# can you OVER polish a car ?



## naughtynorm (Dec 8, 2007)

just wondering as most weeks if i wash the car it gets a polish as well, is this a good or bad thing ? also i use Meguairs products on it and get a good result, i know of the Dodo wax but is there anything else i should use as well or instead of to get the deep wet look shine i want for the car shows im entering this summer ?









is the colour, and i got a few swirl marks, whats best for those ?


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## Paulas (Sep 21, 2007)

Hi! friend may be you can try Menz 106FA. and can we over polish ? may be this can help you: http://www.guidetodetailing.com/articles.php?articleId=57


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## Ross (Apr 25, 2007)

Megs #7 glaze is good for shows.


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## naughtynorm (Dec 8, 2007)

thanks for that, will read that in a bit and have a looks into the megs 7 too


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## Finerdetails (Apr 30, 2006)

over polish? yes. Some polishes contains abrasives, and these cut into the laquer and reduce its thickness.

Waxes if bought right, are pure from cleaners abrasives and so can be used as much as you like


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Yes, you can over polish a car if you are using products which have abrasives in them... this section, lifted from the Rotary Polishing guide will show you what over-polishing can do:

*STRIKE THROUGH*

So far, all of the problems discussed can be easily and inexpensively solved. Strike through is a different kettle of fish! Strike through is the term used to describe polishing through the top most layer to the underlying layer as shown in the picture below.








In this example, the clear coat has been fully removed in this area and the colour coat revealed. This is repairable only by respraying the paintwork!

_EXAMPLE: PEUGEOT 307_

Shown in the picture below is strike through of the clear coat on a blue Peugeot 307 door.








In daylight, this damage is quite hard to see - the strike through area is slightly lighter than the surrounding paintwork (just above the finger) and lacks the gloss. The effects can be more clearly seen under a bright light as shown in the pictures below - strike through area on the left.















This is clear damage which requires an expensive repair. The first warning of strike through comes from visually checking the paintwork as you work - any evidence of a strange change in colour should raise the alarm bells! Also, the pad will turn the colour of the paintwork as shown in the picture below.








This pigmentation of the pad is normal for two-pack paintwork where there is no clear coat but is indicative of damage on a finish where the is a lacquer layer! Strike through can also occur on two-pack finishes where you would go through to the underlying base coat.

Checking the paint thickness on the struck through area we can see a reading of between 70 and 80um… While this thickness would still be okay for some cars, clearly for this Peugeot 307, this was too thin! Numbers in this region should also bring about caution when machine polishing!








_CAUSES_

Strike through is caused by using too aggressive a polish and pad combination on paint which is too soft. This results in the removal of too much clear coat. Do not panic however! Providing you exercise caution when machine polishing, strike through is a rare occurrence.

_SOLUTIONS_

Prevention is better than cure! If possible always check the paint thickness on any vehicle you are planning on polishing. Be sure to take many paint readings, as a car can have local thin spots which are quite small in area and easily missed. In regions where the paint is thin, exercise a lot of caution and don't use aggressive cutting combos. Always monitor the thickness of paint being removed during the initial testing to see who hard or soft the paint is which will give you an idea of which combos are safe on which thicknesses.
If you don't have access to a paint thickness gauge, then take comfort in the fact that strike through is a rare occurrence. Exercise caution, and don't use aggressive combos unless absolutely necessary. If the paintwork seems soft, the use of aggressive cutting compounds is not recommended. Obviously there will be a small risk as any local thin spots will go unnoticed with no thickness gauge, but they are rare and you should not encounter any problems.

In the event of strike through, there is only one solution - a respray!

However, this is for products that are abrasive. If its Meguiars you are using, I am guessing its the Deep Crystal Stage 2 Polish? This isn't actually a polish per se, its a pure glaze and completely non abrasive so you could use this as often as you like without problems, the same goes for pure waxes.


