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
When this poll started i said paint was the most important and i have listed multiple reasons why as well as a couple articles by some top people in this industry.

Since this thread as grown and basically paint as been taken out of the factor due to the fact that the paint is gonna be able to be polished.

Now there is no need to even consider the paint anymore. The chemical companies have really stepped up their game since there has been a lot of change to automotive paint through out the years they have had to keep up and change their products.

IMO there are 3 companies that have kept up with the change of paint technology and that is Griots BOSS line, HD, and Optimum.

As long as i have any of these 3 in my arsenal i feel i can conquer any vehicle that comes my way. For me these 3 are very easy to use.

So i will reluctantly go with abrasive technology.

Just keep in mind products companies changed their formulas cause they had to due to changes in the paint.

Which shows their first thought was "whats gonna work on this paint.?"



:)
 
If people were achieving show car results before 2016 products then it cant be the products that are the most important.
 
JeffM said:
If people were achieving show car results before 2016 products then it cant be the products that are the most important.
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The products are always changing because paint it always changing. Products that gave best results in 2000 on a 2000 or older vehicle may not work the same on 2016 paint.
 
Although I rate them all VERY important to a great result, TECHNIQUE makes all of the others perform their best.
 
VR8 said:
Although I rate them all VERY important to a great result, TECHNIQUE makes all of the others perform their best.
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Everyone keeps answering this question.

But the fact that abrasive technology is a option of choice, that automatically means if you choose another option that you are not using a quality compound.

You can have the best polisher, pad, technique, and if the polish isnt a quality one the job is going to be bad.

So i have to agree with Mike that abrasive technology is the number one most important in polishing.

With all the new awesome advancements in compounds sometimes we forget the older compounds how they were like Mike says "Caveman Compounds" rocks in a bottle type of abrasive.

Again you can have all the best of anything if you don't have a quality polish the paint isnt going to look good to modern day standards.

I will make an analogy: a race car driver is good at what he does and is a master at his craft and technique, however if his motor isnt fast and running on all cylinders his technique and skills mean nothing.
 
StephenK said:
So i will reluctantly go with abrasive technology.
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Well it is the stuff that actually "touches" the paint.


StephenK said:
Just keep in mind products companies changed their formulas cause they had to due to changes in the paint.
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Agreed. I was calling on body shops and detail shops starting in 1987 and back then the only really good abrasive technology that worked on clearcoats was the (new back then), Meguiar's #2 Hi Tech Fine Cut Cleaner and #9 Hi Tech Swirl Remover.

Holograms were a huge problem back then, still are but not due to a lack of good products.


There's still a wide range of abrasive quality on the market, that is good and less good, so test anything you're going to use if you've never used it before and black paint is the best color to test on.


:)
 
Abrasive technology. No matter what technique I do, if I don't have the right product it comes out sub par. I change the compound to something else, and bam. It's coming out amazing.
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
Well it is the stuff that actually "touches" the paint.





Agreed. I was calling on body shops and detail shops starting in 1987 and back then the only really good abrasive technology that worked on clearcoats was the (new back then), Meguiar's #2 Hi Tech Fine Cut Cleaner and #9 Hi Tech Swirl Remover.

Holograms were a huge problem back then, still are but not due to a lack of good products.


There's still a wide range of abrasive quality on the market, that is good and less good, so test anything you're going to use if you've never used it before and black paint is the best color to test on.


:)
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I recently used the M02, and M09 combo. While the results were satisfactory, they were not quite able to be had as easily, or to the level the modern polishes give me.

Granted this is the original 1978 paint on this Dodge. I used M02, M09, and M20.
 
***Update***


This is my first day back in the office since doing the Competition Ready 3-Day Detailing Class Roadshow at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

We worked on some AMAZING cars both in the class and at the Museum for our TV show. We worked on both modern basecoat/clearcoat paints and old school single stage paints. More than ever I'm convinced that the MOST important FACTOR when it comes to polishing paint is the abrasive technology.

Technique is important (of course), so is using the right tool for the job as well as the correct pad for the procedure. But the thing that touches the paint first is the abrasive technology. It's either good and it works or it's bad and it doesn't work and you can throw GREAT technique at bad abrasive technology all day long but at the end of the day, it's not going turn bad into good.


Love all you guys that think technique is the most important factor but my experience shows otherwise.


Also just to note, at this class at the Competition Ready 3-Day Detailing Class Roadshow at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, we used ALL SONAX products and SONAX compounds, polishes and cleaner/waxes use GREAT abrasive technology as as such, ALL the cars we worked on including two Dusenberg's, worth over a million dollars each and one with single stage and one with basecoat/clearcoat paints systems came out flawless. And the end results start with the the stuff that's actually touching the paint.

:cheers:
 
dlc95 said:
I recently used the M02, and M09 combo. While the results were satisfactory, they were not quite able to be had as easily, or to the level the modern polishes give me.

Granted this is the original 1978 paint on this Dodge.
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Cool old truck.

OldDodgeTruck.jpg



dlc95 said:
I used M02, M09, and M20.
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Back in the late 1980's through to the mid-2000's the #2 Fine Cut Cleaner and the #9 Hi Tech Swirl Remover were the best products in their class for AT THE TIME the NEW basecoat/clearcoat paints systems being introduced to the market.

These were the two first products that didn't simply scour the early clearcoat paints back then.


It's too bad all my old Meguiar's friends that like me were calling on body shops back then don't post online. I think I'm the only guy left that remembers all this stuff AND posts online. Not just Facebook, which everything disappears in a matter of minutes but in the forever forum world.


