Buffing...is it bad?
 

So...I own a black car. Every small imperfection shows (even bug guts effect the damn clear coat). I want to get it buffed but have a friend who is like bigtime anti-buffing and says it destroys the clear coat over time. Is buffing really that bad? Will getting it done once a year or so really matter?

Thoughts? Suggestions?

Ive only heard good from buffing...

Swirl marks in clear coat as visible because light reflects through them. Buffing levels out the clear coat so light doesn't reflect through. You can remove enough clear coat by buffing that will be bad for the paint. Experienced detailers know how to do this properly, but a person who goes to the store and buys a buffer could potentially end up removing too much clear coat, resulting in various issues such as fading and oxidation.

What frost says, it kinda "blends" the clear coat in making those scratches not as noticable :)

It does that through microscopic abrasives in the compound. That's why good detailers have gauges that tell how thick the clear coat is ... so they don't accidentally take off too much.

Well I would get it professionally done, since I knew absolutely nothing about buffing.

I think youll be happy if you do

I'm sure you're fine with your once a year plan. The last detailer I used recommended getting it done right before the summer to better protect the paint from the sun.

I used to have a detail shop when I was 19. Buffing is fine, as long as you use the proper compound for the job at hand. For a new car they would probably use a light polish with very little abrasives. What people don't realize is that it can be a very messy job. I did a car with a heavily oxidized, blue Earl Scheib paint job, and I looked like a giant smurf when I was finished.

Take it from me. If you are goign to buff your car you better be sure you damn well know how to otherwise one wrong move can cost you hundreds to repair.

I suggest doing it yourself but practice because most detail shops will be covered somesort so if they rewin your car they arent liable. They can use any of teh below excuses.

The paint was real bad
The surface was so scratched it made it difficult to repair
The paint was not applied right
The paint was too thin
ETC and I know this because Ive had those problems in the past before I started.

So if you guys want to do a great job go to a website called adams polishes or something like that. Pick up some micro fiber towels, rubbing compound, polishing compound, finishing glaze, and a porter cable buffer. (spell check on the porter cable buffer)

The porter cable buffer does not rotate, it oscilates. So its the ideal buffer for beginners and experts. I love it, I dont own it but I have used it dozens of times in teh past. Its very hard to ruin a paint job with that since it does not rotate. If it does not rotate it makes it easier to not snag the corner of the paint job.

At that website there will be video tutorials on how to use it. I suggest practicing on a family members car first :P


I still need to post a DIY on polishing.

P.S Buffing is not bad if you do it a few times a year or when you really need to. Buffing does remove clear coat but it removes the clear coat by thousands of a cm at a time so if you are experianced then you are safe.

Polishing a car with swirl mark remover is much safer (3M swirl mark remover).

Please, please see a professional.

I'm glad I stumbled upon this thread. I was thinking on tackling it myself but I might have to reconsider.

They have Compounds that help prevent you from burning the paint such as High temp compound... you can lean into the buffer and it wont burn your paint...as long as there is enough compound on the car lol


DAN

If the paint is showing "issues" I would was the car, then I would use clay bar to remove all the "issues" not removed during the wash. Lastly I would use a "cleaner wax".

If the above does not solve the problem then I would take it to a reputable professional.

if i ever wanted to buff my car, i would get a professional to do it. if buffing was bad, pros won't use it for your car. but if you don't know what you are doing, that's a different story.

i don't want to spend 200 in equipment and screw up the paint job. rather have someone that is trained to do it.