I think the main reasons why everyone thinks you don't know how to wash and wax a car properly is because every professional on this forum will POLISH their customers car before they wax it if it's necessary. Of course you can wax a car without polishing it when polishing isn't needed. It sounds to me that most of your customers don't know better and just let you wash and wax without ever polishing and removing imperfections. Also, after reading hundreds of posts I know not to use a terry applicator which is another question you had.
Newbie ?'s on polishing.
- Thread starter Jake.K
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JakeK. - Hope I didn't sound too critical/condescending in my previous reply. FWIW, I'd think twice about letting *anybody* else on this planet wash my "good" cars, and that includes the best, most experienced pros. Some of us take this stuff to extremes that simply cannot be imagined by normal people. Heh heh, check out my thread on washing in the Hall of Fame Forum for a sample of how nutty this can get 
As for terry, while I too keep it away from my paint, others do use it without problems. A fwe years agon, somebody here did an experiment where he polished with terry, MF, and foam applicators (on a black Porsche IIRC). All three worked fine, no micromarring from the terry at all. Guess that shouldn't have surprised me as people did fine on soft black lacquer for decades before MF (or even foam) became popular. So IMO it's not some dumb, no-brainer question at all. But it's still better to err on the side of caution and now that MF is commonly available I'd go that route. But terry can be very handy for the initial, aggressive passes because it generally lets polishes "cut" better than other, softer, polishing media.
Working by hand, you might give 1Z polishes a try (sources: Welcome to Exceldetail.com! or Aloha & Welcome to Our Oasis for All Your Auto Detailing Supplies & Accessories ). They're user-friendly and work well by hand, and would better than not polishing at all. If you use their milder offerings (nothing harsher than Paint Polish) you won't do any damage, basically impossible to mess up- just work the product long enough to break down the abrasives, it's pretty easy to tell when that happens too. No, you won't get a flawless finish like you would/could by machine, but it'll be a huge step up from just a wash and wax. I'd give that a try while you continue your education on this stuff.
Heh heh, I've been polishing cars since the mid-'70s and I'm still learning stuff all the time
As for terry, while I too keep it away from my paint, others do use it without problems. A fwe years agon, somebody here did an experiment where he polished with terry, MF, and foam applicators (on a black Porsche IIRC). All three worked fine, no micromarring from the terry at all. Guess that shouldn't have surprised me as people did fine on soft black lacquer for decades before MF (or even foam) became popular. So IMO it's not some dumb, no-brainer question at all. But it's still better to err on the side of caution and now that MF is commonly available I'd go that route. But terry can be very handy for the initial, aggressive passes because it generally lets polishes "cut" better than other, softer, polishing media.
Working by hand, you might give 1Z polishes a try (sources: Welcome to Exceldetail.com! or Aloha & Welcome to Our Oasis for All Your Auto Detailing Supplies & Accessories ). They're user-friendly and work well by hand, and would better than not polishing at all. If you use their milder offerings (nothing harsher than Paint Polish) you won't do any damage, basically impossible to mess up- just work the product long enough to break down the abrasives, it's pretty easy to tell when that happens too. No, you won't get a flawless finish like you would/could by machine, but it'll be a huge step up from just a wash and wax. I'd give that a try while you continue your education on this stuff.
Heh heh, I've been polishing cars since the mid-'70s and I'm still learning stuff all the time
oh, i know what you mean, i would be very uncomfortable letting someone elese wash my car. I dont drive an expensive car by any means, but to me it is.
Well anyway, i went to the DA's office today, to see what my speeding ticket was going to be, and he told me it was a 210$ ticket( going 58/45). Then he asked me a few questions, about grades, responsibility and the such, and told me he would lower it to 45$.
So, now that i have a little bit of cash lying around, i might pick up a PC after all. I might even get my parents to pitch in on it, if i tell them i will polish their cars for free(good practice anyway).
Well anyway, i went to the DA's office today, to see what my speeding ticket was going to be, and he told me it was a 210$ ticket( going 58/45). Then he asked me a few questions, about grades, responsibility and the such, and told me he would lower it to 45$.
So, now that i have a little bit of cash lying around, i might pick up a PC after all. I might even get my parents to pitch in on it, if i tell them i will polish their cars for free(good practice anyway).