HAND Wax or Power tools?
Joined: 09-28-2010
Posts: 6
From: Nor Cal
I've been detailing as a hobby over 25 years. Up until about 2007 I always did cars by hand. Then I decided to try a buffer. I bought the Porter Cable 7424 random buffer. To damage the paint you would have to seriously ATTEMPT to do it.
This machine is perfect for the beginner or pro.
Something a lot of people don't realize is that most waxes FILL in the swirls. They don't remove them. That is why you see them again after one or two washes.
In order to remove them you need a polish. The new polishes out have micro beads that break down as you polish. This reduces any hazing to minimum if any at all.
Personally I use the Menzerna line of products and love it.
The bike in my signature is a riding bike yet over 5 years I have placed no lower than second in 10 bike shows! She has 40k hard riding miles on her. There are some scars that only repainting will fix but the paint is spectacular!
This machine is perfect for the beginner or pro.
Something a lot of people don't realize is that most waxes FILL in the swirls. They don't remove them. That is why you see them again after one or two washes.
In order to remove them you need a polish. The new polishes out have micro beads that break down as you polish. This reduces any hazing to minimum if any at all.
Personally I use the Menzerna line of products and love it.
The bike in my signature is a riding bike yet over 5 years I have placed no lower than second in 10 bike shows! She has 40k hard riding miles on her. There are some scars that only repainting will fix but the paint is spectacular!
Joined: 09-28-2010
Posts: 6
From: Nor Cal
I've got some time on my hands lately so I decided to do a good old fashioned hand wax of my HHR. I bought some Turtle wax & I'm off! The HHR Panel has some large panels
so I'm doing it one section at a time. It's hot outside so I'm waxing the car in the cool of my garage. The hood was still warm so I started at the right front fender. It's amazing how much sweat & effort it takes to do a hand-wax but the results are amazing! The feel tells all. When you run your hand over an un-waxed panel, it feels all greasy, dirty & rough but when you touch the waxed panel, it feels silky smooth 
Moving around the car, the last part I got to was the hood. In my opinion it is the most important part of the car as it always gets there first
. I did a careful job & it came out great. I still have to do the bumpers, running boards & under the hood & interior paint areas but overall I am impressed with the outcome so far. A freshly waxed black car looks so good!Here is the dilema: Last year, I took my HHR to a proffesional
Detail Shop. I had them pop out any small dents they could find & do a real good wax job. I wanted my car to have a smooth body! And I didnt want to do it myself. When I picked up my HHR the guy starts telling me about all the trouble he had with the hood. I look & it's got these BIG swirl marks in the finish. He says he had to buff & re-buff the hood & he still could not get these ugly swirl marks out of the finish. He says he's never had this trouble waxing a car before, yadda- yadda. He even dropped the Wax charge from $100.00 to $90.00 because he felt bad about the swirl marks.What a crock! I did a simple hand-wax & the swirl marks are gone. Hmmm? I think I'll be detailing my HHR myself from now on!
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: 05-13-2009
Posts: 466
From: Western North Carolina
Senior Member
Joined: 04-16-2009
Posts: 124
From: Georgia
I agree with everyone that has mentioned the porter cable 7424 polisher. I have hand polished for many years and finally decided to make the switch to machine polishing.
I love the Adam's Polishes stuff (made in the USA) and finally purchased a Porter Cable 7424XP. I'm in love. The polishing is so much easier. I wish I would have switched years ago. And as was mentioned earlier, the 7424XP is sooooo easy to use. No worries about burning paint. Just use some caution around the rubber seals and the angle changes in the body.
I love the Adam's Polishes stuff (made in the USA) and finally purchased a Porter Cable 7424XP. I'm in love. The polishing is so much easier. I wish I would have switched years ago. And as was mentioned earlier, the 7424XP is sooooo easy to use. No worries about burning paint. Just use some caution around the rubber seals and the angle changes in the body.
Senior Member
Joined: 12-14-2007
Posts: 2,964
From: Toronto ON Canada
Senior Member
Joined: 12-14-2007
Posts: 2,964
From: Toronto ON Canada
