ckabee1

Hi all, I recent bought an 86.5 Indi Red 928. She looks good from a distance, up to about 5 feet. As you get closer, the paint imperfections become more apparent (swirl marks, scratches, spider webbing, etc). I purchased a couple of Meguires' products Machine Glaze #3 and Polymer Sealant #20, along with some mcrofiber towels and buffing pads.

Washed and waxed until my shoulders ached, and while she looked better, was not as I expected. So, I guess I need to step up to a machine.

I've been placed on a temporary spending freeze, so a $140 PC is not an option at this time. While browsing Homedepot, I noticed a Ryobi 6 inch and 10 inch random orbital buffer for $20 and $25, respectively.

My questions are: does anyone have any experience/opinions of either product? Can I expect better results with the meguires stuff with either the 6 or 10 inch Ryobi? Or should I just wait and fork out $$$ for a porter cable? Any other tips on how I can make my Indi Red baby shine?

Thank you in advance.

Anthony Orosco

Hello,

Both machines work on the same basic principle.....a large oscillating pad applies your polish or wax to the paint finish. While they can't perform major paint correction that can give you much better results then just your hand alone because your hand tires out quickly....as you've noticed

The PC would be the better choice so if you personally can wait I would then skip the Ryobi and wait for the PC. If you want something better than the PC then you can get a Cyclo...but it's also about $150.00 more !

Anthony

dyazdani

I agree with Anthony - I bought a buffer a few years ago like the one you mention. It's not a Ryobi, but I suspect very similar. It doesn't really work that well IMHO. In fact, I quit using it after one or two tries and went back to old fashioned elbow grease.

MoeMistry

Wait and save for the PC. Then get some lake country pads, good polishes like Menzerna or Optimum, and then see the results. Don't waste your time.

ckabee1

Thanks for the replys.

The answers are somewhat what I expected, but I wanted to ask anyway. I have read a lot of good things re the optimum line, so I will give them a try with LC pads. I hate to waste money, so I will hold out for the PC.

My birthday is next month...

perfectlap

detailcity.com has a monthly newsletter you can sign up for and they will send you a coupon code for a 10% discount on your PC, flexible backing pads and some nice velcro pads.

ckabee1

^thanks for the tip!

Jerome Craig

Lowes has the PC for around $100 IIRC... that's where I bought mine. Best money I ever spent, and the LC pads are great.

TOGWT

A random orbital buffer (Porter-Cable) + Lake County CCS foam pad will not be a waste of money (check out the Autopia souped up version?)

ckabee1

TOGWT - Sorry, I did not mean the Porter-Cable would be a waste of money, just the Ryobi version. I have read so many positives about the combo you referred to, but there are other things on my car I need to fix/replace before spending $$$ on appearance. And the appearance is okay for now.

I was just wondering if the Ryobi would be a suitable (cheaper) replacement that would yield acceptable results. But like most things in life, you get what you pay for.

Now, once the paint is in good condition, the Ryobi may be good for applying wax/polish when correction is not needed. It would be cool if one could rent the Porter-Cable for paint correction and then go with something smaller strictly for application and removal.

dyazdani

That's what I was using it for when I went back to hand application/removal. YMMV