Okay, I finally bit the bullet and ordered my PC7424 yesterday. So far, my current vehicles have only been cared for by hand, and while my MCS is not very exhausting to polish up, my wife's SS is!

So, for those of you who have been using the 7424 for some time now, it's time for 20 questions - well, maybe not 20, but a handful anyway!

What backing plate do you use (flexible/non-flexible)?
Do you prefer the flat pads or the curved edge pads?
What pads do you prefer the most (brand and function)?
What's the best price you've found them for and where?
Do you use Snappy Clean and the conditioning brush to wash up your pads and keep them like new?

I've noticed there are a lot of places to get the Lake Country pads and the prices do vary quite a bit.

Any other information would be appreciated as well!

 

I use the Sonus SFX line of pads. (Which I think are really LC) They also have a cheaper DAS line but i am of the type to spend the extra buck on the better product.

 

1. MEGUIARS is the backing plate you need.
2. Flat pads all from MEGUIARS. They offer three or four different kinds, (polishing, cutting, buffing etc...)
3. MEGUIARS PADS and Ultimate Bonnets for Buffing.
4. Price depends where you live mate.
5. To clean the pads all you need is a solid tooth brush and you're good to go.

Your best bet would have been to get the MEGUIARS PC G/100 as it has a LIFETIME WARRANTY. Its the same as the Porter Cable 7424, as the G100 is made by Porter Cable, the only difference is that it has MEGUIARS name on it and comes with LIFETIME WARRANTY. And depending where you live you can get some SOLID COMBO/PACKAGES deal for like 250 or so with the G100 and tons of product.

PM me for more info.

cheers

GOODLUCK

 

First if you don't own this video yet, get it:
http://store.northamericanmotoring.c...&cat=10&page=1

re: Backing Plates
I've used both the flexible Sonus one and the rigid Meguiar's one. I think the Sonus is a good plate to learn on, but the Meguiar's plate takes less effort. A flexible plate means it better conforms to the MINIs curves, but also tends to feel like it requires more effort to use.

While I was a big proponent of the Sonus plate during my first few years of learning the PC, I've switched back and prefer the stiffer Meguiar's backing plate.

re: Pads
In the Meguiar's system, you have 3 pads to choose from. Really only 2 are usable for buffing.
The yellow W8006 is the one you'll use all the time
The tan W9006 is for applying a final polish/wax
The burgundy W7006 cutting pad is used as a base for putting a MF bonnet over. With the PC, you'll rarely use the W7006 pad. With the rotary, I use that pad a lot.

I buy all my supplies from Ricky Myers at www.AutoDetailingSolutions.com
He offers outstanding service at highly discounted prices.

Richard

 

My 7424 arrived yesterday, and the pads I ended up ordering are due to arrive today.

Due to a severe lack of patience on my part, (it was never a virtue I ever waited around long enough to find out if I have), after surfing around for quite some time, I ended up purchasing a 'sampler' set of Lake Country VC pads (the VC stands for Variable Contact). Here's a shot of the package:



The pads are normally about $10-15 each depending on where you buy them, but the place I ended up ordering from (www.topoftheline.com) had the sampler pack for $53.70, or $8.95 per pad. This includes 6 pads, or 1 of each one they make. I'm sure I won't be using the yellow pad, and I may start out with the green and skip the orange as well. Here is their info on the pads:
Yellow & Orange Cutting: Designed for moderate oxidation, scratches and acid rain damage. Use with medium cutting prdoducts: (paint levelers and compounds) Yellow is more aggressive than Orange.
Green & White Polishing: Designed for light oxidation, scratches and surface swirls. Use with light cutting products: (polishes, swirl removers, pre-wax cleaners) Green is more aggressive than White.
Black & Blue Finishing: Designed for final prep & surface protection products. Use with light one-step cleaner/waxes, glazes, paste waxes and polymer sealants. Blue is the finest texture and has no cleaning ability.

Here's a shot of a VC pad on the 7424. I like how the backing plate is sunk down a bit into the pad:


And here's a shot of the profile of the VC pad:



The benefit of the VC pad according to the site, is that you can "roll" the pads as you travel across uneven surfaces, and that they're "sloped toward the edge and have a cavity in the center. The cavity keeps cleaners from slinging out."

Anyway, if anyone else has used these pads and has also used the regular flat pads, I'd love to hear your thoughts/comments/comparison of the two kinds.

 

I wish I knew how to use those machines.

 

Yeah....and I ***HOPE*** I do!

Seriously, I've used a 10" orbital buffer/polisher before, so I'm confident enough that I'll be okay with this one...I'll just take it nice and easy! While the design is very very different from a two-handled 10" model, the concept, I'm sure is the same.

I am surprised at the weight of the 7424 though - I didn't expect it to feel as heavy as it is, relatively speaking.

 

yeah seirously order the video and you'll learn so much.

cheers

 

Got my pads as expected yesterday, but now I'm debating if perhaps I should have just ordered 3 or 4 pads and skipped the whole package deal since I probably won't be using the most aggressive 1 or 2 pads. It would probably be better to have a couple of the others.

Guess my lack of patience got the best of me! Oh well!