Can I compound without polishing?

[Sunder92]

I just want to get one quick detail in before it gets too cold. My last detail was back in May and now the swirls are all back!

Anyways, I was just wondering if it's a good idea to just compound my car and not polish afterwards. It seems that just polishing does not remove a good portion of the swirls and the just compounding removes most, if not all of the swirls.

Since I don't see a huge difference in polishing after compounding, I was just wondering if it was acceptable to just compound and wax, skipping the polishing stage.

[custmsprty]

Why not just leave it as is, put some sealant on it and polish it out after the long harsh winter?

[expdetailing]

On some cars certain compounds finish down very glossy amost lsp ready.
On many of the cars I have done, i just used fg400 then seal. The owners were thrilled with the results.

[sunday joe]

Read the post by Joe Hotrod regarding Paint Thickness gauge . You can overdo compounding to your detriment if you are unsure of paint thickness. You can live with swirls if you have to. Just a thought.

[allenk4]

If you don't see improvement with an additional polishing step after compounding...great

If you can't see an improvement from the extra step, stop

Not all paint is the same

[Sunder92]

Why not just leave it as is, put some sealant on it and polish it out after the long harsh winter?

Because it saddens me to see it covered with swirls every time the sun's out. ):

[custmsprty]

Because it saddens me to see it covered with swirls every time the sun's out. ):

Well it was just a thought, eventually you will compound the finish right off of it. There is not an infinite amount of clear there to keep abrading it with a compound. You may want to revisit your washing and drying procedures if your getting swirls back in the paint that quickly.

[Guessless]

Look at Scholl concepts S3 Gold compound.

[af90]

You could throw a glaze on there.

[EVOlved]

And why bother doing this when it will be covered in snow and getting brushed off in the next few months??

[Sunder92]

So I'm getting the sense that the best thing to do is to just wait until next spring to do this?

And I currently have Klasse sealant on right now. Should I reapply it now or wait a little more?

[BobbyG]

Menzerna FG-400 (http://www.autogeek.net/menzerna-fast-gloss.html) is just the ticket if you're looking to compound without polishing. I've used this with an orange and white foam pad and cannot believe how glossy it leaves the finish...:props:

[aim4squirrels]

Compounding with foam pads on a DA is not the same as compounding with wool and a rotary.

Pads should be safe for many compounding sessions.

[Desertnate]

If you must compound, Blackfire SRC Compound is another that will finish down LSP ready.

Agree with the others that you should wait until Spring at this point. How many coats of Klasse SG do you have on the car now? I've found two coats will easily last through winter.