Originally Posted by Aintgonnahappn
But to add something a little constructive, I have always heard that over waxing a car is not a good thing either. It can add a haze effect to the finish, max about two times a year. Is this not correct?
While it is possible with some old school carnauba waxes to impart a bit of a yellowing tinge to lighter colored vehicles if you "overwax", you'd have to be waxing almost weekly in order for that to happen. Twice a year, especially on a daily driver, isn't really sufficient for overall protection. Waxes and even synthetic sealants are sacrificial barriers that break down over time and their lifespan is impacted by exposure - regular, heavy rain will quickly degrade any wax or sealant, road salt will kill it in no time. Anyone who tells you that their wax lasts a whole year is just blowing smoke. And don't take "beading" as a sign of protection - it's nothing more than a function of surface tension, and just because something is on the paint that causes water to bead that doesn't automatically equate to "protection". I can buff out a car with a compound and polish and shoot water onto it and that water will bead like crazy - but there is zero protection.
Keep your car clean, wax it 4 times a year, and use a quick detail spray between washings to remove light dust and fingerprints. Use a spray wax between proper wax jobs too, especially just after washing, to help keep the shine up to a max level.
Originally Posted by Michael M
Regarding the DA polisher - how is the Porter Cable on other paints? Any experience among this group? What about air driven polishers? I would rather use an air tool, but suspect that even a little oil from the exhaust would show up in the paint.
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The Porter Cable, especially the newer 7424XP, is a fantastic tool for the enthusiast or weekend warrior. The Griot's 6" buffer and Meguiar's G110v2 are equally great tools - easy to use, easy to learn, and highly effective while providing a huge safety factor.
Originally Posted by SRT SIX
The main reason to use the PC or similar unit is that they are orbital, as a result far less likely to burn the paint for someone less experienced.
I don't think there is an orbital air tool. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong.
Actually, Karl, pneumatic DA sanders commonly used in the autobody industry can be used as a polishing tool since they generally utilize a velcro backing plate to accommodate the sanding media and so will equally accept a foam polishing pad. But, and this is critical, they are grossly lacking in torque, so as soon as you start to put some pressure on them they give up. And you generally need that pressure when polishing pad, while you absolutely do NOT when sanding paint. These air powered DA tools can make wax application with a finishing pad a snap, but you've got to have a lot of air to keep them running almost non stop for several minutes at a time.
Michael, pick up one of the above mentioned electric DA buffers and you'll never look back. And for the very hard paint found on the Crossfire (brace yourself, shameless plug coming.......) might I suggest Meguiar's new DA Microfiber Correction System? We (yes, we - I work for Meguiar's in case you didn't know) just released this system last month and it's making huge waves in the detailing world. It will let you get near rotary results but with the safety of DA use. Plenty of info on our forum at meguiarsonline.com, or I can expand on it more for those who'd rather learn about it here instead. I'm just trying to be sensitive about coming across like I'm just shilling here.