Buffing brings your auto paint to a shiny, gloss finish
Buffing the surface of your auto paint is a key step in removing swirl marks, etchings from rain or bird droppings, and faint scratches in the finish of your car. The process is usually left for detailing professionals, but in recent years lower-priced rotary buffers have led to many car enthusiasts to take on the process at home. Buffing is a procedure that does not need to accompany every wash, and also requires special care and attention to avoid further damage to your car's paint.
Instructions
1. Use masking or painter's tape to cover seems and gaps in body panels to prevent polishing compound from getting caked in these areas.
2. Apply polishing compound to the surface of the car, working in sections no larger than two feet by two feet at a time (see reference 2). Spread the compound around with a soft microfiber cloth or with the buffing pad on your buffer, but without turning the buffer on.
3. Allow the polishing compound to dry to a hazy appearance.
4. Power on your rotary buffer with a polishing pad attached and move it in a sweeping motion over the surface of the car where polishing compound has been applied. Buff until the hazy polish gives way to a glossy finish. Always hold the the buffing pad level with the surface of the car to avoid digging into the paint with the edges of the buffer, and do not hold the buffer still in one area for too long.
5. Buff until the entire section is glossy and smooth, then power off your buffer and repeat the entire process for the next section of your car's paint. Do so until all surfaces have been polished.
