Single Stage Paint Polishing..... How do I?

ShawnF350

New member
My neighbor recently had his car painted at Maaco. I don't think your getting a 2 stage paint job for $1000.
He says he's going to have to ask.. He thinks it's clear coat. (I doubt it though)

He is asking me to detail it. I could give it a mild polish (maybe some Ultimate Polish to enhance the shine) and try my Poxy.

It's been a long time (since the late 80s) that I dealt with single stage paint. I did everything by hand back then too. Will I end up with my DA pads stained up with paint? Or is that only if the paint was oxidized. I really can't remember but know at times I always ended up with colorful wax applicators when I used a cleaner wax on my 89 F150.
If pads do stain.. Would you use them on another vehicle?

He was told he could wax it after about 14 days. Which has past. Should he wait a bit longer?
 
My neighbor recently had his car painted at Maaco. I don't think your getting a 2 stage paint job for $1000.
He says he's going to have to ask.. He thinks it's clear coat. (I doubt it though)

He is asking me to detail it. I could give it a mild polish (maybe some Ultimate Polish to enhance the shine) and try my Poxy.

It's been a long time (since the late 80s) that I dealt with single stage paint. I did everything by hand back then too. Will I end up with my DA pads stained up with paint? Or is that only if the paint was oxidized. I really can't remember but know at times I always ended up with colorful wax applicators when I used a cleaner wax on my 89 F150.
If pads do stain.. Would you use them on another vehicle?

He was told he could wax it after about 14 days. Which has past. Should he wait a bit longer?

You could polish now, apply a glaze and wait for another 2 weeks before waxing. If it is single stage paint, you can wash and reuse your pads and towels. Do a small test spot to see if you get color on your applicator.
 
The discoloration on your pads from SS paint is harmless (as long as you cleaned them properly after use). There has been many times where I have detailed other cars with the same pads I use on my DD, which is a single stage red with no ill effects on the other car.
 
I'll do the polish then glaze for now then. Good to know the pads won't be trashed if stained, and can be safely used on other vehicles.
 
I had a customer whose car was painted at Maaco. They claim it's kind of a 2 part single stage/clear. VERY thin! 2.8-3.2 mils. So be careful. You can buff right thru it.
 
Perfectly acceptable to reuse pads. It is worth the expensive of building yourself a pad washer, there's s nice thread on building one. You'll gum up pads quick on most single stage paint, maybe less so with a newer paint job than older oxidized paint.
 
Yeah, the pigment transfer is unsightly but of no real importance.

Some enamels do not respond well to aggressive correction, they never quite "come back" to a really nice gloss. No idea whether the Nason is like that, but I'd be careful about *any* correction on a less-than-great repaint.

I myself wait at least 90 days to use conventional LSPs. I used to use glazes for that period, but now I use OCW (approved by Ford for this).

Eh, I'd just hit it lightly with something like M09 and top with OCW.
 
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