Scared of polishes and compounds

[RDKC]

BennyLava is in the business of flipping cars, no ??
He is really wanting to find that 1 product that will do all of the guess work for him and get a great look at the same time, on almost all paintwork..

What would be the best for his business model I believe, would be a great, paint cleaner, polisher, and filler - you know, what all the used car lot guys use.. That stuff..

Benny, is this what you are really looking for ??

I dont have anything like that Production Shop product, so perhaps someone knows of a few out there ??
Dan F

I think that is what he`s looking for but I just don`t think it exists.

I suppose if you`re not looking for perfection you could look into an AIO like HD Speed. Would remove deep scratches but it would definitely give some neglected paint a better appearance. I was actually extremely impressed with what HD Speed did for me last weekend.

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[Ronkh]

Maybe an easier way to skin this cat.

Where are you? Maybe we have a member close by that would eithr give you a hand, or maybe show you how it`s done.

[Stokdgs]

RDKC - Yeah, I`m thinking that is what he really wants - he is building a Production - move them in - move them out - Business...
Get it washed, and buffed out and on the front line - heck with the swirls, etc...
These products CAN be applied by Rotary swirl -free if the user knows how - and if using a random orbital type machine, then it will take longer but it may be swirl free..

There ARE products like this - every used car dealership uses them.. They look great, shine great, and later when they fall off, the paint looks perhaps better, but a lot like it did when the car arrived - whatever condition, good or bad, that was...

I`m trying to remember some of those product names...
Dan F

[4u2nvinmtl]

I personally like Meg`s m101 compound and CarPro Reflect polish (or CarPro Essence), the most on my paint (also depends on machine and pads).

Other honourable mentions:
Menz FG400 compound and Menz SF4000 polish
Meg`s M105 compound and Meg`s M205
HD Cut compound and HD Polish

[ShaneB]

Keep it simple for yourself. I agree with a previous post that you are WAYYYYY overthinking this. You can only read so much, your best option at this point is to go out and put the pad to the paint and go to work. You seem like a hands on kinda guy (flipping cars right?), so I can probably assume you learn best by actually doing rather than reading am I right?

Its all really not that complicated, and the way you`re thinking about it is really just splitting hairs. I wouldn`t get into trying to mix and match your products to your pads just yet. Keep it simple, compounds with cutting pads, polishes with polishing pads. These are the kind of details you`re going to want to learn down the road once you get some experience and you desire the best possible results and have the knowledge and experience to make that happen.

[bennylava]

I think that is what he`s looking for but I just don`t think it exists.

I suppose if you`re not looking for perfection you could look into an AIO like HD Speed. Would remove deep scratches but it would definitely give some neglected paint a better appearance. I was actually extremely impressed with what HD Speed did for me last weekend.

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Well there are a few points for me here.

1. I just like to learn, and am an automobile enthusiast. So this is just something I should know.
2. I`d like to be able to do it on my own personal cars as well. Give them that lasting, mirror look that most of you guys are capable of. The best treatment.
3. In the interest of making money and building a reputation, it would be really helpful to know how to fully and properly detail a vehicle`s exterior.
4. I do need to learn to find a good balance between workload, and a lasting finish.

BennyLava is in the business of flipping cars, no ??
He is really wanting to find that 1 product that will do all of the guess work for him and get a great look at the same time, on almost all paintwork..

Benny, is this what you are really looking for?

Yes but if it takes all 3 steps to get it looking right, I`ll do it. (ie, compouding, polishing, then waxing)

RDKC - Yeah, I`m thinking that is what he really wants - he is building a Production - move them in - move them out - Business...
Get it washed, and buffed out and on the front line - heck with the swirls, etc...
These products CAN be applied by Rotary swirl -free if the user knows how - and if using a random orbital type machine, then it will take longer but it may be swirl free..

There ARE products like this - every used car dealership uses them.. They look great, shine great, and later when they fall off, the paint looks perhaps better, but a lot like it did when the car arrived - whatever condition, good or bad, that was...

I guess I`d have to say yes, and no. Yes I do need to get the work done and have them ready for sale fast, but eventually, when I`ve learned enough, I would like to provide a lasting finish for my customers. Even if that does involve more work. That finish will tell tales for me, of where people bought the car. Just one more thing to give me an edge. Any edge is always appreciated.

