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?

  • Total voters
    336
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
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?

Question_Mark_Guy_002.jpg

:dblthumb2:
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So Mike, what has changed since your post from a few years ago about technique?

Technique is everything


:D
 
custmsprty said:
So Mike, what has changed since your post from a few years ago about technique?

Technique is everything


:D
Click to expand...


You know... I've written so many articles I don't even remember writing that one.

Thank you for finding it though and bringing it into this discussion. I wrote that almost 4 years ago. Here's the time stamp from the first post in that article.

09-04-2012, 04:00 PM


NOW if you read what I wrote in the first post of the above thread you'll find this quote,


Mike Phillips said:
"Technique is everything"

I just read that in the middle of page 10 in my how-to book and it made me think about how often someone asks,

Question: Which foam pads are best?



Answer: Buffing pads are important but as long as you're using a good quality, clean foam pad with a quality product, technique becomes more important than the pad or the products.
Click to expand...

And when I wrote that, key in on this portion of my answer and I've made the pertinent portion bold and red.


Mike Phillips said:
but as long as you're using a good quality, clean foam pad with a quality product, technique becomes more important than the pad or the products
Click to expand...

I still stand by what I wrote in context in that article and in that article I stated that technique is everything AS LONG AS YOU'RE USING GOOD QUALITY, CLEAN FOAM PAD WITH A QUALITY PRODUCT.


The words quality product would mean something that uses great abrasive technology, not a archaic caveman product.


In this poll, I didn't clearly state that you could not choose your, pad, product or tool and in hindsight I should have made that explicitly clear because after posting it I found that most people that answered the poll assumed they would be in control of their choice for tool, pad and product but that wasn't actually what I intended.

I meant if you had no control over your choices, when it comes to polishing paint what would the most important factor be and I still stand by abrasive technology.


So when you read exactly what I wrote in that article then "yes" technique is everything assuming you're get to use quality products.

But if you don't have compounds, polishes and cleaner/waxes that use great abrasive technology then all the technique in the world isn't going to make the paint look good.


Thanks for bringing that thread into the conversation and I'm okay with anyone that thinks technique is #1 when it comes to polishing paint. But I wholeheartedly disagree and there's nothing that will change my mind because not every compound, polish or cleaner/wax on the market uses great abrasive technology.


One thing that what I wrote in that article proves is I write very carefully and I write for the future. By this I mean when I post something to a public forum I've already looked at inside and out and from every angle because I know there's always a handful of people out there that want to try to find just one single fault in what I write.



I'm a veteran of the Zaino vs NXT wars
My writing style is what I call defensive writing. By this I mean if I post it... I can defend it. And this post from over 4 years ago proves it.

Half my work on this forum is just remembering what I've already written and it's hard to hit 100% so thanks for finding this article for me. :D



Words are important
Every single word I choose to use when I write I have chosen carefully and specifically. That's my style.





:)
 
I went with PAINT.

If I show up to some guy's house to polish out his car, and come to find something so badly neglected, he has clear coat failure. THAT there, the PAINT, has become the deciding, single most important factor, in knowing I have to decline the job and walk away.

However, PRODUCT (abrasive technology)would be my next choice.

I showed up to do a car once. Did a test spot. Got mediocre results, but my technique was the same I've used on a couple of other cars. Those mediocre results were the best I could accomplish, and the owner asked me to finish the car, even though I told him I wouldn't accept money for the work done so far (the hood).

The next day, I showed up with newly purchased products. Got a much better result, and at a faster rate.

What changed? ABRASIVE TECHNOLOGY (product). My technique didn't change.
 
Thanks for the reply Mike and that's what I thought. I also posted some where else on this that my detailing experience has definitely evolved since that article was written 4 years or so ago. I think continuous improvement is part of life. I know in my 25 year sales career I still continue to strive to learn and be better at what I do.

So regarding what you posted above about pad, product etc, I agree on the quality products part and since I only use quality products that's pretty much why I chose technique.

All things considered I just don't think any one part of the process really trumps the other as it's a system approach but it's hard to beat experience.

Like for example GSKR, he does amazing work with a rotary. I wouldn't touch a rotary because I'd kill whatever I put it on :doh:

I don't have the experience or technique to a rotary properly. My experience has evolved with da's and using different machines and products and it's been a fun learning experience.

Thanks for all the help over the past few years Mike. You along with the forum and it's members have definitely helped me take my skills to the next level.

PS Mike, I wasn't searching for that particular post, I was looking for something else and someone had tagged onto it. LOL.
 
I have chosen 5: Abrasive technology. Because knowing a products Abrasive technology will help you chose the correct product for the job. For it is the product touching the paint. 1: Technique: technique is also very important.
 
The metal tip on the show about going with the grain , no polish would protect from that user error.

Technique.
 
What type of results are we looking to get?

Keep in mind we can not choose what paint we are gonna be working on either. If half way through a job you get to a repainted panel chances are your pad, machine, product and technique may give you different results unless you change 1 of the 4. Therefore I still say paint. Plus when people on here ask what products to use 1 of the first questions is what kind of car. Which means most of us are taking the paint into consideration first
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
That's true but this poll was about working on car paint - not brushed Nickel. :laughing:



And the tip was spot on. You don't apply metal polishes to brushed metal surfaces against the grain.


:dunno:
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I agree Mike,

I kind of think technique is the most important factor because no product will make me do what you can do, although I would agree that I can achieve very good results consistently with the right products. tomato, tomato :)
 
Technique for me Mike. I've experimented with a variety of products but it wasn't until I focused on learning the right way to do things that the results improved.
 
