odelay12v

i know that but this is probly one if the safest types to use wont leave more larger scratches like most rc do unless it is verry fine.. it is basically sand paper suspended in a lubercation..or some sort of silica or something like that i cant remember what the 3m guy said that came to our club meeting last october.. not something to use every time you wax obvsully..only when necessary like before a track day..haha

A4QuattroVT

i happen to know what im talking about.. i use it on my own car, and so do the employees. I work at a porsche bmw mercedes etc place and its not like we are cranking out 50 saturn ions an hour. The exterior work on even a small porsche takes 2-3 hours. If one knows what they are doing the stuff is not bad for a car.

simply J

"COMPOUND: A compound is the "coarse sandpaper" of the paint-cleaning world. This should be used only if the paint is in serious trouble and all else has failed. If you are one step away from 1-800-NEW-PAINT, then you may consider a compound."
- courtesy of the "experts" at carcareonline.com

like i said, compound is effective but it is very aggressive. You can easily take off much more paint then is necessary. Start with the least aggressive method and work from there.<ul><li><a href="http://www.carcareonline.com/viewarticle.aspx?art=5">clicky here for info</a></li></ul>

A4QuattroVT

like i said i work 10 feet away from people who buff cars 9 hours a day with the stuff. We have gallons of it, our cars turn out cleaner then most people even realize used cars can look, they dont get scratched, and if someone knows how to use it it is an effective tool like i said in the first place. I have a 03 BMW with jet black non metalic paint. The worst car to use the stuff on and shows evey little scratch. I have used compund on it several times and have haid the detailing techs. The car is going to be fully buffed with it in march. And i am willing to bet that it has less visible scratches then 99% of peoples cars who dont use it.

A4QuattroVT

it only swirls it if you press to hard and dont use enough before it cuts to thin. An idiot should not use it... but with an expert it is a fine tool. I have used it many times but still would not dare to go full out myself or try to buff with it. However the people i work with who have used it for many years can work magic with it... it just takes time.

simply J

but your clearcoat or paint will become thinner and thinner thus reducing the amount of protection it offers over time. You don't have visible scratches because you have effectively sanded the remaining clearcoat down to the level of the scratch. You keep on using a rubbing compound and soon you'll rub right through the clearcoat and watch how nice your paint looks then.
I know all kinds of schmucks who have worked for dealers as detailers and the vast majority don't know **** about actually detailing a car correctly. Why don't you get your head out of your *** and learn a thing or two before you start bickering about things on the forum.

A4QuattroVT

you dont work at a detailing place so shut the hell up. I also worked at an autobody shop where they painted cars and just because i am not a detailer does not mean i dont know how to do it.. its just not my job. Clear coat is not simply sanded off... What is is a miniscule amount. Compound also heats the scratches up and brings the paint back to a point where it is capable of being so to speak melted so that the scratch is filled in rather then sanded down. I have a friend with a 98 black vw that is 6 years old and it has been buffed profperly even since it was new and I am willing to bet the paint is in better conditon then your cars. As do many of the older cars that are regularly CARED for that we see. The car is also black and using a digital paint meter the paint is still thicked then just the basecoat. Before you go all highschool and start telling me to take my head out of my *** about somthing i know quite a bit about why dont YOU learn what your talking about. Also i would rather have a car with a slightly less thick clear coat then yours that looks brand new. Then you thickly clearcoated car that looks all hazy andr ****ty.

A4QuattroVT

does not mean someone who knows what they are doing will.

simply J

If i need to remove scratches I use several applications of imperial hand glaze until the scratch is sufficiently buffed out. I'm no car care guru like some others on the forum, but I do take the time to learn how to properly care for my car's paint. Just because I don't work at a detailing place doesn't mean I don't know ****. Honestly, most detailing places and dealers could care less about the longevity of your finish and just want to make it look nice.

simply J

you sir are an idiot