1 crucial step you missed: Using a paint depth reader. I didn't know a customer's case had very low coating thickness and when I cut it, it went straight to the paint and beyond by the 2nd pass. I'll never compound a car again until I measure its clear coat thickness
My first attempt was with a foam pad and maguire's cutting polish ... it did very little. My second attempt was with a microfibre cutting pad, it was night and day better with 90% of swirls gone from my black car
Was hoping for more actual information on how to perform the polishing. No mention of pressure, speeds, techniques, etc. There really wasn't much teaching going on in here
That’s not his forte you can tell whenever he polishes a car that he doesn’t have the technique or skills of a high level detailer when it comes to paint correction. He’s good on interiors though.
Yeah I would definitely recommend training videos from ammo NYC who are truly specialists at what they do and you will learn a ton. There’s a lot of info there, so you have to want to learn. But he goes over absolutely everything and doesn’t leave any stone unturned.
I think he was trying to save time on the video, did you check the vid he linked to that showed the whole polishing Process? I didn't check it out yet, just noticed everyone calling him out
Is there good money to be made in detailing if marketed and advertised correctly? I feel like promotion and the way your brand looks also plays a big part in the people you attract
Yes, auto detailing can bring you in good money. You will need tools/products and a good number of clients. There are teenagers and young adults making 4k-20k per month.
Beautiful work sir. I will share one piece of knowledge with you about alcohol, but I am not at all certainif it actuallyapplies to polishing paint. From my experience in electronics, repairing circuit boards and connectorizing and splicing fiber optic cable, rubbing alcohol leaves a residue that will degrade fiber optic cable and cause defects in solder joints and circuit board material. We always use pure denatured ethyl alcohol. Maybe this does not apply to polishing paint, i really don't know for sure. But we were taught in micro-miniature soldering class that if you have to pick up a solder trace to repair the one underneath, and you clean it with rubbing alcohol, the solder trace will eventually corrode and create a short or a break in the circuit. Not much different than heavy skin oil residue.
Thanks for the info. I never knew about the clay bar or the ceramic coating. I’ve been doing it old school with hand polish and wax. So what about wax? Do you ever wax over the ceramic finish?
Sorry when you say one pad per four panels does that mean dispose of the pad or does it go through a thorough cleaning and can be reintroduced? I hadn’t considered that pads need go bad that quickly
great video, perfectly explained - one question, can you re-use the polishing pads afterwards? oh and how much pressure are you applying when using the polishing machine? sorry that was two Qs hehehe
im positive that you can use them again if you wash them properly, also you should apply a little bit of pressure not a lot, you want the machine to hug the vehicle not drill into the paint
I just buffed my car for the first time using: - BAUER 7.5 Amp 6 in. Long-Throw Random Orbit DA Polisher (replaced backing plate with 5" maxshine) - A light cut 5" pad (poliwell brand from Amazon) - Turtle Wax 53478 Hybrid Solutions Pro 1 and Done Compound Correct and Finish - I used Turtle Wax Iron Remover and Nanoskin clay sponge to decontaminate before polishing I only did a small area (trunk lid) and it came out OK (removed swirls and much of the light scratching), but as soon as I started to polish the surface of the pad turned pink (see linked pics). My car is a red 2017 lincoln mkz. I am concerned! From everything I studied prior to doing this (it is my first time paint correcting), there is no way I should have gone through the clearcoat -- I did about 4-5 passes on speed 4 with very little pressure. So where is the red color on the pad coming from??. I'm scared to do any more of the car without knowing what is going on. Is there an easy way to determine whether I burned through clearcoat? Any ideas would be must appreciated! Images: imgur.com/a/FoQy6bU
You want to start at the lowest to spread the compound, then increase the speed after its all spread, you can increase it to 5000 rpm and it should be safe. Just don’t hold it at one spot. And go up and down side to side until the compound goes almost transparent. I hope that helps
Always claybar before attempting any machine polishing. Even with my Dad's 2021 charger with virtually no miles on it at first, it has a tough feel to it in very select spots. You'll always know why to claybar by running your hand across the paint and feeling for that rough, gritty texture in place of the supposed smooth paint feel. TLDR: Claybar it for the safety of your paint and for that extra safety buffer.
