Pad for HF buffer

[Leo99]

Had some scratches in my Camry that I took wet 1500 sandpaper to. The scratches are gone but so is the finish. Thought I could just put some wax on and it'd be back to showroom finish. Not. Guess I need to use some rubbing compound and then wax. Is McGuire's Ultimate Compound the right product? What buffing pad(s) do I need? I'm be shopping at AZ or Amazon.

Thanks

 

[Farmer]

Lake Country CCS Pads are my favourite. Their orange, not light orange pads are good for cutting. Red would be good for applying wax. I've used one of their white pads for polishing but I would say those ones are meh. But orange and red would be most cost effective.

 

[deanm11]

I'd be surprised that you couldn't make it look substantially better before you went to a machine. If it were me, I would sand with 2000 + 3000 and then apply a clear coat safe compound like Turtle wax's product- the latter I find works remarkably well, much better than the 3M machine polish that was my previously best scratch remover. Turtle wax has them for light and also for medium/heavy scratches ... I didn't find them substantially different so I would just buy the one for medium/heavy.

 

[ryanschillinger]

Which buffer are you using? That's a good start to answering the question. You should be able to buy everything you need at HF but I know there are better options. I bought my rotary and random orbit polishers at HF as well as my pads and the meguiars d105 and d205. Yellow pad should be good enough for compounding, that's what I've used but I understand wool is better for heavier cutting.

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: ryanschillinger
I understand wool is better for heavier cutting.

It is but you better be very proficient with a buffer when using it. Nothing will burn the edges quicker, it is a very unforgiving pad, not newbie stuff for sure.

 

[Leo99]

I'm definitely a newbie.

 

[Leo99]

Wish I took pictures. Sanded out some scratches with 1500 and they were gone but the finish was [censored]. Sanded with 3000, hand buffed with Mequires 105 and then 205. Waxed it up and it looks like new. I'm shocked how great it looks. Thanks for the tips and encouragement.

 

[ryanschillinger]

You did it by hand?

 

[Leo99]

Originally Posted By: ryanschillinger
You did it by hand?


Yes, the whole process only took about 10 minutes. Maybe only 5 minutes.

I had 3 parallel scratches about 2 inches long, about a 1/4 inch apart.

I did have a problem on part of the finish. I'll post a pic of that next week.

 

[ryanschillinger]

How did this turn out?