How can I cut down on my 6 hour polish sessions?

joed1228 · 04-08-03, 10:07

I find myself polishing a car for 6+ hours before I am able to layer any type of sealent and because I need to wait between layers to allow some time for the product do it's magic I am usally left with giving the customer a car I know could of shined more if I had more time.

What can I use to cut my 6-8 hour polishing sessions down to an hour maybe 2?

I don't get it how you guys can polish a red car that looks orange in under 2 hours. Are you people hiding the swirls or fixing them for good, does your product last a while? Do you not correct all of them and hide the rest with a good final sealent that will last xx amount of months or xx amount of car washes.

I'd like to do more than one car per day.

thevolvoguy · 04-08-03, 10:35

Are you working by hand or my machine?

If you are doing everything by hand, well then talk to Scottwax. He seems to detail pretty fast, with all his customers. He can also read fast too... (heh

Scott)

If you are working by machine you should have no problem polishing in un under two hours. What kind of polish(es) are you using that you have to wait 6 hours for it to work? That dosent seem right to me, but theres a lot out there I havent tried.

I can do a SMR/Polish/Wax job on an oxidized older S-Class MB in about 3 hours by hand. I used Scratch X to start out, then went over that with a finer SMR, 3M SMR DC, then followed with IHG (hard to remove, but well worth it), then topped with Souveran. Results were great too.

Definately, check out the polish you are using, 6 hours of waiting is too long.

joed1228 · 04-09-03, 06:35

I primarly use my Porter Cable and Meguiars Swirl Remover 2.0.

How can you get "rid" not hide; all of those problems with so little time?

rightlane · 04-09-03, 11:43

Klasse AIO helps to clean and protect and there is no required drying time. AIO is easy and fast to use. You may be able to polish then go directly to AIO without having to do a second wash. Experience will tell you if the second wash is required or not. Do a little testing and see what works for you.

good luck

joed1228 · 04-09-03, 02:26

I am having trouble trying to find a "pro" grade polish that will remove heavy swirling. I can't detail cars with AIO, that stuff is as mild as soap.

detailbarn · 04-09-03, 02:35

I reccomend you try the Menzerna line of polishes , CMA sells the Intensive & Final Polishes. These should be what you'll need most of the time , unless you have really bad swirls to remove then I reccomend Menzerna Compound CMA doens't sell this but I can get you some at cost if you like. I use it on my PC with a wool pad and it takes out some nasty stuff.

Malibu · 04-09-03, 02:47

Joe, if you haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend the 3M Perfect-It III line. They have a compound and also a lighter-duty "glaze" (really a polish) that work together. I have been using just the polish for over a year now and with the CMA Yellow Pad it produces some incredible results. These products truly "get rid" of swirls, not just hide them. I can generally do an everage size car with the polish in an hour with the PC.

Mike

detailbarn · 04-09-03, 02:58

Malibu is correct the 3M line is very effective too , that is what I used before Menzerna and still you it from time to time.

Smoker · 04-09-03, 04:45

Quote:

Originally posted by joed1228
I am having trouble trying to find a "pro" grade polish that will remove heavy swirling. I can't detail cars with AIO, that stuff is as mild as soap.

AIO isnt designed to remove swirls ....

SMR or DACP, is better, depending on how bad they are.

AIO is there to clean the paint and fill in any small marks that are left after compounding.

That topped by a good sealant or wax is as much as you need to do.

A common mistake is to not use a coarse enough abrasive and spend hours and hours trying to polish out marks with a product that just isnt abrasive enough to do it.
If they aint gone in a coupla passes then your using the wrong stuff.

joed1228 · 04-09-03, 07:16

Smoke - That's what I'm wondering, what do the pros use to fix the swirls, not to hide them yet not spend more than 2 hours on a car????????????????

thomasfl · 04-09-03, 07:24

detailbarn, I haven't heard much about the Menzerna compound, do you follow that up with the Intensive and then Final or just go to the Final after that. It sounds like a great product,

Greg · 04-09-03, 07:55

DACP will tackle the tough stuff.