Where to start?

[Chris W]

I am going to give a friends car a good detail and it's been a while since I have used any of my DA pads or products. It looks like there have been a few new products since come out since I have last looked and I am planning on picking up new pads also.

What would you guys recommend for pads and product on the car below? Overall condition is not bad, just washed poorly, never waxed, and a few discount detail jobs. A good wash will be first!



My hopes are not that high for this, but ideas would be great.

[Murr1525]

Looks like Ult. Compound to me...

[gsaintchar]

Looks like a lot of swirl marks and surface contaminants. Not seeing the entire car, I would start with NXT car wash, clay bar, SwirlX, Ultimate Polish, Ultimate Wax. But First, I would try some ScratchX, by hand on the second photo after washing. Best results would come with a DA on the rest. I would use microfiber pad with SwirlX and followed by a foam pad with the Ultimate Polish and Wax. Good Luck! Post your results.

[Michael Stoops]

Without a doubt, wash and clay it first, then do a test spot with the DA running at speed 5, a yellow foam polishing pad, and Ultimate Compound. The swirls and other defects are bad enough that we'd jump straight into UC without hesitation. As for that "A" scratched into the paint, you may not be able to get rid of it completely, but definitely give it some special attention with extra pressure on the pad. Don't just sit and dwell on it for a few minutes though as that's never a good idea. Pay close attention to heat build up when concentrating on this spot; simply place your bare hand on the area after several seconds of concentrated buffing and if it's getting hot, stop buffing and let it cool down before going at it again. If after 3 or 4 pretty aggressive passes it's not totally gone, then it's probably time to just stop and either live with it or find someone comfortable with a little spot sanding and rotary buffing to finish it, if that's even possible. Obviously the fingernail test here will give you a better indication as sometimes these things can look worse in pictures than they actually are.

[Chris W]

Thanks everyone for the help!

After the Ultimate Compound I can go straight to wax or should I hit it with something in between? Also is the W8000 pad the recommended one for application?


A second quick issue I have had is the velcro backing plates losing the glue and breaking up. Is this because the pads are to loaded and building up to much heat?