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How much time do you spend with the PC?

Old Jun 16, 2008 | 07:38 PM
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How much time do you spend with the PC?

I am planning to get a PC and in my search found this promo on Pinnacle products and use of a PC. I was surprised with the time it took to do a 2 foot section. I am sure the results are far better than doing it manually. I was under the impression that the use of a PC would cut my detailing time to an hour or two.

How much time does it take you to detail? Here's the Pinnacle promo I found in this forum - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89323lmQ2LI
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Old Jun 17, 2008 | 08:03 AM
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Originally Posted by fctC230
I am planning to get a PC and in my search found this promo on Pinnacle products and use of a PC. I was surprised with the time it took to do a 2 foot section. I am sure the results are far better than doing it manually. I was under the impression that the use of a PC would cut my detailing time to an hour or two.

How much time does it take you to detail? Here's the Pinnacle promo I found in this forum - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89323lmQ2LI
I always used to do my car detailing by hand... typically just wash and a coat or two of wax (i.e. meguiar's nxt). I now use a PC, that I got just recently (have done two details with it so far).

Using the PC with a liquid wax would be faster than by hand - you'd just be trying to spread it evenly on a low setting (i.e. 3 or 4). So, apples to apples, it would be faster.

The "problem" is , you now have a tool that can effectively correct some paint flaws, so you (probably) would want to try and take advantage of that. Which means "wash, clay, cutting polish, finishing polish, seal and/or wax" - this, naturally, does take longer... but yields phenomenal results. Ballpark, though, you're talking several hours to detail your car's exterior - versus maybe an hour to wash and throw on a quick coat of wax... so it is a meaningful difference.

My recommendation to you - talk to Greg @ Detailed Image... he'll help you decide what's best for your situation. Good luck!
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Old Jun 17, 2008 | 09:28 AM
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c32AMG-DTM hit the nail on the head. For comparable results to a hand application of a wax you could definitely use the PC and move faster. The PC can give you several thousand oscillations per minute (OPMs), where as a hand application it's difficult to stay in the hundreds. To get equal results between a hand application and buffer application you would have to move very fast with the PC because it's so much more efficient.

The increased OPMs (2300 - 6000 depending on what speed you select) greatly increases your ability to work in a product and spread it evenly. The PC 7424 main advantage over hand applications is for applying polishes. Polishes require more heat and pressure to break down compared to a wax and the buffer really excels here. This is the step where you want to definitely slow down and really work the polish in. You can experiment with working a little faster and you'll still get good results but they were demonstrating something closer to perfection. I prefer to move it fairly slow on the polishing steps. With a glaze, sealant and liquid wax I move slightly faster and do less passes. In my opinion it's whatever works best for you and what you are comfortable with.

Let me know if you would like help selecting some products that will work best for you. If you talk about your goals (shine, protection, swirl removal, etc) I'll be sure to tailor the package to your needs. I hope this helps and I look forward to hearing from you.

Greg @ Detailed Image
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Old Jun 19, 2008 | 07:08 PM
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C230
Thanks Greg.
I first want to get a PC, then would like your recomendation. I will PM you.
Frank
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Old Jun 20, 2008 | 11:07 AM
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Originally Posted by fctC230
Thanks Greg.
I first want to get a PC, then would like your recomendation. I will PM you.
Frank
I had used a PC for close to 15 years and recently switched to a Flex DA machine--- the difference is night and day. It has cut the time for a full detail on my black SL55 almost in half. The correction ability of the Flex is much better than the PC and it is still almost error free. Look into it; it is more ex[pensive, granted, but the difference is worth it.
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Old Jun 20, 2008 | 12:45 PM
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Originally Posted by fctC230
Thanks Greg.
I first want to get a PC, then would like your recomendation. I will PM you.
Frank
Sounds good I look forward to helping you complete an outstanding detail!

Originally Posted by lkirchner
I had used a PC for close to 15 years and recently switched to a Flex DA machine--- the difference is night and day. It has cut the time for a full detail on my black SL55 almost in half. The correction ability of the Flex is much better than the PC and it is still almost error free. Look into it; it is more ex[pensive, granted, but the difference is worth it.
I agree the PC is fantastic and is probably the easiest and safest buffer around that still is effective. However the Flex is far more powerful while still pretty easy and safe to use. If you want perfection and can afford it this is also a great option.

Greg @ Detailed Image
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