Next week a friend and I are planning to 'buffer compound' the wifes' cars. Both are about 10 years old. The paint is in reasonably good shape, minor dings, chips, dimples, and pimples. But we are not looking to make it a show car, just get back some of the original gloss.

I have a circular power buffer. I plan on using the foam pads as its almost impossible to burn the paint with them. I would probably have a course and fine pad. My plan was to start with cutting compound, then move to glazing compound.

Can anyone give me a idea of the best products to buy?

Is there any type of final glaze that I can use. When I was a kid I used to hear about a product called 'Ebony' that was a final silicone glaze.

We are prepared to do as many 'cuts' as it takes to do it right. But can someone give us a list of the products we should buy, start to finish, and any special instructions.

Final finish will be Zaino Z5 for both a Dark Green , and tan/gold color cars.

 

Is the finish on the paint bad enough to warrent compounding it ?

You might want to try a normal procedue to see if it somes baclk, rather then jumping right to compunding.

Wash - clay bar - wash - polish - glaze - wax ( or replace the polish - glaze - wax with the system you are using ).

If the paint is badly fadded from oxidation that is another story, but if it is just a case of not enough shine ( i.e. no oxidation ) why go that route.

If you are looking to take out some of the scratches, do that spot by spot, with something akin to scratch X or Swirl Mark Remove if the scratches are not that bad.

BTW : Foam pad on a rotary buffer you can still burn the paint. It is acase of the action of the buffer used with what ever is on it, that causes the damage, not the pad type alone.
Don't know if you are talking about a rotary buffer, or the buffer like you get at autozone / Sears.

Take a look through this if you have not already to see if you really need to do compunding.
http://www.properautocare.com/whatdif.html

I would try a wash - clay - wash polish routine before going th route of compunding myself. That is just me though.

Good luck

 

I personally like the 3m products. I have gotten the best results out of them. I use the perfectit III rubbing compound, then come back with the perfectit III machine glaze then wax.

 

Trust me, the car needs compounding. The paint is oxidized, there are way too many scratches to attack each individually, and there are black spots here and there on the hood. We are talking a 10 year old car that was never garaged, and always neglected. No compounding it would be like trying to polish a turd.

Any recommendations on a product to use after the Machine Glaze, or should I go right to wax?

 

So you have tried a test spot and know clay and polish won't work ? If you have a rotary buffer ( the circular power buffer ) you might be shocked to find that it does the job using polish alone. This is something like the Meguires #9 SMR.

I have never had a need for a compound myself, so I have no idea which ones works the best.

I know that the Meguires line is a good line, but their compund requres the uses of a rotary buffler. I don't know if this is what you refered to in the post as a circular power buffer.

Meguires even goes as far to say by hand or by random orbit, won't work with their compunding product.

Kind of leaves 3M or Medallion for compounding.

If your circular power buffer is a rotary, I hope you are real good using one, so you don't wreck your paint. It is real easy to do this even with a foam pad on it. If your circular power buffer is a random orbit type mostly make for wax removal ( type at sear / autozone ) don't expect this to do so well with compounds.

Also I don't know what happens with Z5 when using other polishes, or glaze. I thought the Jonestown crew said Zanio is a Semi Synthetic, and needed to be used as a set, not mix and match. Got me, I don't use the stuff. Maybe you already know you can mix any polish and glaze with Z5 ???

 

My friend and I did his wife's car last nite. We used a circular, non-orbital, type buffer. Spins the pad in a true circle. Single speed only. We used a course foam pad with something called Eagle Cutting Compound as the first cut. We made a mess by using too much compound, but we never burned the paint once. Even when I was going around edges, two panels meeting, alongside decals, it was like you couldn't burn the the paint if you tried. We washed the car, then changed pads to a finer foam pad, same buffer, and used 3M Machine Glaze. Same thing, you couldn't burn or mar the paint if you wanted. Vast improvement in the appearance. We would have killed ourselves trying to duplicate this finish by hand. It was easy and an trouble free.

I just thought there was another product out there to use after the machine glaze, but maybe I am wrong.

Those foam pads are unbelievable. When I was young I used the lampwool pads, got pretty good at it, but you always stayed away from the edges and decals. Not with these foam pads. Even a amateur who never buffed before could use them.

 

I agree, I've been using foam pads for ten years & I've always gotten excellent results with almost no swirl marks. Word of caution though, watch buffing around emblems & sharp edges, or you'll shred the pad to pieces. BTW, I use meguires hand polish as a follow up after buffing.