Originally Posted by NissanMaxima
Originally Posted by NETWizz
Although it can be used by hand, the proper tool is a Dual-Action polisher known in the industry as a DA. Basically, you might get 5% of this product's capabilities by hand, but it will really come alive if you get a DA.
I don't do this for a business but I've used the Meguiars products for decades completely by hand and have gotten great results. Plus I'm sure there is less removal of clear coat when done by hand which can be a good thing with very minor swirls. So in other words, maybe you do want 5% of the capability at times.
I would agree with those that say to use the Meguiar's Ultimate Polish as little as possible. I don't care if it removes even a miniscule amount of clear coat. If you don't need it, don't use it. You can also just a glaze like Show Car 7 which I understand has no abrasives but still has the polishing oils of the Ultimate Polish to bring out depth of gloss.
A year late replying, but here I go...
Working by hand is just plain tiresome. With a DA, you can easily turn down the power and even throw on a finishing pad or jeweling pad if you want to be super gentle. Heck, you can throw a jeweling pad on and pull out a super-fine polish like Menzuerna SF3800 and jewel polished paint even further.
By hand there are also vastly different techniques. You could use a Cotton Terry towel which has more "bite" than a foam pad or microfiber cloth.
You could also do one (1) pass instead of four (4) or six (6) passes. A DA does not necessarily have to be more aggressive than by hand. Ultimately it is very safe, predictable, and you get better results with a DA than by hand.
I would say to use Ultimate Polish when you need it instead of avoid it because it is that much less aggressive than a compound. Sure try to use a two bucket method to wash and minimize swirls. Hopefully, you don't need to polish on the same paint every year.
Show Car Glaze #7 is great but it is really more for single-stage paint than clear coated paint in my opinion. If you got an oxidized single-stage painted car, I would wash it, decontaminate it with anything that takes care of iron then clay it. From there, I would likely apply #7 over the entire car and let it stay over-night soaking it up. Then I would cut and buff it to a brilliant shine. That's my use for #7!
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Wet sanding removes a LOT of paint and really should be avoided without a paint gauge and experience. Practice on a car you don't care about first.
Compounding removes much less than sanding, but it can still be aggressive especially on a rotary with a wool pad...
A modern compound like Meguiar's Ultimate Compound (in the same series as their Ultimate Polish), works very well with a DA polisher and a cutting foam pad. Any compounding removes quite a bit more paint than polishing but vastly less than wet sanding. If you want to know how much, watch some Ammo NYC videos. Larry has does test sections and takes measurements on some of his videos. I will usually live with a problem and not wet sand on paint unless it is fresh paint with extra clear or something that particularly bothers me. That said, I did cut some deep scratches out of a door handle on my own car not to long ago by wet sanding, compounding, then polishing. I honestly cringed when I came to the realization 2000 grit paper was not even touching it. Ultimately, I think 1500 was my starting point and it even then barely budged taking quite a bit of sanding.
As for compounding, I personally wouldn't do it twice a year though you could probably get away doing it a half-dozen times or more with a foam pad and a DA, but it would eventually thin the paint more than I want possibly contributing to clear coat failure years later.
Like another poster indicated, polishing is almost imperceptible how little paint it removes. It really just makes a car look shiny and removes the lightest imperfections.
My personal car has been compounded at least five times. What generally happens is I leave it somewhere for service for something major and then they wash it in an automatic car wash despite a note saying to NOT wash... OR they scrub it with a broom. [censored], had a guy take a scotch brite to it to remove bird poop.
I have been able to fix ALL these defects, and the car looks better than new though I honestly wonder how much paint I have left.
