Car Paint Detailing - See It In Paint Part 2

10. Sand the surface of the paint down with the wet sandpaper. Use smooth, even strokes and dip the paper into the water frequently to clean and lubricate it. Be sure to sand the flat sections only, staying away from the sharp edges. Don't sand anything that you can't reach with a buffer!

11. Stop and wipe the surface after a few minutes of work. Any shiny spots left are low spots that will require more sanding, so wet your sandpaper again and sand these areas.

12. With the surface completely dull, we know there are no more low spots. The paint is now ready for buffing.

13. Put a small amount of the 3M Rubbing Compound on the red Meguiar's pad. This technique will minimize the amount of splatter from the rotating pad.

14. Start buffing the sanded areas of the paint. Use light to medium pressure on the pad and move constantly to avoid burning the paint. Work small sections like the one shown and buff until the compound starts to dry and disappear. This is the most difficult part of the process, so practice is key.

15. Use a polishing cloth and some Meguiar's Final Inspection to wipe the surface off after buffing. This will remove the rubbing compound and show your progress.

16. Wipe down the surface, looking for sanding scratches left by the process. If scratches remain, buff those areas again until the scratches are gone.

17. When you're done, you should have a smooth, flat and shiny surface like this. Compare this shot to the first one, and you can see how much deeper and glossier the paint becomes. While it can't be seen in this picture, the red buffing pad leaves some swirl marks that we'll remove now.

18. Meguiar's Solo system, consisting of the Cut & Polish Cream and the yellow foam polishing pad, easily removes swirls left from the first buffing process.

19. Again, apply a small amount of the Cut & Polish Cream to the yellow buffing pad and buff the surface again. A few quick passes over the surface are all that's necessary to remove the swirls.

20. Wipe the panel down again and you're done. You should now have a deep, shiny gloss on the paint with no dirt, orange peel or other surface imperfections. Next time you're at a car show, look closely at the cars - you'll be able to tell who took the time to do paint the right way and who didn't.