I looked up some vids on the various products mentioned in this thread. I went ahead and ordered some HD Speed just to try it out. And this thread has actually taught me a lot and been very helpful to me. As somebody said though, I`m the hands on type and really learn better by just doing it myself. But I didn`t even know what to buy first. All I had on the shelf was some form or fashion of Turtle wax Polishes. One of them claims to be a medium polish, the other a light polish. I`ve been using them on headlights lol. To take off the oxidation.

Something that I think may be worth noting when it comes to the difference between what I`m usually going to be doing, and what you guys are usually going to be doing:

Most of the vehicles I`m going to be detailing, are going to be older ones. The paint is probably a lot worse off than the 2 and 3 year old cars that roll into you guys` shops for a detail. Or that you are driving as your daily driver. The newest car I will have, is probably going to be somewhere around an `09. Perhaps newer sometimes, but `01-`09 is the "sweet spot" if you will. Older than that people don`t want, and newer they can`t afford. Well, my customer base anyway. When it comes to that I`m simply approaching the largest audience. You`ll notice the same thing in your standard, run of the mill used car lot.

So that said, there may be some difference in what we`re talking about. I`ll probably be buffing on plenty of cars that have never seen a buffer. May have never even seen a hand wash. So that gives you some idea of the kind of products I`m looking for. Its also why I keep asking about compound first, to help strip away the ages of neglect.


Thanks for all the help everyone

[Swanicyouth]

One thing I haven`t seen mentioned that will help is - just stick to one brand.

Someone like Wolfgang, who makes 3 "polishes" would be perfect. They make a compound, a polish, and a finishing polish. These 3 products will tackle 99% of the cars out there.

Then you will need 3 types of pads - compounding, polishing, soft finishing.

That`s it.

Another alternative is Optimum. Hyper Compound and Hyper Polish. Now you are down to only needing 2 polishes and 2 sets of pads. Will tackle 95% of what`s out there.

Trying to cobble together different brands and what follows up what can be overwhelming.

As for when to use what... Always team the appropriate product up with the appropriate cut pad. Now... Do a test spot with a polish first...Check results in sun....

Defects not gone? Bump up to your compounding combo. If you compound - always follow with a polish.

If your new, I really would recommend Wolfgang polishes.


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[bennylava]

I like the idea of the Optimum. Only 2. 2 sprays and 2 pads to keep track of. Can anyone here recommend them? Anyone used both the compound and the polish? Its a bit hard for me to imagine a compound being in a spray bottle.

Looked at the wolfgang... whoa. The fuzion is expensive! Are they just taking advantage of people now? Seems to me like they know people will pay it thinking that if it costs that much, it must be great. Anyway, no way I`m paying those prices to wax used hondas and toyotas and such.

[Accumulator]

Eh, my Optimum Spray Compounds *never* sprayed properly, at least not for long. Even got a replacement sent with no improvement. I wasn`t impressed by the product`s performance either. Eh, "No thanks" IME.

bennylava- Keep in mind that most normal people don`t look at cars the way most Autopians do. No need to go off the deep end, it`s not that hard to make any average car look a *LOT* better. And IME the whole compounding/polishing/buffing thing just isn`t that hard these days thanks to effective, user-friendly products and tools.

Keep in mind what the actual mechanical processes are (it`s simply abrasion) and how they`re being done (how the polisher moves the pad) and generally err on the side of caution (don`t take off too much clear in pursuit of perfection, just make it "look nice").

I bet that once you start doing the correction *AS LONG AS you really work on developing the RIGHT MINDSET* you`ll find that it`s not all that tough.

And *NO* you don`t need to use pricey, boutique products even if some of us really do believe that they`re all that Again, remember your Target Audience, they`re not Autopians. Just use effective, user-friendly stuff to make the vehicles "look really nice". With experience you`ll probably find yourself doing better and better work in time anyhow.

I myself think you oughta have *three* abrasive products: 1) an aggressive compound (I like M101), 2) a less-aggressive compound (I like HD Cut), and 3) a Polish (I like HD Polish). Those, plus an All-In-One (I like Zaino`s AIO) and a wax (I like FK1000P) oughta take care of everything just fine.

