]

I was going to originally comb through this post, pick out the misinformation, and try to raise the awareness of everybody (except for AgentF1 and Brian Brice who are both qualifed and extremely knowledgable) but it seems a lot of posts have been edited to protect the misinformation that was originally posted.

-When it comes to DA polishers, the PC is probably the most reliable but it is NOT the most powerful (as stated by Junkman)

-When it comes to rating DA polishers, pure power is not the most important aspect, not is the maximum OPM's, but they are important. When I read somebody say that OPM's are all that matters (and use this to defend their completely incorrect statement previously) then I know that simply don't know what they are talking about.

If you take two machines (one with a power rating of 500 amps and one with a power rating of 300 amps) but both have the same maximum speed of 6000 OPM, which one will correct faster????

Well if you are buffing butter, the OPM would likely succeed power as butter will not provide any resistance to the machine. But when it comes to polishing paint, the machine is going to bog.

The DA that has less power is going to bog more and do less work, period, this is science, and no back peddling and post editing is going to change the fact that the PC is not the most powerful DA (not even close).

To steal the analogy (mis)used earlier about cars and horsepower. Imagine we had two cars with identical drive trains (transmission ratios, tire height) and lets assume that both cars can reach 200 mph in top gear at redline (max OPM) WITH OUT any wind drag (no friction). Once drag is factored into the equation the car with more power is going to have a higher speed.

 

[agentf1]

I was going to originally comb through this post, pick out the misinformation, and try to raise the awareness of everybody (except for AgentF1 and Brian Brice who are both qualifed and extremely knowledgable) but it seems a lot of posts have been edited to protect the misinformation that was originally posted.

-When it comes to DA polishers, the PC is probably the most reliable but it is NOT the most powerful (as stated by Junkman)

-When it comes to rating DA polishers, pure power is not the most important aspect, not is the maximum OPM's, but they are important. When I read somebody say that OPM's are all that matters (and use this to defend their completely incorrect statement previously) then I know that simply don't know what they are talking about.

If you take two machines (one with a power rating of 500 amps and one with a power rating of 300 amps) but both have the same maximum speed of 6000 OPM, which one will correct faster????

Well if you are buffing butter, the OPM would likely succeed power as butter will not provide any resistance to the machine. But when it comes to polishing paint, the machine is going to bog.

The DA that has less power is going to bog more and do less work, period, this is science, and no back peddling and post editing is going to change the fact that the PC is not the most powerful DA (not even close).

To steal the analogy (mis)used earlier about cars and horsepower. Imagine we had two cars with identical drive trains (transmission ratios, tire height) and lets assume that both cars can reach 200 mph in top gear at redline (max OPM) WITH OUT any wind drag (no friction). Once drag is factored into the equation the car with more power is going to have a higher speed.

Thanks for the compliment Todd. Welcome to the forum, your expertise is much needed here.

If any Viper owners are looking for a quality detail/paint correction and are in Todds area I HIGHLY recommend you look him up and have him do your car. Your Viper will NEVER have looked better. Todd does some of the best work I have ever seen and is one of the few people other than myself that I would trust with my Viper. I am also sure he could teach me a few things and I have been into detailing for years.

 

[Brian_Brice]

I have not tried the new ONR formula yet so cannot comment on that but I did try their original formula and have to say that I prefer Protect All Quick Easy Wash (QEW) much better. It can be bought at most RV Shops or online from the detail supply places.

I used QEW vs. original onr as well. But there have been two upgrades since this initial foul smelling onr, both of which leave a much slicker surface than QEW.

 

[01_VENM]

Junkman thanks a lot for the Video. Your videos are very entertaining and also very informative. I hope to start learning for myself as well.

Thanks Man

 

[agentf1]

I used QEW vs. original onr as well. But there have been two upgrades since this initial foul smelling onr, both of which leave a much slicker surface than QEW.

I'll have to try ONR next, I am almost out of QEW anyway.

 

[Brian_Brice]

I'll have to try ONR next, I am almost out of QEW anyway.

Nothin' wrong with QEW, love it as a glass cleaner.

 

[Junkman2008]

I was going to originally comb through this post, pick out the misinformation, and try to raise the awareness of everybody (except for AgentF1 and Brian Brice who are both qualifed and extremely knowledgable) but it seems a lot of posts have been edited to protect the misinformation that was originally posted.

-When it comes to DA polishers, the PC is probably the most reliable but it is NOT the most powerful (as stated by Junkman)

I'm not going to bother picking apart your post as it is not any help to those who are seeking information (as another poster stated), but maybe you should have read the entire thread. I never stated that the PC was the most powerful polisher of all the intro level polishers. What I stated was that the power difference between the PC-7424XP, PC7424, the Griots and Meguiar's machines, as well as the DAS-6 re-branded machine are all so similar that any advantage in power of any of those machines is not worth the extra cost. Now if you want to create a video series to dispel that, I'll be the first to watch. As for me, I'll allow my work to speak for my knowledge.

Junkman thanks a lot for the Video. Your videos are very entertaining and also very informative. I hope to start learning for myself as well.

Thanks Man

You're welcome sir, thanks for watching.