compound or polish when to?

[ionic_slim]

Excuse the newbie question but what factors go into determining whether to compound or polish a car?

[House of Wax]

All depends on the level of defects and the type of paint. Rule of thumb is do a test spot to see what its going to take to correct the paint to your level of satisfaction. If the polish isn`t removing everything or taking too long to do it, step up to a more aggressive pad and/ or switch to a compound

[ionic_slim]

Thanks - do you recommend using a microfiber pad or foam for newbies?

[House of Wax]

I prefer microfiber for compounding and foam for polishing and finishing work (although the Rupes microfiber polishing pads I tried were pretty darn nice).

[Accumulator]

ionic_slim- Same general opinions here. Whether to up the pad vs. the product is a personal preference issue (I tend to up the product, rather than using mild products with harsh pads, but that`s just me).

[trashmanssd]

I only work for free on family, friends and personal vehicles, I also do my work trucks. So I tend to just polish and get out the fine scratches and bring the paint back up to a nice shine. I can live with a few deeper scratches that I dont get out because its free and I am not looking for near perfection. I rather air on the side of caution with the clear coat I don`t want to burn through it chasing a scratch that`s to deep.