I want my max to shine. I've been content with my current routine but it think its time for a change. I've been drooling over the cars in this forums for a few months now and I want a mirror finish. My current routine consists of washing my car with mothers car wash, mothers cleaner, polish and carnuba wax. I've been using the detailing spray that came with the clay bar and eagle 1 wax as you dry stuff in between waxes for touch ups. This winter was pretty nasty on my car so I want o make it up to my baby by making her look shiny and new again. I'm thinking of picking up a craftsman buffer from sears soon and I want to make sure i use the right stuff. I need to get rid of some scratches and swril marks and apply some touch up paint on a few areas.
what products should i use to give my max that mirror shine and what should i change about my routine. When the weather gets warm enough i'm planning on stripping off all the old wax and claying my car but thats where i'm stuck. I'm planning on switching off from mothers products and moving on the better things. and tips would be appreciated as well. thanks in advance.

 

Thanks for this post,you basically have some of the same questions i have. I think I will get PC polisher instead of the craftsman though.

 

Let's assume your car is just lightly swirled:

a) 3M Swirl Mark Remover, Einszett Metallic Polish, Meguiar's Swirl Free Polish, Meguiar's Dual Action Cleaner Polish would be necessary to remove the swirl marks. Some of those require a machine like a PC in order to get optimum results.

b) Another issue you face is environmental/industrial fallout. I would highly recommend getting a polymer like Klasse to protect your finish.

 

wow i didnt realize 1z metallic had swirl removing power.

 

Just to let you know, you can use most paint polishes by hand, just expect to expend more time and a lot more sweat doing it. If you're on a budget though, it's an option. I think most buffers sold at the retail level (Craftsman, Wen, MVP, etc) aren't very good because they (severely) lack power and flexibility in use. Getting one of these won't be much advantage except maybe for light application of wax and products like the ones you have already.

Klasse is great, but you don't have to get rid of your Mothers products as they're pretty good too. You can incorporate everything except the Step 1 into a more "serious" detailing plan if you like. It depends if you want to upgrade your "wax" product or not though.