Now days they are better than nothing but there's better options available. Even in Meguiar's own line.


And I know this from first hand experience as I worked for Meguiar's when the #2 and #9 Tag Team were introduced to the market. I even have the catalogs that introduced this "new at the time" system.

I did THOUSANDS of demonstrations showing,

Nikken Finishing Papers
#2 Fine Cut Cleaner with wool and foam pads
#9 Hi Tech Swirl Remover with foam pads
#26 Hi Tech Yellow Wax

And again, back then it was the best and most consistent system on the market.



:)
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
And I know this from first hand experience as I worked for Meguiar's when the #2 and #9 Tag Team were introduced to the market. I even have the catalogs that introduced this "new at the time" system.

I did THOUSANDS of demonstrations showing,

Nikken Finishing Papers
#2 Fine Cut Cleaner with wool and foam pads
#9 Hi Tech Swirl Remover with foam pads
#26 Hi Tech Yellow Wax
Click to expand...

I think I have one of those catalog cut sheets around somewhere, too. I remember using that regimen (minus the sandpaper), only my tool was my Craftsman orbital buffer (what do you refer to them as, wax spreaders?) with terry bonnets and using way too much product (in retrospect). That was an exhausting all day job and always left me thinking afterwards "this better last for 6 months because I'm too tired to do it again before then". How far we've come.
 
Technique gets my vote and along with that comes patience. I usually have to slow myself down a bit mentally because I want to get the job done faster but if you are doing serious correction on a vintage car I have to slow myself down or I will a scratch or defect. Then, I will have to go over it again, so I didn't really save time.
 
I'm a newbie when it comes to detailing. However, after having the good fortune to meet many people that are at the top of their varied fields, I have to say technique matters most. Someone with Mike's skill, using the cheapest of tools (including the DA that shall not be named), and basic OTC products, could make a car look amazing!

If you give an artist a pen and a napkin..
 
Nowadays, its hard to pinpoint exactly what matters most.
Technique - With the progressing polishers and rotary machines they are allowing detailers to use less effort to perform the work as opposed to a rotary buffer with a wool pad 30 years ago.
Abrasive Technology - Also improving rapidly to ensure the easiest application and removal.
Tool - Tools are progressing to the point of where it wouldn't take any effort at all by 2020. Each year a new model with a longer throw and lbs of pressure with less effort on your limbs.
Paint - Generally all paint is the same...basecoat/clearcoat. Hardness and softness is a big factor. Obviously you don't want too soft or too hard, but an EXPERIENCED detailer can adapt to this fairly easily.
Pad - All work can be done with all pads out there. I used Masterpro Waffle Weave 8 inch pads and I turned a 95' GMC Red Pickup back to life. Knowing how to use those pads is an important aspect in executing the work.

Technique or Product?

Technique. Knowing how to adapt to what you have. But also being smart and having the appropriate product for the job.
 
The good news is technology has improved so much from the early days of detailing that now days it doesn't require much skill to turn out pro grade work.

Heck had over 25 people in my free Thursday night class last night and after 5 minutes of demonstration I turned these guys loose on show cars and they turned out show car work.

Here's what I do know... all the technique in the world won't product good results if you're using products that use antiquated abrasive technology.

It could be that all the majority of people that think technique is number one have only used a good products in the past. Nothing wrong with that. I'm going on 30 years of detailing cars and I know first hand from using dozens of brands for compounds, polishes and cleaner/waxes, that not everything out works great. Thus all the technique in the world doesn't matter because technique isn't touching the paint. The abrasives are.


:dunno:
 
I am new to the site and mainly detail boats, but have done a lot of cars. My vote is paint. If you do not have a good canvas to start with there is not point in starting. I have detailed so many boats that have terrible gel, and they expect the detailer to make miracles happen. It's not that easy. While you may have the the technique and the best equipment\products without a well painted car or gelled boat it will never be perfect.
 
Hi attention2detailhc,

Since this is your first post...

Welcome to AutogeekOnline! :welcome:


attention2detaillhc said:
I am new to the site and mainly detail boats, but have done a lot of cars. My vote is paint. If you do not have a good canvas to start with there is not point in starting. I
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While I didn't make it clear in the initial post, the point of the poll was to assume you were working on paint that was normal or able to be polished like about 90% of the cars a person would be asked to work on.

But yes you're right in that if the paint on a car is past the point of no return then nothing you pour out of a bottle or scoop out of a can is going to save it.

I categorize this paint here,

Paint Condition Categories


See category #11


:)
 
Mike Phillips said:
Hi attention2detailhc,

Since this is your first post...

Welcome to AutogeekOnline! :welcome:




While I didn't make it clear in the initial post, the point of the poll was to assume you were working on paint that was normal or able to be polished like about 90% of the cars a person would be asked to work on.

But yes you're right in that if the paint on a car is past the point of no return then nothing you pour out of a bottle or scoop out of a can is going to save it.

I categorize this paint here,

Paint Condition Categories


See category #11


:)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the welcome! Thank you for the clarification and the link.

In my location abrasives are critical. I have seen a real improvement in the results and time it takes me to cut a boat using Marine 31's abrasives. Especially with boats sitting in the water for extended periods of time, adding the 120+ degree temperatures really take a toll and require extensive cutting.
 
This is EASILY the PAINT itself. The condition of the paint determines which Tool, Pad, Abrasive technology, AND Technique I'm going to use to correct it.

Abrasive technology and pad 'harmony' is the next most important factor.
 
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