Newbee needs help polishing rover 75 2004

[s.almajid]

Hi everyone

Here is a newbee who wants some help from experienced guys like you. Please go easy on me

I have been reading this forum a couple of days but I am still not able to decide what to use to polish my rover 75 (2004).

My rover has lost its shine that it had when I bought it new. A friend of mine told me to use a product called RM (Don't know the full name). But that product is very aggressive so I was afraid to use it on my car. I bought ultimate compound thinking that it is not aggressive because I saw on the label that it was written clear coat safe and it gets rid of the oxidation and swirls. I think my car does not have its shine because of the oxidation.

Now reading through all these threads I have found that Ultimate compund is very aggressive. I am really on a tight budget and cannot afford to buy swirlx(I am a student).

So what do you guys think to do. Should I return the ultimate compound and get swirlx. Or can I use the ultimate compound.

Is Ultimate compund very aggressive for my need? Can swirlx remove the oxidation on my paint.

BTW I will be polishing by hand.

Sorry for all the noobish question. This is my first detailing.

I also got Meguiar Gold Class Liquid Wax which I will be using after polishing.

Thanks in advance

[swamper8]

Re: Newbee needs help polishing rover 75 2004

I am fairly new to detailing myself, but I know a couple of things that will be asked/said:

1.) Do you have pictures and can you post them? It makes it alot easier for people to recommend products when they can see the level of damage your vehicle has.

2.) "The least aggressive method possible" is always suggested on these forums.

I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder as I started out with UC and a standard DA buffer. It got out very little of my damage and I considered UC quite mild. But even with wet sanding some of my defects couldn't be removed so I have a extreme case.

I think it will be suggested that you do a test spot with the UC. Find a obsure place to rub in the UC to see how the paint comes out. Just remember, if you're doing it by hand, it'll probably take you like 4-8 hours(?) to do the whole car, maybe more. A common mistake when applying by hand is not working the product in a area long enough. Then the results **** and people blame the product when it was the process (or lack of) all along.

[Eddie6th]

Re: Newbee needs help polishing rover 75 2004

Hi.Your situation is that you can't have both products.

On the other hand,if you swap it for swirlX,and it doesn't do the task? Then you'll be stuck with that.



Have you already opened the UC,or is it still sealed?

[Rick McDonough]

Re: Newbee needs help polishing rover 75 2004

As swamper8 said, we would always recommend from least aggressive to most aggressive. The Swirl-X is a great product for light holograms, light swirl marks etc. Even though it is geared towards marks it will work towards removing any light below surface defect. While the Ultimate Compound is more aggressive, it is safe and effective at the same time (especially if you are working by hand). I tend to recommend the Ultimate Compound for defects that are more than light, and this can be challenging to gauge at times without seeing it. However, if you would assess this oxidation as more than light you may want to consider Ultimate Compound. Ultimate Compound also has a slant towards paint that has started to oxidize as well. So, based on what I'm hearing I would probably lean towards Ultimate Compound for your oxidation and then go right to your Gold Class Wax (or consider doing an optional polishing step between the two). I hope that is helpful.

[s.almajid]

Re: Newbee needs help polishing rover 75 2004

Thanks for the fast responses.

I don't have a picture of my car right now. It is night now. I was not able to get good pictures to show the condition of the car.

I did not open the seal on the product. That is why I am not trying a test spot.

My car have very less swirls which can only be seen when reflecting the sun light. They are not much visible really may be because the cars paint is silver or may be because it does not have much shine.

My aim in polishing is to return the car shine as if it is brand new and to remove some scratches. Before few day I applied Gold Class wax but I was not satisfied by the shining of the paint.

Do Ultimate compound removes much of the clear coat?

Sorry for not providing pictures of the car right now. I will take pictures of it when it is morning. I will go now to a bright place and try to get some snapshots.

[geert dr]

Re: Newbee needs help polishing rover 75 2004

I would'nt worry to much about the aggressiveness of Ultimate Compound,
it really is not that aggessive , it will leave a nice finish (if worked in with some elbowgrease) and take away the oxydation !

UC is a product that uses SMAT-technology ( Super Micro Abrasive Techn.) witch means that the abrasives are very,very fine.

Do a little testspot and you will see that it is very easy and safe to work with UC !

[Rick McDonough]

Re: Newbee needs help polishing rover 75 2004

Do Ultimate compound removes much of the clear coat?

No, as geert dr mentioned, the abrasives in the Ultimate Compound are on such a microscopic level you will not cause harm by hand. It is a very safe and effective formula.

[s.almajid]

Re: Newbee needs help polishing rover 75 2004

Thanks everyone for you replies

So I decided to use the Ultimate Compound on my car. I will apply it tomorrow.

My steps are
1)wash
2)Dry
3)Apply Ultimate Compound (Do a test spot first). I may not apply to the whole car one time.
4)Wax with Gold Class Wax

Due to low budget I am not getting Clay to clean the car. Am I fine without that?

[Eddie6th]

Re: Newbee needs help polishing rover 75 2004

Thanks everyone for you replies

So I decided to use the Ultimate Compound on my car. I will apply it tomorrow.

My steps are
1)wash
2)Dry
3)Apply Ultimate Compound (Do a test spot first). I may not apply to the whole car one time.
4)Wax with Gold Class Wax

Due to low budget I am not getting Clay to clean the car. Am I fine without that?

Remember and do a rest spot first. Yes,you can go ahead without the clay.It is an important step,but if you can't have it,then it's not an option.
I don't know if someone here knows of a 'homemade' substitute?

[swamper8]

Re: Newbee needs help polishing rover 75 2004

I don't know what other people do, but after applying product by hand or machine, I wipe the area down with a microfiber towel. That allows me to have a clean surface and see whether I got the defect out or not. If it's still there, I can repeat repeat repeat or move on to a more aggressive solution. So if you don't have any micros, they would be good to have. Plus you're going to need applicator pads to apply the UC. If you are on so tight a budget you have to decide between UC and SwirlX, perhaps you should wait until you've saved up 30-40 bucks so you can get the rest of what you need, unless you already have those things.