How do you choose which polish to use?

B

Bert

Active member
From reading numerous threads, I have noticed many of the professional detailers will often use different brands of polish rather than sticking to a favorite brand of polish. The most popular brands I seem to see the pro's using most often are Menzerna, Poor Boy's, einszett and Optimum.



For those of you who do use different brands of polish rather than sticking to a favorite, how to you choose which one you will use for each detail? The color of the paint? The condition of the paint? Or something else?



I ask because I will be polishing my never polished 8 year old white Eclipse with moderate swirling soon. However, from my reading on this website, I cannot figure out which would be ideal for my situation due to the numerous brands of polish.
 
bert31 said:
For those of you who do use different brands of polish rather than sticking to a favorite, how to you choose which one you will use for each detail? The color of the paint? The condition of the paint? Or something else?
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All the above
 
I've only use poorboys. I've detailed so many cars and I've always achieved the results I wanted. The only reason for me to use something else is just to see what else is out there. The reason is don't experiment with other products other than I already achieve great results is the cost. That's my personal perspective.
 
Coupe said:
All the above
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Well, you are direct in you answer.:D



If someone were to pay you to detail an 8 year old never polished white Mitsubishi Eclipse with moderate swirling which brand would you pick?
 
The more you use the different polishes the better you will know when to use them. Sometimes it takes a test spot or two also. The condition of the paint, color, amount of swirls and what do you want to accomplish.
 
jshillin said:
I used SIP with great results on my '99 black eclipse...
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Do you follow up with 106ff or is SIP leave nice finish alone? I always assumed SIP was to get rid of marring and then you would want to follow up with a finish polish like 106ff.
 
BlueZero said:
The more you use the different polishes the better you will know when to use them.
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If you want to become a professional detailer that would be the best route to take because you will use up all of the polish in less than a year on your customer's cars. For a hobbyist who will only polish one car once a year at most, this would be difficult to do since many polishes are sold by the quart and I assume a quart is good for several polishes.
 
bert31 said:
Do you follow up with 106ff or is SIP leave nice finish alone? I always assumed SIP was to get rid of marring and then you would want to follow up with a finish polish like 106ff.
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It finished down LSP ready on my Eclipse. Some cars it does, others I follow up with 106ff. On my eclipse, I followed with Red Moose Glaze and OptiSeal... This was with a PC.
 
I do a test spot to see how the paint will react, then decide about the compound. As we know the characteristics of our polishes/compounds, we know what will give the best results for us. This includes aggressivity, speed, finishing abilities, lubrication, cooperation with certain conditions (sun, humidity, temps), concealing, etc. But even the paint itself can influence the process because an older, permeable finish will react differently than a new, impermeable one. Same goes for colors. For example BMW's blacks are soo different like night and day. Paint characteristics (hardness, correctability, thickness, etc.) plays a significant role too. And there is still a *dunno-factor* when you can't expect exactly how the finish will cooperate with your products.
 
bert31 said:
If you want to become a professional detailer that would be the best route to take because you will use up all of the polish in less than a year on your customer's cars. For a hobbyist who will only polish one car once a year at most, this would be difficult to do since many polishes are sold by the quart and I assume a quart is good for several polishes.
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A quart will last you a long time. Do you have any polishes now?
 
It sounds like you are trying to not buy too many polishes. Since your car is white, you can probably get by with an aggressive product and not worry about a little hazing which won't be noticeable on a white car. Poorboy's SSR2.5 finishes down well and is available in a small bottle. Optimum Compound is another that should finish down well for you. You might try the Danase Swirl Abolisher II which is on sale right now.
 
bert31 said:
If someone were to pay you to detail an 8 year old never polished white Mitsubishi Eclipse with moderate swirling which brand would you pick?
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:har:



8 years old, never polished and moderate swirls. You're kidding right??? I bet the swirling would be HORRIBLE! That said: Wool/IP would likely be my choice and then a finish with green LCCCS(AG) and 106ff.
 
BlueZero said:
A quart will last you a long time. Do you have any polishes now?
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I don't have any yet. I haven't bought a UDM yet. I am new to detailing (like I said in another thread, 2-3 months ago I didn't know what detailing clay was) and I want to educate myself by asking questions on this site before making large purchases such as a UDM, pads, and polish.



A few weekends ago I took care of the simple steps. After two bucket washing twice, I clayed the car for the first time ever (quite a bit of crud built up after 8 years:D, ), cleaned the paint and then put two coats of sealant. The appearance of the car improved dramatically. The paint cleaner improved the swirl marks but they are still noticable. So it appears I will need to polish with a DA. The problem is, there are so many different polishes, I have don't know which to buy.



I started this thread to see what the more experienced detailers recommended for an 8 yr old white Eclipse since I don't have the experience they do. While I do agree with you in your previous post that the best solution would be to buy several types and give them all a try but since I am polishing only one car once a year (I hope atleast), It would take me several years to get to all the polishes. I don't know how long polishes last but I assume only 3-5 years. In that time frame, if I had 3 different brands of polish, I would have only used each polish once or twice at most. That is why I am hoping to get it right with my first purchase of polish but again, I am not sure which brand I should try. Are my making any sense?
 
I'll take a stab at it... Optimum, it's easy to use, works great and is cost effective. I started to type SIP but the Optimum will be easier for you to learn to use, and it's half the price.



With out knowing exactly what your paint looks like I can't say for sure what one to get but one of these two will work for you...



Optimum Polish



Optimum Compound
 
SpoiledMan said:
:har:



8 years old, never polished and moderate swirls. You're kidding right??? I bet the swirling would be HORRIBLE! That said: Wool/IP would likely be my choice and then a finish with green LCCCS(AG) and 106ff.
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Soft, thin clear, I 'm sure the swirling is horrible, but I'd be afraid to break out the wool.... A good foam cutting pad orange/yellow and SIP will finish down real nice & easy.
 
SpoiledMan said:
:har:



8 years old, never polished and moderate swirls. You're kidding right??? I bet the swirling would be HORRIBLE! That said: Wool/IP would likely be my choice and then a finish with green LCCCS(AG) and 106ff.
Click to expand...





ditto, almost



yellow edge wool+megs #84

edge green foam OC

edge blue foam OP
 
jshillin said:
Soft, thin clear, I 'm sure the swirling is horrible, but I'd be afraid to break out the wool.... A good foam cutting pad orange/yellow and SIP will finish down real nice & easy.
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actually wool would be safer
 
SpoiledMan said:
:har:

8 years old, never polished and moderate swirls. You're kidding right??? I bet the swirling would be HORRIBLE!
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Well, I would say the swirling on my Eclipse is better than many never polished cars half its age. In bright sunlight, if you were to walk by it, you would not notice it. You have to "lean into" the car to notice the swirling. Granted, that may be because the paint is white.



SpoiledMan said:
That said: Wool/IP would likely be my choice and then a finish with green LCCCS(AG) and 106ff.
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Wool? Wow that's not holding back when it comes to aggressiveness. Can wool be used on a UDM? I thought only on rotarys.



I am leaning towards Menzerna products, you're not the first to recommend it. Unfortunately they seem to be the most expensive - figures with my luck. While on the subject of Menzerna products, what is the difference between IP and SIP? SIP more abrasive?
 
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