tbuix3

Hi, i just bought an 08 c300 from my brother's gf and it is very dirty. I washed it and used turtlewax rubbing compound and used micro pads with my bare hand to buff the car hardcore and its showing some good results. but there are just many containment that wont come off.

1.i'm thinking about using a buffer machine. whats a good machine and kind of pads i can buy from local autozone.
2. should i use micropads to buff? whats a good buffing solution?
3. and once i buff the car, i just need to wax it right?
4. what is polishing? it is the same as buffing?

thanks guys

The Von

hi, did you use a cutting compound when you did it by hand? I buffed my porsche once using such with a wool buffing pad and it came up great. after that you only need to polish it 3-6 months to keep it shining good. polishing is like putting on a protective layer on the paint, unlike buffing.

tbuix3

what do you mean by cutting compound? i used turtlewax rubbing compound

The Von

it may be the same thing, not sure thou. Repco make a cutting compound, I think Kitten make one also. Just going by what was available in Australia. here in Indo I found a great product by Smart Wax.

itsLoonie

Before using the compound, you should have used a clay bar to get rid of all the contaminants. Buffing itself won't take all that off.

Buffing is somewhat like polishing. Buffing removes more of the severe swirls while polishing gets rid of the lighter swirls. Polish however also gives the paint a shine to it for that glossy look. You could use a sealant after buffing and polish, but it's not required. Wax will be the last step.

ohlord

would be the first advice.
Proper wash prior to detail warm water with a cup of dish soap and a cup of ammonia.(this step only for detailing,not regular washing) it strips the wax!
Use car shampoo for regular wash.
Then get yourself quality supplies and clay,polish,glase,seal,wax
Try
http://classic-motoring.stores.yahoo...sishin3st.html
Menzerna
Have fun with the C

ldtCapitan

This has been covered in some other threads but AZN posted up a brilliant list: https://mbworld.org/forums/4157887-post15.html

Also -in my opinion- check Adamspolishes.com they have some pretty good stuff, 3M also makes so good stuff too. If you've never used a rotary machine before I'd recommend a Porter Cable because it's very safe, using something like a Flex can burn your paint.

Oh and also rule of thumb, you can very likely scratch your paint using towels and microfiber from autoparts stores. Check autogeek.net or Adam's to get some real high quality towels.

Azn_C300

Porter Cable 7424XP is a good solid machine, but if was going to go back and get a dual action again, I'd probably get Meguiar's G110V2, FLEX XC 3401, or Griot's 6 for one single reason.... having handle in the center is much much easier to apply even pressure and maintain balance as you use it on vertical surfaces. Not saying you can't on a 7424, but after sampling both, it's definitely better. All those will perform well. As for pads, Lake Country, Megs, 3M, and Uber are all solid choices. Make sure you're working with properly prepped surface before you start machine polishing. Do your due diligence and go through all the detailing forums (autogeek, autopia, detailingbliss, etc).

JimPap

I've avoided using machines to polish my C300 as I'm concerned that being totally new at it, I'm likely to do it wrong and damage the finish.

Question, with absolutely no experience, how likely is it that a novice would damage their paint?

Azn_C300

With dual action? you'd have to really really really try intentially to damage your paint for it to damage your paint to the point of being uncorrectable. Good thing about these dual action polishers is they don't rotate on a fixed circular pattern so you're not just focusing on a single location to burn the clear. Also the rotational motor cuts out if you apply too much pressure as an added safeguard. It's pretty simple and once you start machine polishing, you'll wonder why the heck you ever went through the painful labor of hand polishing ever again. I use it for everything from polishing to applying glaze/sealant/wax.

tbuix3

thanks guys! helped alot. going to get most of the stuff this week...its raining like crazy here so i;ll have time to order.. thanks!

Philipangoo

Just watch Karate kid. It will get you all hyped about buffing and working out at the same time.