using a 10" electric simmonz polisher. wondreing what steps are needed to polish a car. also what products to use. first polish on new paint, about 6 months old. only have swirl marks from my wash mit last time I used it. got some dirt on it

color is black with blue pearl

 

I hate to tell you this, but those 10" polishers don't really have enough guts to help with correcting paint defects. They're great at making quick work of applying and removing waxes or sealants, but that's about it.

If you don't have a lot of marring in your paint you can pick up some Meguiar's ScratchX at Target and attack the areas by hand. Keep in mind this is not a wipe on/wipe off process. You will get tired, real tired, doing this by hand - but it can be done.

Your best bet is to pick up a Porter Cable 7424 Dual Action Polisher (I understand Lowe's has them for around $75 right now, otherwise expect to pay closer to $120 for one) and a set of foam pads. You can do a lot of good with one of these, and they're almost idiot proof: about the only way to screw something up is to drop it on your car. There is a technique involved to get optimum results from it, but it's a great tool.

If you're going to get serious about maintaing the finish of your car, have a look at either www.autopia.org or www.meguiarsonline.com and spend some time on those forums. Be careful though, it's very addictive (I've dropped several hundred dollars on supplies, but I've got three cars to keep shiny and, well, I'm sort of a freak about this kinda thing anyway).

 

I'd say your ok with the random orbitable polisher. I use one just like yours, almost. All you need is good POLISH, not wax. Try to find a polish called ASTRO SHIELD. Use this with your poilisher and you won't have swirl marks, promise. Then hit your car up with a good wax after you polish.