Dennis C

How does this "true professional tool" accomplish the same job in 1/2 or 1/3 the time of a Porter Cable or Griot's unit? I'm curious... this sounds like quite a claim...

MoeMistry

Very easy...torque.

A true dual-action pattern is both a side-to-side and an orbital pattern. If you press down on the PC or Griot's machine, you lose the circular motion and are basically going side-to-side. The flex does this by having an 11.5 amp motor, where the PC has 4.5, and Griot's has 7 amps.

If budget is an issue, then the griot's is the way to go. If you want a quality tool that won't be obsolete and your time is worth money, then FLEX is the clear choice.

If you've ever compared a flex to any other machine, side by side, the only reason you'd chose any other DA would be cost.

gu9cci

+1 for Moe Mistry.Guys take advice from one of the best in business and get what you pay for!!!

larry47us

Moe,

I hear what you're saying, but I think that you are overstating the case. Just as in any profession, there are people that do things right, and people that do them wrong. In the case of detailing, just spending a lot of money doesn't guarantee a great job, just as paying less doesn't guarantee a lousy one. There is another issue here, too, and it's that we really don't know what condition OP's paint is in. Hearing a description doesn't do it justice.

I don't pretend to be an expert on paint protection, nor on paint jobs. But I have had a bit of experience caring for a single stage paint job on Kermit, and I now am caring for the paint on my 2001 Turbo. The detail that I had done on my car cost me $255, and took the detailer 5 - 6 hours. You can take a look at the thread I posted a week or two ago about the detail I had done. I looked closely at the paint after, with a bright, single bulb, hand held light, and saw that the swirls had been removed. BTW, I disagree that fluorescent lights are the best way to see swirls. I think that a single bulb provides a single reflective source to allow you to see swirls and holograms. Fluorescent lights just make that more difficult, IMHO (and in the opinion of my detailer.)

One thing that people don't realize is that they can do significant damage to their paint just by washing their car! Embedded grit in the soapy mitt will create swirls just as a stiff, hard (gritty) towel can create swirls when drying. (and by the way, if you EVER drop your mitt, or a towel on the ground while you are washing, drying, polishing or waxing your car - DISCARD IT - put it in the "to be washed" tub. You will NEVER be able to shake the grit out of it. You will scratch the finish of your car - Guaranteed.)

I am still learning, but after having my car detailed this spring, I am learning how to wash it, and dry it (and getting the proper tools - buckets with Grit Guards, microfiber towels, a soapy mitt and a light touch) so that I don't damage the paint in the process.

Maybe some day I'll get a polisher. For right now, I will wash the car by hand, pull it into the garage and wax it by hand, and once a year take it to someone who will polish out the paint maybe yearly, maybe every other year. So far, I love the way the car looks. BTW, here's the link to my detailer's website showing the damage to paint, and the "after" once he has fixed it. Lustr Detailing

larry

Quadcammer

honestly if you aren't washing your car with sand paper, a porter cable with the correct pad should deliver excellent swirl removal. You may not get rid of all the RIDs, but you'll have excellent looking paint.

I like my PC with meguiars line of "ultimate" products...ie. ultimate compound, polish and wax.

The flex is great, but the PC will get the job done.

FLY996

Some of the decision-making process has to do with the color of the car....I see that the OP has a dark color car (Midnight Blue?). A darker color car like that will show swirls and RIDS more easily than silver or white. This means he will need higher capability in the polisher to reduce the imperfections. As Moe recommended, the Flex in this case would be the way to go. A darker color also means a need to polish more often (probably 2-3 times per year) therefore the economics of doing it yourself are more appealing.

Van

Looking at the Flex, there's no doubt in my mind that it's better - the same way Snap-on tools are better than Craftsman... use them side-by-side and you'll see a difference.

Like Moe said, it comes down to budget and the level of finish you're looking for.

I've had fantastic results with the PC. For a great looking street driver, i think it hits the spot. A friend of mine had an old oxidized 924 - in a day we turned it into a different car. But, it's still a 924 that's getting driven year round. Not a Pebble Beach winner.

jpowers

Van,

That looks great, do you make house calls to the PNW?

