Best/Cheapest places to buy PC?!

[zzzzzeke]

Amazon.com seems decently priced at 124.99 for the 7424.

what else do i need from there? Do i need a backing plate if i order from amazon?

I was also gonna stock up on some 7006s, 8006s, and 9006s.
Heck, while i'm at it i'll need some ultimate bonnets too........

The list goes on

[rjstaaf]

You can find the 7424 at Coastal Tool for $119.00. Coastal Tool has a good reputation over at Autopia so I would recommend them over Amazon any day.

http://www.coastaltool.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/a/port/pr7424.htm?L+coastest+cnbm0967ff5b2a5b+1088555665

You will still need a good backing plate and a set of pads. I would recommend Meguiars for both.

You can get a set of 3 pads (2 8006 polishing and 1 9006 finishing) for $24.95

http://www.meguiars.com/store_meguiars/product_list.cfm?store=meg&line=auto&catagory=8&subcatagory=2

The 5" backing plate W-64DA for 6.5" pads can be found here.

http://www.meguiars.com/store_meguiars/product_list.cfm?store=pro&line=proauto&catagory=12&subcatagory=1

[SpoiledMan]

Here's a guy running a small business out of his home. My cousin lives a few miles from him and is purchasing from him. Otherwise I have no connection to him. Based on what he has to offer, I think he's worth a shot.

AutoDetailingSolutions

He even offers smaller bottles of the Detailer line of products!!

POLISHER PACKAGE SPECIALS


Package 1
G100 Polisher......Reg.$199.95.......... Sale $159.95
* Includes W6000 Yellow Foam Pad/Backing Plate While Supply Lasts!


Package 2
G100 Polisher.
Velcro backing plate.
1 W8006 Velcro foam polishing pad.
Reg. $225.95........ Sale $185.95

Package 3
G100 Polisher.
Velcro backing plate.
2 W8006 Velcro foam pads.
32 0z. (M8332) Dual Action Cleaner Polish.
16 oz. NXT Tech Wax.
3 16"x16" Premium Microfiber Towels.
Reg. $259.95.... Sale $215.95

Package 4
G100 Polisher with Velcro backing plate.
2 W8006 Velcro foam pads.
32 oz. Dual Action Cleaner Polish.
16 oz. NXT Tech Wax.
32 oz. Last Touch gloss enhancer spray.
32 oz ready to use Hyper Dressing,
32 oz ready to use Glass Cleaner.
32 oz. ready to use All Purpose Cleaner.
32 oz ready to use Super Degreaser.
12 oz. super concentrated 400 to 1 dilution Hyper Wash car soap.
1 Scratch resistant wash mitt.
10 16"x16" Premium Microfiber towels.
2 applicators pads.

Reg.............$299.95............... Sale $259.95

Package 5
G100 Polisher with Velcro backing plate[/b]
2 W8006 Velcro foam pads.
32 oz. Dual Action Cleaner Polish.
16 oz. NXT Tech Wax.
32 oz. Last Touch gloss enhancer spray.
32 oz Hyper Dressing Concentrate
32 oz Glass Cleaner Concentrate.
32 oz. All Purpose Cleaner Concentrate.
32 oz Super Degreaser Concentrate.
12 oz. Super concentrated 400 to 1 dilution Hyper Wash car soap.
1 Scratch resistant wash mitt.
10 16"x16" Premium Microfiber towels.
2 applicators pads.

