Paint Correction and Enhancement

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There are absolutely tonnes of different paint correction options out there so to try and simplify things, I’ve chosen my favourite compounds and polishes, glaze, microfiber pads and foam pads that can be combined to combat a damaged clear coat.

Here are links to each product.

Glaze (Temporary Solution)

Beginner-Friendly Paint Enhancement

Professional Grade Paint Correction Abrasives

Polishing Pads

Panel Wipe

Here’s some more info on each of the products listed.

Glaze

Poorboy’s Black Hole

If you want a mirror finish, but don’t want to remove any clear coat, then you can use a glaze for a temporary fix.

My favourite glaze is called Blackhole by a brand called Poorboy’s. It’s incredibly easy to apply and remove and does an excellent job of filling in minor clear coat scratches and swirls. Plus it smells pretty nice too! Keep in mind that it’ll only fill in minor imperfections, you’ll need to use an abrasive to remove heavier ones.

Here are links to Poorboy’s Black Hole:

Beginner-Friendly Paint Enhancement

Meguiar’s Ultimate Polish

Meguiar’s Ultimate Polish is a cross between a glaze and polish. It doesn’t have a lot of cut to it, and has plenty of fillers. It creates a high level of gloss without removing much clear coat at all.

It’s one of the safest products to enhance the finish, but you’ll need to use the compound if you have deeper clear coat swirls.

Here are links to Meguiar’s Ultimate Polish:

Meguiar’s Ultimate Compound

This is a great beginner’s option if you’re trying polishing for the first time. You can use it either my hand or machine, but you’ll get far better results using a machine.

Meguiar’s Ultimate Compound has a pretty good level of cut to it, but it’s still a pretty safe option when paired with a dual-action polisher. These means you’ll be able to remove light swirls marks with ease however it won’t cut out more severe clear coat scratches very efficiently.

Here is a link to Meguiar’s Ultimate Compound:

Professional Grade Paint Correction Abrasives

Koch Chemie H8 Heavy Cut 8.02

This is a compound geared towards people who have had a bit more experience of machine polishing. It’s more aggressive so cuts more paint pretty quickly, hence, it’s not the safest option for a complete beginner.

I found it to be really easy to work with, low-levels of dust, easy to buff off and spread. I was also super happy with the finish it left behind when combined with a microfiber pad and just a DA polisher.

Here is a link to Koch Chemie H8:

Scholl Concepts S40 Anti-Swirl Compound

This is my favourite polish to help refine the paintwork after claying or compounding. It really creates a mirror shine and brings out the gloss. Plus it’s really easy to work with, it doesn’t produce much dust and it applies and buffs off well.

Here is a link to Scholl S40:

Scholl S20 Black Compound

If you don’t want to use a separate polish and compound then a great option is Scholl S20 Black. It allows you to get a decent level of cut whilst still offering a nice refined finish to allow you to enhance the paintwork in a single step to save time.

Here is a link to Scholl S20 Black:

Polishing Pads

Meguiar’s Microfiber Cutting Disks

These are what I use on paintwork that needs a bit more attention. Microfiber has a higher level of cut to it than foam, so I like to use it on heavily swirled clear coats. The Microfiber Cutting Disks come in packs of two, and are really great value. I’ve polished quite a few cars with them now and they’re showing very few signs of wear.

Here is a link to Meguiar’s Microfiber Cutting Disks:

Chemical Guy’s Hexlogic Range

These are a great alternative to microfiber pads. Again, they’re very durable and excellent quality. They come in a variety of sizes and colour, which have different cutting abilities.

Personally, I have 4 types. The blue finishing pad, white polish pad, orange medium-heavy cutting pad, and the yellow for heavy cutting.

I tend to use the white pad most frequently to refine the paintwork with Scholl S40.

Here is a link to the white Chemical Guy’s Hexlogic Pads:

Panel Wipe

CarPro Eraser

If you are performing any polishing then you’ll need to use a panel wipe solution after each section. This allows you to remove the polishing oils in order to reveal the true condition of the paintwork for inspection, and make sure the paint is clean before the application of a coating, sealant or wax.

I’m a big fan of CarPro Eraser as it is very effective at removing oily polishes.

Here is a link to CarPro Eraser: