How abrasive of a polish can I use with this color and condition?

[dezau]

http://i.imgur.com/mqaeDh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/vqITAh.jpg



Complete noob to poslishing here. Last time I detailed my car, I didn`t use any polishing products, just used a clay bar and 3 layers of NXT 2.0.



This time however, I`m convinced that I might need some polishing, I don`t know how abrasive should I go before I start burning or ruining my paint though. Advices please.



I"ll be using a dual action orbital polisher with it.



Any advice would be welcomed too. Thanks.



I would prefer something that could be bought on amazon, since i have free 2 days shipping with it.

So far I`ve looked at meguiar`s ultimate compound, ultimate polish, swirlx...

[togwt]

Select a ‘typical’ panel; one that represents the type of defects that you want to remove and the finish level required. Select an area of 18 x 18-inches and tape it off with painter’s tape, as this is an optimal working section to perform a product test spot; this will help establish a polish – pad combination that will produce the best possible finish that corresponds to your detailing goals for the vehicle. Pay attention to how the paint is responding to your inputs. Stop and evaluate your progress, once this is established; repeat the process over the entire paint surface, adjusting abrasiveness for any low paint thickness.



There may be some areas that have deeper scratches, which will necessitate a more abrasive polish. This is known a ‘spot-correction’. Once this area(s) are completed revert to the original polish / pad combination, there is no need to remove any more clear coat than is necessary

[dezau]

So what kinda polish should i be looking at getting?

[dezau]

Anyone?~~~

[Darkstar752]

What pads will you be using? If you are on a budget, grab some Meguiar`s 105 and an orange light cutting pad and Menzerna 106FA with a final polishing pad(x2 pads). The 105/orange will have cutting power, M105/finishing pad will have medium cut, and 106FA/finishing pad will give you a decent cut with fantastic finishing ability.

[dezau]

^ I was planning on using the Meguiar`s 8006 Yellow pad for Polishing and 9207 Black pad for Waxing.



Isn`t the M105 a tad bit too aggressive for a beginner?

[pwaug]

You might want to take a look at UNO Auto Polish Product for Car Paint, Plastic & Glass - HD Uno 32oz | 3DProducts (http://www.autopia-store.org/HD-Uno.html) One product to cut, polish and finish with no dust. Cutting and polishing ability is based on the pad you use, the speed and pressure. It keeps the cost down as you only need one 16 oz bottle and only one product. It is available on Amazon as well as directly from 3D. Watch the video on the 3D website and other video`s on how to polish and read, read, read before you start.



What type of dual action polisher do you have?

[imported_MCA]

Select a ‘typical’ panel; one that represents the type of defects that you want to remove and the finish level required. Select an area of 18 x 18-inches and tape it off with painter’s tape, as this is an optimal working section to perform a product test spot; this will help establish a polish – pad combination that will produce the best possible finish that corresponds to your detailing goals for the vehicle. Pay attention to how the paint is responding to your inputs. Stop and evaluate your progress, once this is established; repeat the process over the entire paint surface, adjusting abrasiveness for any low paint thickness.



There may be some areas that have deeper scratches, which will necessitate a more abrasive polish. This is known a ‘spot-correction’. Once this area(s) are completed revert to the original polish / pad combination, there is no need to remove any more clear coat than is necessary



Excellent advice from TOGWT.



Questions:

What brand/model of car do you have? The reason is that paint hardness greatly differs depending on make/model. Example would be that Mercedes and Corvette clear-coats are ridiculously rock hard...M105 would be the minimum starting point to start eliminating basic marring. On the other hand, Honda clear-coats are ridiculously soft as butter...you may only need M205 to remove the same type of marring.



What tools and pads do you already have? Knowing this would really help with product and technique recommendations. If you have nothing, I would recommend getting the Meguiar`s Microfiber DA kit. It comes with cutting/finish pads and the appropriate compounding/polishing chemicals (D300/D301). Various retailers have also put together equivalent car kits utilizing Optimum-branded microfiber pad and polishes. Of course, all this would go out the window if you have a rotary...



