quick rundown on polish and its' abilites.

[cleanspotdetailing]

I'm looking to get a polish for my White 08 Avalanche to ploish it and also to get put some minor scratches. What is the best thing I can use to give it that showroom shine back? I do not totally understand the polishes and its' abrasiveness...advice wanted

[Murr1525]

Re: quick rundown on polish and its' abilites.

Well.. there are a few options..

Will you be working by hand?

If so, will probably need Ult. Compound (a stronger compound) for the scratches... then Ult. Polish or #205 (a mild cleaner/polish) for everything.

Even by a machine, those would be good choices, but the Ult. Polish/#205 could remove more defects.

[h_bomm]

Re: quick rundown on polish and its' abilites.

Well first before any polish or compound you are going to want to clay bar it. That alone will help a ton. Are you working by hand or do you have a machine to help out? I would say you probably are going to want to use Ultimate Compound without seeing any pics. I assume you have some moderate swirls and maybe a random scratch or two. Depending on how deep any scratches are you may not get them out but UC will definitely get the swirls out.

[Romad81]

Re: quick rundown on polish and its' abilites.

Do you have the specific name/color code of the white paint you have? I have had a couple of 2008 white GM vehicles and there seems to be a difference in the correction abilities with each paint and possibly between the cars and trucks/SUV's I've worked on. There's even a difference in color with the same paint on different vehicles. In my opinion the truck/SUV line is harder to correct, it can be hard paint. Not the hardest, but can be a real pain to find the correct technique to correct. I worked on a white Pontiac G6 with the MF system and never went past the D300/M105 stage to get beautiful correction with some pretty ugly defects removed. On a white Chevy Trailblazer I've used the MF system with D300 and M105/UC and also an orange pad with M105 then D301 or M205 to polish. I struggled to get the correction I wanted and spent quite a bit of extra time doing it. Once I figured out it's nuances it wasn't so bad but still much harder than other GM whites I've worked on. The Trailblazer has been my least favorite vehicle to work on since then. My wife drives it now and at least once a week there's a new scratch or blemish on it. I've pretty much given up on it except for an occasional wash. Maybe with the new Mf extra cut disc I'd have better results. Got me thinking now.

You most likely have one of these paint codes on your vehicle: 50, 8624, GAZ, WA8624, same as the Trailblazer. Based on that and no pictures, I would agree with the others and say you'll probably end up using Ultimate Compound to take out most of the defects then finishing with UP. Having both the UC and UP or M105/M205 is a pretty good idea. Once you take out the heavy stuff with UC and polish with UP you can usually leave the UC alone for quite a while and maintain what you've got with the correct washing techniques, wax/sealant, and UP when the swirls start to reappear.

I don't envy you if you're doing it by hand. That's a big vehicle and too much work for my old body anymore. Thank God for power tools and a rolling work stool.

[cleanspotdetailing]

I will be using the DA Power system to do this. Yes I will be washing and clay bar-ing thebtruck first. That is a must!

But where would white wax fit into this or could/should this be used instead?

[cleanspotdetailing]

Re: quick rundown on polish and its' abilites.

the Color I was told for my truck is "alpine white" it's pure white tho...not that pearl-looking color. for some reason with my account, I cannot post pics. But below is a link.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=566358203443019&l=3960fcd43a

BTW-it doesn't have many defects I take good care of it. It only has minor scratches...I don't think compound would be needed...but it wouldn't hurt also.

[Murr1525]

Re: quick rundown on polish and its' abilites.

The White Wax is a medium/strong cleaner/wax. So if you are going to do individual steps, you wouldnt need it.

However, a cleaner/wax is nice to have on hand, esp for a quick detail in the future.

Something like:

1. Wash
2. Clay if needed
3. White Wax
4. Ult. Wax - 1 coat after if the White wax if wanted

is a nice way to save a step or two when in a hurry.

[cleanspotdetailing]

The quick verion will be after I get it to where I want it. I am looking to give it that once very in depth paint restoration....after that up keep is easy.

[Daniel Kinder]

Re: quick rundown on polish and its' abilites.

Hey cleanspot,

I would use the mild blue clay and make sure you spend your time claying every inch of your paint thoroughly.

followed by M80 or ultimate compound. Remember a light color as your white paint needs more cleaning In the polishing process. And I like to use one cleaning product while using 2 different pads. For instance on the 1st application a mild cutting pad while using M80/ultimate compound with a little more speed and pressure then switching to a polishing pad on the 2nd application and lighten up on pressure and speed.

Next since you've spent so much time cleaning your paint (if you used ultimate compound) you now need to add some polishing oils back into your paint (M80 has some light polishing oils in it, the reason I use it) If not apply some #7. apply lightly and it will take 2 to 3 wipes to remove excess, don't try to remove in the 1st wipe off, just go over the whole surface once then go back over a second time to remove. Often it will take 3 wipes since #7 is full of polishing oils.

Last apply 2 thin coats of your LSP for better protection and even coverage not to mention it looks better to your eyes! Hope I've helped

[The Guz]

Re: quick rundown on polish and its' abilites.

Murr provided some good steps if you are going to use white wax. If you are not going to use white wax I would recommend you pick up ultimate compound, ultimate polish and ultimate wax. That will make white look great. Ultimate quik detailer and ultimate quik wax wil be good products to maintain your hard work.

[cleanspotdetailing]

Re: quick rundown on polish and its' abilites.

thanks guys...I was hoping to skip that compounding step....but to get what I'm looking for...it's something I need to do.

Question tho. for the DA Power System....I would need like 4 compound pads for my truck....yes?

[Daniel Kinder]

Re: quick rundown on polish and its' abilites.

Yes cleanspot,

I would have at least 4 handy maybe more? I haven't got one yet but do plan on it I think they could be very handy and I always say ''better to have it and not need it, then to need it and not have it''

Remember to not over saturate your pads and it's best to spin your pads on a micro fiber towel(hold towel in hand and then apply pad while on drill and give it a spin for a sec or two so as to remove any excess product and helps from saturating pad) after every 2nd application of applying your product. I always found it easyer to use 2 to 3 pads( 6'' or the 5.5'' pads) during my cleaning step and the same amount on my LSP so as to help make my pads last a little long in life. I use alot of pressure in my cleaning step so it does break down my pads.

Also I have a small Haier HLP23E portable electric washing machine I use to clean my pads and micro fiber towels in so I try to have plenty of clean pads on hand. (will do a thread of my machine in a day or so when I have a few sec to write a post if one don't already exsist)

Hope I've help... and pics would be great cleanspot of your polishing! Later

[cleanspotdetailing]

I'll post some before and after shots... I gotta get me a free day with xmas then my anniversary coming...i have no time.