I've got OCD when it comes to my car... so, how often is it ok to polish my Z?? And how many coats to apply??

I always thought that I could polish as often as I'd like, since the polishing process usually removes little, if any clearcoat. And I've not had to use any abrasive compounds as of yet. So here's how I usually do it, for reference purposes...
I typically use 3M or Meguiars, though Zaino is in my future. I've got some swirls from the Dealership lot wash, and I'm sure I've caused a few as well. I am normally in good practice, washing in the shade, using a soft wash mitt, top to bottom, going with the lines of the car to reduce the appearence of the swirls(front to back on the hood, roof, and trunk...top to bottom on the sides), using two buckets... one for wash and one for rinsing the mitt, I typically dry with The Absorber, followed by an instant detailler out of my collection and a slew of microfiber's to catch any loose water. If I'm going to go beyond a car wash, then I use the claybar. After that, I get out the DeWalt(equivalent to Porter Cable) and use the Meguiar's yellow pad for polish and glaze and repeat as necessary, followed by either the beige pad for wax or wax by hand. I prefer to apply a few coats of pure carnuba wax and then follow up with a synthetic wax for durability.

I recently read a few places saying polishing too often would chew through the clear...never heard it before and wanted to ask the masses...

Thanks,
Mike

 

You can wax as often as you like.

Polish, with an abrasive in it, should only be done to correct problems in the finish. It should be the minimum necessary to fix the problem, both in area applied to and strength of the abrasive. In other words, if you get some overspray on part of the car, you can claybar that area to remove it, you don't need to do the whole car.

 

truth be told.

 

I waxed and polish the crap out of my 4runner for 7 years.. the paint is in better shape than my z. Too much waxing doing damage to paint is a myth.. maybe so in the 80s.. with the crappy products.

 

back when yes it was a bad idea but now with the clear coat we have we should be safe.

 

I'm not sure if your post is a question or how to advise.

 

Too much reading, I know, but I just came across this literally 5 minutes ago:

http://www.guidetodetailing.com/arti...p?articleId=57

 

nice find man. thanks

 

More of a question... I'm confident on my technique, but I was very curious to see if polishing too frequently can have negative effects on the clear.

Thanks for the help everyone!

 

Great find, I noticed that there is no mention of glaze in that article. Is it safe to assume that a pure glaze(Meguiar's No.7 Show Car Glaze, for example) is perfectly safe for clearcoat if applied correctly? I have found no evidence that the No.7 contains any abrasive compounds...can anyone verify that?

 

Yes, as far as I know, glazes are non-abrasive. I use #7 as well.