Exterior Restoration / Paint Correction

So you have completed all the steps for cleaning the paint. Now we will begin to understand at a more technical level what paint and clear coat are, and the issues that can arise from failing clear coat.

Automotive Paint Layers

It’s a fact that paint and trim will fade away under the sun’s brutal UV rays.

This often happens to cars that aren’t kept garaged or covered.

Car paint will begin to oxidize (at which point the damage starts accelerating).

Soon your paint is permanently ruined!

Faded and heavily oxidized paint can often be restored (to a point).

Whether it’s possible depends on a few factors including your paint’s color.

But, often it simply comes down to the condition of the clear coat finish.

Restoration is only doable up to the point where clear coat failure begins.

Without a clearcoat, restoring the paint generally isn’t realistic. You can forget about fixing the damage if your color coat has already weathered away and exposed the primer

Clear Coat Failure

This is what clear coat failure looks like. It cannot be fixed by polishing.

Without a clearcoat, restoring the paint generally isn’t realistic.

You can forget about fixing the damage if your color coat has already weathered away and exposed the primer.

Don’t be shocked to learn that affected panels, preferably the entire car, need complete repainting.

Step #1 - Polishing the Paint!

The cleaning step was the easy part. Now the fun begins…

This process is very important!

You need to polish your car with 2 types of products. A cutting polish (commonly called a compound) and a finishing polish.

Keep in mind that you need to remove as little paint as possible. After all, oxidation/reduced clear coat damage has already taken its toll.

Is Polishing Possible by Hand?

The answer is yes, but it won’t be easy or fast or the highest quality job paint restoration.

While you can polish by hand, it is highly recommended to use a quality buffer for maximum results. When you remove imperfections in your paint, you are working by polishing particles thoroughly and evenly. To do this by hand, you need to use a fair amount of pressure while moving the pad rather quickly.

To put it in perspective, the standard in the industry for buffers can generate 6,800 oscillations per minute at full speed very safely and effectively. Imagine trying to move your arm 6,800 times per minute for hours on end, all while exerting 10 - 15 lbs of pressure on the applicator pad. It's impossible to duplicate by hand and it can be tiresome to do a small fraction of this work by hand.

Types of Polishers

There's many variations of polishers, but the most commonly used are rotary and dual action polishers.

Rotary and DA Polisher have some big differences, the most important thing for you to know is how they work. Check the picture below to see the working path of the rotary vs the working path of the DA polisher.

Which One To Choose?

Choose Rotary Polisher If:

• You have experience in car polishing

• You want quicker polishing results

• You want better polishing results

Choose Dual Action (DA) Polisher If:

• You’re a beginner

• You’re afraid of destroying car paint

So, unless you’re a pro in the car detailing world, I’d always suggest you get DA – dual action polisher. Later when you learn how to polish, you can get yourself the rotary polisher.