I've got a well stocked manfridge...

larry47us

Van -- Well done. You can sure see the difference.

congrats on the result - all the work paid off in spades (wait - spades are black) paid off in diamonds.

larry

Quadcammer

I'm not sure I like the snap on-craftsman comparison.

With snap on and craftsman, when you're done, the bolts are just as tight with either one. One may feel higher quality, and slightly more convenience (less angle on ratchet/ratcheting wrenches), but the end result is the same.


The flex will be faster, and should allow more defect correction.

That said, for the average DIYer, the PC will still get the paint looking great.

BostonDuce

Flex XC3401 is the way. It rotates as well as orbits. Make corrections faster and retains the safety factor of the pure orbital.

Clean foam pads-one cutting, one finishing. Mezerna PO106ff then PO85RD, or Meguiars 105/ 205 and finish with Cquartz or Opticoat.

For about $400.00 from scratch, you won't have to touch it again for years.

BD

MoeMistry

The reason why I recommend the flex is, consumer psychology as well. We're all Porsche-heads here. That already says a lot about us. I personally will buy the best I can afford because I hate buying something only to have to replace it down the road because I cheaped out. My job, as a fellow enthusiast and a sponsor, is to educate and inform you guys. I cannot tell you how many clients we get that once they see us demo a flex at our clinics or events, and simply kick themself for not spending an extra $150 for the flex. At the end, that's it. There are times when the best is simply out of our reach due to finance. In this case, for most of us, an extra $150 is not out of reach. Even if it is, save a few bucks every week and buy it when you have enough....you won't be sorry.

We sponsored a few other forums and the demographic was different. I'm use to sponsoring a forum, giving members solid advice, then seeing those serious about detailing simply call us or go on our site and place the order. Well, on the other forums, people were very price sensitive so we decided to bring on the PC 7424XP because I figured it was better than the old model and it was about $150 cheaper than the flex. What a mistake that was. Not only was I not impressed with the new PC, I really was excited to use it, but we sat on those things for almost a year. And I bought 20 of them! The point is, there's no substitute for quality, performance, and value. The flex gives you much better VALUE. Faster polishing time, noticeable result difference, more durable, more quiet, less vibration, etc.

We can go back and forth on this, but like I said, I'm here to inform. The PC is a great tool...don't get me wrong. I used it for years before the flex. But I value my time and am OCD and want the best results. The PC is just not capable of removing major imperfections. For the avg. DIY detailer that wants to step it up from hand, PC is great.

The big picture here is that we're all passionate about our cars. We spent almost 2 days detailing my wife's Cayenne a few weeks ago. It had the typical dealer scratches from when we picked it up new. If you want the best, ask the pros what they use on their cars as well. We used a combination of a Makita, rotary, and the flex. We use the flex practically EVERY day. The amount of use we put on a flex in 1 month, you guys will do in a lifetime. I still have my first flex, and use it weekly, from 2008.

In the end, no mater what machine you go with, take some before/after pictures, post them here for all of us to admire, and enjoy your Porsche

MoeMistry

Thank you Sir

I think our honest feedback, informative advice, and dependable results easily achieved following our advice, makes it easy to see why we're successful. Thanks for the kind words.

francars

Moe

What will be the price range for a proper paint correction on a 12 year old car? I know it depends on the color and condition but assuming is in decent shape. Just wondered. I have been debating on getting an orbital and tackle it myself as I do like working on my cars but am afraid I might burn the paint? I have had other 'detailers' do minor detail on my car with very poor results if you know what I mean.

Thanks

MoeMistry

Great questions. I love Porsche paint and it's my favorite to work on because it is so durable and predictable. 60% of all the cars we detail are Porsche, so we've perfected the technique.

Heavy swirls and imperfection -

Polish - Menzerna Super Intensive and Super Finish
Pads- GP Purple Wool, GP CCS Orange Foam, GP CCS White Foam

Medium swirls and imperfection -

Polish - Menzerna Super Intensive and Super Finish
Pads- GP Yellow Foam, GP CCS Orange Foam, GP CCS White Foam

Light/Medium swirls and imperfection -

Polish - Menzerna Super Intensive and Super Finish
Pads- GP CCS Orange Foam, GP CCS White Foam

If using a PC, Griot's, or Flex, not impossible, buy highly unlikely to burn the paint.

Hope this helps.