AndyLyman

iTrader: (1)

After looking at various photos of peoples cars that have been polished with a porter cable I am thinking of getting one... however as they are 120 v and our power is 240...

Where in the UK is the best place to purchase 1 from including the step down transformer and spare pads etc...

Are they easy to use?, is it possible for a novice to damage the paint and end up having more swirls than when you stated?

cheers

Andy

russell hayward

Step down available from Screwfix

Have a word with Rich at Polished Bliss and he will advise you which product is best for your car and which pads you may need.

They are very easy to use, and very effective. You won't do any damage, assuming you follow the easy instructions.

frayz

iTrader: (7)

^^^ What he said

Clean and Shiny

As for the porter cable itself you can get that from Autopia over in the USA they are very very quick with service (last one we ordered at 4.30pm on Friday and it arrived at 10am on the following Tuesday! )

Heres a link to the item itself... Porter Cable

Oh, and if you use the code INTERNATIONAL you will get a further 15% discount

HTH

Johnny

AndyLyman

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the replies guys......

So If I was to order one from the USA how much would it cost me inc duty charges?

Also is there a power supply that you can buy in the UK that you just plug the porter cable into or do I have to chop the plug off?

cheers

Andy

russell hayward

Mine was around £110 delivered, no duty was payable, that did include the discount as well.

You need a transformer from Screwfix or suchlike, and you need to cut the US plug off and wire in a new one, very easy.

Plug is here :- http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...54028&id=19947

Transformer is here :- http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...16087&id=73851

Obvioously you can get them elsewhere, but you need to ensure you have the right rating.

russell hayward

Just to tempt you even more, from this :--




to this:-

AndyLyman

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the reply Russell.. great job there.. you have convinced me to get one.....

For anyone else that is looking at getting a porter cable and wanting to know about changing the plug.. there is a guide on how to do this here...

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2278

Andy

scoobyverysoon

iTrader: (1)

- WOW that looks like its been repainted!!

What setup did you use i.e which pads polish wax etc

as currently I use the following By hand until I get the PC

meguairs gold wash (2 bucket method)
megs clay bar
megs body scrub
megs scratch x
then 2 coats of megs gold class left for about an hour inbetween

once I get the PC when I am in the states I will be trying a few different setups I just need an Idea of wht to use as theres so much choice

regards

Justin

russell hayward

I used Menzerna Final Polish 2 with a white pad, then C/kote Red Moose Glaze with a black pad, then C/kote Carnuba wax over the top by hand (2 coats).

The bootlid was done by hand in about 4 minutes, bit too small for the porter.

I was advised on which products to use by Rich at Polished Bliss. He actually advised to use some other products for the car above, but as it is not mine I used the ones I bought for my own car.

I dread to think how good it would look if I had used the correct ones !

To be fair, once you have removed the swirls, the glaze/waxes you use are a matter of preference depending on what sort of gloss you want. While I was doing that car, I did test some other expensive carnuba wax I have, and I couldnt differentiate between that and the C/kote wax. I will be doing a bit more testing to see which one lasts the longest.

Speak to Rich, he will sort you out anyway.

scoobyverysoon

iTrader: (1)

Thanks - Ive spoken to him and he has sort of put me on the right path - the Menzerna Final Polish 2 with a white pad is only a polish isnt it? did that get the swirls out? also is the white pad is the std pad that comes with the PC? if so pretty damn good results.

regards

Justin

Rich @ PB

iTrader: (3)

The standard pad that comes with the PC is not really any good, and best left in the box - it has a fixed spindle which makes cleaning a pain. What you need is a flexible backing plate to which the vecro backed pads can be easily attached and removed. The Menzerna Final Polish II will get minor swirls out of soft paints, but Intensive Polish will be needed for more serious defects and harder paints. Both are fine for use with the PC.