Question on applicators for polish & polish finish on light paint colors

[Nica_21]

I read a great article on a 2004 forum here regarding a firm belief that you should use a foam applicator pad over a terry cloth when polishing. Of course, I saw this a day after fully treating my paint to a wash, clean, polish and wax!
So I just completed a wash (gold class) + polish (UC) + wax (NXT 2.0) on my truck which has a white diamond clear coat paint. I used the terry cloth applicator by hand for the polish and foam for the wax.
I can't visibly tell if I created more swirl or haze. I really don't think I made it worst. It looks actually a lot better but its killing me that I now now that the finish could have been better had I used a foam applicator vs terry cloth.
Questions:
1. Since the paint is off white, is it likely that I will yield that much better results reapplying the polish with a foam applicator?
2. Is it normal that I don't notice THAT MUCH of an enhanced before/after "pop" from the paint post polish? It definitely feels mirror finish! But I just really can't see the dramatic before/after difference than I do when doing the same work on my dark grey vehicle. Could just be that my paint was in good condition to begin with before I started the 5 step.
3. Is it also normal that I can't see as much swirl mark defects on lighter paint colors? I feel like I easily saw any paint swirls on my darker grey vehicle...but with my white diamond paint I have to squint and take multiple angles to notice any below paint defects. I


im definitely not trying to shortcut anything. I work by hand and and willing to put in work spending hours on maintaining my 5 step...so I will do what it takes. I just don't want to have to strip my finish and start over unless I believe it will really yield that much more benefit to finish I just applied. Thoughts? Sorry if I sound like a rookie.

[Stephan]

Re: Question on applicators for polish & polish finish on light paint colors

Dark colors always reveal more defects. I wouldn't start over, wait until your next planned or needed detail.

Next time you do a detail, go Wash + CLAY then your polish and wax choice. I don't touch my car with terry cloth. By hand use a foam applicator. You just don't want all the pressure on the pad from your fingers, it can mar the surface.

If you have unacceptable swirl or haze, hand application of UC is unlikely to help, a machine will be needed.

What towels do you use to remove polish and wax, and to dry the car?

[Nica_21]

Thanks for the reply. I use a series of microfiber towels for each post wash
step, and I keep them all separate so as to not to mix chemicals.
As far as getting into a machine to work In the below paint swirls....will the drill attachment meguiars da work or do u think it still requires a complete DA polisher? Cost is definitely a factor but I would refer not to invest in gimmicky products

[Nica_21]

One more q...does claying completely remove your polish/wax finish? That is, do I need to always follow clay with a polish wax even if I just recently did a polish/wax?

[C8N]

Re: Question on applicators for polish & polish finish on light paint colors

As long as you used a soft terry cloth and applied little to no pressure, you should be ok. But I would not want to use terry as it can be aggressive.
Inspect your finish under the sun to check for any defects. If pressure was applied, there is potential that it could have left some damage of its own in which case you may want to go over those areas with a polish to level the paint.

As mentioned above, you should have clayed the car and clay has the potential to remove wax so you always want to wax after claying.
Clay will remove any bonded above surface contaminants and will help allowing your wax to bond better so that you can get the full benefit of that wax.
Clay also has the potential to leaving marring of its own on soft paint and can be difficult to see on white paint. Having said that, it is not automatic that one should polish after claying but the key here is to inspect your finish after claying to see if it will warrant polishing.