Recommendations on Finishing Polish

Thank you for the offer. I`m going to pull the trigger on the 520. I appreciate your response and kind offer !

mg031 said:
I have used probably every iteration of HD polish. I believe the whole HD line has been discontinued or at least most of it. I never felt the need to still want the older HD polish / polish+ though i still think i have a whole bottle laying around still. I have too many final polishes. You are welcome to have the HD or a 520 sample if you like from me.
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I`ve used ACA 520, 3D ONE, and Griot`s BOSS Creams (among many others).

3D One pretty much obsoleted everything else from HD in the polish category it seems. I do not think ACA 520 finishes any better than 3D ONE, but I only used 8oz of it. I did not reup 520 because I have a lot of 3D ONE and Griot`s BOSS creams.

Perfecting Cream is a hard one to beat as a 2nd step, but unless you are working on soft finicky paints 3D ONE is probably the more versatile product.

I also used M210 once on my Tesla Model 3 (supposed to be formulated for that paint) and it also worked well. But only used it on the one car. Perfecting Cream would probably have finished just as well, but I settled in with M210 without doing much comparison. In fact 3D ONE works very well on Model 3 paint as well and I`d have no problem just using that.

Many years ago I used Perfect Finish with a Flex 3401. The product dusts and would occasional shoot out little balls of polish. At the time I asked around and I was not the only one that had that experience. If you look at some videos on it you can see the dust left behind while polishing. It was designed for use with rotary and lots of people use it with free spinning DAs. Rarely do you see a forced rotation DA user saying that is the polish they like so perhaps the struggle I had was related to machine. If it was technique, well then it`s just not for me. In 2021 I do not want a finish polish to be making a mess and the dust is nearly constant with Perfect Finish. I gave my bottle of it away.

At the time I compared Perfect Finish to Griot`s Perfecting Cream and the gloss/clarity to my eye was better with Perfecting Cream on metallic black Chrysler paint. But it was only that one car and I did have those issues with Perfect Finish.

Today if I am going to 2 step a car I`ll probably reach for Griot`s Fast Correcting Cream and Perfecting Cream. For 1 step it`ll probably be 3D ONE and just adjust pad between more correction vs better finish based on paint condition, paint hardness, and desired results. For 2 step on hard paints I also have ACA 500 but I rarely reach for a liquid that aggressive.

Hyper Spray Polish is pretty good too, but the spraying action makes a mess and dyes my pads blue. But as a polish it works well. Maybe I`ll transfer the liquid to another bottle as posted above.
 
I think long throw polishers create more heat than a shorter throw polisher and create more potential for dusting. Also, closed cell pads tend to keep the polish on the face of the pad longer than open cell foam.
 
I don`t believe Sonax PF or EX04-06 are true finishing polishes... technically you can finish with them, as you can with Scholl S20 but do they finish anywhere near as well as S40 on soft-medium paint... in my own experiences with many hours using them, the answer is categorically no.
 
Generally the best finishing polishes in terms of gloss are those that contain diminishing abrasives. I think people overthink polishes. If it works and doesn`t dust, wipes off easily and leaves a nice finish that`s all that matters. The only other thing to consider is if you are working on ceramic clear or extremely hard clear.
 
I seem to be unusually particular regarding how Finishing Polishes, uhm...finish out. Not sure why, but ones that others think are fine (e.g., the M05) just don`t to it for me...so I appreciated reading:

dwaleke said:
..At the time I compared Perfect Finish to Griot`s Perfecting Cream and the gloss/clarity to my eye was better with Perfecting Cream on metallic black Chrysler paint.
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And that note about the Perfect Finish`s behavior was very helpful too...I`m not gonna gamble that it`ll prove Accumulator-proof.

So thanks for the info!
 
