I guess since this topic is up, I'd add my input.

Polish:
-Something 2000 Polish (Been out of production I'd imagine, rather old but worked well)
-NuFinish (Orange Bottle - Traditional Stuff)

Wax:
-Turtle Wax Super Hard Shell (Traditional Stuff)
-Turtle Wax Ice (Liquid Wax)

Outcomes:
-NuFinish + Turtle Wax Hard Shell = Deep, glossy finish with wonderful shine.

Before:


During:


After:



-Turtle Wax Ice = More so of an in-between waxes wax. I tried using it on my aunt's truck which hadn't had an exterior detail in years, the liquid wax just couldn't cut it to make a decent shine. I solved that with the above combination (same truck, BTW). It does work fairly well if the exterior has been kept up.

Well, I've started paint correct how-to with a dual action polisher write-up, and I guess I'll give you guys a bit of a preview. For heavily oxidized paint and paint with heavy swirling, you must start off with a compound. Don't grab your Turtlewax in a tub either, that crap just scratches the living hell out of the paint.

WARNING: This is for the crazies like me.

You're gonna need a good compound, something like Meguiars M105, a good polish, Megs 205, and then a good, FINISHING wax. Most consumer grade waxes are all-in-ones, meaning they have abrasives in them and will not layer/eat anything underneath them. I recommend doing tons of research. I currently use Liquid Glass due to its longevity, but it does not deliver the deep-wet look.

I personally use Chemical Guys V34 for my compound, and V38 for my polish as it dusts a lot less than Meg's professional grade stuff. (I've also heard good things about Meg's Ultimate compound and polishes.)

You will also need a dual action polisher for best results. Harbor freight has a good one for $60. Then you're gonna need to order a good backing plate, which runs $10-15, preferably a 5" backing plate so you can use 5.5" or 6" pads. I got the HF polisher, and an astro 5" backing plate off of amazon for $10, and Chemical Guys 5.5" pads.

You will need a different pad for each step, IE a yellow or orange pad for compound, a white pad for polish, a black pad for wax.

This was my front driver's side corner of the hood before I began any of this:


Here's a 50/50 shot of the no-compound and compound: (Passenger side is after compound, driver's side is before.)


Here's an after shot after I compounded, polished, and finished it with liquid glass:


Here's a crappy hood shot after everything:


I've left a CRAPTON of steps out that I will mention in the full write-up, so wait for that. But that's what you gotta do for optimal correction. If your car's swirling/oxidation isn't bad, you can get away with polish.

This is NOT for the light-hearted, I put 15 hours of labor to get those results.

Wax only hides swirls, etc, it doesn't get rid of them or even the oxidation. That's what you gotta to do fix it.

Chaplain- IMO 15 hours isn't bad for that kind of correction.

On the "what wax" topic, both of my Panthers wear FK1000P, switched to that from Collinite due to infinitely better durability, though I still use Collinite on our dark blue car as it just looks better with that paint.

The FK1000P not only lasts for months on end, but it protects so well against bug guts and bird-bombs that I've basically quit cleaning those off between regular washes.

For tough to access areas I'm using Garry Dean's Beyond Infinity Sealant, not bad for a wipe-on-walk-away product.

For correction, these days I'm using M105 for my compound (plenty aggressive for Ford clear, a bit mild for some others) and finishing with HD Polish, which I find *infinitely* superior to M205 (and without M205's oil-residue issues). I simply love these non-diminishing abrasives, but even blowing the pad clean between passes with the air compressor I still use quite a few pads as they simply load up with dried product and cut-off clear.

I cant seem to understand the draw of DA polishers? They seem inferior to hand/orbitals rotary? I am interested in that, maybe I'm doing something wrong.


I use that stuff on everything... except automotive finishes. Works great on beautifying a port/polish, or temporarily shining up a rusty bumper.


Ever use a glaze before wax/sealant? I have used some Maguire's #7 on a mismatched fender(temporary rustolium job) simply to "darken" the mismatched black.

DAs have way more correction power than hand/orbital. Not to mention more consistency, and they make it go faster. I hate orbitals, they cause more damage than they do good to me. Rotary polishers are best, but are the most dangerous. You gotta know what you're doing to use them; DAs won't burn paint like them.


Ha! I do have a tub of it, and I use it for similar things! It's great for getting water stains off of glass vases too.


I have indeed, but I ran out of glaze a while back and didn't feel like using it on the daily driver. The Impala on the other hand, that's a different story.

I have made a correction to my above post.

