Everyday in my apartment complex, I pass a 2000 Ford Taurus. It's ALWAYS spotless. The guy takes excellent care of it, but I'm all but religious about keeping my car clean and it looks nothing like his. Yes, mine gets shiny, but his looks like a flawless mirror. It's got some scuffs and dings just like any other car, but I just don't get it. My car is turning gray.

I've been using the Black Magic wax with the black chip crayon because any white wax fills in the hood chips and makes the front end look like a$$. It makes the car incredibly smooth, but does nothing to help the color.

Any ideas (that exclude a high-speed buffer which I do not have)?

Much thanks!

 

unfortunately, a simple wax isn't going to give you the glassy finish you want. Good quality polishes will. I know you want to exclude buffers from the conversation but to make most polishes effective a buffer of some kind may be necessary. It'll also cut your detail time in half and your arm won't fall off afterward either.

 

How much should I expect to pay for a decent buffer? And what's a good brand?

 

Flex is good. Its also expensive. Ive heard good things about the meguiars one. That with a cutting pad should help your scratches, then a Polishing pad should do the finishing touch. This (Correct me if im wrong) route would cost you 200-300 bucks (With chemicals) Its not cheap but take it as a tool you will need no matter which car you have.

 

If you want a mirror finish, you need to get rid of the paint imperfections (swirls/hazing/etc...). To do this, you will need to get a D/A orbital, or pay somebody to do it. If you do it yourself, do it right the first time, save your money and buy the Flex. It will work quicker than the meguiars/porter cable, and is still safer than using a rotary. I buffed my 99 Taurus with my Flex, and left it in one spot WAYYYY too long to see if it would burn the paint (car was a work car, and I was just using it as a test vehicle for the Flex/cutting pads), the paint got very warm to the touch, but it didn't burn/discolor. Also, don't skimp on the wax/sealers. Check sites like Autogeek.net. I've bought just about all of my supplies through them, and if you watch for deals and specials, they are not too highly priced.