there is always a first time, today it was mine to "polish" my corvette C5 convertible with basic compound from meguiars.
how do you do this? How long does it take you? I see a lot of you having, one, two, three, four layers of product... I was exhausted after the compound (2h)...which was preceded by the clay (1h).... it looks like the clay leave small scratches....is it because I don't do it well?
this car is full of curves! I borrowed a DA polisher with 125mm disk. Took me 2hours and I did not finalize the bottom of the doors, nor the rear facia, lights wells...too low and curvy....not even talking of the lower front, fog light areas and brake ducts. The car looks a bit better but I am afraid it will not last very long...
let's see but I think I may pay someone to do it next time....

 

4" pad is pretty small for the whole car. What many here do is claybar a contaminated finish, which removes all waxes, etc. etc. Once you claybar you will see your finish as it is with nothing on it and will notice more imperfections. You do need to use a detailer spray as lube when you claybar, never dry claybar. The steps you can follow is an orange foam pad to do your color/ correct, yellow if your defects not that severe. Yellow can be used as well for sealant polish if needed. You may even need a few different strengths to correct imperfections. .You can move to a black pad to polish, then you can apply a sealant with black pad as well, after that a red pad for wax , glaze or poly. Once all that is done you can top with something like PB Beadmaker or Polishangel High Gloss. You can easily spend a few days getting a car to where you want it. I am generalizing quite a bit as not to color with any particular brand, plenty of opinions and options out there. Not to color your options, but for example you could get great results with something like Griot's Garage Boss System steps and a few pads, I bought my C7 from a Louisiana dealer.. salt air contaminated whole car a bit.. I spent 3 days claybarring it top to bottom pretty much in a 100 degree garage.. detailing to perfection takes time.. but many here can help you on your journey. There are many products that can achieve the same end results, remember good quality microfiber towels as well.

 

Please don't forget the IPA wipe downs in between passes and a good scan grip to review you work before going off to the next pass. Also, pad cleaning is important too. A dirty pad is not efficient. It will take more time, swallow up more product and accomplish even less.

Before clay bar - you should preform a chemical decontamination with an Iron remover and a tar remover. That will help out too.

 

Oh god yes, clean pads are a must.. I don't save mine. I do clean some and reuse them on the daily drivers occasionally.. but not worth it for some of them.. they get beat up a bit..

 

I will say to add using a good quality unit with a decent throw is a big key. I use a unit that has a 21mm throw.. I do use a 3" for some tight areas, but doing an entire car with a 4" is just crazy... you'll be there for ever and on bigger panels no hope to blend your area evenly and effectively... I am not sure I even know of a unit using 4" pads I wonder what kind of backer that is?