Everything in package 4 but with straight concentrates on Hyper Dressing, Glass Cleaner, All Purpose Cleaner, Super Degreaser................. Sale $274.95

Package 6
G100 Polisher with Velcro backing plate.
2 W8006 Velcro foam pads.
32 oz. Dual Action Cleaner Polish.
16 oz. NXT Tech Wax.
32 oz. Last Touch gloss enhancer spray.
32 oz Hyper Dressing Concentrate
32 oz Glass Cleaner Concentrate.
32 oz. All Purpose Cleaner Concentrate.
32 oz Super Degreaser Concentrate.
12 oz. Super concentrated 400 to 1 dilution Hyper Wash car soap.
1 Scratch resistant wash mitt.
10 16"x16" Premium Microfiber towels.
2 applicators pads.
*Everything in Package 5 plus!
1 C2000 Mild Clay Bar
1 16 oz. # 7 Show Car Glaze
1 32 oz Detailer Body Solvent
1 16 oz. Detailer Leather Cleaner/Conditioner
1 12 oz. Gold Class Metal Polish
1 W7006 Velcro foam pad.

Reg. $399.95........................ Sale $339.95


Package 7
1 Meguiar's Banner
1 Meguiar's Detailer Information Source Book
1 Meguiar's Professional Wall Chart
1 Meguiar's G100 Polisher (Lifetime Warranty)
1 DA Backing Plate
2 Meguiar's 6.5" Foam Polishing Pad
1 Meguiar's 6.5" Foam Cutting Pad
1 Meguiar's 200 Gram Mild Detailing Clay
1 Gal. Meguiar's All Purpose Cleaner
1 Gal. Meguiar's Glass Cleaner Concentrate
1 Gal. Meguiar's Hyper Wash Soap
1 Gal. Meguiar's Super Degreaser
1 Gal. Meguiar's Hyper Dressing
1 Gal. Meguiar's Last Touch Detail Spray
1 Gal. Meguiar's Body Solvent
1 Gal. Meguiar's Hi-Tech Yellow Wax
1 Gal. Meguiar's # 66 Quick Detailer Polish
1 Gal. Meguiar's Leather Conditioner
1 32 oz. Meguiar's # 83 Dual Action Cleaner Polish
1 Meguiar's Accent Aerosol Detailing Spray
1 12 oz. Meguiar's Gold Class Metal Polish
12 16 x 16 Premium Microfiber Towels
40 Premium Terry Towels
1 Scratch Resistant 9 x 9 Wash Mitt
1 Extra Larger Chamois
1 Aerosol Odor Bomb
4 Meguiar's Dispenser Bottles
5 Leak Resistant Sprayers
1 Honey Comb Bug Sponge
100 Pack of Vent Detailing Swabs
1 Soft Upholstery Brush
1 Brass Whitewall Tire Brush
1 Soft Wheel Bush
1 Vent & Dash Brush
3 Terry Applicator Pads
1 Emblem Detail Brush
1 Sleeve of 16 pad 00 Steel Wool
1 3-Way Blade Scraper with Razors
5 Empty Product Applicator Bottles

Reg..............$695.95................. Sale $595.95

[Rick]

Auto Detailing Solutions is local to me and I've been buying all my Meguiar's goodies from him for over a year now. About the only difference between the Meguiar's G100 and the PC one is the Meguiar's one has a lifetime warranty, where as the Porter Cable one you'd get from Coastal tools or wherever is only a year warranty. I was in the same situation as you deciding back and forth, but decided it was probably worth the extra few bucks for the lifetime warranty.

Ohh yeah, shippings free with auto detailing solutions if you spend over $200 I believe.

[rdarwa]

Coastal Tools...all the way!

You don't have to buy the backing plate...it is a bonus and comes with it now. So all you need are the pads! Shipping is no big deal @ $7.50.

[Tim Lingor]

Hey SpoiledMan


That is quite the deal! You get the Meguiar's G100 (with a Lifetime Warranty) and a some other well thought out product combinations!

Thanks for posting that information! I know a lot of people were wanting to buy a PC/G100, so this appears to be a pretty good deal!

Tim

[SpoiledMan]

No credit to me, I forgot to give the props. The link came from a post in the old deal that never happened. I just saw the need and filled it!!

[Superior Shine]

I have a 2 porter cable DAs I bought over 6-7 years ago. We use it everyday, drop it, slam it, grind it, you name it. Never had a problem!!

