The following is a list of paragraphs written by Sean M. related to the care and upkeep of your car's paint.

Disclaimer: the following instructions/tips are based on my personal and professional experience as an auto painter. These steps have been developed by me through real world mistakes and accomplished through my work and on my own personal vehicles. The tips for high speed buffing should be attempted with caution and practice for the sake of the car's paint. i encourage beginners who plan to follow these steps (with sand paper or high speeds) to read through the entire section in order to grasp what is being done. Please understand that these steps are based primarily on the use of expensive style buffers and pads. the use of cheaper buffers/materials is possible, although may be more difficult to perform and practice with. Be sure to also take notice of my follow-up tips at the end of this article.

'Before' polishing/waxing: clay bars are becoming very popular and widely used, and for good reasons. Clay should be used on cars that feel "rough" while washing and/or drying. This rough sensation is the "invisible" buildup of dirt and grime that sticks on paint. Usually, this step is needed 1-2 times per year on daily driver cars. I recommend the "clay magic" kit found at auto parts stores like pep boys for $20. "Clay magic" comes in a box with lubricant and the clay is blue. I find this bar to be the most effective with minimal amount of effort (some bars are smoother/finer than others but appear the same). This reusable bar is perfectly safe and is not designed to remove any paint. Somewhat coarse clay bars (designed to *slightly* cut) are available, but probably not at typical auto part stores. it is important to perform this step before doing any polishing or waxing. It will remove any grime buildup in the pores (orange peel) of the paint, leaving behind truly cleaned paint. Remember, this step removes wax too.

Removing surface 'scratches' or 'bird mess stains': scratch types include scuffs, surface and deep. Scuffs and surface scratches are removable. However, the deep ones can be felt with the tip of your fingernail and are usually more permanent (I have found most bird mess stains to be equivalent to surface scratches). Removing the light ones requires a piece of 1500 or 2000 grit wet-sand paper. 2000 grit is usually only found at auto paint distributors but is much more recommended even though 1500 is also considered a fine grit by most everyone. The smoother the paper, the easier to buff, leaving behind no sand scratches. I love using a clean, worn out piece of 2000. Locate the scratches and gently sand them with the paper *folded* a few times (or buy a sponge type sanding block - preferred) using the side edge of your finger or thumb, not your fingertip. Dry and check the spot every few seconds to see the scratch lighten or disappear. As it disappears, lightly fan (feather) out your sanding work, making a bigger sand spot. This will prevent showing a concentrated sand spot in the texture of the paint, making it much less noticeable (if at all) after buffing. *don't get greedy when sanding*. Practice if you can on a scrap fender or beater car to see for yourself the general depth of paint (same goes for high speed buffing). Manufacturer’s paint is on the thin side while aftermarket (repairs) jobs leave a little more. Both types can be sanded and buffed using caution, patience and common sense. As you dry the sanded spot, look to see if the original scratch is gone. At the least, it should look a lot better with a couple minutes of tedious sanding. Also, make sure you're leaving behind uniform scratches free of deep stray ones caused by dirt particles found in buckets of water. Sanding with a hose (turn the hose barely on; you're not taking a bath) will help prevent most dirt from getting between the paper and the paint. You’ll know you have dirt when you hear the paper actually squeak against the paint. Remember, deep scratches won't entirely disappear; the rest may, or should. If all looks good, you're ready to buff the paint back to a shine. --- these sand steps are mainly intended for removing the widely popular dirt particles out of paint after a repair job in body shops. Insurance companies *do not* pay body shops to remove this dirt. If they do remove the majority, or even some of the dirt, consider yourself "hooked up".

