Cutting and Polishing

I prefer using Meguiar's products for all my cutting, polishing, and waxing.  A better brand is 3M Perfect It, but it's out of my price range, so I stick with Meguiar's.  Meguiar's offers different types of compounds for almost any problem your finish may have.  From swirl remover to oxidization cutter, they've got it.

For a majority of vehicles on the road the most common problem is oxidization and surface scratching.  The extent of the damage on your finish will determine what level of cut to use.  For slightly oxidized or minor surface scratches use the fine cut, for moderate oxidization and more severe surface scratches use the medium cut.  And for heavy oxidization and major surface scratching use the heavy cut cleaner.

Start with an aggressive pad, like orange, when using the heavy or medium cut, use a yellow pad for the fine cut.  Apply polish in a circle near the edge on the face of the pad.

Set speed control to 3, but do not turn on.  Start with a 2' x 2' area on the vehicle. Rub the pad across the area to spread the polish.

With your pad pressed up against the paint, turn on your polisher and run pad across the area, turn speed up to 5 or 6.  Make sure the pad is pressed firmly against the paint.  Move across area you are polishing, left than right, then up and down, until the polish turns clear.

If you use the medium cut or fine cut polish I would go over the entire area in the same exact pattern only this time using Meguiar's Ultimate Compound.  Use a clean foam pad and go over the vehicle with a clean microfiber towel between applications.

For areas you can't reach with a polisher use a mini-buffer or polish by hand.  Be mindful of edges on a vehicles finish, the paint is thinner on these spots and can be burned through if you polish them for too long.

The secret to cutting and polishing is that you only "get it" once you've had a lot of practice One day it will finally come to you, and you'll find it is difficult to put into words. A professional detailer makes this step look like art.

Always work in a small section and use the right to left than up and down patter to make sure you're getting everything.

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