But wax and water cannot

 

I'm too sexy for my swirls, too sexy for you girls, too sexy for my wax by half . . .

 

 

Looks like autopia currently has one of its rare sales on the 7427 kit.

I took advantage of the same sale last year, but then had a suspenseful wait till the spring to use it...worth getting the sale price though!

 

Well for what you get, you get so much more in the Detailers Paradise bundle
http://www.detailersparadise.com/Vie...071-2491365464

But of course if a lifetime warranty means something, then the Meguiars branded PC, the g100a for $149 for backing plate, pad, polisher, and lifetime warranty is tough to beat.
http://www.autodetailingsolutions.co...20Specials.htm

 

We offer a lifetime warranty on our Porter Cable polishers. If it breaks or isn't working correctly, you can return it at any time for a replacement or repair at no cost (even if you're not in the continental US!).

Jeesh, what you learn from your competitors about what you should list in your descriptions! I guess we need to include that in our descriptions too.

As OctaneGuy pointed out, I'd say our bundle is a bit of a better deal. Of course it depends on what you're looking for in the set, but in general more for less is better. It's not on sale... it's just our everyday bundled price which is always discounted at that price. Plus, with the model 7424 offered by Autopia you still have to buy the 6" counterweight. Our bundle includes the model 7336SP, which is an upgraded version of the 7424 and includes the counterweight (and also includes an extra screw-on white pad).

-Heather

 

Autopia pre-installs the 6" counterweight.

 

You offer the lifetime guarantee, Heather? Well, hell, I was sold on your bundle before I knew that, so that's just sweet, sweet gravy.

 

Ah-ha! I hadn't heard that. Good to know. It really is nice to have... it reduces the vibration. Thanks for clarifying!

-Heather

 

I guess you can tell we're not "professional" retailers but rather enthusiasts with a business! (read: sometimes we don't market ourselves very well!) I'm just shaking my head thinking, "Well of course we would help you fix your PC for free! Why wouldn't we?" I guess we shouldn't assume people would just know this, eh?

We offer a lifetime guarantee on everything we sell. We pay the return shipping in all cases of defect, breakage, etc. The only time the customer has to pay for return shipping is if they just don't want the product or tool.

Mmmm, why is food mentioned so frequently on this forum?? I wasn't hungry before but now gravy sounds reeeally tasty. Or at least lunch!

-Heather

 

Um, you should hang out with us sometime and find out. Food is big around MINI's. Matt, how many hot dogs was it?

 

Oh, God... like 2 of those huge food service packs that you get from Sam's worth... Mmmm...

 

Good day to you, Heather !

While you're hanging out on this thread, I have a quick question for you (didn't want to start a new thread and didn't want to PM because others might be interested in your answer).

Anyway... I was on your website and I don't see any paint squeegees for drying a car. I got two from Griot's and both times their foam blade came out of the frame/gripper thing. Very annoying. But I really liked them before the defect... makes drying the car much faster and easier and is completely safe on for the paint.

Do you make one ? If not, any plans to make one ?

Thanks.

 

I can only imagine!! If Matt is as enthusiastic about food as he is the Monster Fluffy.... look out!!

If MOTD was anytime other than our peak season here in the retail store, I'd be there! Then I could see just how food-oriented you guys are.

-Heather

 

Good day to you too!

Glad you asked about squeegees. We have thought about carrying this kind of item in the past. The California Car Duster company makes a nice one. We have decided (for now at least!) not to carry one for a copule of reasons. One, we often hear reports of defects and rippage (regardless of who made it). Two, it is debated as to its safety. As long as the paint surface is reeeeally clean, then it's perfectly safe to use. Obviously your paint should be perfectly clean after you've just handwashed it, but in reality that may not be true.

Most enthusiasts are pretty **** about washing so most shouldn't have any safety issues with it. Still, some may not wash so thoroughly (or live in a windy/dusty area). We only sell things we personally endorse. I'm not saying we don't endorse it, but I'm not saying we do either! It really depends on the individual and we are on the fence as to whether or not we want to give it our global stamp of approval. See what I mean?