When I said orbital, I meant rotary. To further the confusion, I assumed a DA polisher was the same thing as a Random orbit.

As far as orbitals go:
pretty much sums up my experience with them.

I figured, "if nothing else, it will save me some work applying wax"... all I was left with was swirls and more work in the long run. Not to mention added waste of expensive wax. The hand only applies what is needed and wont throw it on the neighbors car.

As far as dangerous rotary polishers go: Its really not that hard. I have never eaten through clearcoat.

BTW my car has a single stage finish.

Rotaries are quite dangerous in the wrong hands. My BMW was "professionally detailed" by a shop when it was owned by the PO (receipts were in the trunk) and all I had was holograms. I fixed 'em with a DA. I'm confident enough that I could use a rotary, but I like the DA and it does well enough for me.

I suggest DAs because they're the easiest to learn with, IMO.

And nice job on the single-stage paint lol.



Thanks! I've heard great things about collinite, but have never tried them.

Well I'm ignorant about DA polishers, so I await your write-up.
Don't congratulate me, I owe it all to the PO who chose to get it Macco'ed

I have had people make comments like "Is that the paint coming off."(while looking at my spent wax rag) They would [censored] bricks if they saw how much black comes off with some compound.

I guess my point was, I didn't fear the machine cause a proper paint job is in order soon enough. Unfortunately, I found myself very disappointed that I had not tried using it sooner.

Now that I think about it, the replacement hood/header panel/bumper have clearcoat.... so I retract that statement... Oh lord... Ive begun to ramble... and realize how crappy my car looks now... 50 Shades of Black: The 124neta Chronicles ...

Jesus, how thin is your paint?

Edit: I think I may have also found a new sig quote.

Paint is not thin.(actually quite thick)

The multiple shades of black are a result of mismatched OEM ford black, macco black, rattle can black, and blends inbetween.

I have never burned through a layer, Single stage paint takes very well to aggressive compound. Because of the absence of clear coat on most of the body it leaves much color even when aggressively polishing.

The macco job also seemed to be lacking proper amount of hardener, as the places it has peeled are still very flexible. I believe this adds to the paint being easy to wear off.

I find it funny that people think no clear coat=not shiny. With a good polishing followed by glaze/wax, it is capable of a tremendously deep black and impressive shine. The flip side is how dull it can look when neglected, and the lack of protection against the elements.(like birdstuff...very corrosive) Fine for a garage queen, not for a daily driver.

Oh, I know single-stage can be quite shiny. Clear coat is mostly for protection.

I assumed it was thin because it was Maaco (everyone I know who has gotten a paintjob there regrets it. A lot.)

I've seen cars with single-stage paints that shine better than most modern cars with clear coats.

Actually, one couldn't ask for a better spray... for macco standards.

The car isn't hideous. However, Its far from acceptable for someone who cares about paint.


^^^The bumper is rattle can, hood/header is OEM ford base/clear, and fender is macco(single stage).

EDIT: Next to the OEM finish, the Macco job has a deeper black. The rustoleum is in another ballpark.(I had been hitting them with glaze to match better)

The challenge with a rotary is avoiding getting "holograms" (inspect in sunlight or under a 3M SunGun after stripping off the oils...look for "rainbow" effects). Even the best rotary guys (and I'm not one, though I've used them since the '70s) sometimes get these. I dunno how "dangerous" they are...I hear horror stories but I've *never* burned/cut through/damaged paint with a rotary, not even when I was a kid starting out. IMO it's a matter of knowledge base and mindset, just like wetsanding (or using a tablesaw ).

RO and DA get to be pretty much interchangeable in common parlance, but true DA, as in forced-rotation, like the Flex 3401 can speed things along compared to RO units like the Griot's/PC/Harbor Freight/Cyclo/etc. But any of those can do the job with the right pads/products and the Flex won't finish out quite as well as the others (doubt most people could tell the diff though).

A true rotary-Meister (Mike P., John K., Todd H. or Todd C., guys like that) can get a better final finish with a rotary, but it'll take a glossmeter to prove it. All of those guys will tell you that holograms are always a concern.

Thinning clearcoat *is* a valid concern. IIRC, Ford's spec is that you shouldn't remove more than 2/3mil of clear lest you precipitate failure. I know a *LOT* of people take off much more than that, but UV exposure can trash paint once the clear is too thin. If you can't see the factory orangepeel I wouldn't park it in the sun very much.

And yeah, a good single stage paintjob has a deep richness that you simply can't get with basecoat/clearcoat. The trick is finding good single stage these days.