How to Use the Porter Cable 7424 Car Buffer

Car lovers everywhere enjoy making their cars shine with showroom-new luster. Unfortunately, as paint finishes age, they develop a hardened film, giving a car body a dull appearance. That dullness cannot be removed by hand-washing or even hand-waxing. That is why power buffers were invented. Power buffers provide machine-level rubbing power that can conquer the toughest paint and finish problems. Knowing how to use a buffer like the Porter Cable 7424 can make getting your car to shine easier, eliminating a lot of elbow grease.

• 1

  Wash and thoroughly dry your car. Be careful to go back over any missed spots. Park the car in the shade of a carport, garage or shed. Do not park it under a tree. Allow the car's body to cool completely.

• 2
  Look over the paint condition in sufficient light to find blemishes. headlight closeup of a red car image by JoLin from Fotolia.com

  Look over your car's paint finish thoroughly. Take your time and hunt for any scratches, stains or minor paint damage that a buffer can repair short of repainting the car. Assess the overall color quality of the paint, looking for signs of film buildup, oxidation and dullness.

• 3

  Select the buffing compound or polish that will have the correct abrasive quality to best repair and restore the paint finish you have just examined. Get a heavier abrasive compound if the vehicle's paint is in bad shape, with lots of scratches and oxidation. Choose a less abrasive polish if the paint has fewer scratches.

• 4
  A mirrorlike shine is a sign that a Porter Cable 7424 has been used. Close up detail of a classic car at a car show image by Rob Hill from Fotolia.com

  Choose the appropriate buffing pad for your car's paint/finish condition. Center and install it onto the backing plate of the Porter Cable 7424 buffer. Tilt the buffer so the pad is facing up. Deposit some polish or compound onto the pad. Make sure the product is a paint cleaner that will remove swirls and other stains as it polishes.

• 5

  Turn the buffer pad with the deposited polish face down and lightly touch it to the paint surface without turning the buffer on. Repeat this process until you have used the pad to deposit the polish onto an area roughly 3 feet by 3 feet in size.

• 6
  Take your time around wipers and front grilles to get into every crease. man working on car image by palms from Fotolia.com

  Turn on the buffer at low speed at first, say 2 or 3 on the Porter Cable 7424 handle adjustment, to thoroughly spread and coat the surface you just deposited the polish onto, and to allow the polish to get into the pad. Increase the speed and guide the buffer as it works the polish into the paint.

• 7

  Do not apply heavy pressure to the buffer. Use light, steady pressure on the Porter Cable 7424 handles. Move in slow, long, back-and-forth passes over the paint, letting the buffer and pad do the work. Follow this same process and work your way over the entire car body.

• 8

  Change the buffing pad to a finishing pad. Go back over the car with the buffer and remove the light film left by the buffing. Use detail spray and a soft clean towel to remove the dust the finishing pad leaves behind.