[SCullen]

I've had my car for 2 weeks. I want to detail the car and get a mirror finish. I have a couple of questions.

1. Won't polishing remove or damage the clear coat?

2. How heavy should I go on polishing? I won't need a compound but should I start with a fine finishing polish, since it's a new car?

Of course I will wash with dawn and clay prior to polishing. After polishing, I will use Blackfire Sealant. Thank you for your responses.

[Mud Z06]

1. Not if done correctly. Most "finishing" polishes are relatively safe.
2. You really needs hands on training to get the right feel and technique. I have NEVER seen somebody pick up a polisher and use it correctly even if you read/watch every how-to out there. Even when put up to a scale, many professionals I saw STILL didn't used the correct pressure and their technique had to be retrained.

Many new cars actually could use compounding to some extent, but a novice should never compound without professional guidance. 90% of what a normal person could even perceive to be corrected on a new car can usually be corrected with a finishing polish. The right one will get you great cut even with a black pad.

[Glen e]

To get a feel for what you might want to do , try to read through my docs .....I've written them exactly for people like you. All in my signature....read them in order they are numbered.

I suggest you take it one step at a time and get familiar with the products and procedures before tackling it with an orbital. You can always come back in six months and use an orbital after have you watched a few YouTube videos. Practice on another car first.These car were completely done by other members by hand with my docs…

[Slem]

Originally Posted by SCullen

I've had my car for 2 weeks. I want to detail the car and get a mirror finish. I have a couple of questions.

1. Won't polishing remove or damage the clear coat?

2. How heavy should I go on polishing? I won't need a compound but should I start with a fine finishing polish, since it's a new car?

Of course I will wash with dawn and clay prior to polishing. After polishing, I will use Blackfire Sealant. Thank you for your responses.

If I can give any advice, it would be to always to start out with the least amount or least aggressive. = cutting/polishing compound, cutting/polishing pad, pressure you are applying and work your way up. Also keep away from edges or creases or high points on your paint work as clear coat will be thinner. Like glen suggested, try it on another vehicle, also watch lots of how to vids of polishing by real experts.

[KirkH]

wash, clay, glaze, sealant, wax

don't need to polish it

[Joe M 2012 2SS]

Originally Posted by SCullen

I've had my car for 2 weeks. I want to detail the car and get a mirror finish. I have a couple of questions.

1. Won't polishing remove or damage the clear coat?

2. How heavy should I go on polishing? I won't need a compound but should I start with a fine finishing polish, since it's a new car?

Of course I will wash with dawn and clay prior to polishing. After polishing, I will use Blackfire Sealant. Thank you for your responses.

Polish removes very little clear coat, and only removes fine defects.
How heavy you should go depends upon the defects that are in your paint. Always start with the least aggressive pad/polish combo, and then inspect results using light. Do one 16" x 16" section on your car.

If your using a medium cut pad with your finishing polish and still have defects remaining, you'll need to compound first. If you have never used compound, I'd recommend Meguairs D300 on their DMC cutting pad, super easy to use.

If you could post a picture of your paint close up, a foot or two away from the paint, in the direct sunlight, I could better determine if it needed compounding or not.

The thing about black is while it shows defects greater then any other base color, it also produces the best mirror finish and gloss of any other base.

I would first do just 1 panel, the trunk lid, then work on your washing technique to be sure your not re-introducing swirls into the paint. Once you have the wash process down, then do the whole car.

The washing/drying is the make or break step of how your paint looks.
You want to compound once if needed, then only use finishing polish occasionally.

Here's a thread showing finishing polish only on my 2012 2SS. The car is not garaged, and is washed at least once a week. It was compounded about 2 years ago, and I don't have to use compound again, as the only defects it gets over time are very light.

://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=427438

[Adam's Polishes]

Check out this thread there is a lot of great info.
If you have any questions after reading feel free to ask.

http://www.adamsforums.com/topic/287...e-swirl-marks/