Power car polishing / buffing / waxing

[jimmy]

Jimmy,

I heard Auto G were launching the new Supreme Polish. Did you get it from Hellfords or somewhere else. Would be very interested in seeing results. Any pictures??

I will take some pics tommorrow. I get it direct, we have an account through work. I dont think it's available for retail, the packaging looks very much like a trade bottle. With the porter cable, I only used a couple of squirts to do the whole car.

 

[Aletank]

With the porter cable, I only used a couple of squirts to do the whole car.

Don't you find the pad soaks up alot of product though ?

 

[jimmy]

Don't you find the pad soaks up alot of product though ?

Not the new green Sonus pads that I have, the old ones did.

 

[glojo]

Its arrived, lucky I ordered a plug for the transformer.

With the pretty yellow buffing bonnet I note that it says it can be used for applying Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection?? Has anyone used it, it looks easy to wash out?.

I have not found any tips on applying polish to the new nano paint technology. So I am just going to copy Goldfish or any of the other users on this forum.

First off is to get the plug fitted, then the big job of making a trolley or something suitable for transporting the transformer. Then finally press gang the 'cleaners'

I am also going to try and get the gang to watch the CD but somehow I think that 'might' be the biggest challenge.

Bye for now,
and thanks for all the help and any further advice. Please, please feel free to offer any advice whether here or via pm.

Regards,
John

 

[Goldfish11]

Amazing service from Autopia

I placed an order last week and received an email saying one item was out of stock and would I be happy with a replacement (this was more an upgrade). I replied to this on Friday night, received a note saying it had been shipped from USA Friday night (UK Saturday morning) and guess what happened this morning. Parcel Force banging the door down at 7am with the stuff from the USA :bannana: :bannana:

Delivery lead time effectively 2 days from the USA

Anyway, only down side for me but a big positive for all of you. Autopia have started there Christmas sale this morning with 15% off all orders.

No one has an excuse not to get a Porter Cable.

PS Make sure you use my link

 

[glojo]

Anyway, only down side for me but a big positive for all of you. Autopia have started there Christmas sale this morning with 15% off all orders.
PS Make sure you use my link

Morning,
I was looking at their prices last night and was wondering whether to purchase polish and protective stuff from them, or buy it direct from the UK.

Now that the dollar is very nearly 2 for 1 what are the views of members.

To date it looks like Parcel Force is the contracted carrier and shhhhh!!! whisper....... no one has paid any duty!!

I would be grateful for any advice and would be looking to purchase Autoglym, Meguairs, and whoever makes the PS21?? wax!!

Thanks again,
John

 

[Pietre]

If no one has paid duty on their Porter Cable order someone from Parcel Force mugged me of £28 then! or is it on Southampton depot that charges duty cos I get nabbed everytime.

 

[glojo]

If no one has paid duty on their Porter Cable order someone from Parcel Force mugged me of £28 then! or is it on Southampton depot that charges duty cos I get nabbed everytime.

OOoppss !!! Sorry, everytime I open my mouth, are you related to Shude by any chance?? Sorry to hear about the £28. Still it must be comforting to know you are the exception to the rule. Unless there is someone else out there who has paid??

Sorry about that,
John

 

[Pietre]

I wish I was the same as the rest of you, as I dont like paying any extra to HM Coffers than I have to, especially when you look at how the charge is composed, e.g. Duty payable £6, Document Fee £10, Handling Charge £5 then put vat on the top, so for £6 it costs nearly £25. Not bad eh, and they say there is no profit in for them!

 

[glojo]

I wish I was the same as the rest of you, as I dont like paying any extra to HM Coffers than I have to, especially when you look at how the charge is composed, e.g. Duty payable £6, Document Fee £10, Handling Charge £5 then put vat on the top, so for £6 it costs nearly £25. Not bad eh, and they say there is no profit in for them!

Ouch!!
Sorry to hear about that, did Parcelforce actually try to make the delivery, or did you just get some sort of card saying 'coff up'!!!

My only experience of paying duty was with UPS when they made me pay duty on an item I had to return to the US for repair!!! I had to pay import duty, then claim it back, even though it was stated on the customs slip that the item was being returned to the owner after being repaired.

I paid the delivery driver and he handed over my parcel. No money, no parcel!!

£6 resulting in £25 is scandulous

John

 

[Dieselman]

When you buy a PC from Autopia does it come with a case or not?

I am considering one but obviously want the best deal.

I have found two other sites listing the PC cheaper, but wonder about the case?

