newbie here..need help with final detailing decision for 2005 GTI

[JasonLI18T]

Well i have most of the plan layed out but i can't decide what polish to use. My car is a 2005 silverstone gray VW GTI. it is a metallic paint. the car has 48k mile.



The car is in in very good overall condition. Ther are some very light swirl marks, and little to no oxidation. I do not own a porter cable so i will be using a cheap orbital buffer. It will all be done by hand except for the polishing step. Here is my plan: (in order)



Wash with meguiars gold class

Clay with a meguiar's kit

Mild polish with orbital buffer

Klasse high gloss sealant



I am stuck on what kind of polish to use. I initially purchased turtle wax F21 liquid polish but then some people said they weren't sure if the Klasse would bond to it, so i returned it. I am looking to buy something available in an auto store, not looking to buy online since i need it asap.



I also have 3m rubbing compound, turtle wax polishing compound, and nufinish scratchX. it is my understanding that these are all too harsh for the minor polishing I am looking to do.



What are your suggestions? :xyxthumbs



car in queston:

 

[docrice]

I have an '01 GTI that I did (for the first time) last summer. VW / Audi paint is notoriously hard to correct, so I benefited from using a PC and some 4" LC pads (orange, sometimes yellow). I initially used Megs #83 for the correction, but changed over to using Menzerna SIP as that made a big difference. I didn't need to step down to a finishing polish either.



The Turtle Wax rubbing compound (the plastic "can") should be avoided. I know they make a bottled version, but I haven't heard much about it. I have the 3M rubbing compound (the one that's usually available locally) but it's so-so.



In all honesty, I'm not sure how much correction you can achieve out of a cheap orbital on VW clearcoat. Most of the better polishes you'll hear about on this forum won't be locally-available (depends where you live, I guess). Which buffer is it?

 

[JasonLI18T]

I have an '01 GTI that I did (for the first time) last summer. VW / Audi paint is notoriously hard to correct, so I benefited from using a PC and some 4" LC pads (orange, sometimes yellow). I initially used Megs #83 for the correction, but changed over to using Menzerna SIP as that made a big difference. I didn't need to step down to a finishing polish either.



The Turtle Wax rubbing compound (the plastic "can") should be avoided. I know they make a bottled version, but I haven't heard much about it. I have the 3M rubbing compound (the one that's usually available locally) but it's so-so.



In all honesty, I'm not sure how much correction you can achieve out of a cheap orbital on VW clearcoat. Most of the better polishes you'll hear about on this forum won't be locally-available (depends where you live, I guess). Which buffer is it?

its a vector 10 inch random orbital. one of those 40 dollar pep boys jobs, its not mine i just found it in my garage and got some bonnets for it.



I actually submitted this thread 3 days ago and it finally popped up today. I ended up purchasing meguiars number 80 speeed glaze and some mothers pure carnuba to top off the klasse after a couple coats.



i hope my saving grace is that my car is only ~3 years old and well taken care of and frequently waxed. the swirls are very light and seem pretty superficial, hopefully i can at least improve them and hide the rest with the sealant and wax.

 

[docrice]

Those buffers from Pep Boys are really under-powered for any polishing work from what I hear. They're meant more for applying waxes. Good luck though and it doesn't hurt to try.



The glaze and wax should help temporarily conceal minor swirling, although after a number of washes they'll re-appear. For any permanent solution, real paint correction / polishing is necessary (and generally that involves a capable orbital, if not a rotary, plus appropriate polishes and technique).



Hover around your car with some powerful halogens or an LED flashlight and do a 1 - 3 foot close inspection. At least that way you can assess your paint's overall condition top-to-bottom. Another thing you'll probably want to consider is the plastic / rubber parts (valences, rubber weather stripping, cowl, rear antenna, black trim around the windows, etc.). Those fade out after a while and I personally used Zaino Z-16 as well as Black Wow to get the life back into them (some people use black shoe polish).