Non Porter Cable?

[grantfk10]

Ok, for people that haven't got/cant afford/don't want Porter Cable, What is the best way to get a decent finish on their car?
Wash, Dry, Polish, Wax, T Cut, Spit? What do you use?

[minimatan]

What is a Porter Cable?

[Ajay325]

grant, i would never use t-cut on cars as old as ours unless in extreme cirumstances. it strips the paint and is used mainly for surface prep. before respray.

If you want to improve the finish on your car safely, use a clay bar to de-contaminate you paintwork, then polish and finally wax to seal the polish. Should come out well, i will be doing this by hand when i get more time!

Good luck and I hope this helps...

Ajay

[siddiqi1]

Grant,

you could also try a "dual action buffer2...thats basicaaly what the PC does, hecne why it is so good at NOT leaving swirl marks

I know megiuars do a dual action buffer!!!dont know how much but it has to be a fraction of a PC!!!

Like Ajay said..........:

Clean with small amount of fairly liquid..........clay...........rinse......polish....wax...admire

Saboor

[Pad]

if you are doing by hand, accept that you will not get as genuine a swirl free finish as you will with a PC or rotary and choose your products accordingly - i.e polishes with abrasives that break down easily and maybe also contain fillers to mask those swirls that cannot be got at by hand. For example, Autoglym SRP, Klasse (carlack now) AIO, Poorboys AIO and Zaino Z-AIO will all fit the bill to give you a decent finish, then protect if you want with an extra wax or sealant.

Hope this helps.

[grantfk10]

So, should I just go for a random orbital type thingy from Helfrauds? Or continue by hand? Or shell out a fair bit for a PC?

Maybe it's cos I'm a tight Scottish git, but I'd grudge paying for the PC!

[siddiqi1]

peronally i would go for a dual action orbital one,make sure its not just rotary!

I dont think much of the zone will agree,but i think a good dual orbital is sufficient,though the PC is the daddy,jst far to much for what it is(no offence meant to those who own one).

U knw,the person who would know is D6dph, hes a mod on the zne n boi does he knw how to make a car look new!

[c76jon]

you get what you pay for i assure you

a pc is not an expensive bit of kit

jon

[Ajay325]

PC is undoubtedly worth the money, just the transformer that is an issue.

[d6dph]

I wouldn't worry. For how little the transformers cost it is well worth the investment.

Cheap rotary buffers are to be avoided like a she-male with genital warts.

[Ajay325]

i'm gonna wait for the UDM like you Dave, should be claying my car this weekend, I'll give you a call soon...

[d6dph]

Feel free dude. I'm at work all weekend so you may need to leave a message, But I will call back asap.

UDM does look good, I'm also tempted to buy a PC cheap when the UDM comes out. The second hand market will be flooded

[Ajay325]

lol hopefully i'll beat you to it . last time i called you im pretty sure i heard a woman's voice on voicemail!?

[d6dph]

Umm not me guv, Honest

[c76jon]

i have a udm.......................................

i still use my porter

jon

[d6dph]

Enough said, Does the UDM not needing a transformer make up for it's shortfall Jon?

Back to the O/P.

Last time my car received a full clean it got the following:

Wheels cleaned with Autobrite Britewheels,
Car foamed with Autobrite super snow foam & Chemical guy maxi suds mixture,
Rinsed,
Washed with Chemical guys maxi suds with a drop of strongwash, Serious performance mitt and two bucket method,
Dried with a poorboys waffle weave towel and meguiars last touch,
Polished with meguiars hand polish,
Glazed with clearkote vanilla moose hand wax,
3 coats of victoria collectors - minimum of 8 hrs apart,
Wheels sealed with chemical guys wheel guard,
Tyres dressed with Zaino z16 perfect tyre gloss,
Glass cleaned with meguiars nxt glass cleaner,
Window rubbers and seals treated with einszett gummi pfledge,
Exhaust tips polished with meguiars metal polish,

Pics here: clicky

[c76jon]

needing a transformer is imho not an issue

if you are going to put the effort into obtaining a flawless or as close to it as poss finish why exert the same effort with a tool that will not achieve as good results

that imho is a no brainer

udm vibrations on speeds used for defect removal are very bad

i havetried to like it but maybe iam too set in my porter ways and how i can make it work for me

yes udm does achieve good results and quite possibly better than i can achieve with my porter in the right hands

but i can achieve more and faster with the PC and its not anywherenear as hard on my hands and arms

I pick up another car to add to my fold tomorrow and its gonna get a full proper detail and i will again try the udm and experiment more but i know the porter will get the finish i want and its a big car ive bought and i know the vibration issue will again make me shy away from the udm

jon

[d6dph]

Car to replace the ML?

