Need polish recommendations, detail noob

[Brrcats]

So, I'm going to be doing some paint repair on my Z. Ive got some chips out of my front bumper that I'm going to fill, touch up, then polish. I also have some deep scratches which will require touch up paint, some light scratches that I think will buff out, and some fine scratches from improper washing in the past.

 

I'm going to be using the Porter cable 7424, and i'll have an assortment of pads, white, orange, yellow, black, and blue.

 

I was wondering if there are different polishes used for the severity of the damage being fixed, or is it more dependent on the pad being used? I would love some suggestions on polish to use, technique, any pointers you can give a beginner.

 

thanks

Dave

 

sorry I dont have pictures, I tend to take pictures from the side without the damage.

[iwashmycar]

send car to Todd = look like new

 

/thread

[Brrcats]

Just a couple of questions for you...do you have previous experience with the Porter Cable, and do you plan on wetsanding after you do your chip and scratch touch-ups?

 

If you haven't used the PC before (or have very limited experience), I always recommend that people do some light polishing first to get a feel for how the machine and polishes work prior to tackling the really heavy stuff. If you already wanted to clean up the rest of the car, then maybe you could do it first, and by the time you're done with the car you'll have a much better understanding of it all and can come back and hit those tough areas with a more aggressive approach.

 

If you don't wetsand after doing your touch-ups, you'll be able to smooth it over a little bit, but it won't level it.

 

I could write an entire paper on the various aggressive levels of pads combined with different cuts of polish, but instead I'll keep it more simple. The yellow pad is your most aggressive one with a nice amount of cutting capability. It will mar the finish and you'll definitely need to follow it up with a finer combination of pad and polish. I personally don't care much for the yellow pad and mostly use the orange (next step down) when correction is required. The white is probably the most popular polishing pad...has some cut to it, but on most paints it will leave a very nice finish. The grey (black) is nice for finish polishing, and the blue on a PC is more for wax/sealant/glaze application.

 

The paint on your car should be relatively soft, which will help it correct a little easier. A great combination for all but the heaviest defects would be Menzerna Super Intensive Polish (medium cut), and Menzerna 106FA (fine/finishing polish). You'll probably use the SIP first with an orange pad, and the 106FA with either the white or grey pad. The Menzerna products are bit more pricey than others, but they're worth it.

 

To correct really heavy stuff, or to follow up any kind of wetsanding, I would recommend Meguiars M105 compound. This is a very high cut compound, and is a bit finicky to work with at first until you get a system down. If you use M105, you'll want to follow up afterwards with a product like the 106FA.

 

Another thing that I would highly recommend is to spend some time on Detailed Image's Auto Detailing Guide. There's a tremendous amount of useful information there.

 

I hope this helps...let me know if you have any additional questions.

 

One more thing...that site has a 20% off sale going on today (Saturday the 6th), and it drops down to 15% off on Sunday...and then the sale is over.

 

Thanks for the wealth of information. I dont have any experience with polishing with a PC. I was thinking of doing some light polishing on my cherokee to become more familiar with it and get comfortable. Then go to the Z. i will eventually polish the whole Z as it has some lovely orange peel going on. I guess I just wouldnt worry as much doing the jeep first since its my winter beater.

 

I will take a gander at the detailed image site. Thats actually where i was hoping to get my PC from, but unfortunately thier fathers day sale was not applicable to the PC starter kit.

 

Both of the problem areas are on the front lip of the car. so while it may not be entirely noticeable, i'd like to get it looking as good as possible. Although anything would be an improvement over the current state.

 

Thanks for the recommendations, I really appreciate it.

 

Dave