This site doesn't list which PC model so I assume the 7424. I am generally impressed with the products on offer, especially the applicators and waxes / polishes.

http://detailking.goemerchant7.com/...843&Merchant=detailking&ExpandedDepts=&Page=1


This site lists the PC 7336SP.
Apparently this model has a larger counterweight than the 7424, so it can handle a wider variety of pads. Oh and free shipping on orders when the PC is purchased.

http://64.182.14.189/_System/_Advan...521261407&CatID=681420031123501-1225212614052

I've also considered going for a rotary polisher because in the Autopia info it says the depth if shine can be deeper and I've used on previously to good effect with no problems or swirls.

 

[Goldfish11]

Hi

In answer to a few questions, yes I do buy some of my polishes and car car stuff from Autopia some polish even though you can get them in the UK are far cheaper in the USA. This order included Sonus PC pads, OXO brushes (so I can clean my beautiful wheels quickly), Klasse, PS1S and some microfibre products.

The PC from autopia does not come in a case but I got a case for mine from B&Q for £2.50 (a little tool box) and it fits perfectly.

Pietre sorry about the old customs. I have been lucky with customs and duties so far but you do need to take this into account, assume you will get stung and if it does not happen be happy.

You can source the PC from other sources in the USA but the Autopia chaps do offer excellent customer service and the purchase is risk free.

 

[Goldfish11]

When you buy a PC from Autopia does it come with a case or not?

I am considering one but obviously want the best deal.

I have found two other sites listing the PC cheaper, but wonder about the case?

This site doesn't list which PC model so I assume the 7424. I am generally impressed with the products on offer, especially the applicators and waxes / polishes.

http://detailking.goemerchant7.com/...843&Merchant=detailking&ExpandedDepts=&Page=1


This site lists the PC 7336SP.
Apparently this model has a larger counterweight than the 7424, so it can handle a wider variety of pads. Oh and free shipping on orders when the PC is purchased.

http://64.182.14.189/_System/_Advan...521261407&CatID=681420031123501-1225212614052

I've also considered going for a rotary polisher because in the Autopia info it says the depth if shine can be deeper and I've used on previously to good effect with no problems or swirls.

Yes one or two sites do have it cheaper, I have seen it for $110 on one site but you then need to add on your backing plate and pads etc. When you do all this the Autopia setup is good value at about $179.

The other issue for me was customer care. Before I buy I generally send a few emails asking "silly questions" to see how responsive and helpful the company is. With Autopia I got fast responses and helpful answers. For some I never got a response.

I have never used a rotary polisher and you do need training/experience. I know the PC7424 is fool proof and I am an fool so I feel safe. But yes, professional paint specialists will use Rotary as you can get great results.

With regard to larger counter weights, the key is to get a balanced system. The Autopia Lakeland Pads PC setup and Sonus setup are designed to be balanced. If you have a larger weight these may not work but something else might work.

As mentioned in my post above I got a case from B&Q for a few pounds, it is much smaller than the one on the site you show but I can get the PC with backing plate and cable in. All my pads I keep in a seperate vented box.

 

[Ratten]

Just order my Power Polisher together with some other products: - :bannana:
Sonüs Dual-Action System SON-DASPOL-KIT 1 199.95
Geniune Wool Wash Mitt VK-103 1 8.95
Sonüs Der Wunder Drying Towel(2) SON-DWDT-2 1 27.95
P21S Carnauba Wax P21-127 1 31.95
Klasse ALL-IN-ONE, 10 oz. KUS-KLA-10 1 16.95
Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze KUS-KLS-GLA 1 19.95
P21S Paintwork Cleansing Lotion P21-123 1 13.95
Subtotal 319.65
Shipping 92.00
Tax 0.00
Total 411.65

Goldfish, I used the link you provided and also wrote a comment saying that this order was at your recommendation. Thanks for all time you have spent researching this and other car detailling products and I will try to post up a before and after pic of my CLK.

 

[Goldfish11]

Just order my Power Polisher together with some other products: - :bannana:
Sonüs Dual-Action System SON-DASPOL-KIT 1 199.95
Geniune Wool Wash Mitt VK-103 1 8.95
Sonüs Der Wunder Drying Towel(2) SON-DWDT-2 1 27.95
P21S Carnauba Wax P21-127 1 31.95
Klasse ALL-IN-ONE, 10 oz. KUS-KLA-10 1 16.95
Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze KUS-KLS-GLA 1 19.95
P21S Paintwork Cleansing Lotion P21-123 1 13.95
Subtotal 319.65
Shipping 92.00
Tax 0.00
Total 411.65

Goldfish, I used the link you provided and also wrote a comment saying that this order was at your recommendation. Thanks for all time you have spent researching this and other car detailling products and I will try to post up a before and after pic of my CLK.

It would be great to have some more before and after pics, I am sure you will get some great results.

I used the Sonus pad system while doing the Perfect Shine shots (see thread http://mbclub.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=11481 ). They are much more robust than the Lakeland pads which many of us got earlier in the year and are guaranted for 10 uses. (So for me this means 10 cars or using them twice a year I will get 5 years of use!!) They are also very nicely balanced with the PC. I always buy a few extra pads this just means I can be lazy and not clean them after each use. I write with a marker pen which product was used on the pad and them keep them in the bags, I can then just get them out and use them.

