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40K,

If you want to jump in and learn an old technology that is very popular in Europe and the Far East, I would suggest finding a product line called Farecla. Yep, a French name for a product made in England, but is newly available here in the USA. There are only 3 products involved to bring your paint from 1500-2000 grit wet sanding to an outstanding shine without glaze. And, the bonus is you use only use 2 of the 3! Most guys outside of the USA are familiar with Farecla, except in France where the goofs over there won't sell it even with a French name! Of course the French are above all the rest of us!

The advantage is that you can start with a white foam pad (usually) and end with a black foam pad. So, only two pads and two products. Plus the stuff is water based, so it cleans up easily with water, (Try using water to clean up most other products!) and while buffing it can be reactivated with a spray of water. Sound too good to be true. Well, its not! Ask about any British or Australian guy here in the US and they will rave about it. Oops, I forgot our Canadian buddies. They have used it for years too.

If you have a very fresh paint job, I would buy Farecla, G4 and also G10. These are the compounds. Get their pads or "mops" as they are called in England. Start with a very small amount of G4 on a moist white foam pad. Work about a 2 sq. ft area at about 1500-2000 rpm on an electric buffer. If the buffer starts and dries a little then judders a little bit, spray a small amount of water on the panel and buff again. When if looks good, move on. Then when you are all finished, change to a black pad (mop) and use G10 to finish the job. Don't forget to keep the pads moist, not wet. You will be amazed at the incredible shine you get without a glaze! Also, use small amounts of this stuff. Practice on an old panel before you try your car, if you can find a freshly painted hood or something from a bodyshop.

It is different than most products sold here in the US. Once you get used to it you won't use anything else! It is primarily used for new paint jobs, and not old tired paint. If your paint is a little old, you may want to try G3. It is the most aggressive of their products. With G4 being intermediate and G10 being a very fine finishing compound. All of them are self refining. This means as you use the polisher, the compound breaks down and becomes finer.

Amazing stuff, and not well known here. But, very well known in other parts of the world. I would think your NAPA guy can get some for you from his local WD.

And yep, I have sold this stuff for several years. Even though I would make nothing off of your trying the product, I might stand to benefit if everyone loves it and it becomes big on the west coast! All I know is that is works well and uses no glaze! The Europeans think we are nuts using a glaze as it just temporarily masks scratches! So, take a chance and join a cult of Farecla users.

Anyone else out there familiar with this product line? If so, please comment.