ok guys,

i decided to take a leap and buy a nice Porter cable kit so i can do my own polishing/waxing instead of taking my car to a shop. i know that i want to go with the PC and i have done my fair share of reading but when i look at all the available packages, it does get overwhelming fast. here is what i am looking for:

1) budget is $250
2) kit must include the PC and good selection of pads
3) i would like the kit to have a good polish and also a good wax/sealent
4) i am not looking for the top of the top products that looks perfect but only last 4-6 weeks, i am looking for a good well rounded package that i can use once every few months and then just do my regular wash/quick detail in between.
5) i would like to buy from a reputable vendor so i guess detailer domain/autopia/autogeek etc.. are my number 1 choices and i know that most of them have great deals going on.

any other tips/advices will be appreciated.

and FJF- i have looked at all the guides on Autopia, i am looking for help on a specific package.

interested too.......

btw, this is the one that is in the lead now:

http://detailersdomain.com/carcareproducts/advancedkits/PorterCableMenzernaKit.html

thatd be slick!

there is also a very good kit with Poorboy's products (can't link to it due to forum rules).

Sooo you're saying you need help "picking" your packaged??? Have you tried P-Town on the cape?

:D

I hate you so much!!! Oh and I found a great Griots garage package that got good reviews so I think that I will get it.

LOL where ever you post I will find you ;)

Whats the kit? got a link?

i can't link to it since they are not a vendor but it is the:

Griot's Garage 11605STDCRD 6" Machine Polish and Wax Kit

i can't link to it since they are not a vendor but it is the:

Griot's Garage 11605STDCRD 6" Machine Polish and Wax Kit

I would not suggest this. As you probably noted from going over the polishing tutorials, a PC isn't terrible effective with a 6" pad for polishing. Applying LSPs and working AIOs, sure. Griots polishes are not great, either, and the LSPs are worse.

Frankly, if it were me I wouldn't buy a kit. I'd wait a week or two 'till PAC has a 10% off sale, and select the pads and the products individually.

Edit: Going over the thread, I wouldn't suggest the package from DD, either. There's really nothing wrong with it, per say, but I'd hesitant to have a novice work Menzerna products on X paint. There are easier ways to go about this, especially your first time around.

I would not suggest this. As you probably noted from going over the polishing tutorials, a PC isn't terrible effective with a 6" pad for polishing. Applying LSPs and working AIOs, sure. Griots polishes are not great, either, and the LSPs are worse.

Frankly, if it were me I wouldn't buy a kit. I'd wait a week or two 'till PAC has a 10% off sale, and select the pads and the products individually.

Edit: Going over the thread, I wouldn't suggest the package from DD, either. There's really nothing wrong with it, per say, but I'd hesitant to have a novice work Menzerna products on X paint. There are easier ways to go about this, especially your first time around.

You beat me to it. The kit comes with 5.5" pads, not that effective on the PC. If you get PC find a kit with the 4" pads, it'll take you longer but it'll be a better polisher. Like FJF said, if you have to, wait for a sale on the polisher, then get that and the pads separately.

FWIW my first polishes were menzerna, it takes some figuring out before you get it right, but once you do they work nicely, albeit a little pricier than some of the other off the shelf products.

Also, Snir, keep in mind the mitsu paint and clear is pretty thin from the factory, polishing generally isn't something you do before every wax. ;) You'll be out of clearcoat in no time. If you don't have a paint gauge it's hard to say how much paint and clear you have around your car, the only "safe" bet is "not very much". I polish once in the spring and that's it. If I need to do a little maintenance over the summer I will use a very non-aggressive product only for minor swirls.

As a reference point, DI has the PC 4" kit (only one white pad) for 139. You can easily pick up a couple of 4" pads, polish, wax, clay and lube for 250ish total, give or take a few bucks.

If you want, once Jason's done with my PC, give it a shot with the Meguiar's 205 and a green or orange pad, see if it works for you before you decide on a polish. I also let him borrow some 2oz and 4oz samples of other polishes. All about finding the right combo for your color and paint condition.

thanks guys. i actually wasn't planning on doing the polishing too often, just once a year or so. i mostly want the PC for the wax part :) let me see if i can put together a shopping list and will post it here for final review.

Snir don't you have like 3k miles on the car that is garaged? Do you really have any swirl marks yet??

tt, where/what/who is DI?

tt, where/what/who is DI?

Sheff - yeah he has some swirls. I think it comes like that from the factory. :duh:

Snir - Detailed Image. On the western border of MA/NY, usually ships and arrives next day since it's so close. I order from them sometimes.

To be honest, waxing by hand is significantly quicker than with the PC.