Also, there are lots of other good options out there that aren't as debatable regarding safety. If we didn't have any other options to offer, we'd probably consider it more seriously.

BTW, have you ever tried the trick where you remove your sprayer nozzle and "push" the water off the car with a gentle stream of water? I think it works just as well as a squeegee before you dry. (I can describe it better if you don't know this trick)

Thanks for asking!

-Heather

 

As long as we're talking bundles, Griot's has this bundle (PC, clay, wax) for $200.
What do the gurus think of this one vs. the other two bundles presented above?
TIA.

 

Thanks for the response, Heather !

Yes, I can see your points. You'd sure hate to have your company's name on an item that lead to surface scratches, regardless if the scratches were due to poor wash jobs, or not.

Me... I hand wash my babies and then bring them immediately into the garage and close the doors where I dry them. The sqeegee allows me to dry faster before any water spots develop.

I'll check out the Cali Car Duster co's squeegee. Thanks for the lead.

 

It really depends on what you want, what you're trying to acheive, and what you already have. All are decent deals but each contains different things.

In terms of quality, I'd lean towards the bundles with the Porter Cable (Autopia, Meguiar's, Detailers Paradise) just because I know from years and years of experience with Porter Cable that I can count on their polishers. They're made at a very high quality level and are very durable. They're also easy to have repaired if they do break (Porter Cable is very supportive with repair issues). I haven't used Griot's new polisher but from what I understand its based on the Dewalt (which is also a very good and well-built polisher). I believe the Griot's version is made in China instead of the USA though... if that matters to you. Otherwise, I don't see why it wouldn't work as well as the Porter Cable polisher... in theory anyway.

Other than the polisher each bundle includes, it really depends on what you want and what product brands you like.

-Heather

 

My pleasure! And I didn't doubt for a minute that you would have trouble with perfectly clean paint! I figured you had a process like you described.

-Heather

 

I've had OCD all my life and now it's finally paying off !!

 

Ah, thanks Heather, I didn't notice that they had moved away from the PC - IIRC they used to sell the Porter Cable.

 

I've been using the California Water Blade for years and it is still as effective today as the first day I used it. It is especially useful when drying outside on a nice day as it allows you to remove 90% of the standing water on the car in a matter of seconds before the sun has time to dry the water on the car leaving behind mineral deposits.

As Heather has mentioned, this product would not be advisable for people that are not thorough enough in their hand wash regimen to ensure there is absolutely no dirt left on the surface, or on a windy day when specs of dust or sand is possible of accumlating on the surface before drying. Imagine a single grain of sand trapped between the blade and the surface of the paint and you can guess the result.

With proper paint cleaning and usage however this product is great and is an indespensible tool in my garage.

Another quick tip that was shared with me by Heather's partner in crime, Nick, at Detailer's Paradise, is to spritz a light mist of QD such as Slick on your Microfiber Drying Towel just before drying. This aids quite a bit in starting the wicking and absorbtion properties of the towel. You may have noticed that a bone dry Microfiber does not immediately start to absorb water and instead pushes it around. This trick prevents this from happening. Thanks Nick! It's the little stuff like this that make detailing so much fun.

For those that don't like searching the web, here is the link to the California Water Blade

Cheers,
Jason.

 

You're right... they used to sell the Porter Cable. I don't remember when they made the switch, but it was somewhat recently.

-Heather

 

Good to know, Jason. A few minutes before you posted I went to the California Duster Company website and ordered their water blade (and couldn't resist a "MINI" duster for the interior while I was there).

I'm with you on the ease of drying with the blade... loved Griot's but both original and the free replacement kept coming out of the gripper. I'm sure I'll be happy with this one.

 

I have the California blade too and I like it a lot - I have to use a lot fewer monster fluffies to get Clara dry My current process generally involves a wash, partial dry with the blade, and then Prima Hydro. But it depends on how sunny it is outside when I do it. Some day, when I can get my husband to remove all of his CRAP from the garage, it won't be an issue *sigh*