Polish and Clearcoat

[Thorsager]

I did a 2 step correction last year on our Camaro. There are some fine scratches that I want to get out with my PC and Adams Finishing Polish. Since I do not have a paint thickness gauge, I was wondering how many times I could use the PC with Finishing Polish before going through the clear coat?

[Chris@Adams]

You could go over it a bunch of times , I mean a bunch......no need to worry. The PC & Adam's products are very SAFE!

[mc2hill]

^ What Chris said!  

[Liltrekkie]

I've wet sanded a 5th generation Camaro (to get rid of orange peel) then did a 2 step polish. I'm pretty sure you could almost use the finishing polish every day for the next few years and be perfectly fine.

[Team Adam's]

Yep, no worries with the PC.  You could polish it DOZENS and DOZENS of times before you'd have to worry about any clear coat thickness issues!

[Norton]

Yep, no worries with the PC.  You could polish it DOZENS and DOZENS of times before you'd have to worry about any clear coat thickness issues!

What about harsher polishes/pads (e.g., Severe Swirl Remover or Paint Correcting Polish)?

[PaintTech]

I know of a video where an unmentioned gentleman put his PC on his corvette and held it on one place just to show how safe PC's are for new users.

[Norton]

I know of a video where an unmentioned gentleman put his PC on his corvette and held it on one place just to show how safe PC's are for new users.

I've seen it, and several others from the unmentioned gentleman.  He's done some good ones!

 

Based on the one to which you refer, I assume there'd be no problem doing annual 2- or 3-stage corrections on a vehicle for many years, but hoped Nick would confirm...

[The Guz]

I agree with those on here.  You will be fine.  I also use a PC to clean up my cars.  If you need more correction you may need to go with the microfiber pads.  5th gen's can sometimes have hard clear.  But I would do a test spot first with a finishing pad and finishing polish.  Then you can go from there.

[Team Adam's]

I've seen it, and several others from the unmentioned gentleman.  He's done some good ones!

 

Based on the one to which you refer, I assume there'd be no problem doing annual 2- or 3-stage corrections on a vehicle for many years, but hoped Nick would confirm...

 

If you're doing 2-3 corrections per year, your body panels will start to rust before you remove too much clear coat.  You've got nothing to worry about!  

[PaintTech]

The corners may get raw over time. Not as much paint/clear on those hard bends in the body as the flat surfaces.

[HydroBlueJK]

adams polishes are VERY safe, especially using a PC

[THE Mook]

Bottom line here with a dual action machine is YOU ARE CREATING FAR LESS HEAT than you would using a rotary tool.  Thus, the amount of clear coat you are actually removing with something like a PC is almost negligible.  Conversely, with a rotary, the spin from the head is creating a lot of heat and friction, thus, while working faster, can and will remove more clear coat.

 

I know on modern cars, paint is always as thick as a custom job.  You could probably polish until your arms fell off, or would have to do something really, really out of the norm to strike through your clear on that Camaro.

[Norton]

If you're doing 2-3 corrections per year, your body panels will start to rust before you remove too much clear coat.  You've got nothing to worry about!  

 

Bottom line here with a dual action machine is YOU ARE CREATING FAR LESS HEAT than you would using a rotary tool.  Thus, the amount of clear coat you are actually removing with something like a PC is almost negligible.  Conversely, with a rotary, the spin from the head is creating a lot of heat and friction, thus, while working faster, can and will remove more clear coat.

 

Thanks, guys!  That's what I thought, but wanted to be sure, since I'm now advising friends on what to do with their vehicles...