How to make a 2006 300c look great again?

With that polisher, the likelihood of causing swirls or burning through paint would be low right?
 
You would have to try or have super terrible clearcoat for this to burn through. Although anything possible this is the safest polisher you can use.... this isnt a direct rotating polisher... what I mean by this is if you push too hard or your not level it will stop rotating the pad. Extreamly easy to learn on, extreamly easy to use and I already said the safest poliser I have come across to learn on. There are guys on this fourm that have let there kids play/learn on this (8-12 years old)

With the portacable, those pads and a quality compound polish and finishing polish you can do awesome things.
Youtube auto geek and watch mikes videos they are a huge help and again read that book.

When you read mikes book (took me about 2-3 hours and that was going back to re read a few sections) he tells you about using a test spot on a pannel to see how aggressive of a product/pad you should be using..... how to clean the pads as you use them (if you dont clean the pads your pad begins to get saturated with too much product as well as you can start inflicting more scratches by not cleaning the clearcoat that begins to pile up in the pad etc witch will lead to a pad generating heat and come apart) impor5ant tips and tricks... his book is the best source of compiled detailing and paint polishing I can think of in one spot other than here... but his stuff is proven.... section pass. What they are what your looking for etc... all kinds of good info. Download it tonight and read it!


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Thanks!
Hopefully the weather gets better soon and I can get started on the 300 (:
 
Next time you wash the car take a picture of some of the pannels and capture the swirls and scratches so we can see just how bad it really is.

Also start considering that a polisher/buffer and pads are only one part.
Good compound and polishes are whats going to play another large part of correction...
And finally a sealant needs to be applied to protect your hard work in correcting the paint. Or wax just remember you will get a longer life from sealants.

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Would SwirlX or ScratchX be a good compound?
Meguiar's #7 for polish
And Nxt 2.0 or cleaner wax for wax?
 
Ill let someone else with more knowledge with swirlx and scratchx answer I havent used them since I was in school and using a hand applicator.... I dont even know how they woukd fall into alk tgese crazy newer compounds and polishes.... and if your doing a paint correction it would go compound, polish, ipa whipe to remove any oils etc from compound polish then sealant then wax (or no sealant and just go to wax) so cleaner wax then straight carnuba wax.

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How would one match the paint? The original paint has faded a bit from the sun, so I don't think oem paint would match it. Would I have to go into a paint shop and get it custom made?
 
Aot of that faded look is most likely oxidation and using a compound or polish will remove the oxidation brightening the paint!
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I see.
Thanks for all the info! It was really helpful (:
 
Sunder92, here you go for under 40 bucks with tax. Meguiars Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish you can pick it up just about anywhere for 10 dollars a bottle. Then for a wax Collinite 845 for 15.00. As far as towels go where ever you get the Megs you will probably find a decent towel for a few bucks to take the 845 off. No need to go overboard on this project from the looks of the car your brother is not going to keep it in show room condition anyway. So once you figure in the HF DA and pads your under 125.00 total.
 
rzatch said:
Sunder92, here you go for under 40 bucks with tax. Meguiars Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish you can pick it up just about anywhere for 10 dollars a bottle. Then for a wax Collinite 845 for 15.00. As far as towels go where ever you get the Megs you will probably find a decent towel for a few bucks to take the 845 off. No need to go overboard on this project from the looks of the car your brother is not going to keep it in show room condition anyway. So once you figure in the HF DA and pads your under 125.00 total.
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#1

Thorough wash and cleaning, Megs or Mothers clay kit, Megs UC and UP, 845 or Megs UPW all with a DA and you should be good to go.

After a good cleaning on the wheels you might want to hit them with some polish and then 845 or UPW too.
 
Although I haven't used it, but did check it out the last time I was at HF, the HF DA seems to be well built and a number of pro detailers have purchased them and are giving good reports. For $48 (with the coupon) and $10 for a 2 year replacement warranty seems hard to go wrong for someone just starting out.

However, the 6" backing plate doesn't seem to be of very good quality and it is larger than the velcro portion of the HF pads. So when you apply pressure the BP velcro comes in contact with the foam of the pad (the velcro on the pad is recessed) and destroys the pad. There have been a number of reports regarding this on other forums.

Seems a better choice would be to buy a 5" BP and 5.5" LC Flat or Buff & Shine pads.
 
Anyone have suggestions on fixing the chrome plastic trim?
 
SwirlX and scratchX are loaded with fillers. I forgot about the ultimate compound. I don't really know how it performs but I have used the ultimate polish and it is a filler as well, looks good though after but doesn't last long then everything comes back.
 
MeticulousDetail said:
#1

Thorough wash and cleaning, Megs or Mothers clay kit, Megs UC and UP, 845 or Megs UPW all with a DA and you should be good to go.

After a good cleaning on the wheels you might want to hit them with some polish and then 845 or UPW too.
Click to expand...
+2 Why go over your budget on a polisher when you can get one that will take care of what you need for half the price. I understand what some are saying about some things but you can get the job done without blowing your whole budget on one thing. IMO your best work will come form Pads your polishes and then your polisher.
 
Sunder92 said:
Anyone have suggestions on fixing the chrome plastic trim?
Click to expand...

You can try the Meg's UC and UP or pick up some chrome polish. The trim is plastic but it is still chrome plated.

If the scratches are deep then you are probably SOL and have to replace it.
 
sharpreflection said:
SwirlX and scratchX are loaded with fillers. I forgot about the ultimate compound. I don't really know how it performs but I have used the ultimate polish and it is a filler as well, looks good though after but doesn't last long then everything comes back.
Click to expand...

Ultimate Polish is basically the consumer version of M205, with a bit less cut and alot more oils. Its still a very effective fine polish. Like any polish, you have to do an IPA wipe down to make sure your actually removing deffects. All polishes have oils that act as "fillers", which in fact are lubricating oils.

Ultimate compound is the consumer version of M105, with less cut, less dusting & a longer buffing cycle before the SMAT abbrasives are no longer effective.

I use both all the time, dont let the "consumer" tag confuse you guys, in the hands of a seasoned pro they are well versed polishes that can compete with more "expensive" brands.
 
MeticulousDetail said:
You can try the Meg's UC and UP or pick up some chrome polish. The trim is plastic but it is still chrome plated.

If the scratches are deep then you are probably SOL and have to replace it.
Click to expand...

Yeah. It looks like the scratches are through the chrome and into the plastic.
 
Sunder92 said:
Anyone have suggestions on fixing the chrome plastic trim?
Click to expand...

You said the scratches are through the chrome and into the plastic. I would either replace them or for a cheap fix wrap them in vinyl looks good if done right.

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