POLL - What's the number one most important factor when it comes to polishing paint?

What's the number one most important factor when it comes to polishing paint?

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Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.

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POLL - What's the number one most important factor when it comes to polishing paint?


1: Technique.
2: Tool.
3: Pad.
4: Paint.
5: Abrasive technology.




Which one and why?

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:updated:


Here's two recent articles I've written on the topic of abrasive technology worthy of reading....


Abrasive Technology - THE most important factor when it comes to polishing paint

watermark.php




Pictures of Micro-Marring - DA Haze - Tick Marks - Compounds - Polishes - AIOs - Clearcoat Paints

Medium micro-marring

Micromarring_001.JPG







:dblthumb2:
 
Number one technique. If I had Tiger Woods clubs and he had Walmart clubs, I think he still wins. Nuff said
 
Is this a trick question?

I went with paint although it seems abrasive technology is usually one of your top ones.

I say paint because the type of paint and its condition will determine which abrasive, and pad, and to a lesser extent the tool and technique.
 
silverfox said:
Number one technique. If I had Tiger Woods clubs and he had Walmart clubs, I think he still wins. Nuff said
Click to expand...

Great analogy and I agree, however, great tools and products make it easier for pros and novices alike to get great results.
 
My vote would be for technique. It seemed at the beginning I kept trying to find a different product or pad that would help me get better results. However, after a while I ended up with several products and the same-ish results. Finally I came to my senses and kept working on how I used the products and tools until I learned to use them properly. Now I get better results with all my products.

I think this also plays into a lot of the anti-rotary comments I've read before. With proper technique you can get outstanding results, or used improperly you can buy a repaint. That said, maybe one day I'll use/own a rotary.
 
Mantilgh said:
Is this a trick question?
Click to expand...


No, not at all. Mike Phillips doesn't roll like that. I don't play games and I don't do trick questions.


This is a poll to see what people think and why. It's really up to you and your opinion and there's no wrong or right opinion on this topic. You're going to see people are very different on their opinion.


So vote!


:xyxthumbs:
 
I picked paint. It is the beginning and end of the whole polishing process. You can polish until your blue in the face, if your paint is not going to ever finish out, what's the point?
 
Number 5: Abrasive technology

Basing my choice, (after prior and
careful introspection), upon your assessment
as that being so—as found in many of your
postings such as this:

Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
If a product, tool, pad etc. works... then I can make it work.

If the one of these components doesn't' work then no one can make it work.

The key component however is always the abrasive technology. It's the abrasives that are touching the paint.
Click to expand...


I also agree with this assessment:
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
Now the paint itself can be a HUGE factor too... that's why you always start any car detailing project by doing a Test Spot.
Click to expand...


Bob
 
My humble opinion.. Paint and abrasive technology are probably more critical than the rest. Techniques and tools can be learnt or adjusted with different situation. Pads is important but it is aint as sensitive as abrasive. A tweak of techniques such as pressure or buffing speed can help to mitigate a little to produce a better finish.

On the other hand, if the abrasive is of low quality, I think there is little we could do to change a poor abrasive to a re-fine one..
 
Billy Baldone said:
I picked paint. It is the beginning and end of the whole polishing process. You can polish until your blue in the face, if your paint is not going to ever finish out, what's the point?
Click to expand...

But knowing how to handle difficult paint is part of knowledge and technique.

As Mike said, there's no wrong answer, and I think ultimately he may be trying to teach us that all the answers are right, depending on the situation.

This reminds me of a class I took a long time ago, where the instructor asked us which of a few approaches to something was the best. He went around the room and got everybody's opinion, then told us everyone was right, that you have to adjust your approach to the situation.

Which still comes back to technique/knowledge being the most important, selecting the right tool/pad/abrasive for the paint and conditions/location that you have.

Great thread, Mike.
 
As someone relatively inexperienced to polishing paint compared to the veterans on this website, I firmly believe that the tools and abrasive technology make it easy for even the greenest detailer to produce nice results.

With that said, you can give me the greatest tools and abrasives, and I am not going to produce the show stopping that an experienced detailer will. So I voted for technique.
 
Im going with technique. Lets say you are trying to finish finicky paint with M205. Same tool, same pads, same speed. Two guys can absolutely get different finishes and it all comes down to technique.
 
I was torn between paint and abrasive. In the final analysis, at least for me, it's the paint. That is the one thing I cannot control and must work with. And more specifically, the thickness and the malleability. I only have so much to deal with and i must know how workable it is...hard, medium, soft? That determines everything i do with regard to abrasive, machine (tool), pad choices and technique.

So just pulled up a chair with Billy and mantilgh but agree with all...there is no wrong answer.

GREAT question and discussion here!
 
Setec Astronomy said:
But knowing how to handle difficult paint is part of knowledge and technique.

As Mike said, there's no wrong answer, and I think ultimately he may be trying to teach us that all the answers are right, depending on the situation.

This reminds me of a class I took a long time ago, where the instructor asked us which of a few approaches to something was the best. He went around the room and got everybody's opinion, then told us everyone was right, that you have to adjust your approach to the situation.


Which still comes back to technique/knowledge being the most important, selecting the right tool/pad/abrasive for the paint and conditions/location that you have.

Great thread, Mike.
Click to expand...

I understand what you are saying. I have been presented with cars that have been repainted very poorly, to the point, nothing short of a new paint job would fix it.
 
Billy Baldone said:
I have been presented with cars that have been repainted very poorly, to the point, nothing short of a new paint job would fix it.
Click to expand...

Paint that nothing can fix would be out of the scope or context of this poll because it would be a moot point.

So moving forward - please assume that the 5 factors listed are for paint that can be corrected, polished and waxed. Not paint that is what I call category #11 in my how-to book,

#11 Past the point of no return.

Someone with a copy of my how-to book look this up and make sure I have the right category number as listed in the book. The first person to confirm this and ALSO post the page number the list of paint condition categories is on will win a prize!


:dblthumb2:
 
My vote goes for technique. I think it encompasses all of the other things on the list. Pad, product, machine, paint, abrasives, all of these things are chosen by the detailer for each particular job they are doing and to me that is "technique."

On the flip side, abrasive technology is a very close second for me. I remember when I first started polishing paint I used the Porter Cable kit from the AG website with the XMT abrasives. I knew extremely little about technique with the Porter Cable machine (didn't mark my backing plate, probably used too slow of a speed, etc...) and I was using 6.5" pads which I would never use with a PC machine now. My black Grand Prix was my test mule and when I was done the car looked AMAZING! People constantly asked me "what kind of wax do you use on that thing?"
 
FUNX650 said:
Number 5: Abrasive technology

Basing my choice, (after prior and
careful introspection), upon your assessment
as that being so—as found in many of your
postings such as this:


Bob
Click to expand...

Great super sleuthing Bob!


I'm leaving for Missouri tomorrow morning to shoot a new episode of Competition Ready on Monday and will be back in the office on Wednesday.

When I return I'll update this thread with my REAL choice of the 5 factors I listed.


:)
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
Paint that nothing can fix would be out of the scope or context of this poll because it would be a moot point.

So moving forward - please assume that the 5 factors listed are for paint that can be corrected, polished and waxed. Not paint that is what I call category #11 in my how-to book,

#11 Past the point of no return.

Someone with a copy of my how-to book look this up and make sure I have the right category number as listed in the book. The first person to confirm this and ALSO post the page number the list of paint condition categories is on will win a prize!


:dblthumb2:
Click to expand...

Page 37 #11.
 
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