Chemical vs. Abrasive Polishes

[Bob]

What do you use and what do you use it for?

[awd330]

I use both types of polishes. Generally, I use chemical polishes under 2 circumstances. The first is when there are relatively few surface scratches and marring. In this case, no abrasives are necessary. The other situation for using a chemical cleaner is when I see a neglected car with oxidation and other heavy surface contaminants. When faced with this problem, I will break out a chemical polish prior to the claying step. This will help to reveal the true condition of the paint so that I can better determine how to proceed from there.

As for abrasives, I use them when there are scratches/holograms/spiderwebbing present. I'll choose the level of abrasive(s) to use based upon the condition of the paint. Some chemical cleaners can also be used for this if paired with the appropriate application tool (machine vs hand, cotton vs MF vs foam, etc.).

[BigLeegr]

Ditto what awd said. For oxidized finishes I find chemical cleaners work far more quickly than abrasives, and if you aren't sure of the condition of the paint, this is less risky. However, I find that I get a deeper/clearer finish with a lightly abrasive polish to finish up with.

Another time I use chemical cleaners is when I want to get rid of any previous layer of wax/sealant, but don't need to polish the paint. (In my case, I do this when I'm going to try out new stuff without having the resultant appearance being affected by the previous lsp.)