Should I purchase Adam's Basic PC Kit
 

When I first got my 370z I washed, clay bared and then waxed. This yielded a smooth and shiny finish that I was happy with.

Yesterday while dropping my car off to get the audio system installed I noticed some very light swirls that were only visible in direct sunlight from certain angles. Me being OCD, I decided that I have to do something about this. So before I take a leap of faith and purchase Adams basic PC kit, I have several questions:

1) Would purchasing this kit be overkill for light swirls? If so, what are my other purchasing options to cure this condition?

2) Being that I've already clay bared and waxed my car, will I have to clay it again before polishing the swirls out and sealing it?

3) How long do the materials for this kit last? I have several other cars I'd probably detail?

4) Lastly, not being familiar with polishing, what are my chances of damaging my paint?

Thanks in advance for your responses!

honestly... detailing for me is a hobby and I really enjoy making my car look good... everyone has different ideas about it.

First, your chances of burning the paint with a PC are pretty much none unless you hold the PC there for about 10 minutes in the same spot and even then it might not burn it. There are plenty of videos out there to show you how to buff a car.

The PC (porter cable) however isn't extremely powerful... I started out with one, but later on also bought a Flex polisher which has much more torque but is still safe... you just have to keep the buffer moving, be patient and let it do it's job.

You also have to know things such as which pad and polish to use for which type of paint condition.

I do not own a single adam's item... i'm sure they're good, but remember that everyone out there will claim their product is best.

What I suggest is that you join autopia.org and ask the same questions you did here. There are real professional detailers there... better than anything you've seen on this site that will know the very best route for you to go.

Some people on here represent certain companies and try to promote their product, which is ok ... but that doesn't mean that you have to pay a lot of money for a certain type of kit when you may find that some pro's might know of better products that are a bit cheaper.

just my 2 cents.

You didn't "hand polish" , before waxing?

I did not. After the clay bar I went straight to the wax.

The PC is what most beginners use man... i'd probably go with that and then later step up to a Flex for more power.... like I said though, get on autopia.org there are guys on there that just do fabulous work.

Joined the site and posted my question. Thanks for the heads up!

If you're OCD about your car's finish, you need a Porter-Cable kit. Adam's system is a great place to start, better than most and about the same price. I had light swirls too. They come out with the PC, but the thing that really makes the car shine is the Fine Machine Polish. Putting whatever wax over THAT polished shine is what really makes it pop. The results really are impressive.

But...you have to view it as a hobby in itself. Otherwise you'll never be able to justify the hours it takes and the $500 (and up) that it costs.

In my opinion i would go with the starter kit, it is one up on the basic but come with some products to clean your pads along with the best grade towels. What makes this purchase better at this point in time is the 15% fathers day sale and i am not 100% sure but i think you can add Junkmans promo code and get another 10% making that 25% off.

If you want to REMOVE swirl marks then a machine is a must... you simply can't do it by hand. Think of it in terms of speed alone... the PC will oscillate up to 6800 times per minute, using our pad you have a contact patch around 6.5" and the machine can maintain that speed and contact indefinitely allowing you to work products to their full potential in order to remove the defects in the clear coat.

On the other "hand" (pun intended) if you work with just the power of you achieving even 60 oscillations per minute would take a few cases of redbull, a gallon of coffee, and heavy recreational drug use :D That doesn't take into consideration the inconsistencies of the speed/pressure/contact area, etc. Also understand that if the swirls are extremely light like you described you may not need to go the full range of polishes... a couple of passes of Fine Machine Polish on the white pad may be enough to get you the desired result.

If a car is already flawless then working by hand is fine, but if you're trying to get to flawless (or close) you're gonna need a machine to do it. The great part is that its extremely easy to learn... if you haven't yet, check out AK's writeup using our kit... he just recently ordered up his stuff and got amazing results for a relative 'n00b' (J/K AK :D )

Naw, its either one or the other, we don't allow for the use of multiple discounts. If that were the case you could combine the forum discount (370Z) with the sale and the JM code.

Well I pulled the trigger this morning. I purchased my polisher and several pads. Everything should arrive next week. I guess I know what I'll be doing over Father's day weekend besides playing golf!

:tiphat:Congratulations!

awesome man... glad to hear. Just take your time and be patient and try to just learn panel by panel. Did you go with the adams kit or something else?

I actually went with Groits polisher. I was able to get it for 99 bucks via autoharp. I also purchased Groits polishing and waxing pads. I plan on using Meguiars ultimate polish initially because the paint is brand new and doesn't require an extremely abrasive polish. I won't have time to kick things off until next weekend and figure the job will be a two day effort.

I like Adam's "system" approach. Whether or not you start with the Severe Swirl Remover or the less abrasive Swirl and Haze Remover, do make sure you give it a good going-over with the Fine Machine Polish. IMHO that gets rid of all the "micro-marring" and THAT us what sets the finish up for whatever wax you use to really shine.

I have the Griot's DA polisher as well. It worked great for me. According to what I had read about it on a detailing forum, it was highly regarded since it was more powerful in some way or another than the Porter Cable and had a lifetime warranty. Another reason that I personally think the Griots is good is that the handle is dead center over the head of the machine. But, the Porter Cable works great from what I've read as well.