To PC or not to PC

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nickis

New member
That is the question.

I recently fell into some money, some of which I will naturally spend on detailing stuff, and a PC is looking mighty tempting. I've heard the raving about them, seen the pictures of cars done with them, I've even gone to Lowes and handled the beast. I want one - but $140 is a lot of money.

So here's what it comes down to: is it really necessary? $140 can buy a lot of other detailing stuff, and I am left wondering if the leap up in the quality of my finish will really be worth the money I spend on a PC. My collection of detailing supplies right now is still fairly small and carefully researched, but by no means comprehensive. I've got Vanilla Moose as a glaze, EX as a sealant, and S100 as a carnuba topper. Other than that, I have a claybar and lube, Meg's #9, some wheel cleaner, tire dressing, a handful of MF towels and of course a variety of little tools that don't need mentioning. I've got most bases pretty well covered except for polishing, where I get the feeling that I need to move up to a PC and heavier abrasives to tackle swirls and remove other defects. Is this really the next step, or would I be better off filling out my collection of products and tools? I've got the wallet ready, it's just an intimidating "next step"and I want be sure its the best use of my money.
 
Once you start using the pc and get a little practice with it you will not go without. If mine was lost/stolen/broken I would get another right away. Look at the opm rating on the machine get one that goes from 2,000opm to 4,000opm or so. The one I have is a DeWalt and was made as a sander so it tends to be a little fast but I work around it. you won't believe the difference it makes.
 
You can't go wrong with the PC. It is basically idiot proof, so messing up a finish is pretty hard to do. Also, you will start to achieve polishings that you could not get by hand. Keep in mind, $140 is a good investment, but you will also need a good supply of pads to go along with that.

Look at www.Premiumautocare.com and use your DC 10% discount. What you pay in shipping should be near what you would pay in tax on that.
 
I love my PC. Some people are talented/experienced enough to remove light swirls by hand. I am not one of those people. Without the PC, my car and my clients cars would be a swirled mess.

Don't forget. You do have to set aside about ten dollars per pad. You'll need at bare minimum, two polishing pads and one finishing pad.

For swirls, I recommend the SSR polished from Poorboys. Hope this helps!
 
I think the PC is a great addition to any detailers/enthusiasts tool box. It is save to use, speeds up the process, saves wear and tear on the body, and can even add a little "POP" to the finish if used properly.
 
:yeah everyone pretty much summed it up. While you can do it without it, once you try it you will never regret getting it

Eric
 
I've had my pc now for just a few weeks and have done two vehicles with it and will do the wife's car tomorrow.

Here's how I feel about it. I've got a lot of money invested now in detailing products. Ok, and so I have a lot of great products. I spend a lot of time trying to get my truck and the wife's car looking the best I can with the skills I have. Now what I don't want to do is to spend so much money, about 1450.00 now in 8 months, on great products, work so hard at the detailing of the vehicles and then see how it could be so much better with a pc and not have one! Well, I do have one and I would not want to ever be without one again.
 
Nickis - to play the devils advocate - what shape is your car in paintwise? Is is in awesome shape and you detail it by hand often?? Then you probably don't need the PC...is your car the only car you ever plan on detailing??..then you probably don't need the PC..

It's a great tool to use and makes detailing work that much faster and gives your much more in what you can do with the products - but realistically - if your car is in great condition and you don't mind the extra work by hand then it might not be the best purchase for you -

If on the other hand you do plan on expanding your detailing to others, maybe even doing it on the side then it would be a good investment.
 
I'm not a car detailing professional, I'm just an ordinary man who simply wants his car to look good and normally I polish/wax my car just couple of times a year.
I tried my friend's PC and tried Wen's 6" polisher that costs a fraction of PC.
Here is my IMHO.
PC is unconditionally a greate tool but it rather oriented to professionals or those people who obsessed with car detailing.
This cheap buffer is less convenient has less features but at mine skills level and with mine level of dedication it gave me essentially the same perfect results :)
So that the difference between PC and some other buffers is the same as difference between Dewalt drill and some
cheap drill you can find in WallMart.
You are unlikely need dewalt if you just need occasionally screw a hook in the wall ...
But I totally agree that when someone wants to spend most of his free time perfecting the look of his car(s) then PC is the best choice.
Tho if you want to spend $1000 on car detailing products then it propably makes sense to consider just to repaint your car in a bodyshop ;)

cheers,
Kapa6ac
 
Check out www.coastaltool.com. You can get a PC for $119 plus $7.50 shipping (lower 48). This includes the 6-inch backing plate and counterweight.

