Deciding on a polish


Islandson81

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Greetings!

 

I am trying to figure out which polish fits my needs better. The Finish Polish, Polish II or Hyper Spray Polish.

 

What are my goals? To do some minor correction (light scratches and swirls) and to remove any LSP's. I am not looking for 100% perfection on the light paint defects. I am concentrating mostly on LSP removal. I will also be claying using Pinnacle's Poly Clay.

 

BTW, my car is a '12 Honda Fit, White. From what I understand about this paint it is a Single stage non-clear coat that is extremely hard.

 

I will be applying using LC CCS Euro Foam Hand Applicator White Pad. LSP application with the red pad.

 

Any hints or suggestions?

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By hand, my suggestion would still be Hyper Polish. I use it on the MF pads, Foam pads and just FRI night used it by hand with a black finish pad to remove some defects in a black flash before Opti Coating it ( paint on it is soft like Playdough ).

 

I have the best luck with Hyper Polish, it is one of the polishes I use on a blue LC pad as my final polish before applying OC.

 

I tried the Finish Polish and actually prefer the Hyper Polish. I got the 64 oz the last time, and put some in a Titebond glue type bottle ( no the M company did not invent that bottle, it has been around for decades as a glue bottle ), so I have it in both a spray and dispenser type bottle.

 

Using Hyper Polish and changing out the aggressiveness of the pad works great for me.

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By hand, my suggestion would still be Hyper Polish. I use it on the MF pads, Foam pads and just FRI night used it by hand with a black finish pad to remove some defects in a black flash before Opti Coating it ( paint on it is soft like Playdough ).

 

I have the best luck with Hyper Polish, it is one of the polishes I use on a blue LC pad as my final polish before applying OC.

 

I tried the Finish Polish and actually prefer the Hyper Polish. I got the 64 oz the last time, and put some in a Titebond glue type bottle ( no the M company did not invent that bottle, it has been around for decades as a glue bottle ), so I have it in both a spray and dispenser type bottle.

 

Using Hyper Polish and changing out the aggressiveness of the pad works great for me.

 

Thanks for the tip, sscully. I was watching the video on AG a few nights back and was intrigued by it. A spray-on polish? Nah, can't be. But sure enough, it was true. The good ole Dr. G is the greatest thing to happen to car care since the invention of sliced bread and ice cream. LOL

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The white LC CCS hand pads almost feel like they have more bite to me than the white pads for a DA / rotary ( they feel real stiff ), so you might want some black pads also ( depending on the defects ).

 

If you are going to doing hand applications, you might want to look at the polishing pal, pad holders.

These are Velcro round pad holders with a "ball" for your hand and get the 4" pads for it. It will save you a few hand cramps and if you need to get aggressive with it, the polishing pal will go easier than the oval pads.

If you have 2 white you should be good to go, but you might want to get black pads as well. Price shop the 4" LC pad choices, the flat Lc pads that other sites carry are the same price as the oval CCS LC pads. 1 manufacture has the oval flat LC hand pads for 20% less than the CCS oval hand pads.

 

Take a look for a plastic wash board or 1 gal paint can roller screen for cleaning them.

You can use some MF cleaner for the cleaning product, and put them in a bucket with the screen.

I use a MF pad cleaning solution on my Opti MF pads and a plastic wash board, and they almost look new when I get done with them. Keeping them clean and letting them completely dry before putting them back in the bag is one step to long term pad life.

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I also think Hyper Polish is the best choice, however, only a test spot will prove it. Do you have any detailing friends that might let you try a few different things before you buy?

 

Sorry to say I don't have any detailing friends, Chris. Most of my friends are gamers and know next to nothing about car care. But you guys have been detailing for years, both personally and professionally, so if you say that Hyper Polish is my best bet, then I'll trust and believe you. I guess I gotta start trusting and believing in my latent detailing abilities, however small they may be at this moment.

 

Wish me luck!

 

-Ross

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The white LC CCS hand pads almost feel like they have more bite to me than the white pads for a DA / rotary ( they feel real stiff ), so you might want some black pads also ( depending on the defects ).

 

If you are going to doing hand applications, you might want to look at the polishing pal, pad holders.

These are Velcro round pad holders with a "ball" for your hand and get the 4" pads for it. It will save you a few hand cramps and if you need to get aggressive with it, the polishing pal will go easier than the oval pads.

