We also get a lot of calls from people who are against machine polishing because they have been stung by detailers that have done a poor job and left their paint work looking worse then when they started by leaving buffer trails and burning through the paint. This is caused by the so called detailer using a polish and pad combination that is too agressive and burning through the paint work (you can not remove swirl marks and scratches and finish the paint down pefect in one step).

There is no reason why a flawless defect free finish cannot be achieved by machine polishing, all it takes is a highly skilled detailer to know what they are doing. No two paint jobs are the same and require different polishes and pad combinations to achieve a perfect finish, a perfect finish cannot be achieved by hand polishing as this will not remove swirl marks or heavier paint defects.

Stage 1 Paint Correction is just that, polishing the paint work in one stage or one step with only one type of polish and pad combination. This is suited to paint work in good condition already that have no real visible swirls and only very minor marring – the Stage 1 involves refining the paint work with a finishing polish and a finishing pad only and is generally not abrasive enough to remove swirl marks and scratches, it is then followed by a wax or paint sealant to protect the paint work. (2.5 Hours +)

Stage 2 Paint Correction is suited to cars that have moderate swirl marks and light scratches and involves using 2 different polish and pad combinations; the first step is generally a cutting (abrasive) polish, to remove imperfections such as swirl marks, light scratches and other moderate paint defects. This is followed by a finishing polish and finishing pad to refine the paint work even further by removing any marring or holograms left by the previous step, it is then followed by a wax or paint sealant to protect the paint work. (4 Hours +)

Stage 3 Paint Correction is suited to cars that have heavy swirl marks, scratches and other paint defects, it involves using 3 different polish and pad combinations, and this can also include spot wet sanding for heavier scratches. The first step is a heavy cutting compound with a heavy cutting pad to remove those deeper swirl marks and scratches, the second step is a cutting polish and polishing pad to remove further swirls marks followed by the finishing polish and finishing pad to further refine the paint work to a swirl, mar and hologram free finish, it is then followed by a wax or paint sealant to protect the paint work. (6 Hours +)

Hand Polishing is a great option if you dont have the experience using a machine polisher and would rather do it yourself rather then having a professional car detailer do it for you, hand polishing will only remove very minor scratches / scuffs but will give you outstanding results when using the right products and leave your paint work with a deep mirror finish if the paint work is in reasonable condition to start with, however it is no comparison to what can be achieved with machine polishing by a professional car detailer.

Many people are still using terry towling or rags when polishing their car, this is not the best way to polish your paint work as it will do more damage then good when you look at it in the sun, terry towling and rags are too course and will damage the paint work by inducing swirl marks. The best method is working the polish with a foam applicator pad and remembering a little polish goes a long way, once you have worked the polish in you can remove the residue with a soft microfibre towel which is a lot softer then terry toweling. Do not buff the polish in after it has dried as this will cause damage to the paint work, simply wipe it off with a soft microfibre towel.

We recommend that you try to work in all directions when polishing with the foam hand applicator, this will help to ensure that the edges of the defects are rounded off evenly, always make sure you work the polish in so it breaks down the abrasives, not working the polish in and breaking down the abrasives will leave marring when wiping the polish off, remember when hand polishing to only use a very fine polish as using abrasive polishes by hand will cause more damage.

Remember a polish has no protective properties and is purely for removing defects and cleaning the paint work, so be sure to apply a wax or paint sealant after polishing your car to protect the paint work from damaging enviromental elements and to lock in that deep mirror finish shine. You may even want to consider using an All in One Polish / Wax product that will polish and seal the paint work in one application.

Most detailers and car wash cafe’s can do a Machine Cut n Polish usually within an hour, however most of these detailers leave the paint looking much worse then it did before they started, leaving whats called Holograms or Buffer Trails from using a Pad or Polish that is too agressive and spining the machine to fast, which results in burning the paint work and leaving a hologram effect, this can be rectified with a finer polish & pad combo however most operators will skip this step as they cannot see the holograms unless the vehicle is in direct sunlight however the car may look great with a deep reflection in the shade.

How is the Paint Corrected?

The paint is machine polished with a combination of compounds, polishes and buffing pads. Using the correct products and technique is critical in achieving perfect results. Not all paint works are the same, there are many paint variations that car manufactures use which can make it challanging to select the right combination polish & pad as some finishes may be hard or soft or pose other problems like sticky-ness, repaired panels can also change things as it is most likely a different brand paint used and applied differently to the factory finish.

How much paint is there to correct?
Most factory paint finishes have anywhere from 80-200 microns of paint thickness. Lets say your car has 140 microns, the interesting part is 1000 microns equals 1mm so the overall thickness of your paintwork is most likely around 0.14mm. 140 microns is the overall thickness including the undercoat, colour coat and clear coat. As you can only polish the clear coat this leaves us with around 0.04mm of clear coat to polish, this is why there is no room for error when machine polishing. Alot of detailers and car wash cafe’s will start hacking into your paint with the incorrect polish & pad and do more damage to your paint work then there was to start with. This is why you should expect to pay good money for quality workmanship.

Before & After:

 

 

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