arenner80 said:
So, if my clear coat is at hard as you say would I be better to use something that fills rather than removes the swirls?
If so, what product should I use. I was reading a post that tested Autoglym and it looked like the best to use, and of course with what pad, and what speed.
should I continue to top with klasse AIO if I use a Autoglym or similar?
I dunno if I can answer that fill/remove Q for you...in my case I removed all the flaws that were light enough for filling. I guess I'd recommend that you strike a middle-of-the-road balance. Correct what you can but don't use products that only look OK on perfect finishes (i.e., products like the Klasse twins).
Yeah, Autoglym's SRP is better (IMO) on imperfect finishes than AIO. SRP with a heavy carnauba topper is what I've used for years on vehicles I can't/won't get all that nice. It's great for friends/family daily drivers, for instance.
You use the SRP *in place of* the AIO. It doesn't clean as well as AIO but it looks better (IMO) on imperfect finishes. I genuinely like SRP, even it's sorta weird odor (reminds me of oil paints and art classes from childhood for some reason). It does dust a little but it's no biggie.
In your shoes, I'd use a 4" orange light cut pad with H-T EC mixed with a little bit of Optimum Car Polish. When you're tired of doing that switch to a polishing pad with just Optimum. It'll look a lot better at that point. Then apply SRP, let it sit for a day or so, and top with Collinite wax. I know that everybody has their preferences and I hate to give a "buy these products" type of reply, but honestly, that's exactly what I'd do. The H-T EC could be replaced by the milder H-T Heavy Cut, but with just one aggressive product and the Optimum you oughta be OK for polishes.
There are other approaches I could think of, I'll mention one, the one I used on my Blazer:
H-T EC with a little 1Z Ultra *or* with a little 1Z Paint Polish instead, then the 1Z Paint Polish by itself, top with Collinite. The 1Z Paint Polish is used instead of both the Optimum and the SRP. Not sure how it'd work if you subsituted the 1Z Paint polish for the 1Z Ultra that I used, but it'll just make for a milder combo and it oughta work fine other than being a little more gentle. The 1Z PP has waxes in it and they do a bit of filling.
One thing I noticed was that the trim on my Blazer (which might be the same as the trim on your GMC) is 1Z polish-friendly; no white stains! I applied 1Z Paint Polish to the black trim and then applied Collinite 845 IW over that. Looked nice and black, still does a few months later.
So I'd definitely get: the 4" orange pads, either H-T EC or HC, and then either OCP and SRP or 1Z PP. Top with wax, preferably something trim friendly like 845.