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[mathewst]

Got a couple of questions about car polishing.
Bought a polishing set of egay, and all instructions are on german:-(
Hope someone will be able to share some knowledge so here it goes.
Got several pads in the package so have to know which ones are best for what.
They are white (pretty soft) orange (stiffer than white) and black (stiff and not flat on the bottom but has curvy or hilly surface.
Also have one pad which looks like sheeps skin or  ugly hairy carpet.
Got also a soft hairy glove.
Can anybody explain a little what each pad is meant to do.
Also which one would be suited if I wanted to polish the headlights for instance.
Thanks in advance.
When the weather gets better, I think the mig could use a polish and wax (also if anyone has some recomendations write them please).
If all goes well I will take pictures and probably this could be made into a useful "How to"

[mudflap]

I used that new Turtlewax "ICE" stuff last week - brilliant, does all the plastic and rubber bits (not the glass) without leaving any white dust, easy to apply and buff, and i could still move my hand the next day after polishing the whole car 

(no rude comments about hand polishing please  )


you could always keep the hairy glove for Hallow'een to frighten the kids 

[pembroke]

I used that new Turtlewax "ICE" stuff last week - brilliant, does all the plastic and rubber bits (not the glass) without leaving any white dust, easy to apply and buff, and i could still move my hand the next day after polishing the whole car 

(no rude comments about hand polishing please  )


you could always keep the hairy glove for Hallow'een to frighten the kids 

I used the ice also, very good and very easy.

Try
http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/
this site has tons of advice on polishing and detailing your car.

[guncharmer]

I am assuming these pads are to fit a machine polisher?
The black uneven pad sounds like whats called a waffle pad(does it slightly resemble one).
Problem is, different  manufacturers use different colours and textures for different pads.e.g. Wurth,3M.
Easiest way to get clued in is to call on a professional car body shop, and ask advice.

[cem_devecioglu]

1."They are white (pretty soft)"

that must be used with a very fine grained paste ..
to clean very minor traces, swirls..

2." orange (stiffer than white)"
this one has to be used after sanding with 2000 grid..
(meaning after a new  paint job or to clean a scratch..or for a very dull looking paint)
must be used with a heavy work paste..
(you must not use that frequently as it quickly eats the lacquer)

3." black (stiff and not flat on the bottom but has curvy or hilly surface."
never used that.. but must be used with a strong paste imho..


4.Also have one pad which looks like sheeps skin or  ugly hairy carpet.

for the final step protector polish..for the cleaning phase .. but polish must not be applied with this head/pad..


5."the headlights for instance."
first with stiffer pads and heavy job paste then fine grained with softer one..

for applying those you must have a variable rpm polish machine..

as you are a beginner start with 1000 rpm..no more..
dont stay at the same point for more than 2-3 seconds or you will burn the paint.. with slow and longitudinal motions.. the paint must be clean and no wind must be existent as it will bring dust..and never under the sun or with a hot paint!!

also apply some wet (water) in pads (not much)

and use amount of polish as much as toothpaste until it shines..

[guncharmer]

Could really do with a link to the item you bought.

[mathewst]

Will try to find a link.
But it was on german or french ebay where I stumbled upon somehow and actually have no idea what to look for now.
My brother ordered it cause it wasn't shipping to my country.
If I don't find the link will try to post some pics later today when I'm, back home from work

[Auto Addict]

Ve hav vays of making u polish.

[cem_devecioglu]

dont get the reason why people ask questions ,

if they will ignore the replies!

[mathewst]

Cem I didn't ignore the replies.
Actually Your reply is VERY helpful (actually the most helpful one and I'm grateful for it).
I'm just puzzled a bit cause looked a little on the net and it seems that different manufacturers have different colours for the pads, and they mix 

[tunnie]

i just use turtle wax wash stuff, goes in the bucket, and it cleans the car, but also has wax in it, comes up really nice after drying it, so good, does not need any more wax.

[mathewst]

Tunnie I have  a shampoo with wax and it works ok.
The problem is I have an enormous amount of small scratches on the car either from previous owner or simply the morons hitting the car with bags shopping trolley etc ( live near larger supermarket).
I want to try to remove as many of them as I can cause really they are getting on my nerves and don't have the money now to have the whole car resprayed.
And the biggest problem my mig is black so when it is clean every scratch is really visible 

[cem_devecioglu]

if your paint is not too old or thin you can use 2000 grid sandpaper with soapy water (by hand of course).. but be very carefull not to wipe the laquer completely..

best bet is to try it on a lower part of car where its not too visible.. than you can use paste.. and stop every 1-2 minutes .. clean with a dry cloth and check the laquer is starting to open or not..

and also black colored polishes from turtle or any brand will close most of the scratches..

and a hint: forget about the pads , most efective agent is paste grain itself..if you use a strong paste with a machine you can easly reach steel..

farecla G3 is adequate as a strong paste.. dont use a harder compound..

[mathewst]

Ok thanks Cem for the advice.
Do you know anything about Sonax products?
I was thinking of using their black polish cause farecla is not available here

[mathewst]

Also one other thing.
Do you know what is the best way to polish the plastic headlamp covers ( sandpaper first or simply some plastic polish with a machine)?
Thanks for the aadvice