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## naughtynorm (Dec 8, 2007)

well thats a good read and hopefully i wont get that problem with the polisher, mines always done by hand, as for paint thickness ? ive not got a tester or know of anyone near me with one


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

naughtynorm said:


> well thats a good read and hopefully i wont get that problem with the polisher, mines always done by hand, as for paint thickness ? ive not got a tester or know of anyone near me with one


You wont need one, polishing by hand with a polish with no abrasives in it will be doing no harm or removing any paint... You can remove paint by hand with abrasive polishes like SRP, G3, Megs #80 etc etc, but in smaller amounts than typically by machine.


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## naughtynorm (Dec 8, 2007)

so using say a nxt wax or dodo should be ok ? im not up on which are abrasive or not to be honest. Im just a normal joe who wants it looking tops at the shows i goto


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## Matt G (May 16, 2007)

Polishing it after most washes seems very excessive.


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

naughtynorm said:


> so using say a nxt wax or dodo should be ok ? im not up on which are abrasive or not to be honest. Im just a normal joe who wants it looking tops at the shows i goto


NXT Tech Wax is non abrasive, can use that pretty much as often as you like. The Dodo Waxes are the same, Dodo Lime Prime is abrasive though...

If you want something to use after most washes to top up the zing, try some Zaino Z8. Spritz on a small amount (bottle should be good for 30 - 50 applications), wipe with a microfibre cloth, turn to dry side and buff and it takes five mins for the whole car. Ideal and adds a lovely glassy look


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## Jaygo (Apr 7, 2008)

Paulas said:


> Hi! friend may be you can try Menz 106FA. and can we over polish ? may be this can help you: http://www.guidetodetailing.com/articles.php?articleId=57


That's an interesting set of articles - may not go down well with with everyone here but well worth a read for the less 'obsessive'.


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Paulas said:


> Hi! friend may be you can try Menz 106FA. and can we over polish ? may be this can help you: http://www.guidetodetailing.com/articles.php?articleId=57


Its an interesting article for sure, I cant say I agree with all that is stated in it however, but it is on the whole a good guide...

I stand by the use of fine abrasives by machine to burnish a finish to a very high gloss and clarity, which is something you simply cannot achieve with a non-abrasive cleanser which is only removing dirt and ingrained grime - the very fine abrasives remove an amount of paint outwith the error of most paint gauges (ie two thirds of four fifths of sod all) but the effect it delivers makes it well worth its use over just a cleanser... My opinion of course 

My biggest complaint with the article though is the suggestion of the DA not being able to remove the swilrs it puts in with aggressive compounds as the article suggests here:

"Most professional polishes are designed to be used with a rotary buffer, by an experienced technician. When you use these polishes by hand or dual-action (DA) polisher, you put scratches in your paint finish that will not come out by using the next polish up in the line."

You can definitely refine out machine marring by working down the abrasive line, eg Menz Final Finish can easily remove machine marring from Power Gloss Compound.

But other than that, its a very good article and worth a read for a different perspective on paint care...


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## Jaygo (Apr 7, 2008)

Another interesting read.

I keep moving backwards and forwards between the idea of a DA - and no DA.

Heading back towards a DA again :wall:


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## TriBorG (Feb 14, 2007)

I think over polsihing is a mistake that is made in the early years, If you have given your car a good polish and it is pretty much defect free and all you want to do is preserve the shine then Wax rather than polish.

I remember when I was younger I dont think I ever really waxed I was always out with the SRP each weeked

Gary


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## mattyb95 (Apr 21, 2008)

Is SRP abrasive then?


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## Silva1 (Sep 16, 2007)

mattyb95 said:


> Is SRP abrasive then?


not much,it can remove light swirls but as it contains fillers it will probably just fill them


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## mattyb95 (Apr 21, 2008)

Silva1 said:


> not much,it can remove light swirls but as it contains fillers it will probably just fill them


Thanks, guess I too as I'm just learning about detailing have got a bit involved thinking I need to polish every time I wash, the SRP doesn't say how often to use. So from the sounds of it, I need a good one of wash/paint cleanse/polish/wax then just wash and wax more regularly.

Have got my brother hopefully getting me some ***** Carbon wax and HD cleanse as he's over in the states on business as its half as much over there. Would it be a case of washing then HD cleanse each time prior to waxing or would it just be wax on top after I've done it once?


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