I don't think you can find a lower cost anywhere. I've ordered from here many times with no problem. They are very fast. I don't work for them, I'm just a satisfied customer.
 
My thoughts on the subject (Again)

A repost from early 2003. Still reflects my feelings.

The following is some of a post I made quite some time ago.
It still reflects my feelings, even after several months have passed.

Several years back, I purchased a Wen 10" orbital buffer. It had an amperage rating of over 3 amps, but I don't remember the exact rating. The only reason I mention it is to point out it was not really lacking in power. I used it some for the first 2 - 3 months I owned it and after that it stayed in the box, unused, for several years. This summer, I tried it again. Back in the box and then given to a friend. It was more hassle than it was worth. Changing the bonnets was a PIA.

Since then I have purchased a PC 7336 and there is no comparison. With the velcro backing plate, changing pads is a 5 second job. The machine is much easier to work with and probably does a much better job. I can't say for sure since the WEN never really got much use.

Now for something to start a discussion. IMO, Unless you have swirl removal to do, the PC isn't really necessary to do a good job of taking care of your car.
Easier? Yes.
Better? Probably a little better distribution of product.
Faster? Maybe, but remember, you also have to consider the time you spend getting it out, putting it away, and hand washing the foam pads as part of the overall time spent.

My vehicles are in pretty good shape to start with and the products I use, Klasse AIO, 4 Star UPP, S100 Cleaner, and S100 wax, are all so easy to apply and remove that the benefit is not all that great to me. So far, it seems that about 1/2 the time, I don't even bother with the PC.

If you can afford one, by all means get one. If it stretches your budget, use the money to buy something you really need.

Charles
 
Thanks to everyone who replied for your responses, it was exactly the input I was looking for.

Groebuck's post got me thinking, because the condition of my own paint is not too shabby. However, it does have some swirls that Meg's #9 would not take out and I do have plans to detail other people's cars this summer, so I think the PC would still be a good investment for me. I will probably be ordering one soon. It's either a PC or computer upgrades and for once I would like to spend some money on something that won't depreciate to half its value in 6 months...
 
You have chosen wisely. I am looking to embark on a similar adventure so thanks for asking the question.
 
I doubted I needed one until I got one and then I knew that I'd needed it all along. Wouldn't be without it again. Especially great for spreading EX-P thinly and evenly.
 
The PC rocks. I got mine late last year at Lowes for $99 (I think) on sale and I love it now. It took around five minutes to get used to and now I can do it as well as anyone. Make sure to prime your pads with some form of quick detailer and you will be fine. Just follow the directions on the bottle of product and take the advice of those here and you will do a great job. I usually keep mine on about 4.5-5.5 for polishing and 4 when applying sealants and waxes. However, if you use a speed of 4.5 and moderate pressure this will work well for most car care products out there. Good luck.
 
Just to keep you guys posted, I ordered mine last night from Coastal Tool for $120, with the 6" backing plate and counterweight. I also put in an order from PAC for two Edge DA pads (Medium Cut & Polishing) and some DACP. I hope I didn't forget anything.

Unfortunately, I got tracking information on both orders and the PC is scheduled to get here Thursday, but the pads and DACP will be here on Monday. Maybe I will use the polishing pad that comes with it and some #9 to practice (on someone else's car of course :D) in the mean time. I noticed some people have said, in this thread and others, that you need to get the hang of it for best results. PC users: do you simply recommend practice or is there a thread/website that will instruct me on the proper use of the PC?
 
heh - the PC is pretty much goof proof - pretty much - unless you use a really aggressive product you can't go wrong...all you need to do is use it (you can search on here for how to use it) -
 
Question? what does the pressure you apply have to do with the performance. Also how long does should it take to do the p.c. processes in general, so that I can get a feel if I'm actually doing it correctly?
Or is it just the look that tells you?
 
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