Newbies can see it, but pros cannot

Post from Autopia Forum:
Quote from another poster:
So i've been reading all the recommended links here. I'm kind of confused. There isn't really any "paint" correction being done with polishing then? Shouldn't it be called clearcoat correction? With polisihing you're basically sanding down the clearcoat a little bit each time, to the deepness of the scratches, so they dissapear and even out? If you polish all the way down to the paint layer, then your car will have no clearcoat and be paint-only and won't be shiny at all.

That, and with all the products and polishes out there, what would you recommend I start with? Basically you need the polisher machine itself, a few different pads in different sizes and textures, a few different polishes with different abrasive levels, and masking tape. What about the swirl stuff they were talking about in one of the videos? What are the best pads and polishes and all that? :/

Response to that poster:
Keep in mind these links are talking about the "traditional" correction tecniques which use multiple products for different steps. As I mentioned in my initial post: HD Uno as a polish as it would keep costs down and shorten the learning curve--UNO cuts, polishes and finishes based on the pad, speed, pressure and arm speed and does this with no dusting. For $18 you get enough to do 4-6 cars and a free bottle of POXY sealant to boot. With other products you could easily spend $50-$100 getting a compound, polish and finishing polish and then have to learn how to use each one.

If UNO doesn't work out I can always move on to "traditional" products and have only wasted $18. If it does work out I've saved allot of money and time. Same with pads--I can always add MF pads if the foam pads are not correcting quickly enough.

My response:

The reason I am posting this is because it is strange that someone who knows nothing about correction can see what others who have been in this business for many years cannot. My illness as a certain ex member describes it is to help
newbies prevent destroying their cars and others also. This obsession to over polish a paint finish is just not needed.
This talk about having a certain light to see a flaw is just nonsense IMO. If you cannot see the flaw in the sunlight, then no one else can probably either IMO.

I understand that certain people do show their cars, and it must be flawless. Although, to have that flawless finish comes at a price. You cannot look at it as how much money I can save if I use this product, or I get a free bottle of this product in the deal. The original poster of this post mentioned he wanted to keep his car til it wears old, and does all the work himself.

Although, he has a black car that has not been polished yet, and little damage shows as a result. Once you start down the correction path it never ends, and the quest to conquer the swirl problem goes on and on, Where it ends is more abrasive products being needed, and waxes/glazes to cover the flaws and restore shine.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/21/2012 01:20PM by billd55.

Here is a interesting quote :


Question: How many car waxes do you need?

"Car waxes and paint sealants are to men like shoes are to women, you can never have too many" - Mike Phillips


My response:

How many woman buy shoes they use one or two times, and they sit in a closet never to be used again. Unfortunately ,
the same could be said about car waxes and paint sealants. Both cases are a waste of good money.