Rj967 said:
Technique for me Mike. I've experimented with a variety of products but it wasn't until I focused on learning the right way to do things that the results improved.
Click to expand...


Respect your opinion.

I've used compound on the market thought that no amount of technique will make black paint look good.

So for me, you need to start out with quality abrasive technology first.


I don't think I wrote this poll correctly. I should have stated that you DON'T get to choose anything, tool, pads, compounds etc.

Then... what would be the most important factor.


I test everything on black paint and I'm telling you... there are some products on the market that technique won't make work good. So technique cannot be #1. It all starts with what's touching the paint.


I'm in the minority in this poll but I'm okay with that because I've been doing this a long time and I know what I've seen.


:)
 
At the start when things were unclear about this poll and Mike had to explain that the paint was correctable/polishable, that immediatly puts paint as number 1. Because all the abrassive technology in the world wont bring back the required shine if the clear coat has failed. So its either that or having "paint" as one of the options is tricky. Because to start this poll the paint has to be correctable hence abrasive technology becomes number 1 AFTER paint since its the deciding factor if its correctable or not. Hence having a functional poll or not.

My opinion paint #1, abrassive technology #2.
Or abrassive tech #1 after determining that the paint in question is correctable, hence putting paint as a "given" not an option ;-)
 
I didn intend for the piant to be actually polishable.

So in this poll, a person would not be presented with a car that had clearcoat failure.

Scenario would be

  • You're in a garage with electriciey and light.
  • Given a black car with a clearcoat finish that has swirls and scratches but can be saved.
  • No choice of tool but you get a tool with a known history of being capable of getting the job done.
  • No choice of compound or polish but you're going to get something that's an available product in the world for polising paint.
  • No choice of brand of pad but you would have foam and fiber options, i.e. foam, microfiber or wool pads.



If I was presented with that scenario, to me the most important factor would be the abrasive technology.

  • The paint can be fixed as is the case with most of us in our day-to-day work.
  • The tools we all know and use all work. FLEX, PC, Griot's, Makita, DeWALT, RUPES, Meguiar's, Cyclo, fill in the blank.
  • Foam pads and fiber pads as long as they are matched to the product and tool are pretty safe.
  • Technique? I've taught absolute Newbies how to use most tools with just about any pad and great abrasive technolog and they get great results with zero experience or zero technique except for what they were just shown.


The one thing that is going to make all the difference in the world is what's touching the paint.


It's all good, however any of you want to think of it.

Me?

The most important thing when I start working on any person's car or my own car is I'm only going to use products that I know use great abrasive technology. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.



:)
 
When I saw the title of this thread and before seeing the options given by Mike I immediately went with polishes being most important to me.

As a mobile detailer I was struggling with excessive dusting, marring on black paint and difficulties removing polish. After trying 3D HD Cut without changing my technique or tools it was a major improvement on my work. It was a life saver for me.
 
Technique. You can be a pro with a PC and some Megs products and do a kick-ass job if you know how to use them.

On the other hand, you could give a guy a Flex and the most expensive products on the market, but if he has no info on how to use them, it's useless.

I liken it to this: Go get in a NASCAR car, and try and take it around Daytona. Then let Dale Earnhardt Jr. do it with the same car. Do you think it's the car, or the technique that made the 30 second difference in your lap times? Lol

Sorry Mike, I was just opining! lol
 
umana2482 said:
When I saw the title of this thread and before seeing the options given by Mike I immediately went with polishes being most important to me.

As a mobile detailer I was struggling with excessive dusting, marring on black paint and difficulties removing polish.
Click to expand...

While working on black paint can be a lot more difficult when you're mobile if you're also working outside in direct sunlight, if marring or "micro-marring" is taking place usually a huge part of that is the abrasive technology and if it's happening on black paint it's happening on all paint it's just you can't normally see it or at least see it easily on lighter colors.


umana2482 said:
After trying 3D HD Cut without changing my technique or tools it was a major improvement on my work.

It was a life saver for me.
Click to expand...


So it the change in abrasive technology that you would say made the improvements in results and time savings?


:)
 
PaulMys said:
Technique.

You can be a pro with a PC and some Megs products and do a kick-ass job if you know how to use them.

On the other hand, you could give a guy a Flex and the most expensive products on the market, but if he has no info on how to use them, it's useless.
Click to expand...


I still respectfully disagree.

The most important factor comes down to the product making physical contact with the paint. I've been polishing paint for a long time... I know from experience that which I speak of.

It's okay for others to think technique is the most important factor I just disagree.

I've taught thousands of people in-person how to create a flawless finish their very first time machine polishing paint. But I've always used nothing but products that use great abrasive technology.



:)
 
To Mike's point, the cost of obtaining high quality abrasive compounds and polishes isn't to the point of being prohibitive. Especially considering the results they can get you, and the ease of doing so.
 
I went with the abrasive tech.

Go get some crappy non capable compound, and nobody will correct the paint, no matter how good your technique or machine is. Look at the correcting capabilities of now and 20 years ago.

if I show my wife how to put pad on the flex 3401, put polish on it and tell her what speed to turn the machine on and at what rate to go and she does it, I guarantee you she'll be doing some decent correcting.

on the other hand, if I give mike some no name polish from 1984 on a pc 7424, and tell him to get to work, he'll probably take longer than the amount my wife took to do a panel.
 
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