I have gone thru many of the polising posts here and most deal with new paintwork. What is advisable to use on older factory paint to take out swirls. I would really like to get a decent shine but not sure what product, 3M, Meguairs #3, or others. I am planning on using 7" polisher w/yel&blk foam pads as I think the wool would be too harsh. I have read that doing older paint is quite different from new work. Questions I have are: 1. should all wax be removed first? 2. Will alcohol & water mix do this or do I need a wax remover? 3. Not sure I understand how the glaze fits in the process ie (what it does) is it the final wax or prewax? I am sure this is bc/cc gm brite red 2002 paint I am dealing with and looks awful in the sun. I have considered using the System One polish but closest dealer is 300 mi. Any help will be appreciated.

You can use 3m or mirror glaze.. Both great companys.. I am partial to mirror glaze.
You can start by washing your vehicle with some dish detergent, clean it real well... Check to see if there are scratches that may need sanding ... Get a foam pad marron for mirror glaze... Use a fine grit compound like fine cut cleaner... This is for light scratches, oxidation, swirls and hard water spots.... Note if you do sand an area make sure you use 2000 grit or higher since you are using a fine cut compound.... Once you buff the whole truck, wash again this time with mirror glaze 00 car wash.. Dont use dish detergent now...

You can follow this 2 ways.. One with the buffer and a less aggressive pad like the yellow pad from mirror glaze and a product called Dual action cleaner polish... Followed by pure caranuba wax....

Or you can hand rub a polish/wax product on the surface.... One that I have found to last longer than plain old wax from mirror glaze is called "ZYMOL" you can pick it up at your local walmart for 15 dollars, or you can use something that has been around for 20 years called "LIQUID LUSTRE"... I always buy it at auto shows or you can call a 800 number.... If you want the number let me know....

There are tons of different ways to achieve what you are looking for.. Since I have all the products for my bodyshop I always use those instead of buying something like the final cut cleaner.. But you dont need those and wont use them really unless you are doing this all the time...

You may find that using the ZYMOL alone may give you the finish you want... It is a great product and it has enough clay in it to clean the surface pretty well..... Hope this gets you started.. Look here for products

http://www.detailsupplydepot.com/script ... C=standard

BK

Well I have used the Zymol on it already but it really didn't get it done. Used zymol for a couple of years and is one of my faves. will probably use as a final wax coat. Definately need to buff, plus have some chips to finish as well. Thanks for the info!

Dlk, you're calling a 3 year old paint job old? I guess with improper care and condsidering that it is red it could look crappy by now. BondoKing got you on the right road but I just want to clear up some terms here too.

Compounds- These are different "grits" of essentially liquid sandpapers used to level coatings once you get past the physical wet or dry sanding process to flatten the clear coat in a base/clear system. Each successive grit of compound takes out any scratches left from the previous grit and starts to increase the reflectivity (shine) of the clear coat. 3M, Meguiars, and Body Magic are some popular lines.
Glazes (both machine and hand)- Glazes clean and fine polish a clear coat to establish the level of final shine or reflectivity in the clear. Most glazes are non-sealing and offer little or no protection. Although most paint jobs should not be waxed for 60 to 90 days it is usually okay to use glazes as a final part of your compounding process.
Waxes- Waxes are strictly for protection after the surface has been glazed. Some of the better waxes (Zymol, Blitz Wax from One Gran, Meguiars, etc.) can be layered to increase depth and reflectivity but it is much easier with daily drivers to just glaze and wax as needed.

About your reference to System One I do know some guys that use it and are happy with the results. I personally will always prefer separate compound and glaze steps because that's the way I was trained in professional furniture restoration and conservation. I do a lot of cutting and buffing of older lacquer, urethane, etc. coatings and it's a set of steps for me that is eay to troubleshoot. I have different bottled "grits" that are set-up for just about any damage a person can do to a clear coating.
Hope some of this info. is useful. If you want to get a little more overview of product you might also want to check out www.eastwood.com

Thanks for the clearification on the grits and the glaze, I think I get it now. As to my statement of the paint being old, was really to define it as well cured, hence 2-4 four years. And you are right again on the red, not bad in shade (probably why I didn't notice when purchased). But get it in the sun and it looks like a really screwed up buff like cotton terry pad run flat on surface with circular swirls on rounded area like door transistions to top. Now I am just trying to make the best of the situation I am stuck with. It's been forty years since I did any buffing, I was 16 and working at a chevy dealer part time, and only did 2-4 cars while there. I really appreciate you taking the time to help me figure this out. The link was neat, I'll put that on my faves list. System One seems a bit expensive to experiment with so might start w/Meguairs...

Hey, DLK, before you start your shopping trip go to www.onegrand.com and check out their products. These guys are real experts when it comes to straightening out old maintenance nightmares (swirl marks, micro-scratches, etc.) I have talked to them on their 1-800 number a couple of times about problems and they were not only helpful but pointed me to products that were less costly too.

Thanks DarrelK I will check it out, sounds interesting.