It's important that the vehicle is completely dry before moving on, because the tape won't stick and polish does not work well with water. 3/4" masking tape should cover most of the vehicles "non-polish" areas. We want to protect any plastic or rubber from the polisher because it will burn compound into these items and it is impossible to remove. Also, this helps with clean up. | .jpg.opt256x196o0,0s256x196.jpg) |
.jpg.opt191x146o0,0s191x146.jpg) | Cover the cowling, under the front windshield, with plastic or a drop cloth to keep vents and wipers clean. The common parts to mask are around glass, wiper fluid jets, door handles, head and tail lamps, luggage racks, and molding. Also tape over emblems to keep compound to keep compound from getting into their tiny areas. |
Take a clean cloth and soak it in reducer, than wipe vehicle from waist level down, around the entire vehicle. This should take off any tar still stuck to the vehicle. For really stubborn tar spots, soak a cloth with reducer and hold it on top of the tar spot for several seconds, than wipe. You may even need to spray reducer directly onto the area and let it set for a few minutes and then wipe. | .jpg.opt162x144o0,0s162x144.jpg) |
.jpg.opt210x162o0,0s210x162.jpg) | For heavy cutting and polishing you may want to cover the wheels and tires. Also, cover any bumpers or step rail that have plastic, rubber, or flat painted surfaces. For rear window wipers you should either cover them or just remove them. Also, you may want to tape off seams between body parts and outside of jambs, this will help with clean up a lot. |