My 2016 F150 was repainted three years ago and the paint is in great shape with no swirls and no dents (knock wood) but just a couple of moderate scratches. I spent four hours washing and claying, and am breaking this into a 2-3 day project. If I use compound to buff out those scratches, do I need to compound the entire vehicle before polishing and waxing? (Maguiar's all the way) My challenge is the small time windows provided by Colorado's hot summer weather (with unforecasted light rain bursts in the afternoon), and the fact that my truck doesn't fit in my garage. Would greatly appreciate your advice!
@@michelfortin7055 thank you, I now have read more about the pads and know more of how they are cleaned and maintained. I realize that my question was very basic. :)
I always love before/after shots, and they're really striking in this video. Plus, I'd never heard the word "flash" used in this sense (9:23). I like when a video expands my vocabulary.
Don't you need to use alcohol or some kind of chemical to wash the car first to remove old wax? I've seen other channels do that first before starting to polish/cut.
Yes, you'll want to do a full wash of the car and Iron decontamination before the clay phase. Use a stripping car wash/shampoo specific to removing old waxes/sealants/coatings. Depending on how recent your last wax was, it may take a couple runs, but there should be no remaining beading of water on the car before applying the new coating. You don't use alcohol until after polishing.
Hi I'm thinking of starting to machine polish my own vehicles at home and deciding what machine ect to start with. Being a painter and decorator I own a makita BO6050J sanding machine which gives you options of both sanding styles including random, my question is could I by the polishing plate for it and use it on my vehicles instead of buying a new machine ? TIA
My car is ceramic coated a year ago I found some hard water spot and scratches Is it okay to polish it? How is the decontamination stage before polishing? My car is black so i cant tell if theres a tar or iron dust? But i can feel sands texture on the lower door panels
That’s a lot of work and I see why detail is charged so much money now I understand and it’s worth the price that they charge. Geez, that’s a lot of work.
Agree with the high cost, but I do it myself since most charge the high price without performing "a lot of work" Thank God for TH-cam and videos like this.
its hard work .. i used to do 1 car on saturday as a side hustle ... it would take me 10 hours and charge $500 , it was about $350 profit after all my tools ... divided by 10 hours and i was basically making $35 an hour ... it was a cool extra grand per month but it really made me tired for the whole weekend
I've had my tundra for 17 years. I've never waxed it and I only wash it a few times a year. During the winter I'm taking it hunting and to the ski resort and in the summer it gets baked by the sun. I just cleaned it up and want to wax it but your program seems like overkill for a truck like mine which is basically a utility vehicle. I'm wondering whether I should just use some generic wax and call it good or go the whole nine yards with it like you prescribe.
Most of the videos I watch about detailing the vehicle is good but I have yet to find a video that speaks about the exact order from beginning to end… Do I wash the car first? If so can I apply wax right away? Wait a day to ensure car is dry? Should I use clay bar before/ after I washed vhicle?
First wash the car, then use a chemical iron remover like Carpro Iron X, then use a clay bar, then polish if needed. The wax or nano protection is the final step. Never do any of these in direct sunlight.
Hey Stauffer, How long do you Polish? 10? 15 minutes or more with the finish cut? I just want to make sure because I feel if you go to long you’ll go to deep or mess up the Polishing. Great video as always and appreciate it.
The danger of going too long is the heat buildup. It can seriously mess up the paint if it heats up too much. You also don't want to remove too much of the clear coat protecting the paint. You want to remove just enough to remove the imperfections, no more.
Would have been nice to see how those deep scratches came out….. I’m guessing they are still visible just less visible. I am buffing my neglected Audi I picked up and the paint looks a lot better but I wish the scratches came out better. A lot of detailing channels give you the impression the cars look like new after buffing.