Hello all ! Very much love reading this forum , and instead of starting a new threat - because there is a ton. What would you guys recommend for headlight plastic coatings, I was leaning towards Sonax products , tried some Mothers Head Light polish , but not too happy with it. Besides Meguiars headlight coating, is there anything else that someone can throw at me - I would really appreciate any more info. Some thread I found a bit older and I know there is more stuff comes out each year. Thanks!
 
wannafbody said:
Generally the best finishing polishes in terms of gloss are those that contain diminishing abrasives. I think people overthink polishes. If it works and doesn`t dust, wipes off easily and leaves a nice finish that`s all that matters. The only other thing to consider is if you are working on ceramic clear or extremely hard clear.
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Thanks for your post ! Agree 100%!

None of the products I use on paintwork dust, because I do not allow them to do this... If the product and the pad start to get dry, I just spray a little pad conditioner on there and it is fine again... I also prime the pad with the same product before I put the compound/polish on the pad.
If you are watching your work carefully, and you can feel and hear when the machine and pad are starting to change, it`s time to stop and perhaps spray a little moisture under there so the pad, product, and paintwork, can continue to have a great experience together.. This also helps cut down on heat from friction, helps the pads last longer, and your machine work go longer..
And if you choose to run this combo to the end, there will always be very little stuff to even wipe off.. The pad will get most of it.. Then, I just wipe the pad down with a clean white towel, so I can see the color of what is coming off, and keep going.
No dusting means a lot less clean up, and as we all know, that stuff gets into every seam nearby..
I just say NO to dusting.. :)
Dan F
 
Just to add another input to my previous post.

I used Griots BOSS Perfecting Cream for the first time this weekend. Really like the product.

Not only does it finish down better than most polishes I`ve ever used, but it seems to have a *bit* more cut than many finishing polishes. This makes it more versatile for amateur hacks like me. I was also really impressed by how easy it was to remove. When I first saw the thickness of the product I was a little worried, but it seemed to have one of the least oily and easiest removals I`ve ever encountered.
 
Colorado50-Welcome to Autopia! I don`t know what product would be best for headlights, but I do know that the UV protection on them is awfully thin, so I hope you take it easy or apply something to deal with that UV exposure after polishing them.

Desertnate- Ah, I appreciate that feedback on the GG Perfecting Creme, thanks!
 
In the "more food for thought" on polishes, please see the linked thread of an epic and detailed scientific research on polishes and the gloss they produce posted by Autopian All-Star Loach. It is definitely worth the long time it takes to read through and review the data!!
https://www.autopia.org/forums/pain...rement-thread-waxmode-testing.html?highlight=
By the way his preferred polish is Sonax Perfect Finish. I asked in the above thread in Post #67 and his answer is in Post #68 if you want to skip to that.

That said, after reading some of the comments posted above about the no-so-good experiences with Perfect Finish, it does leave questions in my mind about my buying and trying it. Like anything, as Accumulator always says, "Your Mileage May Very" (YMMV).
 
JSFM35X said:
I could not seem to find it on the Autopia site.
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That`s because PBMG doesn`t sell M37 products anymore.

EDIT: Because irony is dead, and unrelated to this thread, but related to M37, I was perusing their website which I haven`t done in a while, looked at the new products, and I see they have an N-914 Wash and Wax...because when you want a rinseless that leaves nothing behind--of course then you`ll want a version of it that leaves something behind.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
That`s because PBMG doesn`t sell M37 products anymore.

EDIT: Because irony is dead, and unrelated to this thread, but related to M37, I was perusing their website which I haven`t done in a while, looked at the new products, and I see they have an N-914 Wash and Wax...because when you want a rinseless that leaves nothing behind--of course then you`ll want a version of it that leaves something behind.
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I use Uber SiO2 Rinseless often and I ordered N-914 as a stronger, periodic rinseless. The main thing I noticed is that Uber SiO2 felt much slicker (more lubricious). Not sure how I feel about N-914 yet as I’ve only used it twice so the jury is still out. But I can definitely see a market for it as I really like Uber SiO2 Rinseless.
 
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