Is polishing *always* a good thing?

maecrispy

maecrispy

Obsessed... who me?
I've done about 7 cars now and my routine has been the same everytime.



Wash, clay, polish, wash, glaze/pre-wax/pre-seal, wax/seal



Worked weel for me so far but now I'm wondering if I'm doing my customers a disservice by always including the polishing step. All the cars I've worked on have had good to excellent paint by autopian standards.



I've been using DACP and now switching to 1ZPP. Is always polishing unnecessarily harsh? If the customer's paint is in good condition (i.e. looks great, no oxidation or hazing) but has contaminants (i.e. I can feel the bumps), is claying enough? Or do you guys *always* polish no matter what?
 
Ahhh, it depends, but id say its not a bad thing to always polish. The prep work is what makes the finish look so good, and the polish is a major part of that. If you just clay and then glaze and wax you prolly wont get the depth that you formerly did. Its up to you though, ive done it with and witout polish, and i like the way it looks a lot better with polish, but its a trade off between time and looks. Try it both ways, then see what one you like
 
Cool. Thx for the advice. I've always polshed the cars I've done so I haven't really had the chance to compare polished vs. unpolished.



As I understand it, 1ZPP isn't overly harsh anyway so I figure it can't hurt and will only help.



Thx again.
 
if the paint is in good condition adjust your polish combination accordingly (ie. use a lighter polish)

I believe the polish will help remove any minor oxidation or micromarring that you do not necessarily see right away.
 
I found even with 1Z PP you can create some hazing if your not careful.Aways good to have something a little milder like MP around just in case if you want to stick with the 1Z line.
 
Or if you dont want to completely polish it, use a paint cleaner, but a really mild one. Dont use MPPC, its kidna harsh, but like the paint cleaner in their Meguiars 3 step process thingy or a cleaner/wax. It wont clean as well as a polish, but you wont run the risk of hazing or anything else either
 
04BlackAV said:
I found even with 1Z PP you can create some hazing if your not careful.Aways good to have something a little milder like MP around just in case if you want to stick with the 1Z line.
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Hmm... I was given to understand that 1ZPP was mild. I guess I'll pick both PP and MP up.



I take it then that if you're not sure (and I'm not since I'm relatively new to all of this), then I should start with the gentler polish, evaluate, and then go harsher if needed?



As far as the 1Z line, I'm choosing it because I have to do everything by hand (DAP will have to come later.) I would try Menzarna but it implies that it's not good for hand use.
 
Prometheus said:
Or if you dont want to completely polish it, use a paint cleaner, but a really mild one. Dont use MPPC, its kidna harsh, but like the paint cleaner in their Meguiars 3 step process thingy or a cleaner/wax. It wont clean as well as a polish, but you wont run the risk of hazing or anything else either
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I'll be using WG preseal polish. I'm stocking 1Z because as I understand it, WG has no abrasives. I suppose experience will tell me when I need to use an abrasive polish and when not to.



However, I'm dreading the day when I get a client that has 'bad' paint as I'm also aware that it's hard to work on that without a PC. :scared
 
Perhaps this will help from:



http://tinyurl.com/3gpcl



All have some abrasive except glanz wax (but then again Klasse also has mild abrasive):



Message: all 1z products



UPP = 1z ultra paint polish (yellow can)

PP = 1z paint polish (green can)

MP = 1z metallic polish (red can)

EP = 1z express polish (grey can)

WPS = 1z waxpolish soft (blue/yellow can)

Glanz = 1z glanz wax (blue can) = synthetic wax



top down, its the most abrasive polish to the top wax coat.
 
maecrispy said:
Hmm... I was given to understand that 1ZPP was mild. I guess I'll pick both PP and MP up.



I take it then that if you're not sure (and I'm not since I'm relatively new to all of this), then I should start with the gentler polish, evaluate, and then go harsher if needed?
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You're on the right track :xyxthumbs



You'll need to use an abrasive like the 1Z polishes when you have marring (swirls, hazing, scratches, etc.).



If the MP won't remove the marring you're dealing with (or cover it sufficiently), then go with the PP. You'll quickly get a feel for which product is gonna be required.



The PP should leave a ready-to-wax finish, but you have to work it long enough to break down the abrasives. If you wipe it on and let it haze *without* breaking them down (i.e., if you use it sorta like a "cleaner wax" or a glaze), then you can get the marring that 04BlackAV encountered. All the oils in PP make it easy to use, but also make it a *little* tricky to tell when you've worked it enough.



