Porter Cable 7424 Polisher

Cam07

Cam07

New member
I'm 15 years old and I'm detailing cars all this summer. I've been doing it for a while now and when I wax I've always done it by hand. I'm tired of doing that b/c it takes forever and I have a lot of people wanting me to wax their vehicle! I was looking at PC's and I think I'm going to get one, I was looking at the Porter Cable 7424 Polisher. Would that be a good one to get for someone who has never used one before or is there another model I should consider? One of my neighbors wants me to wax his Lexus, I washed it the other weekend and it had tons of swirls and scratches. Would a PC work those all out w/ the right supplies? Your comments and advise would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks
 
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PC 7424 is pretty easy to use and a good choice.

PC great for polishes that remove swirls and minor scratches. OK for wax application. I still prefer to polish and wax by hand. I've tried the PC with a MF bonnet for wax removal and it seems to give the finish some extra pop versus hand removal. Hand application allows for easier application to hard to reach places for the PC. In that you can start on one side then move around the vehicle and not bypass areas the PC can't reach.

I use one brand for all my products so I can only comment on that brand. I was a skeptic about removing paint defects with a PC and product. Until today. A friend of mine had a few scratches on the trunk of his car. Across the whole lid. He then used rubbing compound to remove and left buffing swirls. He let me try my products to try to remove the swirls. After 2 passes the swirls were gone and I had even removed some of the parts of the scratch. I'm now a believer in the PC removing defects rather than simply filling scratches.

With the right products you can get some amazing results with the PC. I'd still apply wax by hand though. Seems quicker to me.

Good luck
 
A PC will only temporarily remove swirls. The first time I used mine I was amazed at the fact that my swirls were gone - and then it rained all week. Now I'm not so amazed. IMO a PC is good for applying products that will fill swirls, but to remove them you need a rotary.
 
7424 or 7336 are good models, different # but both the same.

I've removed plenty of swirls with the PC. I've gotten good results with the 1Z, and SSR line of polishes. Get at least 2 of each type of pad.
 
jason rawls said:
A PC will only temporarily remove swirls. The first time I used mine I was amazed at the fact that my swirls were gone - and then it rained all week. Now I'm not so amazed. IMO a PC is good for applying products that will fill swirls, but to remove them you need a rotary.
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What products did you use??

As I mentioned I too was a skeptic until yesterday. We even used rubbing alcohol on the trunk lid to remove any possible fillers. Scratches and swirls still gone. Maybe the alcohol won't remove polish, just removes wax I'm not sure.. That's what a local paint store said to try, to verify swirls were indeed removed.
 
Yes, the PC should be able to correct about 95% of paint imperfections. However, a rotary in the right hands can cut the time in half or better. But it does take some getting used to. I would recommend the PC first to get accustomed to a power tool in your hands.

With Aloha,
Ranney :)
 
I had really good luck using my PC and SSR3 to remove swirls and scratches (and I had some pretty bad scratches). I followed SSR3 with DACP and SSR1. I also used 'ScratchX' on some of the more difficult scratches.

I agree with all who say that the PC is a pretty good all-purpose tool!! - and a lot safer than a rotary.
 
Well.....Saturday I bought me a Porter Cable and then Sunday I bought me a Bissell Little Green Machine w/ Pro Heat and a Pro Scrubing Brush. So I'm all set for the summer. I tried both of them on my mom's Yukon and they both work wonderful. I waxed her car in no time, I'm shocked at how much time the PC saves me! I would definetly recommend them both to anybody. I've got all the stuff now I needed, all I need is the people now. LOL Thanks for your comments!
 
Congrats on the purchase!

Did you use any swirl remover or did you use the PC for wax only?

How did you like the Bissell?

Where can one get the bissell?
 
Cam07 . . . go to: BetterCarCare.com and read David's article on the PC 7424. Very helpful. Basically, it says it all !
 
I have a PC. I used it for the first time and the car looked great. I still have swirls marks and scratches. I still think I made a good choice on getting the PC.
 
jason rawls said:
A PC will only temporarily remove swirls. The first time I used mine I was amazed at the fact that my swirls were gone - and then it rained all week. Now I'm not so amazed. IMO a PC is good for applying products that will fill swirls, but to remove them you need a rotary.
Click to expand...

I disagree with you completely, with the right pad, products and patients you can remove some nasty swirls.


Here are some heavy swirls I removed with a PC. I know they were removed and not covered because I used products with no fillers or oils.

Before:

bmw_side_before.jpg


After:

bmw_swirl_removal.jpg



before:

03.jpg


after:
04.jpg
 
Porter Cable & Bissell Little Green Machine

scrub said:
Congrats on the purchase!

Did you use any swirl remover or did you use the PC for wax only?

How did you like the Bissell?

Where can one get the bissell?
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I just used it for wax today on my mom's car, but i'm going to get some different pads incase I get a car that has lots of swirls.

I love the Bissell, I was so surprised what it got up and the results I had. The carpet looks almost brand new(it does have 67K miles) so you can't get up everything. The only thing is I wish the hose was just a little bit longer, but other than that it's great!

I picked mine up at Lowes. I think you can also get them at like Sears, Target, and Wal-Mart. Most places that sell vacuums have them I think.
 
Ohhh yeah.....I forgot....Does anyone know where to get a Dual-Action, 6.5" Orange Cutting Pad, a Dual-Action, 6.5" Grey Finishing Pad, and a MF Bonnet at a good price. I've found them on Autopia, but I don't really want to spend that much money on them. I just really need one to remove swirls and a MF bonnet. The one I have that came w/ it I guess I could just use instead of the Grey Finishing Pad. Also, I like to use Eagle One Wet Tire Shine on the tires and I go through it pretty quick and it's not the cheapest stuff, does anyone know where I might could buy it in bulk. What do you guys like to use on the tires that is really glossy?
Thanks
 
blkyukon

Nice work! I removed some rubbing compound swirls but nothing like that yet!! What were your products of choice??
 
scrub said:
blkyukon

Nice work! I removed some rubbing compound swirls but nothing like that yet!! What were your products of choice??
Click to expand...

Thanks,

On the blue BMW I used PB SSR3 with CMA orange pad

On the green 4Runner I used CMA yellow pad and 3M PiII FC


I worked them in using speed 4, took my time for them to break down and they both left very little visible hazing. I did follow up with DACP, SFP or FP to bring back the gloss though.
 
How long do you work in the products?

With the swirls I worked in the DACP per customer service info or about 30-45 seconds until haze turned to shine. I did read on the web to work in DACP for about 5-6 minutes per panel. That's a little long. I think. The results turned out pretty good and only had to repeat one time.

Thoughts??
 
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