machine polishing car

[Brandonflowers123]

So I plan to do this.

Had a practive run, becuase some hit the side of my car, and pretty much looks like new.

Polishing removes the clear coat. So after polishing what to I do?

what products are there? those ceramic coating things?

[swisstoni]

Not really understandable at the moment.

[Greendubber]

Wax it, with a decent wax.

[curlie467]

It removes the clearcoat?

[JustADay]

It shouldn't remove much clear coat if done right! Although you will still want to apply wax.

Are you using a rotary or dual action polisher?

[A124S]

If you have removed the clearcoat, you are leaving the paint exposed to the elements, not something you want to do.

The usual method of machine polishing is to polish the clearcoat, not the paint, as the paint should remain protected underneath the clearcoat. Polishing the clearcoat will remove swirls and light scratches often introduced by poor car washing techniques.

A dual action polisher is recommended as it is far harder (but not impossible) to over polish. A rotary action polisher is for professional or skilled hands only.
I always clay bar before polishing as any residue on the surface can be introduced to the polishing head and introduce more scratches. After clay bar, I will use different pads and grades of compound depending on the condition. I then finish off with a wax that I machine polish in and hand polish off. It is amazing what can be done to improve paint work even on new cars and once you are comfortable with the techniques, it can be very rewarding work.

[alorotom]

And this is why you should have a thickness gauge ...

[skinny]

alorotom said:

And this is why you should have a thickness gauge ...

I understood the thickness gauge just told you the depth down to the metal. So you cannot actually be sure of the depth of the clearcoat?

[Magic919]

Depends on the gauge. Look at DeFelsko.