My wife and I went to the drive in last night and when we stopped to eat I was looking at the car in the parking lot under light shade. Man. It did not look so hot. It has been on my mind for a while and was told it needed to be buffed out. I tried it in a spot and it did'nt make a difference so I broke out some 1500 grit. WOW!!!!!!! After that, some 3M perfect it 2 compound some meguires polish compound it was night and day. Ended up doing a whole quarter panel and this is what it needs.

Was wondering if 1500 is too much before I do the whole car though? I'm going over it real light with water. I'm no pro but understand the basics of buffing out a car. Anyone got any tips or should I stop while I'm ahead and pay a pro to do it? I did'nt get any red on the paper or the buffing pad so I know I did good. I dont want to get the clear so thin that it starts to just completely go away.

 

Personally 1500 is a little hot unless you are very careful. Itll take out any orange peel that's for sure! Id pickup some 2k. I worked up from 1k-1.5k-2k-3k when i painted my car and didn't buff until the 3k. Those lighter cuts with the 2k-3k will be a heck of a lot easier to buff out and make shine then, 1500

 

Just be careful - the factory paint is very thin. It won't take much to sand through the clear and color coats.

 

I done my entire car with 2000 and 3000 with a flexable block. Then buffed with 3m PERFECT-IT buffing and polishing kit. Its an exellent kit that comes with 3 pads and 3 compounds.

 

2k did it. I've got one side and the roof done. Tomorrow I'll tackle the passenger side adn the hood. I guess I'll have to take the spoiler off to get underneath it. The paint looks great. Now I just need to get it to run as good as it will look and I'll be in business.

 

Post up some pics!

 

^^yes!!

 

That compound gets everywhere and is a pain to get off. I'll be spending the next couple evenings getting it out of everywhere. This was a spur of the momemnt project. All done. Just needs a coat of wax and I'll do that after I get all the nooks and crannies cleaned out. You can tell the difference in the door and quarter.


Now I have a reflection

 

I think next I'll have the front and rear bumpers repainted to match the rest. They have gotten a little darker, you can actually see how thin the paint is if you get up close. I did'nt want to sand on those any.

 

Looks good! Like night and day. When buffing my car, I like to tape everything off with blue painters tape and newspaper. Takes a little while to mask everything, but save time of cleaning everything. Also use a horsehair brush to get in the nooks and crannies. Compound and wax left over in the cracks and emblems is my biggest pet peeve.