Compunding Frequency

[TheWanderer]

I am going to be purchasing the GG DA buffer but I have a concern about doing any kind of paint correction. My car, 4 years old, has never had a DA taken to it before that I know of. However, it definitely needs it to remove some swirls and scratches. Can you compound it too much so that your clear coat is gone or it's to the point that you pretty much need to re-paint? I think that once I do this for the first time, I will be able to maintain it and protect it so that compounding is not needed for quite a while. I also know that at this point, an improvement in my wash method will greatly help out once everything is corrected.



One another thing, what should I do about my pinstripe when I compound and polish with the DA, tape it up or just get as close as I can to it without touching it?

 

[Accumulator]

I am going to be purchasing the GG DA buffer but I have a concern about doing any kind of paint correction. My car, 4 years old, has never had a DA taken to it before that I know of...

Unless it was subjected to something you don't know about, then it's a matter of how thick the clear was from the factory. Some cars have very thin clear to start with.

However, it definitely needs it to remove some swirls and scratches. Can you compound it too much so that your clear coat is gone or it's to the point that you pretty much need to re-paint?

Sure..the compounding is abrading away clear and you can only take off so much before you have problems, and it's not just a matter of taking it all off; you can't thin it too much or you'll have troubles.

I think that once I do this for the first time, I will be able to maintain it and protect it so that compounding is not needed for quite a while. I also know that at this point, an improvement in my wash method will greatly help out once everything is corrected.

OK. You should be able to do a few somewhat serious corrections without problems, but that's assuming you don't have thin clear already. Without an ETG you're basically just gonna have to guess...feeling lucky?

One another thing, what should I do about my pinstripe when I compound and polish with the DA, tape it up or just get as close as I can to it without touching it?

I'd tape it; others would just polish over it.