Yep, you could use a clay bar after the wash and prior to using ScratchX for better results.

For the rock chips, I'd recommend looking into a Langka kit or Dr. Colorchip or some other touch up paint kit. They give you all the tools and accessories needed to do a proper touch up. Color matching can be difficult on some colors of paint, but if you're new to the process, using one of those kits is probably the best way to go.

To effectively remove swirls and other imperfections in the paint restore the depth and gloss to a maximum, you're going to want to invest in a quality buffer. It's very difficult, time consuming and your results are limited via hand application. To put it in perspective, imagine applying some force to an applicator pad and moving your arm at 6,000 movements per minute. Imagine doing this for hours on end, this is what you simulate with the Porter Cable. It's going to be tight on a $200 budget, but here's what I'd recommend:

Porter Cable 7424
4" Backing Plate
3x Orange Light Cutting Pads
3x White Polishing Pads
Menzerna Intensive Polish (used w/ orange pads)
Menzerna Final Polish II (used w/ white pads)
Chemical Guys M-Seal

This combo comes to $204.90 + s/h after the 10offG35 coupon code. You'll be able to properly remove a majority of swirls and imperfections from your paint while increasing the depth and gloss significantly. It'll also allow you to properly protect the paint for months with M-Seal. The only other products you'd need are your washing and drying step, some microfiber towels for product removal and you could clay bar your paint prior to polishing.

For maximum results with the buffer, be sure to follow these steps:

- Apply 15 ~ 20 lbs of pressure
- Move the buffer at 1" per second
- Work in small areas first until you get the hang of it, like 12" x 12", then move up to 18" x 18" or so.
- Apply about 3 pea sized drops of polish for each working area
- Pass over each spot of your working area 6 - 8 times prior to removing the broken down polish with a microfiber towel by hand
- Use speed settings between 4 - 6 when polishing
- Use at least 500w halogen lighting to expose the imperfections
- Tape off any trim or area that you do not want polish to get on
- Swap out your pad for a fresh one after every few panels

If you have any other questions on anything, please do not hesitate to ask.

Keep us posted on what you end up going with and how things turn out.

FlSHRFun offered some good advice. I'd read the buffer tips I mentioned above and follow those exactly for maximum results. Keep in mind you're using an all in one product so the level of correction is pretty limited. I would be expecting to remove much more than very light surface imperfections. When breaking down a polish, pressure is necessary. The abrasive particles need to break down on your clear coat to even out the dips and valleys (swirls and scratches), so without pressure, that wouldn't happen. As mentioned above, I try to apply about 15 to 20 lbs of pressure, just shy of the buffer bogging down.

Hope this helps.

George

 

Thanks! What shhuld i use for heavy marring and swirls? what pad and product do you recommend?

I need to fix the paint on our 08 (which is pretty ruined from the car wash we used...) and i need a pretty heavy duty polish.

 

how easy is it to burn through with the buffer? my friend that does body work tells me that infiniti/nissan is notorious for a super thin clear coat and that its really easy to burn through it with a buffer.

 

George, in your opinion & experience, about how long on average do you estimate it takes to properly work in the polish on an 18-24" square area? One guide on using a PC for swirl removal that I saw said 3-5 minutes but that seems like an awfully long time.

Thanks.

 

Also Poli-Seal has very little cut to it and you def need something more aggressive like George mentioned.

 

if I'm not willing to put the time or money into the polishing process would you recommend a cleaner wax instead? My paint seems pretty good on the 05 sedan. The dealership said they buffed it when i got it last month.

 

What would you recommend?

 

3-5 minutes is more of the ideal time for a FLEX XC 3401 VRG buffer as it is more powerful and more efficient than a PC at getting out swirls.
A PC requires more time to do the work a FLEX can. This can be anywhere from 3-7 minutes.
A simple way to judge when to stop is when the polish begins to disappear or clears up.
If you're spending more than 5-7 minutes, chances are you may have put on too much polish or you're just not breaking the polish down quick enough.

Heavy marrings and swirls would require a Yellow Cutting Pad and a heavy cutting polish such as Menzerna Power Gloss.
But, remember to follow any heavy cutting polish with a lighter polish to get out any hazing (clouding) caused by the heavy polish.

 

My go to polish combos from most aggressive to least aggressive are:

Optimum Hyper Compound with a yellow pad or purple foamed wool pad
Menzerna Super Intensive Polish with an orange pad
Menzerna PO106 with a white pad
Menzerna PO85RD with a black pad

It's nice to have multiple polish and pad combinations on hand because you'll always be dealing with various levels of imperfections. PO85RD is mainly used as a gloss enhancer and won't remove many imperfections. PO106 is a great finishing polish and can remove minor imperfections. SIP is an amazing medium cut polish that removes a majority of common imperfections. OPT Hyper Compound is a long working heavy cut compound that removes deeper imperfections. With those 4 polishes you could tackle nearly any polishing job at a professional level.

What buffer are you referring to? A random orbital buffer, such as the Porter Cable or Flex XC3401VRG, it's going to be hard to burn through the paint. If you're inexperienced with buffing and using a rotary buffer, that's a different story. Rotary buffers spin in a continuous circle and generate a lot of heat, which makes it easy to burn through paint when used incorrectly. You have a chance of burning the paint with the Flex since it's significantly more powerful than a PC, but you'd have to be using a heavy cutting combination along with a lot of pressure to make that happen. It's not that Infiniti & Nissan has thin clear coat, it's more that it's a softer clear coat than most other manufactures.

Using a PC 3 - 5 minutes is a good estimate. To polish properly with a PC, I'd allocate up to 8 hours for a two step polish combination (just for polishing). Most people rush the polishing step and wonder why they are left with sub par results. If time is a factor, you should look into a Flex XC3401VRG. It'll remove twice as many imperfections as the PC in half the time.

Yep, or an all in one product with polymer sealant, such as Klasse All In One or OPT Poli-Seal. This way you'll properly prep the paint, remove some oxidation and very minor imperfections and leave behind a layer of protection that you can build upon. Just keep in mind when you use one of these products, it also strips off previous coats of protection that may have been on the paint.

George

 

Do exactly as George said and you wont go wrong.I would get some Menzena SIP and use the poli-seal as the finishing polish.

 

hey whats up. i was jw i use lexol to clean and treat my seats in my g, i treat them lie every week and ive used this 3 times i swear my seats have gotten noticbly softer and comfortable is this normal cuz i never ever treated the seats b4

 

You want to avoid over treating your leather. Newer leather is coated and each time you clean and condition your seats you are probably wearing away the protective coating little by little. This could be why you feel it is getting softer and more comfortable because the leather is becoming more exposed. I'd make sure you're finishing your leather treatments with a product that UV protects.

Just a thought.

George

 

Much appreciated for the detailed response

Would you reccomend clay barring before using the PC?

 

hello george , your thoughts on the 7424xp and what you think the cost will be next month ? is it worth the wait ?

thanx

 

well doesnt the lexol have uv agents in it