Need help on pad/polish selection..

[BMW335i]

I am looking at the LC line, which seems like a good place to start. Does the backing plate matter?



I will be mainly polish light defects on my car (light swirls) and heavier swirls on my family cars. Also, I will use the PC to apply AIO`s such as Prime or ZAIO to remove old wax/sealants.



I need ideas on what polish to start with. Do I need a finishing polish?



I am also looking to apply waxes with the PC 7424. What pad is best for this?



If you guys know a good thread where this info has been discussed already that would be great.



Thanks!!

[Accumulator]

BMW335i- This stuff *has* been discussed a zillion times but I dunno what thread would summarize it for you. So...



Which polish depends on how hard your paint is and how badly it`s marred. If your BMW is anything like my `97 M3 it`ll be hard as a rock, but some later BMWs are very soft so :nixweiss



If you`re gonna use wax (as opposed to sealant), I`d recommend 1z brand polishes. Check out one of the numerous threads where I (and others) have discussed them. But these polishes leave some wax and stuff (some might say "fillers") behind so I wouldn`t use an AIO afterwards lest something come back. If that`s a problem, I`d probably go with Optimum or Menzerna instead.



"Finishing polishes"- the 1z MetallicPolishWax (or the Pro version called Metallic Polish) will leave a mighty nice finish that`s always been good enough for me (and I like it better than Menzerna FP). So I wouldn`t use the BF/menzerna finishing polishes (the ones for hard clear) unless you can get things basically *perfect* and want that extra 2% that most people could never see. Otherwise I don`t think they`d be worth it *but* that`s just *MY* opinion and I gotta admit I`m a big fan of the 1Z so maybe that colors my judgement.



Orange or yellow pads with aggressive products for major correction. Follow with white pads with a milder product. Then either white or a finishing pad for the final polish and the wax. Note that often polishing pads work fine for finishing if they`re mild enough that they don`t have any functional cut on your paint.



I`ve never found backing plates to be that big a deal but I like the "flex" plates, even though they don`t really flex very much.



I use 4" pads for significant correction and the 4" pads fit into the wax cans so that can make them good for waxing too (though I usually use bigger pads when waxing by PC).