I need some help advice. I used t cut on my fender to get a scratch out using the buffer wheel on my drill. I now have a 1 inch round circle where it went down to the primer! How do I fix this? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
How much money do people think it is within detailing and polishing, ceramic coating a car i work at a detailing shop and am thinking about starting to do other people cars, also high end if possible not to mention i live in one of the most growing suburb cities
Mate im interested to open a detailing car wash and i want to know what kind of tools do i need all of them so if it is possible somewhere u to tell me what do i need i would appreciate that a lot
I have a lot of fine scratches all over my car as well does car covers make those scratches as well I'm kind of thinking that's what happened with my car the car is 3 years old what do you think
It might be that you put the cover on a dirty car. If that's the case, there's a good chance that it was simply dirt on the car that got rubbed into the clear coat when you put the cover on. But it could be the cover itself. I've had this happen to me with my brand new 2012 Jaguar. Back then, I bought the cover from the Jaguar dealership, it was made by Jaguar but it still scratched the car even though I thoroughly washed it before using the cover. Never used it again.
I have a question I got a 2019 beige crv Interior with some kind of mold it won’t budge with oxi clean or a degreaser in the shampoo process should I go in with a steamer
step 1: compund paste speed 3-4 for removing deeper scratches paired with slow movement on the panel. step 2: polish paste speed 2 and faster movement on the panel.
1 crucial step you missed:
Using a paint depth reader. I didn't know a customer's case had very low coating thickness and when I cut it, it went straight to the paint and beyond by the 2nd pass. I'll never compound a car again until I measure its clear coat thickness
Appreciate you sharing this!
My first attempt was with a foam pad and maguire's cutting polish ... it did very little. My second attempt was with a microfibre cutting pad, it was night and day better with 90% of swirls gone from my black car
when you think you need to repaint your whole car....taking a car and polish it all can make such diffrence its crazy!!
Was hoping for more actual information on how to perform the polishing. No mention of pressure, speeds, techniques, etc. There really wasn't much teaching going on in here
That’s not his forte you can tell whenever he polishes a car that he doesn’t have the technique or skills of a high level detailer when it comes to paint correction. He’s good on interiors though.
I was thinking the same thing. Not very helpful for beginners and lots of questions unanswered …
Yeah I would definitely recommend training videos from ammo NYC who are truly specialists at what they do and you will learn a ton. There’s a lot of info there, so you have to want to learn. But he goes over absolutely everything and doesn’t leave any stone unturned.
Same. I wish there was a 20-30 minute video with an idiots guide. So many pads and polish, when to use what, what speed, and so on
I think he was trying to save time on the video, did you check the vid he linked to that showed the whole polishing
Process? I didn't check it out yet, just noticed everyone calling him out
Could you please let me know what speed I should be using for polish and compound? Also how many passes?
You should do a 3x3 pad area. Usually no higher than 3 for speed. After priming pad use 3 to 4 dots of compound.
That Milwaukee polisher is just on another level!!
you dont need mega expensive polishers
a good mid range will perform the same outcome
cant wait to buy a buffer/polisher thats where im gonna have fun
I find detailing to be a form of art on its own. Even if its an older vehicle, proper restoration can remove years of wear!
Is there good money to be made in detailing if marketed and advertised correctly? I feel like promotion and the way your brand looks also plays a big part in the people you attract
Yes, auto detailing can bring you in good money. You will need tools/products and a good number of clients. There are teenagers and young adults making 4k-20k per month.
This video just made me feel really good about paying someone for doing this for me lol. Worth every penny
Good morning
I have a question, what's the best way to remove ceramic from a recent ceramic coating car.
Thank you in advance and as always great job.
Wait 5 months lol
After the hard cut polish, do you spray it with the first solution?( the one used with the clay ) or do you simply use the water and soap solution?
You are a true pro and I appreciate you sharing the proper techniques.
Beautiful work sir. I will share one piece of knowledge with you about alcohol, but I am not at all certainif it actuallyapplies to polishing paint. From my experience in electronics, repairing circuit boards and connectorizing and splicing fiber optic cable, rubbing alcohol leaves a residue that will degrade fiber optic cable and cause defects in solder joints and circuit board material. We always use pure denatured ethyl alcohol. Maybe this does not apply to polishing paint, i really don't know for sure. But we were taught in micro-miniature soldering class that if you have to pick up a solder trace to repair the one underneath, and you clean it with rubbing alcohol, the solder trace will eventually corrode and create a short or a break in the circuit. Not much different than heavy skin oil residue.
Thanks for the info. I never knew about the clay bar or the ceramic coating. I’ve been doing it old school with hand polish and wax. So what about wax? Do you ever wax over the ceramic finish?
Great content! Thanks!
