color sanding

[gben]

I've heard the one way to get the absolute best looking finsish is to color sand your car. Do any products or other methods come close to producing the same results and if so what are they and in what order do you apply them?

 

[Mad iX]

You have to realise the reason sanding your paint makes it look better.

Even with polishing you're removing paint.

Using a levelling compound is about as close to sanding you can get, but to remove all OP, you'll have to remove at least so much paint, it doesn't matter how you do it.

 

[Accumulator]

Note that color sanding generally refers to sanding single-stage, or at least it did back in the day when we'd wetsand paints like lacquers. You know, sanding color as opposed to sanding clear.



I've never found it necessary to sand paints (other than spot repairs), but then I'm never dealing with anything in really awful condition either. If you're talking about sanding out OP, then I'd sure think about it...and I'd be mighty careful. I've had some nasty OP (even on the A8/S8) but I've never felt the need to sand it down. IMO most people have their hands full just getting rid of regular marring.