If you have 2 white you should be good to go, but you might want to get black pads as well. Price shop the 4" LC pad choices, the flat Lc pads that other sites carry are the same price as the oval CCS LC pads. 1 manufacture has the oval flat LC hand pads for 20% less than the CCS oval hand pads.

 

Take a look for a plastic wash board or 1 gal paint can roller screen for cleaning them.

You can use some MF cleaner for the cleaning product, and put them in a bucket with the screen.

I use a MF pad cleaning solution on my Opti MF pads and a plastic wash board, and they almost look new when I get done with them. Keeping them clean and letting them completely dry before putting them back in the bag is one step to long term pad life.

 

Defects, believe it or not, are not really that bad. Just some very light scratches from improper washing techniques. I think I'll be picking up a black pad or two. The red pads I currently have seem to be a bit on the soft side.

 

And I was thinking about going with the Polishin' Pals, but due to a tight budget, decided on the LC hand pads instead. But if the Polishin' Pal will make my life easier, then I'll definitely be purchasing them.

 

And I never thought about the gallon size paint roller screen. Sounds like a good idea! The Home Depot has them for virtually pennies apiece.

 

And I do have some MF cleaner on order and will arrive shortly. Once I get my complete kit together, I can FINALLY start my very first "Real Detail" session. My wishlist has been changing almost nightly, but I think I have it finallized. All OPT products!

 

-Ross

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If the defects are not that bad, you might want to consider a black pad. I am just going from what I have felt on the white oval hand pad vs what the flat LC pads feel like. I have not tried the 2 side by side on the same defect to know if this is true.

 

If money is a bit tight, stick with what you have. It would make things easier on possible cramping, but you might not have that problem. Stick with your plan on using the hand pads, no need to go spending money on a maybe.

 

The paint roller screen, no need to get aggressive with it, just nice back and forth motion to clean the pads. I hold the MF pads with the leading edge held up, so I cannot push it through an opening and damage them.

I just happen to find this after peeling the MF part off the foam backing when using the rotary in the grit guard pad cleaner.

 

Sounds like you have some good respect for what could happen, just keep your head about you, and you should do fine. We all started out with that questioning our abilities, and it is a good stance to have. Those that don't, generally speaking, are the ones that hour glass the hood of their vehicle with a rotary. :o

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If the defects are not that bad, you might want to consider a black pad. I am just going from what I have felt on the white oval hand pad vs what the flat LC pads feel like. I have not tried the 2 side by side on the same defect to know if this is true.

 

I've noticed that the oval hand pads are quite thick, so that you won't get fingermarks on your finish, or for a more comfortable hand hold?

I'm thinking about a DA machine. Griot's Garage or Meg's to be exact. My condo rules state that I can't wash or wax on-property. But they didn't say anything about polishing. For every written law, there is a loop-hole. LOL

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I've noticed that the oval hand pads are quite thick, so that you won't get fingermarks on your finish, or for a more comfortable hand hold?

I'm thinking about a DA machine. Griot's Garage or Meg's to be exact. My condo rules state that I can't wash or wax on-property. But they didn't say anything about polishing. For every written law, there is a loop-hole. LOL

 

It will make things much quicker for detailing to have the DA, and if you find a defect by hand that is giving you grief, the DA will make quicker work of it.

 

If you are able to swing the budget for the DA, hold off on the other oval hand pads.

Might as well get pads you can use on the DA as well as by hand ( small cost for the polishin pal ). Also you might want to get an Opti MF cutting pad, and 2 MF polishing pads instead of foam. I have the MF pads, and use them quite a bit, even though I have a pile of foam pads. If I was starting out, I would only get the MF cutting and polishing pads, a black and red foam pad and call it a day. You need a stiff brush for cleaning the MF pads.

 

It is starting to add up real quick, and this is how it happens :D

Just watch your budget and get items that can over multiple functions ( polish pad holder for using pads on the DA as well as by hand ). GG has a pad holder that I think it tagged 6", but it will hold a 5.5" pad. I have one of these for using with a LC hydro tech red pad for applying OptiSeal on large vehicles.

 

Just buy what you need, and think on it for a week or two. Else you will have the cabinet full of non core products that you don't use ( I just cleaned out my cabinet after 10 years of collecting impulse purchases ).

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