While you are sitting in your garage, out in a parking lot, or at a car show, you may notice paint imperfections such as swirl marks all over the paint.\u00a0 Then, you wonder how you should go about removing these imperfections.\u00a0 Should you remove them completely, remove most of them, fill them in and conceal them, or not do anything at all?\u00a0 Here is a little summary of your options:<\/p>\n
Compounding away defects<\/strong>:\u00a0 This process will remove the defects rather quickly, but at a cost.\u00a0 With each compound pass, more and more paint is being removed from the car.\u00a0 You only want to use a compound<\/a> when the damage to the paint is significant, or deep.\u00a0 If you have never had the car detailed before, a compound would be the first step to a rich and deep gloss.\u00a0 If you have had the car compounded on more than a few occasions, it might be best to leave some defects in the paint unless a repaint is an option down the road. If you don’t have access to a paint thickness guage <\/a>to monitor how much clear coat has been removed over time, you may want to opt for a less aggressive method.<\/p>\n Polish away the defects<\/strong>:\u00a0 This process is less\u00a0aggressive to an extent compared to compounding.\u00a0 While you are still removing clear, it is not happening as quickly, and you are not cutting as deep as a compound would be.\u00a0 Also, while the polishing step can remove minor defects, it is also enhancing the gloss levels from the paint, where a compound will leave the paint hazy.\u00a0 So, in a sense, you are \u201ckilling two birds with one stone\u201d \u2013 polishing away defects, and improving the gloss in the car.\u00a0 Of course, there are polishes with very minimal cut like Menzerna 85rd <\/a>that will cut very little, if any at all, but leave behind one glossy finish (provided proper previous steps were performed).<\/p>\n