Polishing the 'sanded spots': after sanding, the spots will need to be buffed with a high-speed buffer (not by hand or with an orbital). Cheap and expensive high speeds are available. The expensive "Buff Masters" (or similar) are about $200 (without pads) and feature adjustable speeds from 1000-3000rpms, which is very nice. They can be purchased from a professional, mobile detail truck found in your local area and probably at your local auto paint stores. Their price dictates their quality...mine has lasted about 6yrs so far without maintenance or a rebuild! The cheaper ones are $50-100 but have smaller diameter pads and a cheaper design all around (especially the pads themselves). Naturally, the expensive one is MUCH more user friendly. *you should be informed that the pads I'll be mentioning are compatible with the expensive buffers (wool and foam Velcro pads). You will have to compensate any way necessary with a cheaper buffer*. I have lost track of available pads for cheaper buffers. To begin: To buff 1500-2000grit sand marks you'll need light compound and a "coarse", foam pad. Light (instead of heavy or medium) is great because it will not make much heat or leave deep polishing marks behind. I personally prefer the 3M light. It’s thick and smooth, not so wet and watery. The main tip here is to buff with slow settings (about 12-1400rpm's) while moving the buffer in and around the sanded spot. You must keep the pad lubricated with the compound!! Avoid letting the pad dry out or it will generate a lot more heat and possibly burn the paint. Simply add a few drops of compound every so often. If buffing near the edge of a panel, simply tape the edge its adjacent panel to protect that edge. *remember to keep the buffer moving to avoid burning a spot* (even though this is hard to do with light compound and foam pads). IMPORTANT: if very near an edge, make sure to hold the buffer so that the pad's leading edge (it's outer perimeter) is spinning off the panel into the taped edge of the adjacent panel, not into the edge of the panel you're working (try to visualize). This will eliminate nearly all potential burns!! Continue this step UNTILL the paint shines like normal or as much as possible! Shortcutting here will leave a hazy sanded spot later and you'll be scratching your head in frustration. Now step 2: step up to a "swirl remover" polish with a soft foam pad to clear up the shine even further. Do this step with the buffer on slow speed (1000-1200rpm's). *the shine should jump out at you right away if the compound was done sufficiently*. This step is softening the work of the compound and rubbing away a lot of the swirls. The possibility of burning paint with this step shouldn't even be an issue, but as always, be extra careful around edges. Edges burn the easiest by far. After this, you can move on to the waxing. ---- notice that this paragraph can apply to tasks that may not require wet sanding...like faded/oxidized paint.

Applying the wax: applying waxes with an orbital or by hand can further reduce left over swirl marks after using any high-speed buffer. In fact, periodic applications of waxes are usually necessary for 'permanently' removing swirls. Basically, swirls are the negative side affects to removing scratches (with high speed buffers). Swirls can/will reappear until you've eventually and finally rubbed them out after a few/several wax jobs. Besides, periodic waxing is good upkeep anyway, so you'll be killing two birds with one stone. Trust me that swirls love to reappear (I know, it sucks), especially on dark colors, but they do eventually remain at bay with repeated wax jobs. i recommend zaino's products for the "wax" steps. *their site explains all*. Traditional waxes evaporate and wash off too easily too soon, no matter what brand you use. Zaino is classified as a "synthetic polish", not a "wax", and is applied easily by hand. my personal experience with 5 coats of Zaino: it lasted on my black, '94 southern daily driver for an honest 3-4 months *before it even began* evaporating/washing away. my car is NOT garage kept and is driven in rain. This was in the summer with no upkeep what so ever after the last applied coat. for traditional waxes, use the traditional steps for applying while using clean cotton towels or shirts etc. orbital buffers can be used for these steps. The price range applies to orbital as it does for the high speed buffers ($50-$200 without pads). the same great quality also applies to the professional style $200 orbital buffers. Since I began using Zaino, I haven't needed my orbital.

important follow-up tips and reminders (in no particular order): use masking tape to shield the edges of adjacent panels when using a high speed buffer ---- keep the buffer in motion and the pad lubricated with compound to avoid unnecessary heat build-up ---- pushing down hard is unnecessary with high speeds...let them do the work ---- clay can be used with car wash soap or plain water ---- reuse the clay by kneading it in warm or hot water to soften it up dramatically ---- attempt to dry the car after rains or at least washed soon after (a couple days) to minimize acid rain spots ---- be sure to clean the doorjambs, gaskets, black moldings and emblems completely and immediately after polishing to avoid the ugly white build-up of dry compounds and waxes ---- you should never need more than 15-1800rpm's on a high-speed buffer ---- these steps could be modified to personal preferences or experiences.