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Question on polishing up old paint

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William

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So, I'm polishing up some very faded paint and have a couple of questions. I've done some experimenting, and it shines up pretty nicely, so I'll be tackling the whole car later this week. Once I get it all polished up, I assume it's safe to do a wash and wax, correct? I mean, there's going to be some residual polishing compound, so that should be scrubbed off before waxing, right? I get conflicting info online, and the guys at the parts shop just tried to keep upselling me on more expensive products.

Note, this car is far from show quality-it's just got a cheap paint job that's weathered badly in the sun, and we'd just like to get it shined up again.



-Wm.

PS-I am not looking for opinions on what brands to use.
 
Ideally, you want to clean off all the polishing compound before waxing. I buff it off and then use some basic detailing spray with a microfiber cloth to get any remaining residue off. You can wax at any time you like.
 
William said:
Once I get it all polished up, I assume it's safe to do a wash and wax, correct?
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I usually wash the car before starting the polishing process. That way I minimize the scratchy things on the paint before using a buffing wheel.
 
@Steve-that's what I was thinking. Polishing compound is an abrasive, so why would one leave it. I'll probably give it a good wash when I'm done buffing.

@Greg-the car was cleaned before I started experimenting to see if it would shine up, but a full wash is scheduled before polishing.

Thanks.

-Wm.
 
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