Are you open to considering other vendors? You probably have Prime membership so I can understand the preference for Amazon. However with spring just around the corner, many online vendors are about to have their annual spring sale. Free shipping, larger than normal "% off" sales - it may be worth waiting a few additional days.

[Accumulator]

^ I was planning on using the Meguiar`s 8006 Yellow pad for Polishing and 9207 Black pad for Waxing.



Isn`t the M105 a tad bit too aggressive for a beginner?



Welcome to Autopia!



There are just too many variables for people to be able to say what`s appropriate/OK/required. But generally speaking...



-unless the car has been repainted or aggressively corrected in the past, there`s plenty of clearcoat/paint for a few serious corrections

-most beginners *radically* underestimate how aggressive you have to get to achieve significant correction

-the Ultimate Compound isn`t all *that* different from M105, and something of that nature may well be required for the inital aggressive work

-if you err on the side of caution and use something milder, the only real "problem" will be that you won`t get the deeper marring out, and there are worse things than that

- if you pay attention and give considered thought to what you`re doing you shouldn`t worry about messing things up

-be sure to do that test-spot and inspect it in all kinds of lighting so you can get your process dialed-in before you do the whole car

-set aside *lots* of time, this stuff goes pretty slow. Consider doing a panel or two at a time, after each of a series of regularly-scheduled washes

[Darkstar752]

^ I was planning on using the Meguiar`s 8006 Yellow pad for Polishing and 9207 Black pad for Waxing.



Isn`t the M105 a tad bit too aggressive for a beginner?



105 is a non-diminishing abrasive, meaning the cut is controlled by pressure, so light pressure paired with that pad will end up with light-medium cut on all but the softest of clear-coats. If the paint is that soft, then 106FA will cut and finish just fine. As other people have said, you`re asking a pretty tough question due to the high amount of variables.



Also, keep in mind that a 6.5in pad on a D/A is fairly bulky and will slow down correction time compared to a 5.5.

[dezau]

hmmm Thanks for all the info.

ok, let me rephrase my question.

Would there be a risk for me to **** something up with Ultimate Compound, a Meguair`s G110V2 and an 8006 yellow pad?

[Darkstar752]

hmmm Thanks for all the info.

ok, let me rephrase my question.

Would there be a risk for me to **** something up with Ultimate Compound, a Meguair`s G110V2 and an 8006 yellow pad?



Yes. No way should you START with Ultimate Compound. You`ll need a polish, I would go with Meguiar`s SwirlX or Ultimate Polish if you`re really dead set on an OTC polish. Always start with the least aggressive polish/pad first and go from there.

[dezau]

Alright Thanks.

[SVR]

Definately agree with using one polish,I just don`t see the need for using compounds, polishes and finishing polishes anymore. single polish systems are the

way to go. I have one that corrects any type of paint but isnt a compound. finishes down great on any pad. the other one is a corrector of soft to light medium paints

my recommendation is to use a stronger pad instead of a stronger polish



A combo of a single polish system (Xpert 1000 ultra polish, 3D HD Uno, System 51 (system one X3 from 2009 and maybe even carpro fixer) mated

to a surbuf pad then microfibre cutting and or polishing pad and even a soft foam after that is what I suggest. there are at least nine different pad materials available today for repairing anything

from orange peel, deep deep scratches) and heavy heavy marring-swirls etc with random orbitals, DA`s and rotaries. One polish and a combo of perhaps surbuf then microfibre and even foam after thatthere are two or three other pads stronger than the surbuf and one finishes down better than surbuf on all

but soft to light medium hardness paints



Surbuf, Microfibre cutting pad, MF polishing and or a soft foam pad is one hell of a combo with a random orbital with high opm, tonnes of torque and power