Okay, FIRST OFF, beginners are not going to have all those different sized polishers!
He does say any budget orbital would work
Then buy them.
I did
Actually i do
He actually went over that in the video.
Great video question are u using alcohol mixed with water or just alcohol
Sorry when you say one pad per four panels does that mean dispose of the pad or does it go through a thorough cleaning and can be reintroduced?
I hadn’t considered that pads need go bad that quickly
Clean and reuse.
Do you discard the used pads, which you state to be changed regularly during the polishing, or you clean them in some way?
Clean them for sure. Can be used several times if cared for.
Dawn dish soap and soaking.
Should you apply a wax coating on top of the ceramic?
Never
Nooooooo!!
Love the video!
I still love the Meguiar's offerings. I tend to reach for the Ultimate line. They've been a faithful ally for years.
Do you apply more pressure as you go up in speeds or keep the same pressure throughout the whole process
great video, perfectly explained - one question, can you re-use the polishing pads afterwards? oh and how much pressure are you applying when using the polishing machine? sorry that was two Qs hehehe
im positive that you can use them again if you wash them properly, also you should apply a little bit of pressure not a lot, you want the machine to hug the vehicle not drill into the paint
Thanks for being specific with details.
I just buffed my car for the first time using:
- BAUER 7.5 Amp 6 in. Long-Throw Random Orbit DA Polisher (replaced backing plate with 5" maxshine)
- A light cut 5" pad (poliwell brand from Amazon)
- Turtle Wax 53478 Hybrid Solutions Pro 1 and Done Compound Correct and Finish
- I used Turtle Wax Iron Remover and Nanoskin clay sponge to decontaminate before polishing
I only did a small area (trunk lid) and it came out OK (removed swirls and much of the light scratching), but as soon as I started to polish the surface of the pad turned pink (see linked pics). My car is a red 2017 lincoln mkz. I am concerned! From everything I studied prior to doing this (it is my first time paint correcting), there is no way I should have gone through the clearcoat -- I did about 4-5 passes on speed 4 with very little pressure. So where is the red color on the pad coming from??. I'm scared to do any more of the car without knowing what is going on. Is there an easy way to determine whether I burned through clearcoat?
Any ideas would be must appreciated!
Images: imgur.com/a/FoQy6bU
Great Job... best regards from Poland Staufer
Huge value brother. Thanks for sharing! 💪🤘
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the instruction! Could I get a link for your Milwaukee polisher in the video?
I noticed you started at a low speed and then raised it. What speed setting should we start out on and then not exceed?
You want to start at the lowest to spread the compound, then increase the speed after its all spread, you can increase it to 5000 rpm and it should be safe. Just don’t hold it at one spot. And go up and down side to side until the compound goes almost transparent. I hope that helps
I have used Maguires for years. 👍
Have you tried Malcos polish?
Sorry I'm new to this, but what's the difference between sanding or not sanding the car before polishing it?
Do I have to use a clay bar to detail a 5 month's new black car. Thank you!
Always claybar before attempting any machine polishing. Even with my Dad's 2021 charger with virtually no miles on it at first, it has a tough feel to it in very select spots. You'll always know why to claybar by running your hand across the paint and feeling for that rough, gritty texture in place of the supposed smooth paint feel.
TLDR: Claybar it for the safety of your paint and for that extra safety buffer.
love your demo, great pacing, pleasant voice, direct info, mahalo!
Glad you liked it!
Thanks, I love it how you explained it, just what i have been looking for.
My 2016 F150 was repainted three years ago and the paint is in great shape with no swirls and no dents (knock wood) but just a couple of moderate scratches. I spent four hours washing and claying, and am breaking this into a 2-3 day project. If I use compound to buff out those scratches, do I need to compound the entire vehicle before polishing and waxing? (Maguiar's all the way) My challenge is the small time windows provided by Colorado's hot summer weather (with unforecasted light rain bursts in the afternoon), and the fact that my truck doesn't fit in my garage. Would greatly appreciate your advice!
Great stuff learned a lot..
What speed you are running your Milwaukee polisher? Thanks
Great video! Especially for beginners like me. Thank you…
Glad it was helpful! Please share it if you can!
