How to bring back the shine.

**Accumulator** · 03-18-2010, 10:30 AM

Originally Posted by A4 2000

My car`s paint is very shiny still for being 10 yrs old. It has some light spider webbing and other fine scratches though. Could I at least remove those with some rubbing compound? I`ve only used wax so far with it so I`m wondering if I should even go out and get some rubbing compound.

If you don`t approach this properly you`ll make things worse instead of better.

The *only* "rubbing compound" you should consider is Meguiar`s Ultimate Compound. Don`t try anything else. The "UC" is about the only such product that`s likely to work OK in your situation; other rubbing compounds will cause severe scouring/marring of the paint that you`ll be hard-pressed to fix.

If you use the UC, then follow up with the Scratch-X v2.0 on a fresh bonnet. The UC by itself will probably not leave a ready-to-wax finish.

The problem with not using foam pads is that most other buffing media generally don`t leave a finish that particular people would find acceptable. If *you* are satisfied with how the buffer and its bonnets perform, then OK. But I`d stick with the Meguiar`s prodcuts I already suggested.

Maybe you should start by trying the Meguiar`s Scratch-X v2.0. It will do some gentle polishing and make for a nice prep before you do the wax.

**A4 2000** · 03-18-2010, 10:52 AM

Originally Posted by Accumulator

If you don`t approach this properly you`ll make things worse instead of better.

The *only* "rubbing compound" you should consider is Meguiar`s Ultimate Compound. Don`t try anything else. The "UC" is about the only such product that`s likely to work OK in your situation; other rubbing compounds will cause severe scouring/marring of the paint that you`ll be hard-pressed to fix.

If you use the UC, then follow up with the Scratch-X v2.0 on a fresh bonnet. The UC by itself will probably not leave a ready-to-wax finish.

The problem with not using foam pads is that most other buffing media generally don`t leave a finish that particular people would find acceptable. If *you* are satisfied with how the buffer and its bonnets perform, then OK. But I`d stick with the Meguiar`s prodcuts I already suggested.

Maybe you should start by trying the Meguiar`s Scratch-X v2.0. It will do some gentle polishing and make for a nice prep before you do the wax.

Ok. So I`ll try out the scratchx v2.0 first and see what happens. If that`s not enough then I get UC to and do it in the order you described. Everyone seems to be faithful Meguiars product users, so I`ll stick to that route then. Thanks for all the help everyone!

**Accumulator** · 03-18-2010, 11:37 AM

Originally Posted by A4 2000

..Everyone seems to be faithful Meguiars product users, so I`ll stick to that route then...

Heh heh, and believe it or not, I`m not a big fan of Meguiar`s! But some of their stuff is just *perfect* for certain applications and you can`t argue with what works.

Try doing one small area until it`s the way you want things to look. IF anything doesn`t work out right, post back for help rather than doing the whole vehicle and having some big problem. Not that I *expect* you to have difficulties, but you never know and people sometimes do, uhm...surprising things.

**Sandford** · 03-18-2010, 05:47 PM

Hi there,

You may be as well to clay, (and possibly use a pre-wax cleaner if you want to go OTT) and then use something like Autoglym Super Resin Polish by hand and then a couple layers of wax/sealant. You won`t lose a whole lot by trying this and seeing if the results are good enough.

If it`s a random orbital type machine and doesn`t spin on a fixed point then you may be safe to use, you could always stop by a body shop and ask them if they can get some paint thickness readings for you??? But if you don`t have a PTG then I would be wary about using a machine.

Hope it goes well whatever happens.

**A4 2000** · 03-18-2010, 08:30 PM

Yeah, so I might see if I can attempt something this weekend if I still have time after I do my oil change. I need to go buy the oil still so I should be picking up the ScratchX while I`m there. Maybe I can get some before and after pics in too if time permits.

**Accumulator** · 03-19-2010, 10:08 AM

Originally Posted by Sandford

Hi there,

You may be as well to clay, (and possibly use a pre-wax cleaner if you want to go OTT) and then use something like Autoglym Super Resin Polish by hand and then a couple layers of wax/sealant. You won`t lose a whole lot by trying this and seeing if the results are good enough..

Or just use the SRP as the pre-wax cleaner. I`m a big fan of SRP, but I`d still do a little (abrasive) polishing first.

**Sandford** · 03-19-2010, 01:59 PM

Originally Posted by Accumulator

Or just use the SRP as the pre-wax cleaner. I`m a big fan of SRP, but I`d still do a little (abrasive) polishing first.

Whats the point? No tools anyway, DA or PTG.

SRP will fill swirls fine scratches and polish the surface

**A4 2000** · 03-19-2010, 11:14 PM

I was wondering if I should try one of these too. I wonder what kind of results I could get with an orbital. Would this also be worth trying?

**Accumulator** · 03-20-2010, 10:55 AM

A4 2000- I doubt if anybody here would recommend those TW products. No way I`d ever try them.

Originally Posted by Sandford

Whats the point? No tools anyway, DA or PTG.