Interesting to hear it has more vibration issues, I thought the UDM was going to solve the issues some peoplehad with vibration from the PC?

Not the wonder tool it has been billed as it seems?

[c76jon]

not for me

ML went a long time ago

had an x5 54 plate 3.0d sport after that

sold that

i have bought my self a bit of old school practical motoring!!!

jon

[ShineOn]

Jon,

I tried one of the first 240v UDM's in the country, the vibration was unmanagable. Using it for more than a few minutes causd really uncomfortale tingling in hands and lower arms. The other UDM that was sent for trial was said to be asbolutely fine - turns out they are very sensitive to back plate size. The one I tried had been fitted from day 1 with a 6" backing plate and was awful, fitting a 5" plate improved things no end.

I must admit, I thought you'd be a rotary user though. The lack of noise and vibration is a lot less tiring whn you're polishing for 6-8 hours!

Paul

[Pro-detailing]

We had placed a provisional order for some 240V UDMs to stock, but the more time goes on, the more bad reports I keep hearing...

For the moment we will be leaving them well alone and will continue to supply porter cables and transformers as and when clients order them. That said we have one or two PCs in stock right now...

The 240v UDM is appearing to be a cheap copy of the massively successful PC.

If anybody is considering buying a PC I would whole-heartedly recommend it - you will be amazed at the results YOU get, the very first time you pick one up....

Hopefully somebody well known to us all will be along to agree with me soon....

Cheers - Nick

[d6dph]

Hmm wonder who that may be Nick

Could you Pm me with a price for a starter pack (Ie PC, Transformer, pads and compounds)

[Pro-detailing]

Hmm wonder who that may be Nick

Could you Pm me with a price for a starter pack (Ie PC, Transformer, pads and compounds)

No problem - We are putting one together for said individual tonight...

I thought you already had one though??

Nick

[d6dph]

Nope, all work done by hand at the moment.

Been tempted for a while now. A good way to waste the winter months.

[tylerma]

Nick would you also PM me with details please mate

[hubble]

I'm a bit disappointed now after reading some of these posts regarding the UDM. I was hoping that it was going to be the a brilliant successor to the PC.

HHmm going to have to have a rethink.

[ShineOn]

Nick, you've hit it bang on the head - a cheap copy of the PC.

The one I tried was very cheap feeling, the on/off switch didn't feel like it was going to last a day let alone a lifetime. Its 200g heavier than the PC, although maybe thats down to having a slightly stronger motor (which was noticeable, if you could get past the savage vibration). The other odd thing was the massive shroud around the counterweight - it was huge! Not sure you'd be safely able to use a 4" pad with it, one of the main advantages of a PC.

All in all, I'd stick with the PC as its a reliable proven tool, and getting a starter package from someone like Pro-Detailing is a very handy solution.

[c76jon]

i totally agree

a cheap cheap copy

as to answer the rotary thing i really have not had the need to use one as i have found the pc to have achieved everything ive needed ie right pad and product selection tho ive toyed with idea many times

jon

[Pro-detailing]

Hi guys, want to add my two peneth worth to this one, Nicks Dad here, Being the inquisitive type, ever since Nick involved me in all this, I have wondered what the difference was between a Random orbital sander which I use for wood work etc. and a PC. Last weekend I decided to find out. My sander is a moderatly priced Makita random orbital selling at Screw fix for £80. It has a 5 inch hook and loop backing plate electronic variable speed control and only weighs in at 1.4 kilos. I removed the 60 grit sanding disc that was on it (always a wise move) and fitted a 6 inch combination pad. I then set about the bonnet of my white van.I kid you not, within half an hour I made a spectacular difference. I cut first with a medium compound then a final polish (different pads of course).

It may be the answer for those folk, who, either already have a woodworking random orbital sander and want to move onto machine polishing or, those who are are not prepared to pay for a PC and transformer but would run to £80, for a 240 volt machine, especially if you can tell the misus it's for doing her front door.!! Nick also had a go and was very impressed with the ease of use and the fact that the speed control is right where you want it, a thumb wheel on the handle. To answer the original question, "whats the difference" I would have to say not a lot. Seems to me like an ideal way to move into machine polishing and have a DIY tool for loads of other jobs.

[feens]

Id be interested in this pack also could you PM me with a price too Cheers

[gooner1]

Me too please Nick. Thanks.