BTW, the MP is quite mild and *IMO* the PP isn't really very harsh either. You might find that you need something even *more* aggressive if you deal with significant marring and/or hard paint.
 
I just found using 1z Ultra with a PC and wool pad worked out well. Definitely reduced marring but absolutely follow up with the PP to eliminate any new micromarring inflicted by this aggresive combination
 
Yes sir,



The trunk has less marring than the hood so I did a trial run. The most impressive polishing results I got were with the wool pad. Actually, I should gone over it some more, that will be reserved for the hood next time around
 
Accumulator said:
You're on the right track :xyxthumbs



You'll need to use an abrasive like the 1Z polishes when you have marring (swirls, hazing, scratches, etc.).



If the MP won't remove the marring you're dealing with (or cover it sufficiently), then go with the PP. You'll quickly get a feel for which product is gonna be required.



The PP should leave a ready-to-wax finish, but you have to work it long enough to break down the abrasives. If you wipe it on and let it haze *without* breaking them down (i.e., if you use it sorta like a "cleaner wax" or a glaze), then you can get the marring that 04BlackAV encountered. All the oils in PP make it easy to use, but also make it a *little* tricky to tell when you've worked it enough.



BTW, the MP is quite mild and *IMO* the PP isn't really very harsh either. You might find that you need something even *more* aggressive if you deal with significant marring and/or hard paint.
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I agree completely with Accumulator; though the PP is said to have moderate abrasives, the (lack of) haze it produces makes it seem like it has very mild abrasives, even though the the way it takes down swirls/scratches is certainly more like that of a medium-abrasive polish. Using PP followed by MP will only enhance that fine result!:xyxthumbs ;)
 
Wow...thx for all the great advice all!



So I've picked up UPP, PP, and MP and I'm starting to slowly get a feel for the different levels of abrasiveness and what they can and can't take out.



One more question then...applicator choice? Since I have to do things by hand for now, would using a wool pad of some sort give me more bite than the terry cloth applicators I've been using so far?



I *do* plan to do work by PC in the near future but expense (and nervousness, to be honest) has delayed that for a bit.



Anyway, thx again all for you great advice!
 
maecrispy - Nah, don't try the wool (by hand or machine) with the Ultra. Bill D was doing something unique (that Cadillac of his is *not* a typical situation by any means) and you don't want to go there (at least not now).



Use terry, foam, or MF (strong to mild) to apply the 1Z polishes. If Ultra doesn't get it with the terry, just work it a little more, but consider that it might be a case where you can only do so much (that's a pretty strong combo for basecoat/clear paint).



I can remove fingernail scratches from under the door handles on (hard) Audi clear with Ultra, so it should be plenty strong for whatever you're doing.



Oh, and don't worry about the PC's learning curve, just get it when finances allow. If anything, once you get it you'll decide that it isn't aggressive *enough* and you'll want a rotary ;)
 
Accumulator said:
maecrispy - Nah, don't try the wool (by hand or machine) with the Ultra. Bill D was doing something unique (that Cadillac of his is *not* a typical situation by any means) and you don't want to go there (at least not now).
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Absolutely.



The Caddy paint is 15 years old and white, I'm sure that puts it in its own league. Since that post I did the hood. The car is going to need a rotary to remove the defects. It shines beautifully just has defects ,same I've been pulling my hair out over for years :angry:



I would never consider the wool pad/ Ultra on my Audi. In fact, I see Accumulator had good results by hand using Ultra, I had good results removing similar defects by hand using PP and even MP :up



I've worked with my Caddy for a long time and already knew ahead of time what measures would be needed as first step procedure but NEVER go aggressive first when you're not POSITIVE what you're in for. More time spent due to polishes that are too weak used first is ALWAYS better than potential damage/less paint but resultsin less time ;)



Good luck!
 
Accumulator and Bill D...thx!



Your advice has actually put my mind at ease. I've done a couple dozen cars now but all have been in good to great condition. This weekend will be the first where the paint has extensive swirling/cobwebbing (and it's black!)



Based on your's and others advice, I think I've got a good plan of attack now. I think I might not be able to get everything out (since I'm working by hand) but enough to make my customer (in this case my friend) very happy.



Thx again!
 
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