P-I II fine cut or F-I II Machine polish??

[ricastm8]

Hi guys:



I am a bit confused now after a couple of months reading, asking, and buying the stuff for detailing my car`s paint.



I know there probably are some better products out there but I`m talking about the things I can get my hands on.



The thing is I don`t know if 3M P-I II fine cut rubbing compound is the best I can use on my paint or is it too abrasive or not enough?

Will it leave a haze after aplying wich I will then have to work out with a finer polish (SMR, MG)?



Or should I go ahead and buy F-I II machine polish instead?



I`m planning on doing this by PC, I have yellow, orange, white and black pads, wich one should I use for the first pass?



you can see a close up of what the swirls on my car look like here

(its a jetblack BMW):

http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=38374



Thanks:)

[larry_bar56]

I use a variety of products, and 3M Fine Cut Rubbing Compound (FCRC) is one of them. I keep trying to use Meg`s DACP to get imperfections out of my paint, but it never quite does the job. I spent a lot of time this past weekend experimenting with different products and pads on a rotary buffer (Makita 9227).



When all was said and done the FCRC with a Megs maroon cutting pad did the best job at removing defects and leaving a very smooth, shiny surface. I could have gone directly to S100 carnuba, but I chose to use some 3M SMR with a yellow pad to get a little better results and some filling action.



My car is white, so it`s very hard to see scratches and swirls unless the light is just right. Black is another story. I think you`ll be spending a lot of time with a PC to get out what you have. Even the FCRC may not be aggressive enough. The only way to know is to try different things....as always least aggressive first.



Just my $0.02