wet sanding? Or, just buff

[OrangeCrush]

Obviously after being in the bodyshop business for over 20 years, I thought I would answer your question.

It depends on how deep the scratches are. If they are deep, you may need to have them wetsanded first. (that entails a combination or variation of any of the following grit wetsand paper...1000, 1500, 2000 and perhaps 2500 grit)


The scratches will be wetsanded and then the wetsand marks will have to be buffed. That will entail using either a coarser compound with a buffing pad

(There is a difference between a white buffing pad and a yellow polishing pad... a white buffing pad is made of cotton and the strands are twisted together. A yellow polishing pad is made of usually synthetic or combination of cotton but the strands are twisted and rolled back onto themselves, thus creating a loop). Also, a white pad will use a coarser compound and the yellow polishing will use a much milder compound. (of course you can use a combination of any of the above depending on what you're trying to buff)

Then, you'll need a foam waffle using some swirl remover.

All of these are done with a highspeed buffer. (part of the reason that one of the previous posts mentioned taking it to a bodyshop and not a detail shop) Most detail shops don't use highspeed buffers, they use orbital polishers. NOT THE SAME THING.

It's very difficult to buff without leaving swirls, burns, scratches and to top it off, the H2 is a difficult vehicle to buff because there are so many corners and variations on the panels.

My suggestion is if you're extremely anal and what it done right, find a reputable bodyshop to do the work and you'll be happy.

My shops charge 500 to wetsand and buff a black full size vehicle (an H2 is obviously much larger and more difficult) The lighter the color and smaller the vehicle, the less the price.

HTH's.

Mark