I just bought a porter cable 7424 polisher and used mequiar's consumer line on it (can't get the pro line). I used setting 3 on the polisher for the cleaner, polish and wax--single coat each. It turned out slightly "deeper" then hand jobbing it . Should I use a different speed setting? more coats of any product? also I only used the polisher to apply; and removed the products by hand with a mf towel.. any suggestions?

 

Though I have the pro stuff, I started out with the consumer line, and did a coat of the "cleaner" on my wife's car and a coat of the polish on both her car and my truck, all on the "4" setting. Like you, I only applied them with the PC...buffed them off by hand. Used the polishing pad of course.

I apply and buff wax by hand. At this point, not sure what the heck I bought the finishing pads for now...

 

I do full on for polishes and 3 for waxes..

 

I used dad's this past week, and used setting 5 for polish ( a level 2 polish ) and the same setting for wax. It turned out pretty good with this setting :
https://www.f150online.com/galleries...2028-88915.jpg

Classic Motoring Accessories says to use 3.5 to 4 for all items ( swirl and scratch removal, polishing and waxing ).

On my Cyclo that I normally use, it is single speed 3,200 OPM.
The PC is 2,500 to 6,000 OPM with the range on the dial.

So I would have to guess that 99.99 % of my work is done with what would be the equivelant dial setting of 3 to 3.25 ??
( I only use Dad's PC when I am doing my motorocycles with the single 3.5" backup plate and a 4" pad from my Cyclo ).

Hope it helps somewhat ??

Good luck

 

Forgot another item here. What is the full process that you are using ?

It should be :
1. Wash
1.1. I use dawn at the start of every year, overdose of car soap *should* do the same thing is what I have read.
2. Clay
2.1. Go until there is no grit feeling in the paint anywhere.
3. Polish
3.1. first time on a clean slate I do 2 or 3 coats. If you are just doing this for the first time, you might need to do 3 or 4 coats. This is what creates the mirror finish under the wax. If you short cut here the depth of the paint will be minimized. In the consumer line this might be called a pre-wax cleaner ?? The best bet is to order up some # 81 online, and use it with #26 if you are sticking with Meguiars products.
4. Wax
4.1. I go with at least 2 coats. One key to layering this is to use the correct pad. If you use the Lake Country pads, this is the Grey pad, not the white one for polishing. The pad type ( cut action ) can actually remove the last coat of wax you put on, only resulting in wasting time. This is what you would see if you only have Lake Country white pads.

So pad choice and product will have some impact on the finish as much as which speed you use.
I have tried the Meguiars pads, and don't care for them. The ones I used were the W8000 and the W9000 for what was to be the equivalent of the Lake Country White and Grey pads. ( polish & wax ).

Good luck, let us know what you wind up with.

 

Sorry, I should of elaborated;

wash with Mequiar's fun time soap (the pretty smelling one)
clay
Meguiar's deep crystal cleaner wax (step 1)
d/c polish (step 2)--will try using multiple coats
d/c wax (step 3)--2 coats
final detail when required

I'll contact Lake Country after the long weekend and see if they ship to the north (you know, the red headed step child of the America's , called Canada).

 

The Lake Country pads can be had any number of online places.
The ones that CMA ( www.properautocare.com ) are OEM branded Lake Country pads. The other major sites also sell the Lake Country pads, either OEM'd or still with the Lake Country name on them. www.topoftheline.com also sells them.

There are 2 sizes for the pads, 6" or 7.5" both use the 6" backing plate. I have tried both, and actually perfer the 7.5" pad, due to the shape of it. The edges are beveled and the backing plate is resessed into the pad. The actualy material of the pad are the same.
I forget the name of the other site that Boss uses. They also have the Lake Country pads.

I don't know how well the products that you are using work, using a cleaner wax prior to a polish seems a bit wrong to me. You are having to remove the wax that was put on in step one with the polish, and if the pad or the polish are not that abrasive, then it could take multiple passes to get the wax off the paint, to let the polish do it's job. This could be a case of 1 or 2 coats of polish to get the wax off from step 1, then you would be starting on the passes to actually polish the paint. ??? Just a swag at what is going on, never tried it myself.
Maybe while you are ordering the Lake Country pads from one of the sites, order up some polish ( like #81 ) and some #26 if you are sticking with Meguiars.

Good luck

 

I have the same Porter-Cable but use the Meguiar's Professional and Gold Class (wax). I started out setting it at just under 5 but I've found that 4 1/4 works great for everything.