compounding car roofs?

[raymond_ho2002]

Do you guys do heavier compounding on the roofs of cars? My impression is that the roof of the car sees less serious scratching because its usually washed first (reducing the possiblity of having a dirty pad grinding dirt into it), and because it's less accessible to people brushing by it, etc. Plus, the angle at which it is seen usually doesn't show swirls as easily as a lower horizontal panel of the body, like the hood or trunk. I was thinking that the roof doesn't have to be worked as hard as the other below-eye-level parts of the car? Maybe just SMR would do the trick for roofs?

 

[DaGonz]

The choice of compounds, glazes and cleaners is dependent on the environmental conditions the vehicle is exposed to. Cars that are parked under trees constantly tend to need a more agrressive compound due to "bird bombs", bee poop and tree sap, which are highly acidic and can etch into the paintwork .



Cars parked in the blazing sun tend to oxidize faster, and carnauba based products do not last as long, which require more frequent applications ( not that that's a bad thing... )



Cars that are garaged regularly or protercted by car covers tend to be easier to work on.



The key is to start with the least aggresive product in your detail arsenal, if that is not working, go to the next level., then retrace the steps to remove residue and any swirling from polisher pads until you get your "flawless finish".



Another thing to remember is that you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear...there are some cars that no matter what you do will still not look good, due to the lack of care in maintaining the paintwork.