What type of polish to use?

[allen aikens jr.]

I put this question out to you, my esteemed detailing colleagues.

(It`s a little long.) :o

How do you know what type of polish (AIO,FI-II,3M Microfinishing Compound, PCL, etc.) to use on paint surfaces based upon oxidation, swirling, scratching, etc?



I`ve been searching, but I don`t think I`m using the correct wording to find what I`m looking for. I know it`s by trail and error to find what is the best product. But where do you start?



The reason I ask this is: Yesterday, Jason and I did a 99 Chevy Suburban (minor swirling, light scratches.) We had discussed washing w/ Dawn, followed by M#9 then Finish First the night prior to the job. I did the hood and roof w/ the #9. Didn`t notice much of a difference other than the swirling was gone. So, we decided to use FI-II instead of the #9. Significant difference all the way around. Which brought me to the question: What polish to use for given situations?

TIA,

Scott :xyxthumbs

[imported_Tony]

Lets make it more difficult. Hand vs. pc vs rotary. Then chose a pad and a polish. Having fun. Well then chose a wash a clay and a wax or sealant.



its all good



here is what I do:



First time wash with dawn. All other washes use Meguiars gold class shampoo.



Mothers clay and show time QD



heavy swirls PC, DACP and orange pad



light swirls PC, SMR/#9 and orange pad



Klasse AIO PC and Meguiars polishing Pad.



Klasse SG hand and MF applicator



S100 and by hand and foam applicator.



QD :clear pearl in the meguiars purple bottle for a fine mist.





How about you?

[imported_Edwa]

I`m doing my red `86 roadster. Badly oxidized, few swirls. So far I have



1: Dawn washed

2: clayed

3: Menzerna Intensive polish. I`m using a PC with the orange pad. I find a need to make a second pass using the yellow (CMA) pad to get out all the oxidation. (Would anyone recommend a more abrasive polish instead?)



What in intend to do next:



4: Menzerna Final polish

5: Don`t know yet. Should I use a sealant then several coats of wax?

[proshine2009]

rightlane method is what i do. except i don`t have DACP so i use 3M SMR with wool pad. if i need more aggressive combo i use 3M RC with wool pad.



good luck

[allen aikens jr.]

Here`s another example...of trial and error.

This weekend Jason and I finally detailed my F150 (pictures to follow as soon as they`re developed). It had moderate swirling and had never been polished since I`ve had it (8 months). So, this is what we did.



1. Dawn wash

2. Polished w/ a combination of 3M Microfinishing Compound and FI-II.

3. Dawn wash again

4. Applied Z5 w/ ZFX (3X) With Z6 QD in between coats.



That`s all we had time for. Next, hopefully today or Thursday Z2 will be applied. Jason suggested alternating coats of Z5 and Z2 to bring out the color.

I guess determining what type of polish to use is a matter of preference.