[ShaneB]

I myself think you oughta have *three* abrasive products: 1) an aggressive compound (I like M101), 2) a less-aggressive compound (I like HD Cut), and 3) a Polish (I like HD Polish). Those, plus an All-In-One (I like Zaino`s AIO) and a wax (I like FK1000P) oughta take care of everything just fine.

This was my thinking. I don`t know why I didn`t bother to type it out. I totally agree though. Gotta have that heavy hitter for the really bad stuff or super hard clears, but most of the time will only need a lighter compound like HD cut. I would also recommend HD Adapt as a less aggressive compound based upon its ability to finish down so well.

I know that the amount of options available are sometimes overwhelming, but just look for the forum favorites, start there, and branch out if you feel you need something different.

[bennylava]

Thanks I`ll try all of those in due time. I think I`m finally getting pretty confident now. Also from watching a bunch of those autogeek videos. Spent a few hours doing that last night. So I guess I really only have one last question regarding all this.

That question is in regards to the aggressive compounds like M101. I think its pretty clear to me by now when to use the lighter stuff. But I was hoping someone here could perhaps post a video of when the most aggressive compounds are actually used. And I`d like it to focus on damages to the finish, rather than cars that simply have very hard clears. When is a standard clear coat, so damaged that it needs the M101?

I`d really like to see some different cars that called for the use of the M101. That way I can sort of make the comparison with mine and know when to use the most aggressive thing that I`m going to have, which will be the M101. Cause it sounds like that may actually be somewhat rare.

[bennylava]

Thought of another question:

Do you always run a polish after doing a heavy compound? Or are there times when you just use the heavy compound, and then wax it? I got the feeling from some of the meguiars M101 videos that there may just be a wax after using the M101. So I was wondering if polishing after compounding, is set in stone.

[ShaneB]

This has been mentioned a bunch of times already. TEST SPOT! Always start with the least aggressive method (polish and polishing pad) increase the aggressiveness as needed until the defects are removed. Let`s say you have HD polish, HD cut and M101. You`d do a test spot with polish, if that didn`t get the swirls/defects out, you would try cut, if that doesn`t work then go to M101.

Weather or or not you need to finish up with a polish after heavy compounding depends on how well your compounding step finished down. Sometimes, especially on lighter colors, you can get a compound to finish down LSP ready. Often times you will need a follow up polish. It all comes down to what you see. Pay attention to the forum posts here by some of the members doing full paint corrections and get familiar with what defects are exactly. Get familiar with what rotary holograms look like, what DA haze looks like, what buffer trails look like etc. once you know what you`re looking at you can better decide what steps to take

[Accumulator]

Thought of another question:

Do you always run a polish after doing a heavy compound? Or are there times when you just use the heavy compound, and then wax it? I got the feeling from some of the meguiars M101 videos that there may just be a wax after using the M101. So I was wondering if polishing after compounding, is set in stone.

I *ALWAYS* use a Finish Polish after compounding. Might even use an intermediate product. No matter what I try I can`t get my compounds to finish out OK under *all* inspection conditions (maybe look OK under 95%, but I can still see issues under that "weird 5% of situations").

You see a scratch that doesn`t appear too deep to polish out. You try your Mild Polish and after five tries you`ve hardly made any progress. OK...step up to something more aggressive and see what that does. Quit before it`s 100% perfect (just my advice ) and switch back to the mild stuff for a final pass. Look "much better"? Maybe that`s good enough, maybe not (if not, repeat process). When it *is* good enough (considering all the factors involved), then wax it.

Just err on the side of caution when using such products and don`t get caught up in the Autopian Perfection that`s always on display/under discussion here. Don`t take off too much clear lest you open an incredible can-o`-worms. One need to repaint something will be a huge setback that all the perfect corrections in the world won`t justify (at least not IMO). It`s all about considering the Target Audience, and the standards for *your* personal car will undoubtedly be very different from something that`s being flipped or that you`re doing for a Soccer Mom.

[bennylava]

Thanks again guys I really appreciate it.

Next thing would be, how many cars will that standard bottle of M101 do? From what I`m seeing as a description of the damage to the clear coat in all these videos, at least half of the cars that I get in, need to be compounded with 101. Mainly the 01`s, 02`s, 03`s and 04`s. The older stuff that people have been neglecting. How many cars can I buff, with one bottle of 101? I have to ask because its kind of expensive

(for the size of the cars, I`ll just ask how many honda accords could I do with 1 bottle of M101)