Not trying to compete with Merlin (that would be impossible), but after seeing a polishing/correction demonstration at a spring show and with inspiration from Merlin, I have taken up paint correction as a bit of a hobby. After working out a lot of the swirl and scratches on my HD, I have moved on to the various family vehicles. I have purchased a lot of products online (eshine.ca up here in Ontario) and have been experimenting. I also have an old beater Mazda, which is perfect for seeing just how far you can go with a polisher without destroying the paint.
This is my son's 2006 Saab 93 2.0T convertible. When he purchased it last year, it had heavy swirl in the metallic black paint, likely due to careless washing. The masking picture is deceiving, but the swirl is obvious in the next picture. This took 8 hours of work yesterday.
Wash: He brought it to me washed, but I normally use the two-bucket method with grit guards and Optimum No Rinse Wash and Shine.
Wheels: Sonax Wheel Cleaner.
Polisher: Porter Cable 7424XP.
Decontamination: Nanoskin 6" pad on PC, lubricating with ONR mixed 6 oz. per gallon.
Swirl removal: Meguiars M105 on 5.5" orange LC pad.
Gloss enhancement: Carpro Reflect on black LC pad.
More gloss enhancement: Poorboy's Black Hole Show Glaze on LC crimson pad.
Paint Sealant: Black Fire Wet Diamond on LC blue pad.
Trim: 303 Aerospace Protectant.
Glass: Sonax Glass Cleaner.
Notes:
-This was my first use of M105, and it really does dust (Merlin: is there a way to reduce this or is it just technique?). I did my HD with Megs Ultimate Compound instead and it didn't dust as bad. I should have bought some M101 instead as Merlin has advised.
-The Poorboy's may have been overkill, but I just got it and wanted to give it a try. Going to use it on the HD next time.
-Paint correction on a black vehicle is the most satisfying, because the results are so dramatic.
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And here's my wife's 98 Beetle and a few shots of my HD which I did back in May.
The HD was done with Megs UC with orange pad, M205 with white pad and 2 coats of BFWD.
The Beetle only needed M205 and BFWD.
Both also were given the Nanoskin treatment prior to polishing.
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(That's a reflection of a hedge beside the truck)