Wet sanding and buffing are the key to a great looking paint job. Good finessing can make even a mediocre paint job (like mine) look pretty good. To do this, you’ll need a variable speed buffer, some wool of foam pads, and lots of rubbing compound, glaze, and wax.
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In this case, I used my 10-year-old Makita rotary polisher, 3M rubbing compound, Meguiars Swirl-free polish, Meguiars Show Car Glaze, and Jax Wax Carnuaba wax. In the past, I’ve always used wool pads, but I decided to try foam pads this time, and they worked really well. The white pad is for compound, and the black pad is for polish.
We’ve done articles on this subject before, so I won’t go into great detail on how to buff a car. In a nutshell, rubbing compound smoothes the surface of the paint, polish removes very fine scratches and swirl marks, glaze brings out the shine, and the wax provides a protective, see-through coating over everything.
There are several things to keep in mind while buffing a car. First, don’t use too much product. A small drop of rubbing compound or glaze can cover a pretty large area of the car. The general guideline is about a dime-sized drop for a 2 sq-ft section of the car. Using too much will just clog the pad and smear all over the car.
Second, after buffing each section of the car, wipe the residue off with a clean towel. Don’t let the stuff sit on the paint. It can form a cloudy haze that is hard to remove.
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Third, be mindful of which direction the buffer rotates and always position the pad to buff off of an edge, crease, or body line. Buffing onto an edge creates much more friction than buffing off of one, and because paint is always thinnest on the edges, those are the first places you will burn through with the buffer.
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It’s a great feeling to see a glossy, shiny paint job emerge after all your hard work. Check out the difference between the polished back door and the quarter panel. Take your time with this step, and you’ll be rewarded with great-looking paint in the end.