Can you get a decent shine just by hand? I did my car by hand, it looked nice but a couple days later it just seemed like I did nothing. It did rain for like 3 days straight so maybe that was my problem!

 

Yes, you can get a good shine by hand, but a buffer will do a better job with less effort.

 

I use the Porter cable 7424 buffer. I have used it almost 3 years!!
It really makes polishing paint AND applying waxes and sealants FUN!
Plus unless you have arms of steel and many many hours you can NOT get the same results by hand as compaired to the results obtained from the PC 7424.

 

how about applying the wax by hand, then using a buffer to go back over it? zaino recommends doing it by hand so you don't use too much wax...but i'd imagine using a buffer to shine it up might be a good idea.

any thoughts?

 

Not sure, I had a buffer and put the wax on by hand just for that reason. I was more concerned about buffing the wax off the car, that's the part I don't like.

 

agreed.

 

I was pretty suprised by how easy I got the wax off. Just wiped with some cloth diapers. My car looked great for a whole day and then it rained for 3! haha

 

That's funny, I plan on doing a complete detail when the weather clears up again. Usually when I do a complete detail I make it snow.

 

Every time I wash my car it rains at least by the nexy day! Sunny Florida my hiney!

 

When I washed my car a couple of weeks ago it snowed that night and all the next day. By the way, the answer to your question is no you don't need an electric buffer. Look at the first picture of my car in my signature line. That was after two coats of wax, by hand. I felt it a little bit the next morning. Glad there's Advil.

 

As was mentioned earlier in the thread, I'd be more worried about stripping wax with a buffer. That said, if you know how to use one well, go for it.

 

Ditto That machine, with Meguiar's pads and their Swirl Mark Remover kept my black 96GT dang near perfect, and it was a daily driver. The PC is a random orbital and can not burn your paint - it doesn't generate enough heat. It's nearly idiot proof, believe me. The only way to damage your paint with it is by not doing reasearch on how to use it, or dropping it on your hood/roof/trunk As far as using it to apply wax, it's fantastic. You use so much less product and the coats are very thin the way they should be. A worth while investment if you ask me.

 

I also use the 7424. Excellent product, safe and easy to use. I use Griot's Garage pads, polishes and waxes.