Snir don't you have like 3k miles on the car that is garaged? Do you really have any swirl marks yet??


i have 4k miles, the car is not garaged during the summer and while i don't have too many swirl marks, i do have some areas that needs some work (i should thank my shitty dealer for that one).

like i said before, right now what i do is wash the car with Mag Gold Class and then after drying it i go over it with a ICE quick detailer and the results are great (just to show you that my standards are probably not that high). however, after this winter and parking outside, i want to at least clay bar and i want to also apply a good wax and this is where the PC will come in.

Sheff - yeah he has some swirls. I think it comes like that from the factory. :duh:

Snir - Detailed Image. On the western border of MA/NY, usually ships and arrives next day since it's so close. I order from them sometimes.

To be honest, waxing by hand is significantly quicker than with the PC.

really???????? i would imagine that waxing with a machine would be a lot quicker but maybe that only applies to really heavy wax types?

really???????? i would imagine that waxing with a machine would be a lot quicker but maybe that only applies to really heavy wax types?

I've seen it on enough forums, we can have a wax-off. (giggity) You do one side with the PC and I'll do the other by hand. See who wins. :)

Most waxes are very quick to apply/take off by hand. I hate having to stop to add a little more wax to a pad, usually means taking the entire chunk of wax out of the container it comes in and rubbing it against the pad to transfer it. I just find it quicker by hand.

Clay is KING. It's a pain in the ass if you haven't done it in a while but it's still one of the more important things you can do for your paint other than protection. Get those contaminants off, man!

ok, so i think that i will just buy a wax now and some pads and give it a shot without the PC and worst comes to worst, just add a PC down the road. now, which wax should i buy? i hear good things about the Poorboy's but i also heard great things about the Pinnacle and p21s. also, for pads i am assuming i should just go with regular lake country red pads?

P21S makes a decent wax, can't go wrong. Pinnacle's (Souveran anyway) is expensive and isn't very durable, but has a great shine to it. I haven't used Poorboy's. I've also recently been using Chemical Guys Pete's 53 which isn't bad either.

Lake country red foam pads work fine for the job. You really only need one. The P21S container is a little smaller than the pad which is annoying, but it comes with an applicator the right size for the container. ;)

A couple good microfiber towels go a long way. Make sure to get good quality ones, no tags if possible (DI has them tagless) and wash them before first use to get all the lint and dust out from manufacturing. Dry them without dryer sheets.

alright, so after reading all of the above and looking at about 1000 websites, i think that i have the perfect solution: TT come detail my car!!!!!! NOW!!!!! :)

here is what i have in my shopping cart:

1) P21s 100% wax
2) P21S bodywork Shampoo
3) CCS red wax applicator pads

and some other random shit that i need like towels, brushes and crap to clean my rims with.

LOL! I've never used the P21S shampoo. FJF?

alright, so after reading all of the above and looking at about 1000 websites, i think that i have the perfect solution: TT come detail my car!!!!!! NOW!!!!! :)

here is what i have in my shopping cart:

1) P21s 100% wax
2) P21S bodywork Shampoo
3) CCS red wax applicator pads

and some other random shit that i need like towels, brushes and crap to clean my rims with.

Not great, considering what you're after. As we can't post links, it's not easy to make individual product recommendations. If you want to list the exact product categories you're interested in, I'd be happy to make some specific suggestions.

As for applying LSPs with a PC, for me, it depends. Most of the time I like to apply hard waxes by hand. It's a tactile, personal preference thing. Usually takes ~15-20 minutes to do an Evo. With liquids, I vacillate between the machine and doing by hand. If I'm really hopping and working with an easily spreadable sealant, for sample, I can do an Evo in ~10 minutes with a PC and a gold pad.

pm sent dude!

thanks to FJF and TT, i think that i picked up the right package for me. i ended up with the Duragloss #105 TPP along the bonding agent and the wet wax which should give me a very durable coating :) i also bought a bunch of other things for my wheels, interior etc. but i am looking forward to trying this combo on my car.

Congrats! Let us know when you get going, and if you have questions.

Nice!! Can't wait to see how it comes out.

Congrats! Let us know when you get going, and if you have questions.


will do bro and thanks again for all your help!!

Nice!! Can't wait to see how it comes out.

what do you mean can't wait to see how it comes out, you will be the one using it ;)

... i picked up the right package for me....

Nice!! Can't wait to see how it comes out.


what do you mean can't wait to see how it comes out, you will be the one using it ;)

o_O orly?

o_O orly?

I thought that said "ORALLY?"

I thought that said "ORALLY?"

HAHAHAHAHAHAAH :bowlol:

I thought that said "ORALLY?"

ahahahahaha