Couple questions on buffing

[Mydnyghte]

So I ordered the Pinnacle Twins kit amongst other things, and never before have I encountered a more time consuming task. This is the very first time that I have ever used a buffer, so starting yesterday I began working with it, and today I think I got the hang of it. Well, using it on the hood anyway:o

It worked pretty good, but I am not too sure the ends justifies the means. My bumper had serious swirl marks, and it made it look spectacular, but as far as the rest of the car, I am not entirely sure that I am going to undertake that chore. Considering I am not going to have the time, and also that the whole of the car is not bad enough to make me want to sweat myself to death. A couple questions though:

Are there any downfalls to doing only certain parts of the car using the Swirl Remover and Finishing Polish?

Is it okay to wash the car afterwards to rid it of all the swirl remover dust?

[Mike T]

There is no downfall except parts the car will look flawless and shiny and some parts won't.
You can wash the car after if you like, but you might e able to just use a QD to clean up the dust. I usually just brush away what dust I can then use Pb's waterless washh to finish up.

[Surfer]

You have a car and are complaining, want to come down and do our suv's for me:D

j/k

[FloridaNative]

I Get Dib's On His Pc If He Decides To Sell It!!!

[Mydnyghte]

I just pulled my car out into the sun, and changed my mind:awesome:
I'm going to do my best to finish it before the car show on Saturday. Its just mind boggling how long it takes to do this! And I still have to do the finishing polish, wax and paint sealant. Maybe I should start waking up earlier.....

Any additional tips to using the swirl remover? I feel like I have to do each panel twice to even make worth my while..

[ScottB]

I think there are two items missing from your equation, if I may:

1. It will take the "most" time the first time to bring the car back to showroom new condition (or better). That said, with some new care given while washing/drying you will never likely need to do it quite this way again.

2. Some areas of your car are likely in great condition. Sides dont get the same environmental issues as the top (heat). So in some cases it might be acceptable to just finish polish the sides, while needing to do both to the tops. Going forward, you are also likely to only need to finish polish and maybe occasionally move to a more abrasive polish.

[Mydnyghte]

I finished using the swirl remover this morning, I wish I had started on this last week because if I had more time, man the paint would look flawless! But I am very happy with the way it looks right now. Now I am working on the finishing polish, but wanted to know if it would be safe to give the car a quick wash after using the polish, or would that take away the shine? All the dust particles in the cracks and crevices are really getting to me...
Also, are there any consequences to skipping the paint sealant and just going ahead and waxing it? I'm mot sure I will have the chance to do both.

[ScottB]

I almost always wipe down my car after polishing and before the use of a sealant. Gives a nice finish to bond properly, but will wash away the fillers that sometimes trick us into thinking the car is done. (fillers : temp, hide swirls) Thus I wash and sometimes need to repolish.

If you decide to skip a sealant and go directly to a nuba' wax, then you are just sacrificing some durability (length of protection). Good thing is next week when you have additional time you could wipe down the car wipe i. alcohol and then add the sealant and a coat of wax when time is more managable.

[Mydnyghte]

Rock on, thanks for the help!

[Mydnyghte]

Regarding the swirl remover, how would I go about applying it to areas that the buffer cannot reach? There are some small areas that need touching up, would it be feasible to use an applicator pad?

[GearHead_1]

Maybe I missed this but do you mind if I ask which pad you are using?

[Mydnyghte]

I'm using the one that came with the kit, the orange cutting pad, but have some microfiber applicator pads that I was thinking of trying...

[GearHead_1]

I haven't used the one that comes in the kit so I don't mean to bad mouth it. From your description it just sounds like you are working too hard to get the result you desire. I believe it could be one of a number of things. First the swirls could actually be bad enough that you need a rotary to do the job (I'm not suggesting that you go out and get one). Second the pad may not be course enough to remove the swirls you have. Third the polish may not be abbrasive enough to accomplish what you are trying to do. I'm sure the kit you've purchased is ideal for swirls of a certain level but polishing ought to be at least a little bit fun and not such an ordeal. Maybe you could look into a different polish to start with next step would be a different pad. Anyway just my 2 cents. :confused:

[Mydnyghte]

Oh don't get me wrong, I am very happy with the kit that I got:righton: After messing around with it a couple times, I got the hang of what I needed to do. My only concern now is the areas of the car that the buffer is too big to get to.