Dunno, there's no brand names on some of those items. Personally, if I'm gonna dump $500 on a kit, I'm gonna cherry pick the items I want so I don't end up with a bunch of crap I'm never gonna use.
How often do you maintain your car? Do you want to have minimal involvement or will you polish/wax/seal on a monthly basis?
How about an entire polishing kit for under $120? Buffer, pad, pad adaptor, quart of polish, DVD, application sponge and a microfiber cloth shipped to your door. Just add electricity and your favorite wax.
...and don't listen if someone says 'rotaries are not for newbies'...we put rotaries in the hands of newbies all the time and train them how to polish correctly in less than five minutes.
Rotaries are very dangerous for newbies when diminishing abrasives are used. SYSTEM ONE does not sell diminishing abrasive polish.
Hey PolishandWax...please explain why rotaries are dangerous with diminishing abrasives. I have not heard this before and am very interested in the reason. Thanks!
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"The true delight is in the finding out, rather than in the knowing." - Isaac Asimov
'99 SLK230 Sport
'00 ML320
'95 BMW 525iA (RIP)
'99 Honda Passport
Glad you have more money to waste than I do; at least part of your question revolves around what you are trying to accomplish? Most people would not need to spend more than $100 to get almost everything they could possibly need short of going into the detailing business.
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'87 300E: sold after 11years @ 230k & still on the road somewhere in rural Tennessee.
'94 C220 with 93k totalled 10/06 by hit & run broadsiding monster truck: not a scratch or bruise for me
The choice between the Porter Cable in the kit you mention (BTW, that's a $99 buffer at Lowes) or a rotary is personal and also depends on your paint. If you have old school paint (paint code for your car is completely numeric like 040 for black, then the porter cable is a perfect buffer for a beginner or pro. That clearcoat used back then (pre-2004) was very soft and using a rotary, even properly may remove too much clearcoat and diminish it's life. You should use the least abbrasive method to get the desired effect, different demands than a pro that must make money and wants to get it done as quickly as possible regardless of long term effects. Also a dimishing abrasive works best IMHO with that sort of buffer that depends on friction to cut.
If you have the newer Ceramiclear clearcoats (color code starts with a C like C040 for black), then the Porter Cable will do a mediocre job, not enough to cut through deeper swirls. You'll need a good rotary. Don't buy junk, you'll have it for life if you spend a few more bucks and get a Makita or DeWalt, not something you get at Harbor Freight for $50. Rotary buffers depend more on heat than friction and you can cause more swirls than remove if used wrong, get some help before attacking your car. With a rotary I use polishes from Malco. They don't sell to consumers but you find local dealers or auto paint supply stores that carry it. I use their Rejuvenator or Light Polish, both work well. Can't comment on System One as when I find something that works it's hard to get me to switch. Also the size I buy, 8oz bottles (I find large bottles go bad and I don't polish my cars that often) is pretty cheap. Also, I use Lake Country or Meguiars pads. I'm sure there's other good pads but between those 2 I never had a pad a problem.
As for costs, figure this,
Porter Cable 7336 buffer - $99, Meguiars 3 Pack buffing pad and backing plate - $33, 32 oz bottle of Meg's #83 DACP, $20, Meg's #7 Glaze, $7, Meg's NXT Tech wax, $15, Meg's car wash soap, $10, Meg's clay kit $14, some mf towels, $15, a bucket $5. Altogether you have enough to keep you busy for a while for under $200.
If you go rotary, I like Makita (but Hitachi, DeWalt, Millwauki are also good) , $159, Lake Country pads with backing plate attached (I hate velcro pads for rotary), $15 each, 8oz bottle of Malco polish $5, the rest the same, a little over $200 but certainly not $379, ouch.
Are you willing to do a bake-off using products that some forum members use, like Zaino, Megs #83 (with diminishing abrasives), Malco Rejuvenator. What would be interesting is to see the comparison on the old MB clearcoat and the newer Ceramiclear clear coat. Will Fuddruckers let you use the parking lot on a Sunday morning, before they open?
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