advice for first timer buffing my car

[andyos]

Hi just wondering if anyone has any tips on buffing my car.
I want to remove some small and mediun scratches etc.
Also whats the best products to use.I was looking at a maguires medium cutting compound.Is this ok? Does this require another polish/product after applying and buffing?
Thanks in advance...

[accentstencil]

Maguires make good products. You will need to use polish after using the cutting compound. Just follow the directions on the container.

[kart_racer]

Be really careful! That's some good advice.

If you are going to use Meguair's, try ScratchX, it's made for what you want to do. Just follow the directions on the pack and don't go overboard.

Probably the first thing to do is wash it & use a clay bar, this will deep clean the paint ready to 'buff'/polish/wax it. It will also stop you rubbing bonded contaminants in as you buff.

As for proper buffing compounds, the Meguiars Mirror Glaze range is fairly good. Start with the lowest cut and work down until your scratches are removed. Never start with the most aggressive cut. Then work back to the finest cut and finally use a polish and a wax over the top.

CarCareProducts should be able to help you out with techniques and the best products for your needs, and they are a sponsor of the forum so look them up.

[Kernal]

I also want to do something similar. I recently got one side of my car resprayed because of $#!+head keyed my beautiful baby. Anyways now one side is fresh new paint and the rest o the car is looking kinda dull. 99.9% of people wont be able to tell the difference even if you pointed it out but because I know its there it pisses me off so bad. I wanted to know what i can use and how i should go about brightening up the paint work. Im a first timer as well at this so any help is gold.

[the collector]

the best advice if youre asking for buffing tips with a machine is GO SLOW
using a buff looks easy but can cause thousands of dollars in paintwork damage in minutes.
use good quality compounds,hand polish,clean the buff pad if not new
wash the car first
stay away from all edges until confinent
stay away from aerials
be careful on plastic bumpers(they heat up faster)
be careful on factory body mouldings
ensure to get a anti swirl remover polish also for dark colours
wash the car carefully afterwards ensuring to blast in all the door gaps etc
if you know a crash repairer ask them what they use and they may even sell you just enough to do the job or possibly even better DO IT FOR YOU
just some ideas
cheers

[Pete SS]

i've always fancied claying my ute but I've never used it before. Any advice on the process?