Automotive

My First Car Polish :)

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Deal Guru
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Mar 13, 2004
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Ontario

My First Car Polish :)

Hey guys,

So today we got lucky and it hit about 13c So I took this opportunity to take what I have learned over the past month or so since I bought my first polisher, learned it all from this forum. So here are some pictures of 2 panels I did on my dads van with terrible paint. I have yet to buy better wax & may try the HD line of products so I just used what I had at home for now.

1991 GMC Safari. It was painted maybe around 10-12 years ago however it was not a very good job and sicne then it was not taken care of, no wax or anything. Maybe a wash here and there with dish soap

Products used in this order:
Griot's Garage 6" Polisher

Sonax Car Wash 2 in 1 (Just washed the panels I touched)
Riccardo Yellow Clay Bar
Sonax EX 04-06 (Orange Pad)
Chemical Guys Black Light Hybrid Radiant Finish (Black Pad)
Sonax Hybrid Liquid Wax (Black Pad)
SONAX Brilliant Shine Detailer

Here are the pictures, big difference for such bad paint. I plan to do the rest of the van in the spring once the temps are warmer since this week its going to drop down to around -13c at night and we are supposed to get snow. So this is a good chance for me to see how this stuff will hold up over the next month or two.

p.s. & yes I did it on purpose so my dad will be driving with only 2 areas of the van thats polished haha


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34 replies
Deal Expert
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Mar 9, 2007
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Think of the Childre…
GMC Safari rocks!

WOULD SOMEBODY THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!
Deal Addict
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Oct 16, 2008
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For a moment I thought you were talking about polish hot dogs @ Costco.
Deal Expert
Jun 30, 2006
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Toronto
Good job. It will last a few days before the storm hits again.
Deal Addict
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Jun 22, 2006
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North York
Great job removing the oxidation. That paint looks like it hasn't seen any care outside of a carwash for the 25 years it's been on the road!
If you drive dangerously I hope you get caught and lose your license/car/dignity! :twisted: :twisted:
Deal Guru
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Mar 13, 2004
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It got very little love over the years & when it did get love it was with Dish Soap :D lol
JAGpilot wrote: Great job removing the oxidation. That paint looks like it hasn't seen any care outside of a carwash for the 25 years it's been on the road!
Sr. Member
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Sep 19, 2013
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Toronto
Very nice man. Cool to see one of these old vans still alive and kicking.
Deal Addict
Aug 1, 2007
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wow very impressive..how much time and money did you have to spend to achieve those results?
Deal Expert
Mar 25, 2005
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Is the CG Blacklight doing anything beneficial? EX 04 06 is already a great finishing polish.
Deal Expert
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Jan 27, 2004
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ONTARIO
Holy moly! I didn't know it would make such a big difference. I guessthe difference is exacerbated by the neglected finish of 10-12 years...
But it looks amazing none the less. Almost new looking. I'm impressed!
My paint isn't that bad. I do wash it all the time. Just bi-monthly touchless washes at esso. I use the most expensive option which has better soap. I think if i tried a polish job like yourself it'd be looking new again haha.
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Dec 4, 2010
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Quarantine Bubble
Saw some guy in a parking lot doing drifting in a safari after snow fall. Was surprised they made a van red or is it awd? I also look alike a car kidnappers use lol.
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Jan 7, 2007
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Poormond Hill
Great job!
A life spent making mistakes is not only more memorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.
Deal Guru
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Mar 13, 2004
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Not that much.

I bought the polisher to use on my own car however I'm practising on my dads Van. I bought a Kit with Polisher + pads + Sonax EX 04-06 + Microfiber for around $300 but I will be polishing our 3 cars. I already have some friends asking for me to polish their cars (at a discount of course) So I'll make my money back on it easily. Worth the money IMO as I always wanted one of these but was scared of messing up paint.
malecoke wrote: wow very impressive..how much time and money did you have to spend to achieve those results?
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Mar 13, 2004
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I think it may give a slightly better shine however I just used it because I have some and wanted some extra protection on this van. But you probably are right it may not make much of a difference.

Kasakato wrote: Is the CG Blacklight doing anything beneficial? EX 04 06 is already a great finishing polish.
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Mar 13, 2004
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Yup exactly, the benefit of working on paint thats in such bad shape is that even if there is a minor improvement it will look like a big deal. The real test will be on my personal car which I keep in good condition. It probably only has minor swirl marks so it will probably take more time and patience to see results.

Yes your car probably would look like new if not better then new since most new cars come with swirl marks on it already thanks to the dealer.
UrbanPoet wrote: Holy moly! I didn't know it would make such a big difference. I guessthe difference is exacerbated by the neglected finish of 10-12 years...
But it looks amazing none the less. Almost new looking. I'm impressed!
My paint isn't that bad. I do wash it all the time. Just bi-monthly touchless washes at esso. I use the most expensive option which has better soap. I think if i tried a polish job like yourself it'd be looking new again haha.
Deal Guru
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Mar 13, 2004
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haha thats true but this is the cost of learning. I'll have to buy more pads for sure once I'm done the van. I just hope the 1 pad for each colour I have will last for the whole van then I'll go multiple ones for my car and so on as you should have.
Marx0r wrote: RIP your pads. Good work!
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Oct 11, 2008
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Mississauga
looks good. u didnt step down a pad (orange to white/green). As long as the paint has the glass finish, youre good
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Mar 13, 2004
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No I did not. I did not even realize that you should be doing that when the paint is this bad. But then again it did come out good or else I would of spent more time on it.

Thanks
jswift79 wrote: looks good. u didnt step down a pad (orange to white/green). As long as the paint has the glass finish, youre good
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Mar 14, 2006
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nice job,
i only had time to soap the car with foam cannon and one bucket with sheepskin mitt

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