Many thanks for using the link and it seems your order will have you set up nicely for this years season. You just need 2 different coloured buckets for your two bucket wash system (for use with the lambs wool mitt) So once you have done your polishing the finish will last for ages And don't forget your Screwfix transformer and extension lead.

 

[m4xmw]

I used the following on a customers S320...
It was badly swirled and didnt have much gloss.
8 hours later the results with using the following:

Simonez car wash.. with sheepskin wash mitt and two bucket method,
Clay magic blue clay with megs soft wash gel solution as a lube,
Poorboys SSR2.5
Poorboys SSR1
Clearkote Vanilla moose
Poorboys EX-P
Nxt wax on the alloys
Poorboys bold n bright on the tyres and wells

All applied with the Porter cable and various Sonus pads.

Mark

 

[Goldfish11]

Mark,

A fantastic job, looks amazing, with spring approaching it is probably a good time to invest in a Porter Cable. I used the Sonus pads on mine a month or so ago and the results are really good.

It is a shame you didnt get some before shots. But a days work to produce this finish is excellent. You have encouraged me to get my PC out again .

Which pads did you use for each of the applications you mention, this info. would be really useful if you can remember for those new to PC use?

 

[m4xmw]

Thanks goldfish.
Sorry about the before pics, it was clean before, just full of swirls.
I used the Poorboys SSR2.5 with the orange sonus pad, followed by SSR1 with the green sonus pad.
The vanilla moose was applied with the blue sonus pad and EX-P was applied with the grey sonus pad.
The majority of the time was spent with the ssr products. The others didnt take long.
I used Pakshak mf cloths to remove the products.
These make the job so much easier, and Ive not found any as good for sale in the uk at the price of Pakshak.

Mark

 

[Goldfish11]

The Polishing Company is now doing Porter Cables

Mike from the Polishing Company has done it again he has seen this PC thread and has spent a few days looking at sourcing Porter Cable polishers.

So here an email to me:

Subject: Porter cable kit

Hi Richard

I have been doing a bit of work

Should someone want one without the hassle of ordering all the individual
bits. Etc

I can supply a Porter Cable 7424 Kit complete with extra counterweight and
6" backing plate complete with 110v transformer extension cable and plug
Also this kit includes 1 each of the Sonus Green and Blue Polishing pads

For £225 including VAT and carriage

Kits are supplied to order although I plan to hold one or two in stock to
see how they go.


This kit will be added to the web site as soon as I get time.

Mike

So if you want a PC kit without the hassle of importing this is an other option. Autopia still do a good deal but it is great we have a UK option so you can price importing it yourself or getting it from Mike. You can contact him directly go to the website for contact details.

The website is www.thepolishingcompany.com

 

[Polisher]

Porter cable Kit

Hi Richard

I would like to confirm that I can offer your members the
Porter cable 7424 polisher with extra 6" backing plate and counterweight
set of 2 Sonus pads (Green & Blue- all most will need)
transformer/plug and extn lead all included in the package. Final pricing will depend on what HM's gov will stuff me for on import duty and vat, but I am hoping that by bringing in a quantity this will make the overall cost comparative to personal import where the carriage is about $91 per unit (autopia kit) and members could still get charged vat and inport duty by UPS when they deliver. It seems to be very hit and miss. On some equipment I have bought I got charged nothing, and on others I had to fork out another £80 to get my order out of the courier's warehouse!! so its not always plain sailing

Some other notes in response to your posts

I have applied P21S to "coated" paintwork.... the difference in shine was so marked the owner was amazed. P21S is virtually non abrasive so it won't hurt , and even if it does strip the coating after a while so what ? the results are just so much better. I expect you can also layer the Car-Lack products onto these coatings as well without any problem although personally I like to start at the paint or clear coat level. then if it squeaks to a terry towel you know your not covering up any old wax etc. Also the secret that you all are finding out is that the quality of shine comes from the quantity of preparation.... after this bit its generally a piece of cake.
(relatively).
Ref "swirl mark removers"..... the majority of these don't actually remove anything they just fill and hide. This is fine until everything dries out and they come back again so the only true way to get rid of them is to level the paintwork and then polish it. Then your chosen wax just enhances the finish.
Be careful about using too much shampoo. This can strip wax if you add to much to the water.
Speaking as an "owner" I'm impressed with the car-lack products so far.
I'll send you a sample to evaluate I would welcome your comments

Thank you and your members for your very kind support. It is great to get acknowledement from fellow enthusiasts. I will be happy to offer any help I can to forum members if they care to get in contact.

Mike Milbourne