First job Help - 2011 Black VW TDI Wagon

If you haven't bought pads yet just get the meguiars microfiber kit. Gets you and upgraded backing plate pads and compound and polish. If this car is anything like all the newer vw's I've done the microfiber cutting pad will finish out great and the polishing pad will refine it a little more.

From there you could use a sealant or wax of your choice.

Trutech74 said:

If you haven't bought pads yet just get the meguiars microfiber kit. Gets you and upgraded backing plate pads and compound and polish. If this car is anything like all the newer vw's I've done the microfiber cutting pad will finish out great and the polishing pad will refine it a little more.

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This is solid advice! I've been getting great results on hard clear coat using Meg's MF cutting pads and Meg's correction compound. Then I finish off with foam pads and Menzerna or Sonax polishes.

The Megs Microfiber kit comes with a Compound and a Finishing wax, no polish. I have this kit, it works well.

Yes, you would need to wax/seal after using a polish.

if you are only doing this for your car, you could be okay using 2 cutting pads, 2 polishing pads and one finishing (for wax or sealant pad) or you could even wax/seal by hand )just get a small foam applicator. Then find a compound and polish of your choice such as Menzerna or Wolfgang (I've read people tend to use the German products on German paint-plus both are very very reputable)

Depends on your budget, but say you don't get a kit like I said before (to break it down here)
-2 cutting pads
-2 polish pads
-1 finishing pad
-compound
-polish
-wax or sealant (sealant lasts longer)

BUT you would also need a clay bar to remove contaminants prior to using your polisher on the car. I would also recommend Iron-X (removes iron contaminants chemically).

I know, this can be a lot of info, so I would also recommend reading this BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING.
Auto Detailing Facts, auto detailing Tips, How to detailing Guides, how to polish, how to wax, DIY detailing, do it yourself guides
this page has lots on info on each category such as washing, claying, using a DA polisher.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...-detail-your-brand-new-car-mike-phillips.html

(I understand this isn't a brand new car, but this will definitely help)

this is also a good, lengthy, article by Mike Phillips. You'll see his name around, he is the director of training and Autogeek and basically knows anything and everything there is about detailing.

Again, I would highly recommend taking your time read through all of it and asking questions. If you've lived with the car this long in the current condition, I'm sure a few more weeks wouldn't hurt to learn the right way to do things.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...-articles-help-newbies-machine-polishing.html

Also, Invest in quality microfibers (ones for glass, paint, wheels, interior)

this is where most of your scratches/swirls will come from--by the quality of microfibers you use to buff/wax/dry the car. Also by how you wash the car-so get a quality mitt (you can find plenty for cheap) IE: Meguiars X3002 Microfiber Wash Mitt

Sorry, I posted quite a bit, but hey do it once and do it right, right?

Enjoy!!!

Well, when I used it, I used it on a White Jeep. White is boring as ever, but the results looked great. Some people may argue you do need a polish, some will argue no. The compound that comes with the kit finishes down very well. So when I did it, I didn't use a polish.

Just found this, check out this review of it with pics included (used on black paint too)

Product Review: Meguiar’s DA Microfiber Polishing System | Ask a Pro Blog

On my 2012 black vw the cutting pad with the included d300 compound finished almost perfect. For most people you could have applied wax or sealant and been done. The kit includes a finishing polish/wax all in one type product.

Considering what it comes with its a deal. The 5 inch kit is decently priced and would go well for the harbor freight polisher. Keep in mind the compound and polish/wax or comes with are pretty big. You could do multiple cars with them. I would still reccomend a sealant or wax after since the polish is an all in one wax type product.

I use the ones from microfiber tech my last order I bought 40 and at that quantity it was $1.98 a towel. As for a final product it's hard to say. Do you want it to last long? Do you want it to look real good? If you are on a tight budget just buying a good paste wax from mothers or meguiars at a local store will probably be more than enough.

I've been real happy with sonax net shield on my vw. I've also been happy with the look of black light from chemical guys and just recently I tried the son1c Phoenix wax and it looks really good on mine.

The recommendation for the DA microfiber kit is spot on. I got it last year for my candy apple red Milan and it did great. Took two years worth of swirls out and finished to a showroom shine. A great sealant to finish with would be the Megs Ultimate Wax. I started with that on my wife's 13 Elantra, before I found AG. I still use that exclusively on her car and occasionally on mine. It holds up for months and has a good shine to it. My advice is to watch the youtube video multiple times. I can't stress enough, that technique is everything. If you go too fast, you'll just have to do it over.