AMCDeac

iTrader: (1)

Since polish is an abrasive, how many time can a car get polished before it takes off too much clear coat? Also, how many times a year should you polish?

I have never polished a car in my life but with the OB black, I will probably start.

Thanks for your help.

SantiagoDraco

I would think that you should only polish once, done properly, and then not have to polish again for years. That assumes of course that you take proper care of the paint after that.

I haven't polished at all but simply clayed and applied a couple coats of NXT 2.0. But my G is PG not OB.

The base paint job on the G is pretty damn good. For black you probably already have some swirls (assuming the dealer washed, etc) and it could use a proper polish.

bfranks

According to the Detailed Image guru, you can polish twice a year for 20+ years with a medium polish and never have clear coat issues. He also said he personally polishes twice a year. Waiting on my Porter Cable, so this is all second hand info....but check out this post, along with the entire thread for lots of useful info.

SantiagoDraco

Since polishing is designed to remove swirls and imperfections, and as I understand it clean where claying cannot, why would you polish paint twice a year? Especially if you are not a "pro" and know when to stop. Seems excessive to me. And since polish is abrasive it will remove some clearcoat.

Polishing when it's not necessary seems foolish.

Now using the buffer to apply sealant and wax is another issue, that would make sense two to four times a year.

Garnet Canuck

Sorry bro, but your information is extremely far from accurate. Saying that you should only polish your car once in a number of years is not correct whatsoever.

The *average* car has approximately 160 microns of paint (about 50 microns of it being clear coat). You can polish your G at least 5-6 times (or more) before you ever remove 2 microns of clear coat. So you could literally polish your G for over 20 years before you remove the clear coat.

I do a full compound twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall. The G is known for it's soft paint so minor scratches and swirls are inevitable no matter how meticulous your washing habits are.

Garnet Canuck

See my above post. Claying removes surface contamination from your paint, while polishing removes scratches, swirl marks, and spider webbing. Polishing twice a year is NOT excessive.

RedlineSi

What Garnet said.

I think people need to go and read the info from George on DI.

SantiagoDraco

Fair enough, but why would you polish just to polish? If you are keeping the car properly cared for (sealed/waxed and clean) why polish? Still seems unnecessary I'd think one good polish is enough assuming you don't introduce scratches into the paint by mishandling during normal care.

bfranks

IF there are no scratches, swirls, etc then you are right. There is no reason to polish. What they are saying is that with the G's soft paint, that isn't going to happen. So be ready to polish