SRP will fill swirls fine scratches and polish the surface

I don`t see any need for an ETG as long as the polishing isn`t going to be very aggressive. I got by just fine, polishing as needed, for *decades* without one (though I do find it handy now and then).

Most of the time I`d want to do a bit of correction; the SRP`s filling only does so much and it`s seldom enough IMO. Even a quickie polishing with something that`s hand-use-friendly would suffice. But hey, that`s just me.

**Sandford** · 03-20-2010, 11:19 AM

Originally Posted by Accumulator

A4 2000- I doubt if anybody here would recommend those TW products. No way I`d ever try them.

I don`t see any need for an ETG as long as the polishing isn`t going to be very aggressive. I got by just fine, polishing as needed, for *decades* without one (though I do find it handy now and then).

Most of the time I`d want to do a bit of correction; the SRP`s filling only does so much and it`s seldom enough IMO. Even a quickie polishing with something that`s hand-use-friendly would suffice. But hey, that`s just me.

Fair enough, maybe it depends on car and paint etc. Like you I have used products by hand for ages not really knowing what I was doing - for 20 yrs - but now I know a bit more about paint and products, I don`t know, horses for courses I suppose. I just don`t see the need for removing paint unless you need to. I mean if you keep getting scratches or swirls in the same place are you going to keep taking the paint away? Just something to bare in mind...

**Accumulator** · 03-20-2010, 11:55 AM

Originally Posted by Sandford

..I just don`t see the need for removing paint unless you need to. I mean if you keep getting scratches or swirls in the same place are you going to keep taking the paint away?

Once a finish gets marred to the point that it`s obviously imperfect, I`d think you *do* need to.

Then it`s just a matter of not touching the paint in between washes and doing those washes properly, so I should hope that people don`t keep marring up the paint over and over. Once you get the hang of taking care of vehicles they shouldn`t get marred up very often. I hardly ever have to polish any more, and even when I did do it annually I wasn`t taking off much paint. If somebody`s getting significant marring on a regular basis, then IMO something`s really wrong and they oughta track that down and correct it.

Guess it`s a matter of what different people consider acceptable and what they`re gonna put into the regular upkeep like the washes.

**Sandford** · 03-20-2010, 06:04 PM

Originally Posted by Accumulator

Once a finish gets marred to the point that it`s obviously imperfect, I`d think you *do* need to.

Then it`s just a matter of not touching the paint in between washes and doing those washes properly, so I should hope that people don`t keep marring up the paint over and over. Once you get the hang of taking care of vehicles they shouldn`t get marred up very often. I hardly ever have to polish any more, and even when I did do it annually I wasn`t taking off much paint. If somebody`s getting significant marring on a regular basis, then IMO something`s really wrong and they oughta track that down and correct it.

Guess it`s a matter of what different people consider acceptable and what they`re gonna put into the regular upkeep like the washes.

Whatever, if you need to have the last word then go ahead.

And you would never make it as a professional detailer if you think you always have to remove paint.

**Accumulator** · 03-21-2010, 10:56 AM

A4 2000- Sorry, the thread got a bit off-track there.

If you`re gonna do some polishing, stick with known-quantity products like the Meguiar`s rather than stuff like the Turtle Wax. The Meguiar`s consumer-line stuff is commonly available OTC and should work well for you.

You might do a little of the dreaded SEARCHing and see if you can find anything helpful that Mike Phillips has posted.

**A4 2000** · 03-22-2010, 12:12 AM

Originally Posted by Accumulator

A4 2000- Sorry, the thread got a bit off-track there.

If you`re gonna do some polishing, stick with known-quantity products like the Meguiar`s rather than stuff like the Turtle Wax. The Meguiar`s consumer-line stuff is commonly available OTC and should work well for you.

You might do a little of the dreaded SEARCHing and see if you can find anything helpful that Mike Phillips has posted.

Hey, no problem. Ok, so I`ll stay away from Turtle Wax and make sure to stick to Meguiar`s. I`m just glad I read the suggestions to try polishing first, instead of jumping right into using rubbing compound. Hopefully polishing is all I will need for my car and my brother-in-law`s car. I`ll check out Mike Phillips` posts when I get a chance, since I like to be well informed before starting any first time attempts on something like this. I appreciate all the help everyone. Thanks.

**craigdt** · 03-22-2010, 08:19 AM

Originally Posted by Sandford

Whatever, if you need to have the last word then go ahead.

And you would never make it as a professional detailer if you think you always have to remove paint.

Taking a swipe at Accumulator like this is a no-no...

To the OP:

No matter what product you use, you will most likely cause more problems than you will fix by using a 10" buffer. Period.

I would work by hand before expecting to get good results from your buffer. If you want to minimize the swirls, and you dont have a DA/rotary, you should try a glaze such as Megs #7 that you can pick up at the auto parts stores, and then top it with some NXT 2.

If you want to really polish the paint by hand, then you will probably want something like Megs Ultimate Compound, and then SwirlX 2. And lots of patience and endurance.