The cheapest is Lowes hardware, $109.00

[Aurora40]

Ran some numbers

I figured I'd toss together a quick spreadsheet and get a feel for the costs. I made some assumptions, estimated $10 for shipping from AutoDetailingSolutions (I called them and the guy said he'd have to put it together and weigh it, so this is ballpark), and had to get uniform packages, though obviously if you can vary the package you'll have to decide for yourself what is worth what.

I found no Meguiar's packages that seemed similar enough, so excluded them, but if you like the products in those packages better, there's another alternative.

Each package: PC, backing plate, 3 pads, DACP, NXT, and three ultimate wipes and all relevant shipping. All pads and plates are Meguiar's unless included in a package. All things from Meguiar's are assumed ordered direct, and thus a $5.95 shipping fee.

Lowe's is the best for a non-warrantied PC. The whole kit costing $200.84 assuming you have Lowe's local and didn't need it shipped. Coastal is close at $210.25 with a non-Meg's backing plate being the standout diff. Amazon is $215.84. If you get the Meg's stuff locally, Amazon has free shipping and you'll expend no shipping costs that way

For a warrantied PC, getting it all from Meguiar's is $305.75 vs ADS at $242.85.

There are of course many other avenues as well, and if this seems remotely interesting to anyone, I'll pursue a couple of other vendors. Also, if you don't mind missing some of the listed stuff, all you really need is the PC and some pads (I'd assume you won't have pads already if you've no PC, but you might have product already). You could get a PC from Lowe's and a 3-pad kit with plate from Meg's for a low $147.90.

Now here is where it will get very interesting, provided no one gets sour grapes or pissed or whathaveyou. I am aware that at least some companies have employee discount programs with Meguiar's. So, let's hypothetically say that an employee of one of these companies gets a 30% discount on all orders from meguiars.com...

For a non-warrantied PC, the Lowe's package price drops to $175.37, and the Amazon is within striking distance of Coastal at $190.37 vs 187.18. Close enough to pick on convenience/past experience, etc.

But here's the mega kicker... The ADS package drops to $239.57 (it came only with two pads, so one pad gets ordered from meguiars.com, remember). On the other hand, the all-ordered-from-meguiars package drops down to $214.03! It was a whopping $60+ more from Meguiars, but by working at a company with a discount deal, it becomes about $25 cheaper than that ADS "deal". It's only $39 more dollars to get a lifetime warranty and the "Meguiar's" sticker on the side of your PC than to get the Lowe's deal. In fact, with just a PC, plate, and three pads, the Meg's offering would be $170, identical to ADS's offering with only one pad (again, assuming $10 shipping).

I didn't get into the larger packages from ADS, as it gets weird, especially with 32 oz offerings of gallon-sized products and such. And of course you may see areas where you can save that I didn't take into account (like not ordering your one extra pad from Meguiar's when you get your package from ADS). But I had to keep it reasonably comparable. Hope this is of some value to someone! And please no angry posts about why your company doesn't get a discount! Every company has different perks and benefits, and you need to weigh them as a whole (including your salary, etc)

[Aurora40]

Warranty

Also, as Joe mentioned, I've also had my PC for about 6 years now. It's like brand new. I'm, of course, a casual user of it.

Oh, and also there is the big unknown factor of the Meguiar's possible package offering. There has been much anticipation and and angst.

And with any warranty, part of how useful it is depends on how easy it is to get repairs under it. If it's 3/4 the cost to ship it and such for repairs as to pay to have it fixed locally, is that worth it? What about down time? Not saying the warranty isn't worth it, it all depends on the actual warranty. Some warranties out there aren't worth a dime, and some are invaluable...

[Rick]

As far as the warranties I had to have my DeWalt roatry fixed once. It needed brushes and a new switch, which came to something like $45. Now I know the Porter Cable is probably an entirely different animal here, but that was what made me decide on the Meguiar's lifetime warranty over just a year. If you use it once everything after that is cake. Ok plus I'm only 20 so I figure I go a lot comming out of that warranty