The polish pads? Are they reusable? The ones you put on the orbital polisher? Do you have to wash them?
wash and reuse
Grrat video! Do you throw away the pads that you have used on 4 panels? Or you just clean them and let them cool down?
Clean them and let them dry. Can be reused a lot of times.
@@michelfortin7055 thank you, I now have read more about the pads and know more of how they are cleaned and maintained. I realize that my question was very basic. :)
Synthetic clay towels are fantastic and take a fraction of the time compared to clay bars, in my opinion.
I always love before/after shots, and they're really striking in this video. Plus, I'd never heard the word "flash" used in this sense (9:23). I like when a video expands my vocabulary.
Happy to help!
Can this be used to prep for clear coating?
Noticed when you add the ultra cut compound and then when you removed it, you added something besides the compound. What is this and why? Thank you.
When polishing with the buffer, do you just keep going until most of the polish has "dried up and disappeared? Then you use the microfiber?
You go till the polish is translucent
Don't you need to use alcohol or some kind of chemical to wash the car first to remove old wax? I've seen other channels do that first before starting to polish/cut.
Yes, you'll want to do a full wash of the car and Iron decontamination before the clay phase. Use a stripping car wash/shampoo specific to removing old waxes/sealants/coatings. Depending on how recent your last wax was, it may take a couple runs, but there should be no remaining beading of water on the car before applying the new coating. You don't use alcohol until after polishing.
Is it recommendable to do it outside?
Hi I'm thinking of starting to machine polish my own vehicles at home and deciding what machine ect to start with. Being a painter and decorator I own a makita BO6050J sanding machine which gives you options of both sanding styles including random, my question is could I by the polishing plate for it and use it on my vehicles instead of buying a new machine ? TIA
Hi can you use the foam pads as hand applicators . Are these pads only for machine or can they be used by hand thanks
You can use the soft pads
My car is ceramic coated a year ago
I found some hard water spot and scratches
Is it okay to polish it?
How is the decontamination stage before polishing?
My car is black so i cant tell if theres a tar or iron dust?
But i can feel sands texture on the lower door panels
That’s a lot of work and I see why detail is charged so much money now I understand and it’s worth the price that they charge. Geez, that’s a lot of work.
Agree with the high cost, but I do it myself since most charge the high price without performing "a lot of work" Thank God for TH-cam and videos like this.
its hard work .. i used to do 1 car on saturday as a side hustle ... it would take me 10 hours and charge $500 , it was about $350 profit after all my tools ... divided by 10 hours and i was basically making $35 an hour ... it was a cool extra grand per month but it really made me tired for the whole weekend
I've had my tundra for 17 years. I've never waxed it and I only wash it a few times a year. During the winter I'm taking it hunting and to the ski resort and in the summer it gets baked by the sun. I just cleaned it up and want to wax it but your program seems like overkill for a truck like mine which is basically a utility vehicle. I'm wondering whether I should just use some generic wax and call it good or go the whole nine yards with it like you prescribe.
It is safe to polish my car every week or month?
Best detailing channel out there. Still learning something new which fits my workflow. Keep it up
I appreciate that!
Have a cyber truck and want to have a shop do a mirror polish on the stainless then a ceramic coat. What do you think? Any shops in San Diego?
Can you use Turtle ceramic coat/wax as the final step?
Most of the videos I watch about detailing the vehicle is good but I have yet to find a video that speaks about the exact order from beginning to end… Do I wash the car first? If so can I apply wax right away? Wait a day to ensure car is dry? Should I use clay bar before/ after I washed vhicle?
First wash the car, then use a chemical iron remover like Carpro Iron X, then use a clay bar, then polish if needed. The wax or nano protection is the final step. Never do any of these in direct sunlight.
Should tell us what speed ur starting at or using
But overall great vid.
Did not see a link for the Milwaukee DA.
How do we prevent burning paint like do we have to weathen the pad befor or.....
Lol the guy who is pronouncing country to county telling you Cerakote is the best coating on the market. You do the math
Whats the best then?
Since you're being an asshole what would you use?
whats that block you used to apply the ceramic
Hey Stauffer,
How long do you Polish? 10? 15 minutes or more with the finish cut?
I just want to make sure because I feel if you go to long you’ll go to deep or mess up the Polishing.
Great video as always and appreciate it.
