How often to Compund

[Sean123]

Hey Guys,



New to the fourm. I have a 2007 BMW 550I Black. Looking at getting a compunding done.



Just wondering how often this should/can be done. I was thinking of doing a compound each spring with a wax and seal in the fall.



Any other tips would be great. Gong to get the compounding done at a shop

[Furd]

Well, I`m not sure what you mean by a "compound." Do you mean polishing with an extra-abrasive polish?



You want to polish your car as little as necessary. You should wait until you see what needs to be done each spring. Perhaps you`ll need some aggressive polishing now, probably not as much next spring.



You`re also going to want to seal and/or wax right after you polish.



You`ll be doing yourself a favor if you read through the pinned topics in this forum.

[jDizzle]

compounding in my mind is something to avoid if possible. granted if you want a perfect finnish, you gotta do what you gotta do, and you may have to take off a bit of paint. but i avoid compounding, and try to just use less agressive polishes whenever i can. compounding in my opinion is for extreme oxidation and correction, other than that a polish should be all thats required. black bmw`s are known for showing marring very easily . i drive a honda, which has very soft paint, and havnt polished since last summer. i plan no just go over my paint with some light polish (3m ultrafina) again sometime this summer, and that should take care of what little marring i have.

to get back on topic, as long as your car isnt very severley swirled or damaged i would avoid compounging and try to go with something less agressive. and i would deffinatley seal and or wax right after polishing. try to wax or seal every 3 or 4 months, or atleast twice a year. avoid automated carwashes, and try to practice proper car washing and drying (also waxing if you are going to do that yourself) techniques and you should be able to avoid marring your paint too much, and should be able to just use a medium/light polish once a year.

[Accumulator]

At the risk of sounding all :nono IMO if you need to compound, or even polish, on a remotely regular basis you`re doing something wrong.



Some people have taken before/after measurements....the details of which I can`t remember...that made me think that people need to take it easy with some of the newer, oh-so-user-friendly compounds (e.g., M105), and oh-so-effective techniques (e.g., the KBM). Used to be you had to use a rotary to take off that kind of paint and non-pros usually said "good enough!" long before they took off much. Now that most anybody can achieve a near-perfect finish, I worry that people will overdo it.



I wouldn`t compound/polish to near-perfection unless you`re certain it`ll stay that way for a good long time.

[tssdetailing]

compund + polish + wax = mirror

[BigAl3]

if you watch closely on how you touch the paint through washing, drying, qd`ing, you shouldn`t have to use a compound regularly, but rather something less aggressive/lighter...

[Dan]

Agressive polishing should be avoided at all costs. Though if you use clay, you need to follow up with a polish most times, so light polishing perhaps once or twice a year.