First time polishing - ecstatic with the results

[Dustyn19]

I finally got the ambition to tackle my poorly neglected 2011 Hondoo CSX paint after a long while surfing autogeeks forums and trying to soak in as much knowledge as possible.
This car is my daily commuter and I sheepishly admit to using drive through car washes and the high quality wash brushes my employer buys to clean the ambulances. The paint was horrendous - unfortunately I do not have any before pictures - but it was laden with scratches, swirls and was quite oxidized.
After nearly 10 hours of polishing, I pulled it out into the sun and I personally cannot believe the result. It's not perfect - but my scrutinizing coworkers could not find any reasons to chirp me any further about wasting my time.

I have a few questions regarding the polishing process. I was using two pads for the compounding and 2 pads for the polishing. After 1-2 panels I would remove the pad, soak it in my pad cleaner and get a fresh pad. Once I completed the next panel or 2 I would agitate and rinse out the first pad, spin it out on the DA and use it for the next panels and repeat. So my question is - is it ok that the pad was slightly damp - or am I supposed to be using basically a fully dried pad?
I used some jet seal 109 (2 coats) and finished with butter wet wax. How often should I wax/re-seal the paint to ensure a greater than adequate level of protection? I was thinking I would seal every 6 months and wax every month.

Thanks for any/all the help I have and will receive!

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[trekkeruss]

Nothing wrong with using a slightly damp pad. A little moisture can actually help sometimes, letting the polish work longer without drying out or dusting. You will even see some guys spray a new pad with a light mist of liquid (water, pad conditioner, quick detailer, etc.) before adding polish.

 

[trekkeruss]

BTW, car looks good. :dblthumb2:

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

I finally got the ambition to tackle my poorly neglected 2011 Hondoo CSX paint after a long while surfing autogeeks forums and trying to soak in as much knowledge as possible.

This car is my daily commuter and I sheepishly admit to using drive through car washes and the high quality wash brushes my employer buys to clean the ambulances. The paint was horrendous - unfortunately I do not have any before pictures - but it was laden with scratches, swirls and was quite oxidized.

Sounds like a journey many people take....

After nearly 10 hours of polishing, I pulled it out into the sun and I personally cannot believe the result.

It's not perfect - but my scrutinizing coworkers could not find any reasons to chirp me any further about wasting my time.

Nothing like the satisfaction of doing the job yourself and getting pro results the first time. Especially on BLACK! :xyxthumbs:

"Black is not a color, it's a full time job"

I have a few questions regarding the polishing process.

I was using two pads for the compounding and 2 pads for the polishing. After 1-2 panels I would remove the pad, soak it in my pad cleaner and get a fresh pad. Once I completed the next panel or 2 I would agitate and rinse out the first pad, spin it out on the DA and use it for the next panels and repeat.

So my question is - is it ok that the pad was slightly damp - or am I supposed to be using basically a fully dried pad?

Dry pads tend to rotate better than wet pads and dry cutting pads tend to cut faster than wet saturated pads but besides these two things your approach works.

Here's tip in an article I wrote a few years back...

How to dry a foam pad after hand washing

It's fast. It's simple. It works better than not doing it. Of course... more pads are better....

How many pads do I need to buff out my car?

I used some jet seal 109 (2 coats) and finished with butter wet wax. How often should I wax/re-seal the paint to ensure a greater than adequate level of protection? I was thinking I would seal every 6 months and wax every month.

Thanks for any/all the help I have and will receive!

Waxing often is better than neglecting the paint.

Is this car parked outside a lot? Like when you go to work? Is it parked outside at home or garage kept?

The reason why is daily drivers get dirty, not just loose dirt on the surface but a dirt stain that impacts onto the paint. That's why for daily driver's it's a good idea to do a light polish at least once a year and then re-seal or re-wax.

No simple easy way due to the dirt and pollution in our environment.

See this article.... good pictures....


Here's why you need to polish paint...



:dblthumb2:

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

I finally got the ambition to tackle my poorly neglected 2011 Hondoo CSX paint after a long while surfing autogeeks forums and trying to soak in as much knowledge as possible.

Just noticed this was your first post.....


Welcome to AutogeekOnline!


:welcome:

 

[Dustyn19]

Just noticed this was your first post.....


Welcome to AutogeekOnline!


:welcome:

Wow! I didn't expect to get a reply from the man himself! My hat is off to you sir. I have learned a great detail from the autogeek YouTube channel as well as your various articles on this forum. You definitely have a way of teaching that is very easy to follow and understand.

This car is parked outside 24/7 - and endures the infamous Canadian winters. I am certainly hoping that if I maintain the finish I can complete a one step polish yearly to keep it looking the best. Thank you for the links, looks like I have some reading to do!

Trekkeruss - thanks a bunch!

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

This car is parked outside 24/7 - and endures the infamous Canadian winters.

I am certainly hoping that if I maintain the finish I can complete a one step polish yearly to keep it looking the best.

Having your car exposed to the elements 24 hours a day and 7 days will definitely take it's toll.

Try to keep your car washed often as this will help to prevent dirt and road film from building up on the paint.

Key things to remember when washing is to NOT scrub your car's paint. That is don't run a wash mitt over and over a section of the paint as the result is you'll loosen the dirt and then rub it into the paint and this causes scratching.

If you use a car wash look for a touchless. The chemicals may be harder on your wax but at least nothing is touching the paint.

 

[Dustyn19]

Having your car exposed to the elements 24 hours a day and 7 days will definitely take it's toll.

Try to keep your car washed often as this will help to prevent dirt and road film from building up on the paint.

Key things to remember when washing is to NOT scrub your car's paint. That is don't run a wash mitt over and over a section of the paint as the result is you'll loosen the dirt and then rub it into the paint and this causes scratching.

If you use a car wash look for a touchless. The chemicals may be harder on your wax but at least nothing is touching the paint.

Great suggestions! I appreciate the input. Using this forum and seeing all these sweet rides is definitely a motivator to keep my own vehicles pristine.