The danger of going too long is the heat buildup. It can seriously mess up the paint if it heats up too much. You also don't want to remove too much of the clear coat protecting the paint. You want to remove just enough to remove the imperfections, no more.
I keep getting holograms, i just have a regular orbital buffer. Do i need to buy DAUL ACTION polisher to get rid of all the buffer trails??
nice detail with details
Would have been nice to see how those deep scratches came out….. I’m guessing they are still visible just less visible.
I am buffing my neglected Audi I picked up and the paint looks a lot better but I wish the scratches came out better.
A lot of detailing channels give you the impression the cars look like new after buffing.
Deep scratches like that don’t “come out.” You’d need to fill them as they’re through every layer of paint and clear coat.
@@allenzelt4481- Exactly.
And to the OP, you don't want to remove them because doing so removes too much paint from that localized area.
I'm getting a new car this month and plan to do this type of work myself. Do you do the same steps with a brand new vehicle? ty
a brand new vehicle shouldn’t have any defects in the clear coat
@@mustardonthebeet haha. You must not had seen any teslas. lol lol
@@billnipp2309 wow one would think the quality control on those things would be top-notch!
After use clay bar do I need to wash the car or no???
How many times can you polish the same car?
I need some help advice. I used t cut on my fender to get a scratch out using the buffer wheel on my drill. I now have a 1 inch round circle where it went down to the primer! How do I fix this? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
How much does a services like that costs? I need info on pricing packages
Liked and subbed. Good work
Thanks for the sub!
How much money do people think it is within detailing and polishing, ceramic coating a car i work at a detailing shop and am thinking about starting to do other people cars, also high end if possible not to mention
i live in one of the most growing suburb cities
Question: What's the best way to "rechrome" that plastic chrome trim? Is it possible?
look up chrome polish by Mothers or one called Blue Magic, there are many kinds and specially formulated to restore chrome trim.
What rpm used for cut and polish
I have just a polisher i used on gell coat on boats. So this my tool. Never done a car
I have a orbital polisher, will this work too?
Mate im interested to open a detailing car wash and i want to know what kind of tools do i need all of them so if it is possible somewhere u to tell me what do i need i would appreciate that a lot
what speed do you use while polsihing
Thank you!
Nicely don thanks👌🏽👌🏽👌🏽
Good Tutorial
Greetings from Indonesia
What kind of pad did he use for the polisher?
I just got a Milwaukee polisher, it isn’t random orbital. Can I achieve the same result using it?
Better results but don’t burn your paint since you have a rotary polisher
Good video!
Glad you enjoyed it
Where can I get that ceramic coat I can't find it anywhere on the Internet?
what speed do you set the orbital polisher?
can you do this outside or does it have to be inside a garage?
You can donthis outside in a shaded area. Never in direct sunlight or to a hot car.
Good video I am having a hard time to find the right pads, please somebody
Wow thank you that's the best class
Do you also ceramic coat door jams?
Everything. Your car, your shoes, your silverware, your cat…
I have a lot of fine scratches all over my car as well does car covers make those scratches as well I'm kind of thinking that's what happened with my car the car is 3 years old what do you think
It might be that you put the cover on a dirty car. If that's the case, there's a good chance that it was simply dirt on the car that got rubbed into the clear coat when you put the cover on. But it could be the cover itself. I've had this happen to me with my brand new 2012 Jaguar. Back then, I bought the cover from the Jaguar dealership, it was made by Jaguar but it still scratched the car even though I thoroughly washed it before using the cover. Never used it again.
What about my random orbital sander it has hook and loop it would be perfect
Nice1..Stuff & thank u
Must buy expert Milwaukee polisher for my 81 Honda with original clear coat fading paint
I have a griots G9 on the way in mail do you recommend that one for a beginner which i am
I think it will work great! As you get better at it, upgrade
New subscriber here.
Can you give me some info about that Milwaukee polisher. Would like to get one.
I have a question I got a 2019 beige crv Interior with some kind of mold it won’t budge with oxi clean or a degreaser in the shampoo process should I go in with a steamer
What speed on that DA are you using?
step 1: compund paste speed 3-4 for removing deeper scratches paired with slow movement on the panel. step 2: polish paste speed 2 and faster movement on the panel.